Roma

ASK THE BUZZHOPPER with Francesca Ciammitti in Rome.

francesca buzzhopper
Rome is clearly  a  popular destination among the Buzz-ing travel community this summer. Welcome to our new “Ask the Buzzhopper?” which we’ve introduced after getting so many emails  after last week’s  Buzz Spotlight with  Francesca Ciammitti in Rome.  Thanks to Francesca for joining us again!
Q) Francesca,  you mentioned that every region in Italy has its own dishes, and even own ingredients for its special dishes.  I’m coming to Rome soon, what dishes are the true Roman dishes I MUST try while I’m there? 
A) I think the Roman must-have dishes are pasta gricia – which is pasta with Roman pecorino cheese, pepper and lard from the pig’s cheek,  and coda alla vaccinara, which is a Roman oxtail stew.
 If you are in Rome during wintertime, you must try puntarelle alla romana, a special kind of winter chicory sprout, served in anchovy sauce.  And for the vegetarians I would suggest pasta cacio e pepe – which is just like pasta gricia  without meat. As its name suggests, it’s pasta with cheese and pepper.  Simple and truly delicious.  And extremely hard to replicate outside of Rome due to the ingredients.     Order with a side of stir fried chicory, or Roman artichokes.
Q) You mentioned you’re a comic book translator.  What are  your favourite comics? 
A) It’s very hard to say which is my favorite comic book, I have a pretty vast collection of mostly American and Italian comics, but I could go on forever talking about them, so I’ll just pick two: Alan Moore’s version of “Swampthing”, and “Pompeo” or just anything that has been written and drawn by Andrea Pazienza, an Italian comic artist that should be way more famous than he is outside of Italy.
PS – We’ll be returning to “Meet the Buzzhopper” next week and we’ll be heading to London. But if you have any questions for Ask the Buzzhopper,  buzz us at  info@buzzhopper.com

Meet the Buzzhopper: Francesca Ciammitti, Rome.

francesca buzzhopper

Ciao Francesca.  Come’stai?  Tell us a bit about yourself and what makes you a buzzhopper? 

Good food, a glass of red wine, and a chat with a good friend is all I need to reach the peak of happiness. I love to mingle with the locals everywhere I go, and I always have special tips to share with my globetrotter friends whenever they come to Italy.

My best friends are spread all over the world and I sometimes wonder what would happen if we all converged in one place at the same time. Probably a massive catastrophe!

I’m 100% Italian, but my Abruzzese parents have been moving from place to place ever since I was little – until Rome officially adopted me. I’m a story book editor, development executive and comic book translator.  I spent my high school years between Italy, Western Australia and Canada. It sounds more exciting than what it really is, but life can be complicated and boring to explain so I’ll just let you think that my parents were undercover CIA agents. 

Did I mention that I have a love affair with New York? But who doesn’t? 

So “Food you eat not you look at” is one of your Vibes. What does that mean to you? 

The best Italian food is very simple. It’s all about fresh ingredients which you can only find in specific areas you are visiting. Every town in Italy will have their specific dialect, dishes and ingredients.

I don’t care if the place is fancy or hip   – so long as there’s no neon-lighting in the restaurant –  this always makes me nervous, as I feel as I’m about to be vivisected right there on the restaurant table!   The only thing I have in my mind when I enter a restaurant is “where’s the beef?”  Or seitan, for my vegan friends.

What’s your favourite tip from another Buzzhopper so far?

Daniel de Filippis’ tip about the Thai restaurant, Isola Puket. I can’t thank him enough for putting this on Buzzhopper.

I love to go out for dinner with friends but I am not a pasta or pizza enthusiast –  and God knows this can become quite a serious issue when you live in Italy. In Rome, it can be hard to find good ethnic restaurants that also have decent customer service.  This place is a true find.

What’s one piece of advice would you give someone coming to your city for the first time? 

Roman social and cultural life is based on word of mouth, more than any other city I know of.

When in Rome, the odds of finding a great place just by randomly walking down the street is probably as low as your first memoir novel  becoming  an instant bestseller!

ALWAYS ask locals, even if this means you have to stop a stranger in the street. Or ask a shop owner or the barista serving you coffee.  You get the idea.

What would you say to someone about using buzzhopper for the first time – or what’s your favourite thing about Buzzhopper

Especially in places like Rome, where it’s very easy to stumble upon tourist traps if you don’t know any locals who can advise you, Buzzhopper can be a life-saving net for the visitor or tourist that otherwise wouldn’t have anyone to ask.

Plus, I really appreciate the fact that Buzzhoppers and users don’t waste their time in writing or reading negative reviews. Customer complaints can be unbelievably hilarious (in a bad way)  and pointless.

When I’m bored, I actually enjoy reading crazy negative reviews or sometimes just plain ridiculous reviews. Do you know there are  people reviewing ouija boards on Amazon? Seriously,  you must check this out! I certainly don’t do this when I’m looking for a nice place to go to.  Go to Buzzhopper for that!