If you love the Roman cuisine, Trattoria Roma ‘ntica is definitely the place to visit when in Umbria. Here, just outside Perugia, the taste and feeling of Rome will sneak under your skin – and certainly not by chance.
The Bocca del Verita or the mouth of truth, as it is named in English, became world famous when Audrey Hepburn in 1953 had her big breakthrough in the Oscar-winning performance as Princess Anne, taking a day off from official duties and discovering Rome.
Since then, Bocca del Verita has been one of the very big main attractions in Rome – and today you have to pay 2 euros to find out if the legend speaks the truth when it says that you will lose your hand if you swear false while holding the hand inside the mouth of truth.
But if you want to try out the legend, you actually do not have to travel all the way to Rome. Just outside of Perugia in Umbria is a small trattoria, Roma ‘ntica – and here you will find both a copy of Bocca del Verita and a whole menu of amazing dishes from Roman cuisine.
The place belongs to Arnaldo Rossi and his father Evandro, both of course born in Rome – but today have lived in Perugia, where they runs the trattoria after all Roman principles with local dishes and of course also has a “tavolo social” – more about that later.
To dine with the heart
“What most people do not know is that liars in the Middle Ages actually got their hand chopped just behind the place where” La Bocca della Verità “is today,” says Arnaldo Rossi, as we stand outside the restaurant – just in front of the copy by Bocca del Verita, hanging on the wall in front of the restaurant – or the trattoria, as Arnaldo points out, when we sit down with an espresso and a ton of homemade calorie-filled cakes in front of us.
“A restaurant is something else. It’s more for rich people. A trattoria is not. We are a place for ordinary people. For workers, for friends, for families – for all, he says, explaining that many of Roma ‘ntica’s guests are regular customers coming by on a daily basis or at least several times a week. Either for lunch, dinner – or later in the evening for a glass of red wine or two with Arnaldo, his father or who else might be there.
“We are not just a dining place. We are like trattorias were in Rome in ancient times; we are a meeting place. A home away from home. To me it is important that people love the place, because you do not only eat with the mouth. You eat with the heart. That’s essential, he says, pointing to a large table with room for 12 people.
“It’s our “tavolo sociale.” This is where you can sit in if you come alone, but you want a company. Here dines both craftsmen and lawyers, unskilled and professors. People with widely different backgrounds, attitudes, knowledge and opinions. It is a table where social differences are broken down and friendships can evolve. An ancient Roman tradition that has been important for me and my father to maintain. For as you say in Rome; he who eats himself eats badly,” he points out.
No fixed closing time
That Arnaldo’s guests love both the food, the place and him is clear. There are an infinite numbers of greetings, cheek kisses and claps on shoulders as time approaches 13 and today’s lunch guests begin to show up. And even afterwards, when the food is eaten, several of the guests just go to the register and leave the correct amount of money without even asking for the price. For that they know so well in advance.
“That’s how I like it. It’s the same in the evening, where we never ask people to go. Never – no matter what time it is. No, no, è impossibile! We do not have a fixed closing time. If it is midnight or at two o’clock at night, it’s not important as long as people enjoy themselves,” Arnaldo notes, as the last pasta is eaten and the bustle in the trattoria is almost over.
But why a Roman trattoria in Umbria, which has it own – and completely different kitchen.
“Just for that reason. I love all the cuisines of Italy, but for me, the Roman cuisine is something special. It is more refined and refined. Surely because it is in Rome the magistrates have lived for centuries. For me, the Roman cuisine is elegant – a bit like a woman, ” he says with a big smile.
A game, not a job
That the menu of Arnaldo is different from other trattorias in Umbria is indisputable. At Roma’ ntica you will find dishes like carciofi alla giodia, tripa romana and pajata to name but a few. And everything is well-cooked with fresh ingredients – that goes without saying.
“It is important. Therefore our menu can also change slightly from day to day. Because we never do a dish if we do not have fresh products. And our guests know that. So if they drop by on a day when we do not have more homemade gnocci, they will just pick something else from the menu. It’s very relaxed, he says adding that having a trattoria not is a job but a lifestyle.
“To me it’s a game, it’s my life and I love it and I would not like to live without it. Obviously, it gives long working days – and sometimes I do not see much of the family, but that’s how it is, “he says, while another huge smile appears as the talk moves on to one of his other great passion; the grappa!
At Roma ‘ntica, one does not leave the table without being offered a grappa – or five. And there is plenty to choose from, because Arnaldo has no fewer than 40 different grappa’s.
“Well, that’s a bit different. But I love grappa. There are countless amazing sorts of grappa – made by different manufacturers. I may not like them all but I like to find new variants, so there is always a lot different ones on the shelves, he says.