Since the region of Lazio is at the top of the list of my favorite destinations in Italy, it seems only natural that I spend some time discussing what are the most succulent foods I have tasted during my explorations of the area. Among the best food of Lazio, I’ve mostly collected all of the dishes that I’ve loved while discovering the countryside around Rome and in particular the Tuscia region.
If you are completely unfamiliar with Tuscia, read these other posts first to learn where Tuscia is located and what features of this region of central Italy I find so appealing.
Let’s start this roundup of goodness from Lazio.
A JOURNEY THROUGH THE BEST FOOD OF LAZIO, ITALY
CARBONARA SCIENTIFICA – BRACCIANO
One of the features of a Roman trattoria that sticks to tradition is the abundant servings of pasta dishes. Those who sit down to eat in a trattoria should be hungry and expect to get up full and without having spent too much money. Many restaurants and trattorias, however, follow the contemporary trends and prefer to offer a refined environment and servings that resemble “samples”, disappointing the customer. At the Enjoy Ristorante Pizzeria in Bracciano, I found the portions of first courses that could be counted among the most abundant in Lazio, excellent homemade pasta, and the dish called “scientific carbonara“, which is the perfect carbonara.
This delirium of flavor made of a delicious creamy sauce of egg yolks, pecorino cheese and pepper, sautéed jowl bacon and homemade pasta is brought to the table directly in the pan.
To taste the first courses of Enjoy Ristorante Pizzeria, go to Via Arazzaria, 29 Bracciano.
Read my guide to visiting Lake Bracciano, the most picturesque lake near Rome.
CHESTNUT BEEF STEW – SORIANO NEL CIMINO
The month of October is one of the best times to visit Mount Cimino, when the foliage of the many beech forests turn golden and chestnuts are harvested, of which this region abounds. In Soriano nel Cimino, during the first 3 weeks of October, on the occasion of the Chestnut Festival, you can taste a menu based entirely on chestnuts. One of the most successful dishes is the tender beef stew cooked in a chestnut-based sauce.
VEGETABLE RENNET CHEESE “CACIOFIORE” – TREVIGNANO ROMANO
On the road that leads from Trevignano Romano to Anguillara Sabazia, I found the Acquaranda farm. I went in to browse around and discovered that in addition to a restaurant by the pool that offers aperitifs, lunches and dinners based on the products of this and other farms, there is also a tiny store. At Acquaranda you can buy eggs, honey, jams, olive oil and especially cheese. The most special cheese made from the milk of Acquaranda’s sheep is made with vegetable rennet, so it is also perfect for vegetarians. It has only three ingredients: raw sheep’s milk, vegetable rennet, and salt. One bite leads to another, the “caciofiore“, this is the name of the cheese is exceptional on its own, but if you want to accompany it with fresh bread and a glass of wine…
Address: Acquaranda Azienda Agricola & Ristorante | Via dello Sboccatore, 8 Trevignano Romano
Read my guide to the beautiful lake town of Trevignano Romano
PIZZA – ANGUILLARA SABAZIA
As much as pizza is a food of Lazio and of all Italy so gluttonous that we want to eat it in every circumstance, it is good to be more selective. Many times it happens to eat pizzas that do not satisfy because they are too thin or too chewy or because they are not easy to digest, or perhaps the quality of the mozzarella used is poor. Pizzeria Da Brontolo in Anguillara Sabazia, a few steps from the shores of Lake Bracciano is the paradise of pizza.
Here the pizza has an optimal leavening time, so it is easy to digest, the texture is soft at the right point, the ingredients are top quality and there are really many types of pizza to choose from, even a “sweet” pizza (with pears, honey and provola cheese). You will want to eat two, but already one will make you full to the point.
Address: Piazza del Lavatotio, 7 Anguillara Sabazia
Read my guide to Anguillara Sabazia
“FIENO” – CANEPINA
On the southern side of Mount Cimino, a few minutes’ drive from Lake Vico in the province of Viterbo lies the village of Canepina. One of the typical dishes of this village is the “fieno canepinese“, translated into English “hay from Canepina”. This dish is a type of homemade pasta made with only water, flour and eggs and cut very thin, each strand of pasta measures 1 or 2 millimeters. Another peculiarity of the fieno canepinese is that once cooked in boiling water and drained, it is dried on linen or hemp rags in order to absorb and retain even better the sauce with which it will be topped. The classic toppings for this dish are meat ragù, porcini mushrooms, or mushrooms together with sausage, as in the photo.
