Lazio

Best known as the home region of Rome, the country’s capital and its most populous city, Lazio is the ancient heart of Italy, with a culinary heritage that spans millennia. From its time as the seat of the Roman empire, Lazio has been a melting pot of cultures from across Europe, North Africa, and beyond, a sophisticated center for business, culture, and art.

Located in the middle of the country, with a western edge that touches the Mediterranean and an eastern edge bordering Abruzzo, Lazio’s geography has a little of everything, from sandy beaches to tall mountain peaks. But its most recognizable features are its fertile plains: to the north, the Maremma Laziale (the continuation of the Tuscan Maremma), followed by the Roman Campagna, a vast river-studded plain surrounding the city of Rome. To the south are the flatlands of Agro Pontino, a once swampy area that was slowly reclaimed over the centuries and is now an agricultural center for growing wheat and other grains.

Roman trattorias are the originators of a number of world-famous pasta dishes, including carbonara, amatriciana, and cacio e pepe. And while the region is an agricultural hub for many crops, there’s no question about its most famous product: artichokes. While the spiky vegetable was first cultivated in Italy on the island of Sicily, a local variety found its greatest popularity here, in the coastal plains outside Rome. The carciofi romanesco is rounder, with more tender, edible leaves than other varieties. Roman artichokes are commonly prepared either stuffed with herbs and garlic and slowly braised, known as carciofi alla Romana, or deep-fried in the tasty street snack carciofi alla giudia.

Want to turn your home into a Roman trattoria? Browse our hand-picked selection of the best ingredients from small producers and family farms in Lazio here.