Lazio

Lazio is the region of Rome, on Italy’s west coast between Tuscany and Campania. Its cooking is the Roman one: pasta alla carbonara, cacio e pepe and the amatriciana, named after the town of Amatrice in the province of Rieti.

For a food trip, Rome is the natural base. Several companies run guided food tours there, in English, for about 90 to 99 euros per adult and three to four hours.

Getting there

Rome’s main airport is Fiumicino, on the coast west of the city, with a direct train to the centre. Ciampino is the second airport. High-speed trains link Rome with Florence, Milan and Naples.

Pecorino Romano, the cheese of Lazio’s pasta

The cheese grated over carbonara, cacio e pepe and amatriciana has a protected name. Pecorino Romano DOP is a hard, cooked cheese made from fresh whole sheep’s milk, and its production is limited to Lazio, Sardinia and the province of Grosseto in Tuscany, says its consortium. Sheep have grazed the countryside of Lazio and Sardinia for more than two thousand years.

• Ageing: at least 5 months for a table cheese, 8 months for a grating cheese.
• The wheel: 25 to 40 cm high, 25 to 35 cm across and 20 to 35 kg, stamped along its whole side with a diamond holding a stylised sheep’s head and the words Pecorino Romano.
• Taste: aromatic, lightly spicy and tangy at table age, intensely spicy once aged for grating.

Arriving in Rome

The Leonardo Express runs non-stop between Fiumicino, officially Leonardo da Vinci airport, and Roma Termini in 32 minutes, says Trenitalia. Termini is the interchange for the city’s public transport and for the lines to Florence, Bologna, Milan and Venice, and to Naples and Salerno.