Besides having already experienced its own period of greatness in ancient times, Rome was also a destination for architects and artists who changed history forever during the Renaissance era. And it is precisely in the works of these famous artists and architects that you can find precious cues to reconstruct the eating habits of the time. For this tour, we will be guided by the history of two great protagonists from two different time periods during the Renaissance and the places that are inevitably tied to both their lives and their greatest works: Raffaello Sanzio (1483 - 1520) and Francesco Borromini (1599 - 1667).
Admiring Raphael's frescoes at Villa Farnesina
Our journey begins at Villa Farnesina, the first suburban residence in the 16th century. In 1505, Agostino Chigi – a wealthy Sienese banker with a reputations for his dealings and patronage in the art world – bought a large piece of land on the banks of the Tiber in Rome. At that time, the area of Trastevere was considered extra-urban and Agostino chose it to build a residence far from the busy city center. Villa Chigi – as it was called before its present name due to the transfer of ownership to Cardinal Alessandro Farnese at the end of the 16th century – was the first "suburban villa" in Rome and the space immediately became a model for Renaissance architecture. Various elements converged in its construction and were later copied in many other residences of the time, such as its luxuriant garden that reached as far as the banks of the Tiber, and its extraordinary frescoes created by the greatest artists of the time such as Raphael, Peruzzi and Sodoma. The most famous part of the villa is the entrance loggia, designed by Raffaello Sanzio as a pergola to ideally connect the interior with the garden and the river without interruption, creating a sort of optical illusion. Now internationally known as Raphael, the artist Raffaello Sanzio thought of every detail for every fresco featured in the villa’s loggia – with special focus on realizing the cycle of stories about Love and Psyche, when he identified Giovanni da Udine as his pupil best-suited to painting the ornamental botanical festoons that divide the various pictorial scenes. Created in 1517, this decorative motif was not only a representation of the outdoor garden; Raphael wanted to mirror all the varieties of flora available and appreciated at that time – including species from America, discovered just twenty years earlier.
Several documents attest that this can be considered the oldest document evidencing the introduction of these plants – brought by Columbus to Europe around that time. An exceptional testimony on the biodiversity of fruits and vegetables known in Europe after the discovery of the New World, Raphael’s frescoes feature a figurative inventory of over 170 plant species. An enormous variety of wild and cultivated plants were “documented” – from the most common species such as elder or fennel to vibrant flowers like roses, lilies, irises and anemones. Also featured are vegetables such as artichokes, cabbage, carrots and turnips.
More vegetables – also imported from America at the time – were yellow squash, zucchini and some corn cobs. Having said that, there are also some vegetables we would expect to see that are unfortunately not represented: the potato, for example – but at the time, it had not yet been imported because Columbus had not yet met it on his travels. Instead, it was discovered by the Spaniard Pizarro in the second half of the sixteenth century. Also missing are tomatoes, which were not represented because they were introduced in Europe during the second half of the sixteenth century, as well. (In fact, tomatoes did not enjoy any immediate fortune because they were considered fruits from a poisonous plant due to its high solanine content – so it was used for centuries only as an ornamental plant.
Discover the ancient ovens of Trastevere
During the Renaissance period, Trastevere was not the romantic and progressive district that it is today; instead, it was a popular suburb known above all for its artisan shops and the numerous ovens that produced bread for the whole city of Rome. While working on the frescoes at Villa Farnesina, Raffaello Sanzio fell in love with Margherita Luti, the daughter of a baker, who had her shop right in the house just past Porta Settimiana – at the crossroads with Via Santa Dorotea. Raphael's infatuation with the beautiful young woman of Trastevere can be seen in his famous painting “La fornarina” (dated 1518) – a subject the artist also depicts in another one of his famous works, “La velata.” Even today, you can still see the small window which it seems our young fornarina gazed out of – in a house with a typical Roman garden inside, where until recently there was the historic Osteria Romolo. If you want to try some of Trastevere's most authentic gastronomic experiences, we suggest going to some of the more traditional bakeries: For dessert, try the historic Innocenti biscuit factory or for a classic Roman baked pizza, check out La Renella. For a truly unique experience, go to the little church of Santa Barbara – a bit hidden from view, Filettaro is next door in a tiny, centuries-old tavern with unparalleled fried cod fillets.
