The Ultimate Guide to Thanksgiving in Rome
Whether you are an American trying to continue traditions while living in Italy, or an Italian looking to celebrate new festivities, Thanksgiving is the perfect day to gather with friends and family, eat comfort food, and remind ourselves of all the things in life that we are grateful for. Plenty of restaurants and venues are ready to welcome you and your loved ones on this special day with the classic Thanksgiving dinner in the Eternal City, so you won’t feel like you are missing out one bit! Rome has a lot to offer to begin with and it can cater to this tradition too, so you can spend the 23rd of November this year in a cozy environment and reminisce on the things you are thankful for.
What to Cook/Eat?
If you are having a massive family get-together or just inviting a few friends over, you need to have a general idea of who is attending your feast to delegate certain meals to different people. Is grandma an expert with turkey? Does your partner have a family pie recipe? You need to figure out a menu and perhaps even get others involved. Want to try something new or incorporate Italian classics into the meal? It is important to make a list of who will cook what – this way you can avoid having people show up with mashed potatoes. But if you prefer to make your Thanksgiving less hectic, you can always take a look at our selection of restaurants and bars ready to serve a full three-course, deliciously festive meal for you on this beautiful holiday.
Hunting for Holiday Essentials
Supermarkets like Conad or Coop sell pastry dough and cinnamon, but certain ingredients are much more tricky to find. In Italy, it is rare – if not impossible – to walk into the average grocery store and buy pumpkin pie filling, brown sugar, cranberry sauce, or a whole turkey.
Drogheria Innocenzi in Trastevere (Via Natale del Grande, 31) sells just about anything and everything you can imagine: Bisquick mix, canned Ocean Spray cranberry sauce, brown sugar, and Libby’s pumpkin pie filling.
While fresh cranberries do not grow in Italy, sour, red ribes (currants) are a decent substitution. If you are looking to make a fresh simple cranberry (currant) sauce, boil these berries with sugar, cinnamon, and orange juice, and in about 10 minutes, you’ll have a lovely sauce.
Castroni (Via Cola di Rienzo, 196 and other locations throughout Rome) also sells a variety of imported goods that compose the perfect Thanksgiving meal, including baking mixes, cranberry sauce, stuffing mix, canned sweet potatoes, marshmallow fluff, and pumpkin filling.
Sweet potatoes (patate dolci) can be found at various bio/organic grocery stores around the city, though it is often a hit or miss situation. That being said, the Latin American stalls around Piazza Vittorio usually have them.
As for the turkey, many macellerie should be able to provide you with a turkey, but you will have to pre-order a few days ahead of time. Bio Eno on Via Labicana, 112, Eataly in Ostiense, and the Testaccio market are some excellent options. Bear in mind that your Roman oven is probably much smaller than ovens in the United States, so be specific about the size of your turkey!
If this all sounds like way too much work for you, there are still a few alternatives!
Restaurants, Pubs, and Clubs Celebrating Thanksgiving in Rome
It is finally possible to celebrate Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant, pub, or club this year, and we have collected the best and tastiest offers out there in Rome for you to choose from and try out if you don’t feel like setting up a whole table and spending the day near the oven.
Vivi – Piazza Navona & Vivi – Le Serre
Piazza Navona, 2 (Palazzo Braschi) & Via Decio Filipponi, 1
vivibistrot.com
Vivi Bistrot, a popular organic restaurant with various locations in Rome, including Le Serre found in Monte Mario and Vivi – Piazza Navona at Palazzo Braschi, is offering a Thanksgiving feast on November 23rd to share in great company and a lovely environment. At both of these locations, Le Serre by VIVI and VIVI – Piazza Navona, you’ll have the opportunity to taste American classics with an Italian touch for a nuanced Thanksgiving dinner experience – all for €45 per person, excluding drinks. On the menu, we have organic pumpkin cream with goat cheese and homemade croutons, as seconds the traditional stuffed turkey with home-made stuffing accompanied by delicious gravy, flavorfu…
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