Eating cheap in Rome: the rosetta sandwich with mortadella

Two euros. That is what the snack you will see in the video cost, right in the center of Rome and without any tricks. With this one, we begin the Alla Nostra Pills, short chapters to tell you about those everyday gestures that Romans do without thinking and that almost no tourist knows about. If you haven’t done so yet, we invite you to subscribe to the channel so you don’t miss the next episodes.

And we start at the beginning: if you come to Rome and want to eat like a Roman without spending a fortune, you have to try the rosetta with mortadella. A bread roll, some very thinly sliced cold cuts, and not much else. No sauces, no dressings, no fuss.

Because in Rome, often the most authentic thing is also the simplest and the cheapest. And this sandwich has been proving it for decades.

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The rosetta, the most Roman bread of all

The rosetta is probably the most iconic bread roll in all of Rome. It is immediately recognizable by its shape, which resembles a flower, and above all by what happens when you open it: it is super light, crispy, and has very little crumb.

That is exactly its charm. Since there is so much air inside, the bread doesn’t compete with the filling or fill you up ahead of time. You take a bite, it crunches, and what you taste is what is inside.

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Why mortadella is sliced very thin

The most typical filling for the rosetta is mortadella sliced very, very, very thin. And it is not a whim or a quirk of the deli worker: sliced this way, the mortadella folds on its own inside the bread and melts in your mouth instead of staying there like a thick slice.

Also, with a very small amount, you can fill an entire sandwich. Once again, the same logic: get the most out of the least.

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The classic snack

For decades, the rosetta has been the lunch or snack for students, workers, and children who wanted to eat while spending very little money. It wasn’t a gourmet whim or a restaurant recipe: it was what there was, what filled you up, and what you could afford.

Today, curiously, that is exactly what has turned it into a small treasure. While the city center is filling up with huge, photogenic sandwiches at increasingly higher prices, the rosetta with mortadella remains one of the cheapest things you can eat in the city.

 

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Eating cheap in Rome: the sandwich math

Less than a euro per sandwich

The math is the same as in the video and it adds up perfectly: two rosettes and one hundred grams of mortadella come out to a couple of euros. In other words, two full sandwiches for the price of a latte on a terrace in the center.

Prices change from one year to the next and from one neighborhood to another, of course. But the order of magnitude is always that, and that is where the charm of the matter lies.

And the water, free

To finish off the snack, there is no need to buy a bottle. Rome is full of public drinking water fountains, the famous nasoni, which have been running for over a century and from which everyone drinks. They are spread throughout the city and the water comes out fresh and good.

So now you know: for very little money you have the best sandwich in Rome, and on top of that, the nasoni are free.

 

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Tips for eating cheap in Rome without making mistakes

Look for the bakery, not the pretty storefront

The rosetta with mortadella is not ordered in a place with a laminated menu and photos on the door. It is bought where the Romans buy it, at any neighborhood bakery or grocery store.

Ask for the mortadella to be sliced on the spot

Have them slice it in front of you and very thin. It is the difference between just any sandwich and the sandwich we are talking about.

Simple means simple

No sauces, no cheese, nothing else. The rosetta and the mortadella are enough on their own, and any addition breaks the balance and raises the price.

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More corners you will like

If you like discovering Italy by eating where the locals eat, here is where to continue:

• Cicchetti and bacari of Venice: the route with which we inaugurated Alla Nostra, among canals, ombre of wine, and Venetian tapas.
• Salento street food between Lecce and Bari: puccia, rustico, pasticciotto, and the Barese focaccia that sticks to your fingers.
• All our trips through Italy: trattorias, markets, and places without tourist traps.

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See you in the next pill

Rome is full of these small things that don’t appear in guidebooks and that cost the price of a coffee. We are going to tell you about them one by one, short and to the point.

If you know the rosetta with mortadella or if you try it on your next trip, leave us a comment and tell us what you thought.

And if you liked it, subscribe to our YouTube channel and Instagram so you don’t miss the next episodes. Alla Nostra continues, and the best is yet to come.

Alla Nostra!