Ottobrata Romana: Why October Is the Best Month to Be in Rome
Issue #2
People often ask me when is the best time of year to visit Rome and my answer is fall—specifically October. September can still be quite hot, but by October the oppressive heat of summer has subsided, giving way to sunny, 75 degree days. In the mornings, the air is crisp and evenings are cool after the sun has gone down. Most days in October are t-shirt weather.
Romans have a term for this: Ottobrata romana. Literally translated, it means Roman October, but the term carries an almost mythical quality. My friend Fulvio De Bonis, who runs the high-end bespoke tour operator Imago Artis Travel, taught me this term a few years ago during one of my visits to Rome. According to him, ottobrata romana is a magical time of year. “It’s that moment when the light becomes brighter, flavors and scents become more accentuated, when the humidity dissipates,” he says, adding, “People are calmer, you can see the sky and the horizon becomes clearer. The colors start to change and become softer and more romantic.”
This year, we had a rainy week at the end of September, but as soon as October arrived, the sunny days returned, which got me thinking about ottobrata romana. I did a little digging and learned that the term comes from a historic tradition of bacchanalia celebrating the fall harvest and the wine god Bacchus. In the 19th century, Romans used to head out to the countryside on weekends to eat, drink, and be merry. According to Roma Today, young women in festive outfits would ride horse-drawn carriages called carettelle, with their family members following on foot, singing and playing music. Upon arriving in the countryside, they would have rowdy parties with plenty of wine, traditional dishes like gnocchi, lamb, and tripe, music and games like bocce.
Today, the tradition of celebrating the fall harvest is carried on with a series of festivals called sagre. On weekends throughout the fall, small towns in the Lazio region surrounding Rome host sagre celebrating grapes, porcini mushrooms, chestnuts, and other seasonal foods. Curious about what they’re all about, I dragged my husband Marco to a sagra a couple of weekends ago in the hill town of Bellegra about an hour southeast of Rome. It was dedicated to tacchie ai funghi porcini, a type of pasta served with porcini mushrooms plucked from the woodlands surrounding the town.
I’m pretty sure I was the only American in Bellegra that day—I certainly didn’t hear anyone else speaking English. It was full of families out enjoying the beautiful weather. The main street in the center of town was lined with stands selling artisanal jams, cheeses, salami, and—of course—porcini mushrooms. Unfortunately, Marco had to go to work that afternoon, so we had a very limited amount of time. We grabbed an aperitivo at one of the bars and decided to buy some porcini mushrooms to bring home and make pasta instead of waiting in the very long lines to eat there.
If you’ve never had fresh porcini mushrooms, I urge you to try and get your hands on some. When you cook them, they become soft and buttery, with a melt-in-your-mouth quality. I chopped up a couple of them and sautéed them in a pan with some olive oil, garlic, and thyme and tossed them with some fresh pasta. Then I made a broth using some normal supermarket mushrooms so that the following day I could make a risotto with the rest of the porcinis. Both dishes were outstanding. If you manage to get your hands on fresh ones, just make sure you use them within a day or two or else freeze them.
If you come to Rome in October, you’ll also find porcini mushrooms starring as seasonal specials on menus around the city. At Pianostrada, where I had dinner with friends last week, one of the specials was a risotto with porcini mushrooms and chestnuts. Other restaurants and trattorias serve them with pasta or as a topping for steaks. If you see them on a menu, order them and thank me later.
Further Reading
This article in Italy Magazine explains (in English) the history of ottobrata romana and suggests some more places to experience sagre.
In this piece for The Points Guy, I wrote about Rome and 7 other European cities that are best experienced in the fall.
I also wrote this more general guide to the best times to visit Italy for The Points Guy.