Food Tours have definitely become an example of the changing face of tourism. Many people like to spend their first evening in a new city getting a feel of the local cuisine through the eyes of a local. Doing a Food Tour also allows you to get off the well trodden tourist circuit and experience not only food, but also food stores and neighbourhood markets. You’ll not only learn what the locals eat, when and how, but you’ll also get to hear the stories behind the family running the business. Some stores have been in the same family for generations and often the chef, the building, and most often the neighbourhood has a story to tell.
Many companies now offer Food Tours in Rome and the decision of which food tour to choose can be a difficult one, especially if it’s the only food tour you plan to take during your time in the Eternal City. Whether you would like to join a small group or do a private Food Tour, I can help you make the choice that best suits you. I work for a company that does small group food tours in Rome, but I also offer the option of a private food tour.
My private tours are personalised to your family, taking into account the ages of the participants, and also if you have a special interest or need, allergy or intolerance.
So why trust me with your food tour? I am proud to say that what I offer is the culmination of 25 years living in Italy, many of those years involved personally in the Italian food industry. I grew up with a strong Italian identity in Melbourne, Australia as my father was born in Calabria and migrated to Australia with his family in 1955. Southern Italian traditions such as sausage making and pasta sauce making were part of my childhood. I often say that growing up in an Italian family, no matter where you are in the world, naturally means your life revolves around good food and large family get-togethers and that you are a natural born foodie whether you realise it or not.
I first became well known on the Italian food scene though when I participated in Italy’s first televised cooking reality show on the Italian food channel, Gambero Rosso Channel (MasterChef was yet to hit Italian shores). I won the first series and went on to host my own TV show where I was able to showcase what was my passion at the time – Cake Decorating. The first 3 series saw me share the spotlight with my daughter Annabella and each episode involved me teaching her to decorate a different kind of cake. The program evolved to a ‘Masterclass’ format where I would invite specialised cake decorators to exhibit their skills in sugar flower making, royal icing, modelling etc…
Today my life revolves around leading private and group food tours, nurturing my blog, and also private catering. I have catered for the Australian and New Zealand Embassies, and prestige jewellery store Buccellati. I have also worked as an assistant Food Stylist for brands like Martini, McDonalds, Findus frozen foods, as well as create styled posts for Instagram for Italian companies Prosciutto San Daniele & Parmalat. I also assisted catering for Bulgari at the luxurious BaselWorld watch & jewellery fair in Basel, Switzerland.
So, whether you decide to take a street food tour or require a more comprehensive culinary experience, I promise to offer you an authentic and unforgettable experience that will leave your belly full and your soul happily satisfied.
For enquiries and bookings: tonibrancatisano@gmail.com
In January, 2018 , I took a week long vacation to Rome, by myself. I treated myself to a walking food tour, as fortune would have it Toni was our guide. What a wonderful evening, she took our group to a part of Rome I would never have gone. Toni has a wonderful personality, and is very knowledgeable of the history of not only the neighborhoods we walked but also the history of the food establishments we visited. The tastings were nothing less than amazing. It was the best part of my visit to Rome, and Rome itself is Breathtaking. I returned to Rome in January , 2019, This time with my 20 year old daughter. I prebooked a tour with Toni before I left. This time it was a private tour just My daughter , myself and Toni. Toni meet us at our hotel, and brought us to other areas of Rome I have not visited. What an amazing evening, the different foods we tasted , places we visited, I am aching to go back.. already planning a 2020 visit, without a doubt it will include a tour with amazing Toni !!!
Thanks so much Frank! I better start thinking about a new neighbourhood for you to experience. xxx
We did a tour with Toni about a year ago and it was amazing Toni led us around her own, Prati, neighborhood and shared some of her favorite restaurants and markets. We started with macchiato and cappuccino coffees followed by filter coffees with cannoli. (we were fully caffeinated by then) We stopped at a bakery for Roma pizza and free smells of fresh bread. We passed through a high end market catering top quality goods and then sat at a neighborhood landmark for some suppli. We wandered through an old fashioned neighborhood open market to sample wares from two stands, fresh bufala mozzarella and a sampler plate of meats/cheeses/figs. We topped off the tour with a new Roman favorite, trapizinnos. Toni was an excellent host and guide, Additionally, it was obvious she is a part of the neighborhood with kind words exchanged between she and the vendors and neighbors. She asked about their recent surgeries and they ask about the family. It was an excellent tour and we’d certainly recommend it to everyone.