Where to try a Renaissance meal
Heading from the baker’s house towards Via Garibaldi, which leads to the Gianicolo, on the corner of Via dei Panieri, you’ll find the restaurant Il Ferro e il Fuoco – with its modern aesthetic that boasts a truly unique menu with dishes inspired by ancient Renaissance recipes. Chef Emidio Gennaro Ferro, together with Elena Prandelli – the director of the hotel that hosts the restaurant and a great lover of history and gastronomy – has created a very interesting gastronomic journey through the careful study of the dishes of the period between the late fifteenth and mid seventeenth century. Starting with an aperitif based on rosewater – a very popular drink at the time – made by filtering rose petals and adding Malvasia, one of the most common wines in Italy during the Renaissance. The first course of the tasting menu includes a small pie with a white meat and truffle sauce.
It should be noted that at the end of the fifteenth century, thanks to the tastes of the de' Medici family, one of the most popular dishes in the noble courts was the short pastry pie with pigeon ragout. The pigeon, in fact, was considered the animal closest to heaven, and therefore closest to God – so it was reserved only for the nobility and higher classes at the time. Fish, on the other hand, was considered the most impure food to eat – precisely because it lived in water, a world in opposition to the “celestial” world. Historically, people ate legumes, vegetables and – when possible – meat from domestic chickens and pigs. The second course of the tasting menu is a dish with fresh cheese dumplings, butter and sage. The dough is made only with water, flour and fresh cheese – strictly without potatoes (because at that time, they had already been imported from America, but used only as an ornamental plant). Only in the late seventeenth century did it become custom to appreciate the qualities of the potato as an ingredient in recipes. Chanterelle mushrooms with bitter oranges, rosewater, spinach and celery is a recipe faithful to the original found in the “Libro de Arte Coquinaria” by Maestro Martino da Como, the most famous cook of the second half of the 15th century. An emblematic dish, mirroring the flavors of the time – a mix of sweet and salty that was common at the time. This was due to the methods of preserving food: with salt, sugar (in the form of syrup or honey) or agresto (an acidic condiment made by cooking unripe grapes with vinegar and spices). Finally, the menu offers a Biancomangiare based on almonds, sugar and pomegranate. At the time, almonds were widely used in the kitchen – most often in the form of almond milk. To conclude, a truly original digestif: the Hypoclas. A faithful reproduction of a liqueur created at the court of Isabella de' Medici Orsini at the Castle of Bracciano, where several legends of murdered lovers continue to roam. The curious “antidote” was based on Malvasia and various spices including nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, ginger... and a curious secret ingredient with properties unknown to us: deer anal glands (fortunately not available today).
Sleeping in an ancient monastery designed by Borromini
We chose this restaurant not only so you can live a truly original gastronomic experience in Rome, but also so you can understand the context of its location in correspondence with history: This restaurant is located in a former seventeenth-century convent, which became an elegant hotel just a few years ago. Hotel VOI Donna Camilla Savelli. In 1642, Donna Camilla Virginia Savelli, a noble Roman woman with a strong religious vocation – who was forced to marry a Farnese – commissioned Francesco Borromini to build a convent in the heart of Trastevere.
The famous Italian Baroque architect then designed a small church, Santa Maria dei Sette Dolori, which is still frequented by the faithful of the district, and a monastery that was to house the new order founded by Donna Savelli, the Augustinian Women of the Seven Sorrows. The convent has always remained operational over the centuries – until about ten years ago, when the imposing structure was converted into an elegant hotel, where you can sleep in the ancient cells of the nuns, now refined rooms equipped with all comforts. The location of the former monastery enjoys an extraordinary view of the entire city of Rome and hides inside a delightful garden, the nuns' old vegetable garden: a true oasis of peace. Beyond the experience of impeccable service, choosing to sleep here is like living a thousand stories all at once – from the life of Donna Camilla Savelli and the charity work of the nuns in the village of Trastevere to the ancient Roman cave of the first century AD (found under the convent and used by the nuns during the Second World War to hide and save some Jewish families). Over the centuries, and during its last restoration, the most characteristic elements left by Borromini have been perfectly preserved – such as the wonderful entrance gallery with a chessboard floor, the staircase and the fountain in front of the entrance of the refectory, now called Sala Borromini.
Here the nuns used to eat modest meals marked by the prayers of the Mother Superior and, as for them, the invitation here is to listen to history and fully enjoy its flavors and the atmosphere of Italy in the seventeenth century.