I've never seen a plate of whole truffles before, until I went to Volpetti. Long known to be a dream store for the gourmet shopper in south Rome, in the neighborhood known as Testaccio, my expert and I decided it was high time we saw what all the foodie reviews were talking about.
Upon arriving outside the store, we saw this:
The most significant part of the above picture is not actually the huge wheel of cheese. In fact, if you look below it, you'll find nothing but a vent. But that's not just any vent. That's the VENT OF GOODNESS.
And though it's not an officially registered landmark here in Rome, I am officially announcing it as VASGO-worthy because if it were a children's book, its title would be "Oh the Smells You Could Smell".
If you visit in the middle of a Saturday, make sure to bring your game-face because you might have to scare people out of the way. The crowds are thick! Probably because they smelled the vent outside.
You can choose from the finest selection of breads, desserts....
... Meats...
... More meats...
... Even prosciutto! Wait. That's meat too.
Let's not forget the outstanding cheese selection.
Most scary is the 500 Euro per kilogram cost for those black truffles!
You can also get traditional Italian holiday sweets, I assume depending on the time of year you go. I went in November so Christmas sweets were abundant. Below are called Torrone - think sweet vanilla nougat with hazelnuts in it. Other varieties have different nuts such as almonds or walnuts. Some are even chocolate covered. This is one of my favorite candies right now. You MUST have a sweet tooth though to enjoy torrone.
Volpetti is a wonderful shop! If you are on a budget, stop by just to look like I did. The shop is wonderful to walk through.
It's well-known that you can spend outrageous amounts to get wonderful, high quality products including some of their homemade sandwiches or dishes. But if you can afford it, enjoy enjoy enjoy! And know that I am forever jealous of your monetary position.
Volpetti's website can be found here.
Their address in Rome is: Via Marmorata, 47 (the address number)
Located in Testaccio. Very close to Piramide, also known as the Pyramid of Cestius, which you can see at my post Ghost Garden.
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