Hi Reader,

I love Rome as much as the next pasta pilgrim. I’ve stood and wept at the beauty of the Pantheon, tossed coins in the Trevi Fountain, and eaten enough carbonara to make my poor cardiologist, Dr. Levine, visibly blanch.

But here’s the thing: Rome doesn’t have our worn leather couch, our cats, Georgie and Graycie, or The One yelling from the other room, “Did you salt the pasta water enough?”

The truth? You don’t need a boarding pass to experience la dolce vita. In fact, some of my most transcendent Italian moments have happened right at home. There was the snowy Connecticut evening I whipped up spaghetti carbonara with a scandalous amount of pancetta. Or the night I served saltimbocca di pollo to a friends (one of whom I later learned stopped being vegetarian that night), who stayed around the table for hours afterward. Just like the time a bunch of us rented a Tuscan farmhouse when were were all young, thin, beautiful, and broke.
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That’s the power of Italian food: it transports without TSA.
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So skip the jet lag, the middle seat, and that annoying toddler who decided to stare you down, all 4,335 miles to Italy. Pull out a pot, open a bottle of wine, and let your kitchen be your trattoria. Maybe even dance in your stocking feet.

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How to Make a Meal Feel Like a Roman Holiday

1. Buy less, buy better. The Italians don’t fill their pantries—they curate them. A bottle of good olive oil, real Parmigiano-Reggiano, and ripe tomatoes will do more for you than a Costco cart of mediocrity.
2. Let ingredients flirt, not fight. Every Italian dish has a star and a supporting cast. If tomatoes are the star, don’t upstage them with a Greek chorus of garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes.
3. Cook with all five senses. Listen for the sizzle, watch the sauce thicken, inhale the garlic. The moment your kitchen smells like heaven and your cat wanders in to investigate, you’ll know you're doing it right.
4. Eat like you mean it. No screens, no “quick bites.” Pour the wine, light the candle, and actually sit. Italians understand that dinner is an act of devotion, not a pit stop to the next TikTok trend.
5. End sweetly, always. A spoon of gelato, a cookie, a kiss—whatever form it takes, dolce should always have the final word.

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WHAT'S INSIDE...

• ​Italian Rag Soup | Stracciatella​
• ​Italian-Style Artichokes ~ Carciofi​
• ​Cacio e Pepe​
• ​Spaghetti Carbonara​
• ​Bucatini all’Amatriciana​
• ​Chicken Saltimbocca​
• ​Roman-Style Chicken Cacciatore​
• ​Pork Loin in the Style of Porchetta​
• ​Semolina Gnocchi ~ Gnocchi alla Romana​
• ​Ricotta Cheesecake from Rome’s Jewish Quarter​

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​Italian Rag Soup | Stracciatella​

Stracciatella is my favorite feel-good soup. With eggs, parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, chicken broth, and baby spinach, it's full of all the things that will perk you up whether you're under the weather or not. Simple and incredibly quick, it's miraculous.

​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Italian-Style Artichokes ~ Carciofi​

These Italian braised artichokes with garlic and thyme are slowly cooked in olive oil until tender and infused with garlicky goodness. Here's how to cook them and create an impressive spring side dish.

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Three of Rome's Four Famous Pastas

(I still need to get a recipe for pasta alla gricia. Mea culpa!)

​Cacio e Pepe​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 from 24 votes

This authentic cacio e pepe recipe relies on pantry staples of pasta, cheese, salt, pepper, and olive oil as well as a nifty cooking technique to put dinner on the table before you know it.

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​Spaghetti Carbonara​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.92 from 24 votes

Spaghetti carbonara, a pasta and sauce rich with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and guanciale, pancetta, or bacon, is a quick and easy dinner that takes just 25 minutes from stove to table.

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​Bucatini all’Amatriciana​

Bucatini all'Amatriciana is a classic pasta dish with a sauce made from whole tomatoes, guanciale (pancetta or bacon works well, too), black pepper, balsamic vinegar, white wine, and chile peppers. Finish with lashings of pecorino Roman cheese.

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​Chicken Saltimbocca​

Essentially an Italian rendition of chicken cordon bleu, chicken saltimbocca is simply cutlets, cheese, prosciutto, and a lovely pan sauce. And it's on the table in 30 minutes.

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​Roman-Style Chicken Cacciatore​

You know chicken cacciatore--chicken made with vegetables, herbs, and tons of tomatoes--right? In Rome, however, "alla cacciatora" implies meat stewed with rosemary, vinegar, and anchovies, with not one tomato in sight. Instead, the bird is simmered with garlic, rosemary, white wine, and anchovies.

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​Pork Loin in the Style of Porchetta​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.83 from 17 votes

This pork loin in the style of porchetta is an Italian classic that blends pork loin with a pork shoulder, fennel, and rosemary filling, to make an impressive, celebration-worthy entrée.

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​Semolina Gnocchi ~ Gnocchi alla Romana​

In keeping with the dish’s Roman roots, this semolina gnocchi is made from coarsely ground semolina flour, hot milk, and eggs. A side of marinara sauce makes a perfect dip for these crisp, puffy, cheesy bites.

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​Ricotta Cheesecake from Rome’s Jewish Quarter​

Ricotta cheesecake from Rome's Jewish Quarter is a classic Italian classic dessert. It has a touch of lemon, is slightly lighter and more pudding-like than traditional New York cheesecake, and is lovable in its own incredible way.

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