RRCo: Your bio is pretty impressive: What occupies your time the most these days, professionally speaking.

Katie Parla: The answer to that questions really changes from month to month. The past few months have been consumed mostly by food-eating it, writing about it, researching it, buying it. Ive spent the last month in Istanbul researching for a book that National Geographic is putting out in the fall called Food Journeys of a Lifetime. I’ve hiked all over town to visit markets, restaurants, cafes, and pastry shops and met some of Turkey’s most important chefs who have taught me so much about this city’s millennial food culture. Ask me next month and the answer will be private tours of Rome and southern Italy.

RRCo: You’ve been in Rome 5 years now. Are you still as keen about it as you were when you arrived? Which is your favorite Rione?

Katie Parla: (6 years jan 14) I am still floored by Rome everyday. I have been to the Forum literally hundreds of times and yet I still remain in awe of it. I never forget that most people only dream of visiting Rome or only visit once in a lifetime. And I still lift my head up from my paper when I pass the colosseum on the way from my house to the market. I suppose for this reason I am not fully Romanized.

I live in Rione Monti. A friend who lives in Trastevere recently sent me an article about street fights that used to break out between Trasteverini and (what’s the adjective?) Monti dwellers. I believe it. These rioni demand a sense of pride from their residents. Monti is way better though.

RRCo: What is Rome’s best kept secret, that you wouldn’t find written up in a guidebook?

Katie Parla: The Vicus Caprarius, an underground site a block off the Trevi Fountain. It has part of a city block and part of the city’s water system. I keep putting into guide books and it keeps getting cut! Go figure! I guess that is a good thing, in a way, since it is a small space and this way it stays of the average person’s radar. I dont even think the people eating in Harry’s Bar above it know its there, in spite of the plexi glass disc in the floor in the middle of the dining room.

RRCo: You offer half-day and full-day tours. Which one would you recommend to someone who is after experiencing Rome more like a local would?

Katie Parla: Definitely more than a full day. In an 8-hour tour you can’t even scratch the surface of Rome’s culture, history, language, and cuisine. When I first moved to the city, it took me a few months to experience the city like a local. You have so much observation to do beforehand. I can distill what I learned into a few days of cultural lessons for visitors.

RRCo: Your blog features many photos of delicious-looking food. What’s your favorite dish and restaurant in Rome?

Katie Parla: That is an impossible question! I never know how people are able to come up with a single answer when asked to choose their last meal. My favorite dish varies depending on the season. I love really simple, dishes with genuine flavors. I love braised artichokes and lamb in the springtime, Fave and pecorino in May, Insalata caprese in August, figs and prosciutto in september. If I had to choose a favorite dish, it would be figs and prosciutto on pizza bianca from forno Campo de’ Fiori. you’ve got about a month to get in on it then it disappears for the next 11.

For hot dishes, especially homemade pasta, I go to Taverna dei Fori Imperiali or Trattoria Monti and when I want fish (raw or cooked) I go to Tempio di Iside, Rome’s best kept secret for seafood.

RRCo: To conclude, one ‘must-see’ recommendation for anyone who is visiting Rome for the first time.

Katie Parla: The Capitoline Museums. It houses the best collection of antique sculptures in bronze and marble in Italy and the views from the Tabularium over the Forum are to die for.

More about Katie…

Website: http://www.katieparla.com
Publications: http://www.katieparla.com/publications/
Private tours: http://www.katieparla.com/tour/

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