It’s not a tramezzino, it’s not a slice of pizza. It’s both. When in Rome, don’t forget to order a Trapizzino, the oh-so-popular creation the busy pizzaiolo Stefano Callegari came up with ten years ago. Quickly welcomed by Romans, Trapizzino is the revolution of Roman street food. How? Because in a handy format you have a full, hearty, warm, scrumptious lunch on the go.
In 2005 Callegari opened a pizza place by the slice in the Testaccio area and named it 00100, Rome’s zip code. Key of this place was a gluttony combination with a fervid imagination: his pizza, in fact, is a sort of “scarpetta” on the go. Impossible to find the English translation, the “scarpetta” ritual is simply dipping a piece of bread in the leftovers after you’ve finished eating.
From here, the leap to the Trapizzino was easy: the perfect shape of pizza that could contain a homemade sauce.
In 2013, Trapizzino takes the place of 00100 and the adventure of this original pizza begins, making it one of the favorite street food places in Rome.
READ MORE: Check out our guide to the best pizza in Rome.
What is Trapizzino?
If you have been to Italy even only briefly, actually even only for a layover at the airport, for sure you know what a “tramezzino” is. For those of you who don’t know, “tramezzino” is the typical sandwich you will find displayed on a bar counter: soft, white, crust-less, and triangle-shaped bread filled with anything from ham, cheese, veggies, tuna, eggs, spinach, or whatever you can think of.
Combining this bar format with the pizza by the slice, Stefano Callegari invented the Trapizzino, a sort of tramezzino made with pizza dough. For the filling, there is no shortage of Roman specialties.
So you can order your street food treat stuffed with tripes, “coda alla vaccinara” oxtail, tongue on a green sauce, “pollo alla cacciatora” chicken, meatballs on tomato sauce, and more of the typical delicacies of the Roman culinary tradition.
Young professionals, tourists, passers-by, everyone loves Trapizzino, and in Rome, it has quickly become one of the favorite street food bites. So much so that after opening the first place in the traditional Testaccio neighborhood, Callegari opened several other eateries including Rome’s Travestere, Ponte Milvio and Mercato Centrale in Termini station.
READ MORE: In the city for the first time and not sure what to do? Check out our guide to the top things to do in Rome.
My experience at Trapizzino’s
I had my first Trapizzino experience in Rome’s first place in Testaccio, one of my favorite neighborhoods and where is also one of my favorite traditional restaurants, Felice a Testaccio.
The place is not too big, mainly because customers order and eat on the go or take their lunch to their workplace. However, there are a couple of tables if you prefer to eat inside. Or else, there is a small public garden right in front where you can relax on a bench and enjoy your hearty meal.
Here my husband only ordered a Trapizzino stuffed with tongue on a green sauce, a typical Roman recipe. I have also tried the Trapizzino in the Trastevere area and I had a delicious supplì, stuffed rice ball, one of the traditional foods in Rome. Mine was cacio e pepe, with Roman Pecorino cheese and black pepper, and my husband’s classic with ragout sauce.
Where to find Trapizzino
Rome’s places where you can order your Trapizzino are:
- Via Giovanni Branca 88 (Testaccio)
- Piazza Trilussa 46 (Trastevere)
- Piazzale di Ponte Milvio 13 (Ponte Milvio)
- Via Giovanni Giolitti 36 (Mercato Centrale, Termini Station)
- Via Vespasiano 2 (at Be.Re’s)
The Trapizzino place of Trastevere’s popular Piazza Trilussa is also a winery with a wine list of the region’s local producers that you can pair with your favorite dish, be it a trapizzino or a supplì.
In the huge Mercato Centrale located at Termini Station, Trapizzino has its own space among the many restaurants, stalls and eateries, while at Be.Re’s beer shop close to the Vatican and Piazza Risorgimento you can enjoy your trapizzino paired with a craft beer of local artisans.
If you are intrigued by this revolutionary street food format but can’t make it to Rome any time soon, fret not, you can order your trapizzino also in:
- Milan (Via Marghera 12)
- Florence (Mercato Centrale, Piazza del Mercato Centrale 4)
- Turin (Piazza Carlo Emanuele II 17; Mercato Centrale – Piazza della Repubblica 25)
- Trieste (Via di Cavana 10/b)
- Ladispoli (Piazza della Vittoria 15)
- Latina (Via Neghelli 4)
Both in Florence and Turin, you can find Trapizzino in their own space in the large local Mercato Centrale, in Florence close to the main train station in the city center, and in Turin is less than 800 meters from the central Piazza Castello.
In Milan, Trapizzino opened as winery/coffee shop, so you can enjoy your bite paired with a wine from the Lazio region as well as Lombardy options.
And if you are in New York, guess what, you can enjoy your bite there too (144 Orchard Street).
READ MORE: Check out our detailed guide to the best Rome neighborhoods to stay in.
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