Trattoria Buca Manzoni

I must admit, I have a profound obsession with Rome. It brings together so many of my interests in one captivating place, and I can't get enough of its delightful cuisine. However, I must confess that Rome's creativity with pasta seems a bit limited. The classic four pasta dishes of Rome, namely Cacio e Pepe, Carbonara, Amatriciana, and alla Gricia, while all delicious, revolve around a similar theme. Even though I cherish each of them, I wish for more diversity.

There are a few lesser-known options, like Fettucine alla Papalina, which two restaurants in Trastevere claim to have originated. Sadly, both these establishments have closed their doors years ago. Papalina was initially crafted for a weary old bishop who shared my sentiments about the repetitiveness of the big four pasta dishes. His desire for something new inspired one of these restaurants to create a pasta dish with pancetta, peas, porcini mushrooms, egg, and pecorino, somewhat a riff ofn the classic Carbonara. That very bishop later became Pope Pius XII, and the pasta was named "Papalina" in honor of him.

Despite my fervent search, I have yet to come across Papalina anywhere in Rome. It seems like a hidden gem that has slipped away from the city's culinary scene. Nevertheless, my love for Rome and its pasta remains steadfast, and I'm hopeful that someday, I might savor the exquisite flavors of Papalina, completing my Roman pasta journey.⁣

But aside from that there is very little fresh pasta in Rome. All of the classic pasta dishes that I know use factory forged dry pasta. Which fits with the utilitarian rhythm of that city. Coarse, hard, sturdy, dependable. ⁣

But fresh rolled pasta is so much more elegant! Pasta sheets rolled out so thin you can hold one hand behind and see it like an x ray. ⁣

Which brings us to Bologna. Bologna is a fresh pasta town. Tagliatelle, Tortellini (with alternative names denoting sizes), long and wide Lasagne sheets. ⁣

The classic Tagliatelle al Ragù (which the outside world calls ‘Bolognese’ here they don’t need to) is my favorite pasta of all. So to say I’ve traveled 10,000 miles to have this pasta is not wrong! I chose to vacation in Bologna because of it and a handful of other foods not because I was particularly interested in actual sites here – that came later. ⁣

So with great pleasure I sat down on a cold chilly night in the cozy 14th century cellar restaurant of Trattoria Osteria Buca Manzoni and ordered Tagliatelle al Ragù. And it lived up to all of my dreams. ⁣