Thanks Ben! You know coffee is just as important as the food here! LOL 😉 Toni x
WOW wow wow is all we can say about Toni and her amazing food tour. My husband and I were meeting family in Rome and thought a private food tour would be a great way to kick off our first night in Rome. Our group of 7 was 5 adults and 2 teenagers. Toni beautifully crafted a tour that had more than something for everyone. Her delightful personality coupled with her keen knowledge of Rome makes her an excellent tour guide. She effortlessly had us moving from one location to the next,, learning history about the city along the way and delighting our taste buds. It was a highlight of the trip . We cannot wait to do it again.
Thank YOU Cheri! It was an absolute pleasure ! Toni xxx
Our group of 2 teenagers, 1 pre-teen, and 2 adults went on a tour with Toni in February 2019. It was terrific! The kids had a great time (and learned a lot) and the adults did too! Toni’s knowledge of the city and the food scene and history combined with her warm and friendly manner made this tour the highlight of our trip. Cannot recommend her enough.
Thanks so much Darcy! Toni xxx
Thank you Toni, your food tour was definitely a highlight of our week in Rome.
I thoroughly recommend doing this tour at the start of any Rome stay as Toni has a wealth of knowledge about the food scene and excellent contacts so can suggest restaurants, cafes and other culinary experiences for the remainder of your stay.
There were so many new and delicious food experiences for my family during our morning tour. We loved spending time in the market, the fresh produce during these summer months was delicious – especially the local figs. We enjoyed our coffee breaks – experimenting with both hot and cold coffee ( it was 36deg C!) The pizza, the pastries, the gelato…and meeting the locals. Food is so central to the Italian way of life and it was great to get an insight into how Romans eat.
As well as an extensive knowledge of food and Rome Toni is an absolute delight to spend time with.
Thank You so much Stephanie! I loved our time spent together, eating fresh figs whilst wandering through the market is something I especially love to do! The enthusiasm you all bought to the tour, and willingness to ‘go with the Italian food flow’ ensured everyone got the most from the tour. Peter’s method of drinking water from the Nasoni fountains will always be remembered! 😀 The highlight though was watching your lovely daughter Adelaide adventurously try (& eat) everything offered to her. (To anybody reading, Adelaide is 12 years old) I love that her first memory of drinking a ‘Caffè Freddo Shakerato’ will always be that of her summer holiday in Rome! Toni xxx
One hot July night I hit the streets of Rome with Toni, my husband and daughter and 3 friends for a night of culinary delight. Whether whetting our appetites with historical tasters, glasses of laughter or plates of classical Roman beauty, Toni had us intrigued, relaxed and at home in the city that she has made her own. We loved every minute of this food tour. Because we were with Toni we were treated like royalty at every stop. Clearly every chef in Rome has fallen under her spell and we were the lucky recipients of delicious pizza, filetto di pesce, suppli, artichokes, biscotti, gelato and pastries, not to mention the occasional bubble and spritz to keep us all hydrated…We cannot wait to go back for more of this delightful guide and her secrets of Roma. Highly recommended!
Thank You so much Carolyn! Can’t wait to see you all back in Rome for another foodie adventure! xxx
WORTH EVERY PENNY. Simply put, Toni’s tour was fantastic. Toni handled my poor scheduling issues like a champ – we were an hour late, it was raining, but nothing stopped her from showing us the old, the new, and some twists and turns of Rome’s food world. There was wine, fresh produce, gelato, burrata, pizza, fried artichokes, and much much more. Her personality and warmness shined throughout the evening and it was definitely a highlight of our time in Roma. At the end, we wanted to hang out even more despite wet streets and less than optimal circumstances. IT WAS AMAZING.
Thank You Rebecca! The rain and schedule issues just added to the evening! LOL Good food & wine is the best medicine for everything!
We had the honour of enjoying a Rome eating tour with Toni earlier this month, and it could not have been better. She is knowledgeable, personable and obviously cares about truly good food and introducing her guests to the finest. The best sign was how popular she was with everyone we encountered on the tour … from wait staff to owners to chefs alike! She is a true expert and a joy to spend time with.
