I'm in the Eternal City and we are about to take a bite out of history
28 centuries to be exact with ancient ruins and one of the most dramatic skylines in Europe. I'm
Hitting the streets to check out the local food scene three open-air markets in Cornish
Ah, my ward Adela thatwith two artichokes in the Jewish ghetto. The food scene is as diverse as the culture
It's then on to one of my favorite trattoria z-- for dinner al 34 benvenuti a drama. Welcome to Rome
About ten times bigger than Paris Rome is divided into 21 districts to start the day
I made my way to Campo de Fiori in the historic centre to check out the city's most famous
outdoor market
But my morning in Italy starts out like any other with a cappuccino and I had a front-row seat to all the action
Campo de Fiori means field of flowers because that is what it literally was until about 1,400 years ago
now it's home to a myriad of vendors and cultures from around the world that
Draw locals and tourists alike and while you can find everything from locally sourced foods to textiles. Most people come for the show
You cannot stay well in Rome without juice good morning good morning mister, how do you wandering into the market?
I met bouillon who is as engaging and colorful as his fruit stand. This is my fruit shop fresh first come to the theory
Is there really good smoothie
It's bright
I can taste the banana and
What better way to stay healthy when you're walking around the Eternal City and to start the day with some fruit? I
Was then drawn to the vibrant colors of a liqueur stand where I could not pass up the chance to sample. Limoncello
It's five o'clock somewhere. Right look at the different colors in the limoncello bottle
we have the dark one, which is the
Sorrento and then the lighter one is the Calabria hence the different taste
Sweet
From sweet to sour it was on to balsamic vinegars where I learned not all balsamics are the same
Gets me right on the tongue. It is much sweeter and it's definitely that sweet
raisin
Still has a bite when you come to the comedy Fiore market make sure you check out the surrounding area in streets
Because they are lined with great cafes
local sandwich shops and corner bakeries and my next stop was to ill for know an
Incredible Roman bakery just outside the market a local hotspot
No seating no nonsense grab your sandwich and go
Look at that. Oh
Yeah a mortadella sandwich
Do it
My mission was simple for a pizza get the pizza and tried the official sandwich of Rome the mortadella sandwich
Look what's in that counter
Served inside a focaccia, like flatbread called pizza Bianca, which is simply seasoned with olive oil and salt
Now the pizza for me was a trip down memory lane I grew up in a very Italian family
my father was born in 1930 and
His father came from Italy his mother
my grandmother came from Germany and
I basically grew up extremely Italian eating all of the Italian foods and delicacies and this Pizza
Takes me back to that old-world cooking that I grew up with and my aunt Lena and my aunt Jessie made
the
best
Homemade Italian pizza, and this pizza immediately took me right back to aunt Alina and AD
Jessie and I say that because
their pizza was so thin just like this with a nice crispy crust on the outside and
All that was on top was a schmear of sauce. Here's to you aunt Lena and aunt Jessie
The mortadella sandwich, I love mortadella. It is my absolute favorite Italian deli meat and
It is the classic sandwich of Rome this is it it's the real deal
Rome's
Sandwich is the mortadella sandwich
which is basically an enormous piece of Bologna with cubes of fat delicious and
Pistachio hmm. Oh
There's no comparison to Bologna, it's so good
One of the things I'm most excited to try in Rome is prosciutto
So I'm venturing away from the market to rust Chile a local Salumeria
For what? I hope will be some melt-in-your-mouth
prosciutto
Finding the shop proved to be a bigger feet than I expected but when prosciutto is on the line, I am a patient man. I
Made it to Ross Jolie where I was greeted by at least seven different kinds of prosciutto
sitting on top of the counter like jewels in a crown I
chose three types of prosciutto to taste and compare one from Spain a serrano ham and
Two from Italy one from the north in Tuscany and one from the South in the region of Campania
Now if I die and go to heaven, I sure hope they have one of these up there. That's it
And so where better to enjoy this salty delight time to try some prosciutto then outside on the steps of the Cathedral
Prosciutto is a dry cured ham made from either the hind leg or thigh of a pig
To make the prosciutto it is first cleaned then salted and left for two months during this time
It is gently pressed to remove all of the blood and after two months
It's washed several times to remove the salt and then hung in the damp cool cellar until completely dry
At least six months and up to three years
It's smooth it's salty the fat is buttery and melts in your mouth. It's so good
For my next stop I headed to Trastevere to one of Rome's hottest culinary scenes
Nestled just beyond the Tiber River
Trastevere is marked by narrow cobblestone streets and ancient homes
It's also marked by a complicated past as it was once home to the city's Jewish ghetto
built in 1555
The ghetto was home to over 2,000 Jews forced to live in the walled community with only two doorways
One to enter and one to exit
Both of which were opened at dawn and then locked every night at sunset while the ghetto was demolished in
1870 one very famous local dish lives on to this day
Carciofi. Alla Judea or Jewish style artichokes a local favorite since the 16th century these globe artichokes
are deep-fried
Giving the artichoke a crispy golden crust on the outside and a deliciously tender heart on the inside
Excuse me. How do you eat these?