You can find this dish in the trattorias in the historic center of Canepina but if you will visit only the nearest biggest city, Viterbo, you can enjoy it at the restaurant:
Il Gargolo, Piazza della Morte, 14 Viterbo.
PRIMOSALE CHEESE – BRACCIANO
The Gentili family has been raising sheep since at least the year 1900. Until the 1950s they practiced transhumance from the Apennines in the Marche region to northern Lazio and sold sheep meat, then they settled on a piece of land between Lake Bracciano and Cerveteri and began to produce only cheese. Today the heirs, brothers Giancarlo and Giuseppe, during the week take care of the 500 sheep and produce cheese: primosale, ricotta, stracchino and blue cheese, all strictly with only sheep’s milk. On weekends they sell their cheeses at the food market in Rome’s Circo Massimo.
The flagship of their production is primosale, which stands out among the cheeses of Lazio and has received several awards. Primosale can have different seasonings, it is very tasty but at the same time sweet, that’s why they called it “Il Gentile”, which is translated as “the kind”.
The writer of this article is crazy about the plain primosale, the lemon primosale, and the hazelnut primosale by the Gentili Brothers. Try them all if you can. You will find it at the food market in Bracciano every Wednesday morning as well.
Address: Formaggi Valleluterana – Azienda Agricola Gentili, Castel Giuliano Bracciano
Read also my article about the best places to eat in and around Bracciano.
GELATO – TREVIGNANO ROMANO
In the main square of Trevignano Romano, the smallest town overlooking Lake Bracciano, I discovered the best gelato in Italy. A stone’s throw from the town hall and the pier with its charming promenade, Michele and Valentina opened in 2014 a gelato shop with outdoor tables that in summer also organizes live music evenings, because Michele is a passionate musician. And the same passion he plays piano with he puts into making gelato.
Being Italian, I’ve eaten countless gelato. So many shops make gelato in different flavors, but the result always has the same undertone and is often hard to digest. Instead, at Lago Gelato, each flavor has a unique flavor and texture and is made with top-quality, seasonal ingredients. There is a wide choice of flavors without milk or eggs and I can only add that this gelato is really delicious.
Here are some flavors I tried this summer:
- blackberry,
- melon and mint,
- apricot and almonds,
- mango,
- figs,
- pear and cinnamon,
- peanuts,
- chocolate.
Address: Lago Gelato, Via Piero Ginori Conti, 2. Trevignano Romano
HAZELNUT CREAM – LUCCIANO FARM
Not enough Nutella fans know that most of the hazelnuts used by Ferrero are grown in the Tuscia region and that the environmental impact of hazelnuts’ intensive cultivation is unsustainable and harmful. The good news is that there are farms in Tuscia that produce hazelnuts with organic methods and in the case of Fattoria Lucciano, they also produce hazelnut cream.
In fact, once you’ve tasted the hazelnut cream you see in the photo, it will be hard to go back to Nutella! The ingredients of this cream are few, simple and organic: hazelnuts, EVO oil, raw cane sugar, vanilla beans, cocoa.
Fattoria Lucciano prepares 3 types of hazelnut cream: dark with 42% hazelnuts, dark with 55%, and hazelnuts-milk cream.
The farm is also an agriturismo that produces organic milk and beef, EVO oil, wine, yogurt, and cheeses. If you want to stop and sleep in this place surrounded by the hilly countryside you can because there are also rooms, a spa, and the breakfast is said to be amazing.
Address: Fattoria Lucciano, SS Flaminia km 60, Civita Castellana
TIRAMISU’ – CALCATA VECCHIA
The village of Calcata Vecchia is one of the favorite destinations for those who want to take a tour in the countryside around Rome on a sunny day. Although the historical center with its 50 inhabitants is considered the “village of artists”, those who pass through here for a day do so mainly to have lunch in one of the restaurants that overlook the picturesque narrow streets and tiny squares of the medieval village.
Among the many tiny restaurants in Calcata, there is one that deserves a special mention. At the Piazzetta, chef and owner Gianluca, cooks only with local and organic products. There are many dishes on the menu that deserve to be in this article on the best food in Lazio, but I will only mention the tiramisu, made according to the traditional recipe of “grandma” because I found it so good and authentic that I took two portions!
