A quick Roman lunch
In the hasty urban lifestyle, one of the best things that Rome has to offer people in search of a quick and satisfying snack is the takeaway pizza or even known as "Pizza al taglio".
You just find one, get in and choose the amount of pizza you want by size or by price.
There are an almost infinite variety of toppings to suit all tastes; with mushrooms, vegetables, salumi, cheeses and sauces and most places will offer a wide range of other hot foodstuffs such of supplì (balls of risotto with tomato sauce bound together by eggs around a piece of mozzarella, the whole sorrounded by breadcrumbs and then fried) a real delight, then filetti di baccala (salt cod in batter), potato crocchette, fried olives etc..
Rome is packed with takeaway pizza stores that provides office workers, students and tourists, it's a cheap and quick alternative to traditional restaurants or imported fast food outlets.
A piece of pizza from these street food stores is part of the gastronomic heritage of Romans having a lunch out and it's easy to find a nice bakery around the City center.
One of the most famous here in Rome is "Lo Zozzone", tucked away down the Via del Teatro Pace, behind Piazza Navona. Zozzone's pizza is so genuine you can often find members of the Senate from the nearby Palazzo Madama, who have deserted the luxury parliamentary restaurants for a quick and tasty snack.
When you are near san Peter and Vatican Meuseum, another popular place among pizza afficionados is "Pizzarium" in Via della Meloria, Metro A Cipro stop. It's my favourite. This gourmet takeaway outlet is run by celebrated pizza chef Gabriele Bonci, who combines slow rise dought made from special flours with fresh, seasonal toppings like wild asparagus or pesto and aubergine. You'll also find nice suppli and a wild range af quality imported beers to wash down your lunch.
In Via dei Chiavari 34, in Campo de Fiori is one of the oldest pizza bakeries in Rome. The choice of toppings is perhaps not as vast as in other place but the quality of the ingredients is unparalleled and the pizza itself is second to none.
Another quality place that I recommend is "Mondo Arancina" in Via Colonna Marcantonio 38, where taste a very tasty pizza al taglio and the famous arancina: fried riceballs in 15 different flavours. The products are the best that the tradition of Sicilian cuisine has to offer, including home made cakes and ice cream.
To finish, Laboratorio Pasticceria Lambiase, better known as "Il Sorchettaro", is a superb bakery store at Via Cernaia 49 few steps from Termini station, famous for its deadly luscious freshly-baked croissant with whipped cream and melted chocolate. But they also sell a vast array of pizza fresh from the oven.
Open until Late, it's the perfect spot for a tasty treat after a night on the town.