Thank You Deborah & Bruce! I am so happy to hear how much you enjoyed not only the food, but also the people that we encountered on the tour. Toni x
Toni Brancatisano was our guide for an early December 2019 tour of places to eat and enjoy in the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome, Italy, done through the Eating Italy website. We wound up having the tour with a total of five of us: Toni, our group of three (a mom and a dad and our 20-year old daughter), and a young couple (who were also fun to share the experience with!). So it was a very intimate evening of learning and having new experiences! Toni was tremendous from beginning to end. She really breaks down those initial early barriers, and makes you feel comfortable. She almost feels like a family member you miss by the end of the tour! To go with that, the stops we made were so great with taste treats of wine, fried artichokes, craft gelato, guanciale, craft beer, suppli, family crafted cookies and treats, a little more wine, an ancient recipe enjoyed by Ceaser, and a wonderful meal of pasta. The experiences of a wine cellar and it’s history, the family run businesses that produced these taste sensations and the conversation throughout the night were so memorable. From discussions of the slow food movement and zero kilometer food, to imagining what once happened in the spaces we were in, to a visit of a Basilica with tremendous history, where to go for good food, to sharing our stories with one another, the evening surpassed all expectations. It was like a night out with good friends, enjoying great food, with some seriousness and some laughs, and fun – all the while learning about Rome, Trastevere, and the wonderful eats. It was truly sad to have to say goodbye to everyone! Don’t hesitate to do this food tour! Thank you, Toni!
Thanks so much Bryan for such a wonderful review and sorry it’s taken me a little while to reply. I’ve been in Australia for a month… 🙂 I’m now back in Rome and ready for 2020! Wishing you and your family a year full of delicious bites! x
Ciao Toni , sorry I called during your tour . My wife and I will arrive in Rome from Capri Sept 25 and was curious
if you had room for us on your food tour that pm 5–9 . We arrive in Italy Sept 22 for a nite in Naples before traveling
to Capri — then Rome for 3 nights . We loved your site and were referred to you from your friend Sophie
Just saw this comment now.. so looking forward to meeting you both in two weeks! Toni xxx
Our walking food tour of Rome with Toni was the highlight of our trip. Toni is knowledgable and charming and makes you feel comfortable from the start! We toured a few areas of Rome, including Trastevere which was fabulous. I loved visiting shops that have been in the same families for years. It is definitely a treat from the conglomerate markets in the US. Her knowledge of food and its history makes the tour a double treat. I cannot say which food was my favorite or what part of the tour as one experience was as good as the next….oh, those fried artichokes….oh, those biscotti….and she found the last fresh figs of the season at the market. I look forward to other trips and tours Toni provides.
Toni, thank you so much for the amazing, interesting and tasty tour! We enjoyed today twilight tour very much!!
My family and I just returned home from our trip to Italy and I had been so excited for the private food tour with Toni for months! I have several friends who have done Toni’s food tour and each one of them said it was their favorite part. Our original trip was scheduled for May of 2020 and we had to wait another 2 years to come, so the excitement was building! My whole family are self proclaimed foodies and the places we went did not disappoint. Toni’s warm and loving personality made the experience even that much better! Spending the evening with her was like hanging out with one of your best friends! She is so knowledgeable of the culture, the food and the people. I loved how we went to all the best places that locals would go and at each stop, Toni was friends with the staff. I wish I had that same feeling in my hometown. We started with the market that had so many different types of salamis I couldn’t count! Loved our sampling there and of course Prosecco! Her special place for fried and steamed artichokes were fantastic and my son, who has never been a fan of artichokes, loved them! We had a special fritter with rice and red sauce, delicious!!! Wine and craft beers were part of the mix all along the way. We then moved to a local favorite which was carbonara and it was unlike any I’ve ever had, so so great. Then finished with of course my favorite…gelato, this place had so many types of chocolate which was really unique and I fell in love with the dark chocolate and coffee combo! Toni gave us so many great tips to finish our evening on a rooftop bar and other places to eat and shop in the coming days. She is so delightful and fun to be around, I recommend this tour to anyone, it was THE highlight of my whole Italy trip! I hope that when Toni visits the US, she will stop by and let me tour her around Seattle!!! Ciao!!!