Eating Vegan In... Rome

Last summer I went on a family holiday to Italy. This was the first time I would be going abroad since turning vegan. When I think of Italy the first thing that springs to mind is pizza, pasta and cheese. Lots of cheese. I was apprehensive to say the least. I felt so confident being a vegan in the home, but being in a completely different country without the comfort of Linda McCartney made me nervous. Especially as my family are raging meat eaters.

I did a quick google of how to pronounce vegan in Italian (it’s vegano for anyone wandering) and I was ready to board the plane. Whilst waiting in the airport, I downloaded an app on the app store called “Restaurant Finder” which provided a list of vegan restaurants, along with how far they were away from me. The app cost me 99p and I would really recommend you download an app like this if you are nervous about going abroad and eating vegan. My mind was at rest a little, and I was ready for Rome.

Day One

We arrived in Rome at around 3pm local time and decided to head straight to our apartment, drop our luggage off and explore. By the time we arrived, showered and were ready to leave again, it was nearing dinner time. We walked around for a while, taking in the sights whilst looking for somewhere to eat. Our apartment was a short walk from the Colosseum so we walked around there for a while. We were tempted to go in, but it was a little pricey and we didn’t have much time left of the day. Plus, I was starving.

I checked my app but found that the places around me were mostly delis or cafes – places I could perhaps go for lunch. I found this one deli called “Universo Vegano” which had some amazing reviews and I was determined to eat there before leaving Rome. But for now, my family and I settled in a classic Italian restaurant that served pizza and pasta. I decided to play it safe on my first night and order a cheeseless pizza. The waiter looked baffled and I repeated “no cheese” five times before he finally gave in. It then occurred to me that perhaps veganism was not as popular in Italy as it was back home.

 My pizza arrived and it was ok. It had artichokes, olives and mushrooms on but there was definitely room for more toppings. Seeing as I had no cheese, I expected them to double up on the veg, but I don’t think they did. I left the restaurant satisfied and full, but nothing to write home about.

Before we walked back to the apartment, I checked my app to see if we were close to “Universo Vegano” and the app told me we were. I convinced my parents to come with me to locate the deli so I knew where to go tomorrow. I followed the directions on the app but unfortunately, it took me the wrong way and led me to a dead end. If you are going to buy this app in particular, I would recommend using directions on google maps, as this app is not accurate. I googled “Universo Vegano” and we were in fact on the other end of the town, so I decided to give up and hunt for it tomorrow.

Day Two

My dad woke up at the crack of dawn and went to the supermarket opposite our apartment to pick up some supplies for breakfast. I was awoken by my dad wafting a slice of watermelon in my face so I decided to get out of bed. Not the worst way to be woken up in the morning.

My dad also managed to find soya milk, so I drank my tea and ate a couple of slices of watermelon and I was ready for the day.

Before grabbing some lunch, we decided to do some sightseeing. Our first stop was the Trevi Fountain. It was packed and we just about managed to get close enough for a photo. If you are visiting Rome, I would recommend getting up early to see the Trevi Fountain, as it just keeps getting busier throughout the day.

The Trevi Fountain was a short walk away from the Pantheon, so we made our way there. We reached the Pantheon at around 1pm and there were no queues at all! The Pantheon was free to go inside and it was beautiful.

Once we had looked inside The Pantheon, it was time to get some lunch. I whipped out my app to find that Universo Vegano was only an 8 minute walk from where we were. I was so determined to find it! I used Google Maps to locate it and off we went. We reached the area of Piazza del Paradiso only to find that Universo Vegano had been closed down for refurbishments. I was so annoyed and more importantly I was STARVING. My family had grabbed a couple of sandwiches (non-vegan friendly) from a café nearby but my quest for vegan food was not complete.

As I was walking to find an alternative, I luckily came across something I never thought I would find. A VEGAN ICE CREAM SHOP. After some research, I found that actually a lot of places in Rome sell vegan ice cream, I had just not looked. But nevertheless I was excited.

The ice cream shop I found was called “CamBio Vita” located near Piazza Navona. I spotted it because it had pink glittery signs that said “vegano” (my research before the holiday came in handy when translating this). The cones were clearly labelled vegan and they had an array of flavours. I decided to go for a strawberry ice cream in a cone. It did not disappoint.

I was happy with my ice cream but I still had not eaten lunch. Opposite CamBio Vita I found a regular sandwich shop which I was hoping would cater to me. After my disappointment with Universo Vegano, I did not want to look for a vegan deli any more.

