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The divine aroma of peppers cooking in olive oil and garlic fills Daniela del Balzo’s kitchen. Six of us American travelers in Rome are hovering around her stove, sipping prosecco, nibbling bruschetta, stirring and chopping, under Daniela’s enthusiastic guidance. Her one-day cooking class is a lovely respite from the tourist treadmill of the Eternal City. We’re slowing down and immersing ourselves in the culinary traditions of Rome.

Daniela is a mamma-to-all type signora, who sets up her class as though she’s taking us along with her for a typical Roman day: shopping at the local market and cooking in her apartment. Her passion for cooking is boundless. She learned the traditional way—from her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, during her childhood in Naples. Then, after a twenty-year career working for Alitalia, she went back to school to focus on her love for cooking. She studied at Italy’s renowned Gambero Rosso Cooking School, the French Culinary Arts School & Le Cordon Bleu, and the International Cooking School of Naples.

Now she teaches from her home on Rome’s Aventine Hill. She’s married to a Roman, has a mother-in-law who lives two floors above her, and two twenty-something sons—one who has also become a chef, following in her footsteps. Putting all these work and life experiences together, Daniela has created a program where she teaches Roman classics with professional flair, always adding a Neapolitan touch from her ancestors. She also is a private chef, and prepares elegant dinners in her home for travelers or can even cook meals for them at their apartment rentals.

Our class begins in the bustling Testaccio market. Rome’s slaughterhouse was once located nearby, and Testaccio became famous for restaurants that featured quality meat dishes and Roman specialties from the quinto quarto (fifth quarter), meaning what’s left of the animal after butchering—oxtails, tripe, pajata (calf intestines), etc.

The neighborhood has become, as the Italians say, “trendy,” with clubs and hot spots, but discovering it with Daniela is the ideal way to connect with its roots. Everywhere we go it feels like we’re tagging along with her on a family visit. Vendors ask about her sons, she tells them her cooking plans for the day, then there’s serious teamwork to pick out the best peppers. Next there’s an intense discussion with her handsomest of butchers, Daniele Sartor, about the right amount of veal for lunch. The excursion is a sensory treat—we’re surrounded by abundant displays of deep green chicory, glistening anchovies, the first strawberries of spring.

We move on to Daniela’s apartment—a sophisticated, sunlit place, with cozy family antiques. Fun begins in the kitchen, where we learn as we go, to Daniela’s free-flowing teaching style. Her recipes are simple, but by watching her, we learn subtle techniques for bringing out the best flavors of the market’s ingredients. There’s the way to jiggle the pan to cook up saltimbocca—which translates to “jump in your mouth,” because the taste of the veal/prosciutto/sage combo is so lively. There’s an extra step in her peperonata recipe—covering the pan with a domed lid after sautéing, just before baking, so the result is a perfectly soft, creamy dish. “It’s how my grandmother taught me,” Daniela says, smiling as she shares this memory. And so each of us slips into a long line of Italian tradition—learning the secrets behind the country’s delicious dishes, thanks to the abundant, generous spirit of its cooks.

TOURS

Eating Italy (eatingeurope.com): Offers cooking classes with Roman nonnas and food walking tours. I loved their Trastevere Twilight Food Tour, led by a local, who guides you to neighborhood shops (for such Roman specialties as porchetta, suppli, biscotti, and gelato), a wine cellar, and restaurants. It’s a perfect activity to orient you to Rome’s culinary scene.

The Gioia of Cooking: Rome native Gioia (pronounced JOY-a) Acon teaches classic Roman cooking with exuberance and detailed instruction, and is also available as a private chef.