Rebecca's Reviews > Eating Rome: Living the Good Life in the Eternal City

(3.5) Minchilli’s parents moved the family from America to Rome on a whim when she was 12 years old. Over the years she kept going back to Italy: to Florence as a graduate student, and then to stay when she married Domenico. She has written a number of coffee table books about Italian art and architecture.

Here, through recipes and personal stories (many adapted from her blog), she shares her enthusiasm for Italian food and for Rome in particular. I loved the sections on rules for drinking espresso and eating gelato (I was reminded of my first experiences with both in Tuscany last April), and about the etiquette of eating outdoors. Apparently the only two things you may eat while walking are gelato and pizza bianco. Anything else is considered uncouth; there’s a law against eating within 10 meters of a historical site.

Minchilli finishes each chapter with a list of favorite eateries, so this is a practical guide anyone would benefit from taking along on a trip to Rome.

Related reading: Gastronomy of Italy by Anna del Conte.