09 Oct Falling in Love in Rome

I am in love.  But it is a bit more complicated than that.  It’s a love not from finding my dream travel job. It’s a love that no matter how bad it gets – the late night fights, the occasional cheating with the fast and unhealthy sirens who call when you have had too much vino rosso – it never wanes. It’s a love that even if it looks rotten on the outside – it isn’t – there just aren’t any preservatives to step in the way between you and your love. It’s a love that you must tend to daily. You can’t pay for it a month in advance and use it callously whenever you fancy. It must be earned, each and everyday. It is the kind of love that even when blonde office girls who work tirelessly late into night to seduce all your senses, tickle your tastebuds, and whisper multiple languages into your ear as they scratch your back and scream Mama Mia – can’t lead you astray (for long) – without that lust and craving returning for your one and only. But it is a love that when treated with care. When treated with respect.  When treated with the attention it deserves – it is something that truly makes life worth living. And I am of course talking about my love affair with Italian food. Simple, fresh, and most importantly – made in Italy. But don’t let me tell you. Let me show you where this love began – on a food tour in Campo de’Fiori, Rome.

A Day at the Campo de’ Fiori Market

Assortment of fresh Italian vegetables at Campo de’ Fiori

Zucca – a Roman specialty

Campo de’ Fiori sundried tomato and spices

Fiori di Zucca

Italian chiji peppers – peperoncini!

Campo de’ Fiori spices

Balsamic and Olive Oils

Balsamic Vinegar and Oils in store

Italian sauce assortment

Italian tomato sauces

Assortment of Italian cheeses

Campo de’ Fiori meat store front

Campo de’ Fiori meat counter

Multi-colored pasta in Campo de Fiori

Multi-colored pasta up close

Campo de’ Fiori food market tester

I maybe have lost my eye on the ball in my job search journey in all this love and lust, but at least he has found his muse, and he didn’t even have to pay for airfare to get his job.

the food tester reveals himself

the Italian Happy Ending – Gelato

This article, my new dream travel job (eating), and my new found love of Italian cuisine is owed to Walks of Italy and  their wonderful – and attractive – office staff, who would not stop until I was 100% satisfied – and I am:)