I went inside the sandwich shop and was served by one girl who spoke English. I told her I did not eat meat or cheese and she replied “vegan!” She proceeded to ask me what salad I liked and did not like (I like everything) and she made me a sandwich. This was the first time since being in Rome that I felt like I was not judged for not eating cheese, she was so friendly and accommodating! The sandwich cost 3 euros, I gave her 5 and thanked her for her help. The sandwich was packed with salad and it tasted delicious. I was very happy.

 I was feeling extremely full up after my ice cream and sandwich so we walked it off and explored Rome a little more. It was a beautiful day in Rome so we made the most of the sunshine before returning back to our apartment at around 6pm.

We had a quick shower and were back out again by 7, ready for dinner. We walked towards the Trevi Fountain area and carried on walking down a few side streets to find somewhere to eat. We found a restaurant that looked busy, so we took a look at the menu. As we were looking, a waiter came out and handed us prosecco and offered us a table. I asked if he would be able to cater for vegans and he said it wasn’t an issue so in we went! We sat outside, ordered some drinks and I asked the waiter a few questions about the menu. I was able to order a starter and a main, so I was excited. For my starter, I ordered fried artichoke (my favourite vegetable). I made sure it was not cooked in butter and I was happy to find out it was dairy free!

For my main I went for another cheeseless pizza. I wanted to try pasta but I saw someone next to me eating a pizza and I couldn’t resist. I asked for no cheese, however when it came out, the pizza was covered in mozzarella. Luckily, cheese is quite easy to spot and I didn’t eat it. I told the waiter I asked for no cheese and he asked, “Are you allergic?” I replied, “Yes, severely”. It seemed pretending I had a dairy intolerance was easier than saying I did not eat cheese. The waiter was so lovely about it and a fresh pizza returned within minutes. I preferred this pizza to the pizza I had on the first night. The base was doughy, the marinara sauce tasted fresh and garlicy and they were less hesitant with the toppings. All in all the meal was delicious and I would definitely eat there again (if only I could remember the name of the restaurant).

 After dinner, we moved on to a few bars for some drinks and then headed back to our apartment to sleep before our final day in Rome.

Day Three

Today, we planned to go to Vatican City. I didn’t know if there would be many places to eat when I was there, so for breakfast I wanted something filling. I made tomatoes on toast along with some more watermelon. The tomatoes in Rome are so sweet and juicy, I would go back just to eat them again.

Vatican City was probably my favourite part of the whole trip. We got to look inside the Vatican and saw Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. The paintings were stunning and looked so much better in real life. If I was to go to Rome again, the Vatican City would be at the top of my list of things to revisit.

Once we had finished our guided tour of the Vatican, we headed back in to the centre to look at the Spanish Fountain. On our way to the Spanish Fountains, I saw a little deli that was advertising Veg tempura. I was getting a little hungry, so I went in to ask whether it was vegan, to which the woman replied yes. So for my lunch I had zucchini tempura. When I got home, I decided to recreate them, although they were nowhere near as good as the ones I had in Rome.

After visiting the Spanish Fountains, my family wanted to get some ice cream. I decided to go back to CamBio Vita and had strawberry and mango ice cream. It was just as good as the first time. My family headed to Venchi, I discovered when I got there that Venchi did dairy free sorbet so I could have eaten with them.

Instead of going back to our apartment, we decided to stay out and walk around Rome until it was time to eat. I was determined to try an actual vegan restaurant, seeing as I had just eaten pizza so far. Much to my family’s disgust, I convinced them to try one out with me. As we were walking around, by complete luck I walked past a restaurant that had “vegano” painted on the window. The restaurant was called Buddy’s. It was located on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, and upon looking at the menu I found at least 5 options that I could eat. For us vegans, this seemed like a milestone.

I chose to eat the vegan cheeseburger which had vegan cheese and mayonnaise on! The burger was not beany like other vegan burgers I tried, but it tasted like spinach and mushrooms. It was delicious. My mum even ordered a vegan meal, the pumpkin ravioli special. Buddy’s also caters for meat eaters, so both my dad and my sister were happy.

After Buddy’s we grabbed some cocktails and went back to the apartment ready for our train journey to Naples in morning. After my positive experience in Rome, I could not wait to try the food in Naples.

Keep an eye out for my next blog post on eating vegan in Naples.