The day before you go to Calcata, book a table at La Piazzetta and rely on the chef, who is part of the Slow Food Cook Alliance, for a journey through genuine dishes from appetizer to dessert.
Address: La Piazzetta, Via San Giovanni 47, Calcata Vecchia
Read my guide to the quaint village of Calcata Vecchia.
MARITOZZO – FALERIA
Faleria is a town along the Flaminia Road a few kilometers away from the more popular Calcata. If you pass through here, even more than the medieval historical center with the Anguillara Castle, you must visit the main attraction in town and that is the bakery “L’Arte del Pane“. The bakers are not only “artists of bread” but also of the pastries typical of Lazio such as maritozzo, hazelnut cookies, croissants, the list is long.
Take the time to sample a bit of everything when you are here.
I decided to mention maritozzo because they are truly exceptional and because it is increasingly difficult to find them in bakeries and cafeterias, compared to the past. Maritozzo is a soft loaf of sweet bread filled with whipped cream and sometimes pieces of fruit, depending on the chef’s imagination.
Address: Arte del Pane, Piazza San Nicola, 37 Faleria
SUPPLI’ – BRACCIANO
Pizzeria da Mami in the village of Pisciarelli in Bracciano has taken the most popular Roman street food, the supplì, made it unique, and then made it the strong point of its menu. The classic supplì is a cylinder of boiled rice seasoned with pork meat ragù and tomato, a piece of mozzarella cheese in the center, covered with breadcrumbs and fried in hot oil.
At Mami’s the supplì are called pallì and come in about 20 different flavors, here are a few:
- -Berries and porcini mushrooms
- -Lemon and prosciutto
- -Zucchini, saffron and provola cheese
- -Cream of salmon and shrimps
You can find them, along with excellent pizza, in Via Pisciarelli, 45, Bracciano.
VEGGIE SOUP – BOLSENA
In the historic center of Bolsena, the town that gives its name to the largest lake in Lazio, there is a delicatessen store that in addition to sandwiches and appetizers made with local cheeses and cold cuts, also offers dishes worthy of a 5-star restaurant. If you visit Bolsena and its splendid medieval castle with its Etruscan museum in the cold season, don’t miss the delicious vegetable and legume soup from I Sapori del Castello.
Remember to book in advance because there is limited seating.
Address: I Sapori del Castello, Via degli Adami, 16 Bolsena.
GNOCCHI – CERVETERI
Although they were invented in another region, gnocchi is among the most loved dishes of Lazio, eaten both at home and in restaurants.
They are prepared with flour, boiled potatoes, and egg and seasoned with the typical Roman and Italian pasta sauces.
Far from the tourist places, you will enjoy more genuine gnocchi. The most generous chefs make gnocchi themselves, like at Ristorante il Camoscio in Cerveteri, and dress them with seasonal ingredients. I tried the vegetarian version with porcini mushrooms. And I can’t forget them!
Address: Ristorante Il Camoscio, Via Cantagallo, 13.
PORCHETTA – ARICCIA
The street food that originated in Ariccia, a small town in the Albani hills 25 km southeast of Rome, has spread successfully throughout Italy and beyond and is not just street food. The production of porchetta is at least as old as Ariccia, which is certainly older than Rome. Pork is boned, cleaned and salted with sea salt. After resting for a few hours, the meat is massaged by hand in order to allow the salt to be absorbed and spiced with garlic, rosemary and pepper. After being tied with a string in order to obtain the typical trunk shape, it is cooked between 160 and 280 degrees for some hours. After cooling, it can be eaten: in the typical porchetta shops of the Castelli Romani, it is served on a plate or inside a sandwich or pizza bread.
To taste the one prepared according to the original recipe you should go to Ariccia, even better if on the occasion of the Porchetta Festival held in September.
WHITE FISH – ANGUILLARA SABAZIA
The fish-shop Toto has been a reference point for the inhabitants of Lake Bracciano for years and even more so since the store has been combined with a restaurant. From 6 PM onwards, the place is very popular with locals who want to have an aperitif with white wine and mixed fried fish from the lake or sea.
The main dishes based on fish from the lake are the lattarino fish covered in batter and fried in hot oil and the grilled whitefish. The most gluttonous customers opt for the sandwich stuffed with fish, sauces and salad and accompanied by fried potatoes.
Here too it is best to reserve a table.
Address: Friggitoria e Pescheria Toto, Piazza del Molo 4, Anguillara Sabazia
What would you add to this list about the best food in Lazio?
