On a Sunday morning, we headed to Piazza San Silvestro to catch the bus. While waiting, we chatted with a nice gent walking his tiny, loaf-shaped chihuahua. “Milady” was proudly wearing a pink harness, which matched her leash. It definitely suited her. Romans love their little dogs!

The bus arrived, and we headed to Circo Massimo Farmer’s Market on Via di San Teodoro. First, we tried to see the 6th century church of San Teodoro (I’m particularly drawn to Rome’s ancient, round churches, like Santo Stefano Rotondo and Santa Costanza) but it was closed. So, we popped into the church of Sant’Anastasia al Palatino (just across the street from the market) just as services were getting out. Apparently, it has an Indian congregation. The church has a particularly lovely carved and painted ceiling in a beautiful blue with a pale gold color, which (having food on my mind) reminded me of honey.

 

 

This goes to illustrate one of the best tips I can give about Rome: whenever you see a door on a church open, stop whatever you are doing and go in — you may not see it open again any time soon, and you will undoubtedly find something wonderful inside. Indeed, we had only perhaps ten minutes to admire the church before a nun told us she needed to lock up. I bought us more time by telling her I’d close the door behind us, which I did, after a few glorious minutes of having the church all to ourselves.

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Now our stomachs were rumbling, and we headed across the street to the farmer’s market. After checking our COVID vaccination cards, the people at the door let us in with friendly smiles.

It’s an interesting round building — clean and bright. The well-organized stalls sell out all kinds of fruits and vegetables, meats and seafood, cheeses galore, honey, wine, and much more.  It’s a great example of an urban “zero kilometer” market focused on local organic foods. The Circo Massimo Farmer’s Market is well worth a visit for anyone who enjoys food.

 

 

 

The foot traffic within the market is supposed to be one-way due to COVID (we started off the wrong way, but no one gave us the stink eye), and people were masking and being mindful of distance, for the most part. After perusing the stalls, we were eager to head to the garden courtyard in the back.  From here, if you stand up tall and peer over some plants, you can get a view of the Arch of Janus. The smell of grilled meats immediately drew us in. We ended up with platters of salad, fresh tomato bruschetta, sausage, and skewered lamb, all very affordable and very delicious.

The family-friendly atmosphere was bright in all ways. There were kids playing, people laughing, fresh air, and clear sunshine. We couldn’t ask for a better way to spend a late morning.