With your hand or Jew poise they hand out anything you or that
If you can put it aside yeah every two all everything the whole thing
Buon appetito
Mmm-hmm even taste the olive oil and
the heart of the artichoke
It's piping hot
super tender and
Absolutely
Juicy with the crispy fried outside. It's like
Nothing I've ever had
Where else can do this but in Roma
Buona sera
we are on via mario de Fiori in the heart of roma and you are in for a treat tonight because we are going
to one of my favorite restaurants
Ristorante al 34 I stumbled upon this amazing treachery on my last trip to rome
So you are gonna be in for the best baked mochi
smothered in cheese lasagna and of course
homemade wine
Upon my arrival I met with owner and chef
Nicola cos aleni who shared some of the history behind al 34 which has truly been a family affair
My family owns this place from 1968 more mother almost my father opened this place in that
Yes ago the name al 34 is actually the address of the trattoria on via mario de fiori 34
Coincidentally the trattoria was opened by niccola's father when he was just 34 years old and even more coincidental
34 was the year Nicholas father was born
so for the Casa Leaney family 34 has been seen as a lucky number and I'll agree the restaurant has been going strong since
1968 serving up some of Rome's most authentic Roman dishes
Nicholas mother whose age I won't reveal
still works in the kitchen that she is always eating and even the watch in every dish is coming from the kitchen too salty to
Over 240 me to talk they tell you no to too much too much tomato, right Wylie too easy
If you don't mind the cars and pedestrians the best spot in the house is on the street
Literally on the street the energy is electric
Guillermo another member of the family started me out with one of my favorite dishes
Spaghetti alle vongole or spaghetti with clams. Thank you. Grazie
look at how beautiful this is these baby clams look so tender with the little
It looks like chili flakes and the olive oil and the fresh Italian parsley and the spaghetti
It's that simple and it's gonna be that good
The spaghetti is perfectly cooked al dente
The clams are tender the garlic just pops right in my mouth
This is a winner
Paired with a frascati a local Roman wine from one of the oldest wine producers in Rome
This fontana gondola is one of the oldest
factory one factory in roma
Yes food brings people together and in Europe, it seems to happen all over
Yeah, why don't you guys all come here before I knew it I ended up meeting the most charming family from England so
How are you guys liking Rome?
Yeah, what do you like about it?
The food, what's been your favorite food so far
Spaghetti carbonara with the egg in the bacon. That is really good
Building the old buildings you like the architecture
And no, what about you already the weather? It's a bit like in Britain. Yeah, you never know what you're gonna get one minute
It's the best weather you've ever seen in your life the next
Exactly
Exactly with the kids returning to their table. Ken brought out my next wine for the evening
I was really amazed by Ken's little trick for opening the wine and I knew I could not leave dinner without learning it
Try this little trick at home for opening a bottle of wine and be prepared to impress your guests
Excellent. I have waited so
long to taste this dish at al 34 the Roman no key boy, you're a natural at dusk and
a
Semolina nokey covered with black truffle cheese and then fired up in the oven it is
Absolutely the best no key I have ever had
I'm so excited
All right. The edges are always the best worth
And having met my new friends, do you guys want to try some of this
You watch this on the Nokia. We'll come on over and
They were waiting for it. This is just something you cannot not share
It's delicious. Have you ever had anything like that? I?
Have things like it but no as good. Is it well great
What is it? So it's a gnocchi which is an Italian rolled pasta. And this is made with semolina flour
So it's like a tube is it's made like a big log. You can finish it Felix
Thank You kid, thank you, enjoy
Good
My final dish was the lasagna Bolognese made with green noodles from spinach
Which as I understand it is the authentic version of lasagna Bolognese
It is
Unbelievably
Delicious
no dinner in Rome would be complete without trying the house tiramisu, which was
Incredible and just when I thought we were done filming
My crew decided to surprise me with a little birthday cake
After dinner I joined what seemed like everyone else in the city for a stroll around the Piazza
friends locals
travelers all gathered together to catch a glimpse of Rome's mystery and beauty under the moonlight and
My first stop was a Italy's most famous fountain
Fontana di Trevi and right now they're cleaning the fountain which they do every single night
they take all the coins out of the fountain every
Single night now the legend says when you make a wish and you do it this way
You take your coin in your right hand
toss it over your left shoulder and
That means you will be coming back to Roma
I'm coming back
It has been a magical day in Rome from indulging in the city's diverse food scene against some of the world's most stunning architecture
to meeting new friends in the most unexpected places
This has been an incredible experience
Rome is the Eternal City
Viewed as such in ancient times as being the pinnacle of societies and should it fall. So too should the rest of the world?
For me the Eternal City has a more personal meaning I am eternally grateful
To share in its history as well as make some of my own
Buona sera, good night. Ro