This is the Untold Italy travel podcast and you're listening to episode number 96.

Ciao at all and benvenuti to Untold Italy, the travel podcast where you go to the towns

and villages, mountains and lakes, hills and coastlines of Bella Italia.

Each week your host, Katie Clark, takes you on a journey in search of magical landscapes, history, culture, wine, gelato, and of course, a whole lot of pasta.

If you're dreaming of Italy and planning future adventures there, you've come to the right place.

Ciao, hi everyone.

Welcome to another episode of Untold Italy and one where I'm excited to take you back to beautiful Roma.

I realised it had been a while since we visited the Eternal City on our podcast and exploring one of the most important cities in the world is usually on Italy trip itineries, whether it's your first trip or your 15th.

So it was well overdue and I thought we might visit one of Rome's favourite neighbourhoods.

Tras de Vere is a charming district just over the River Tiber from the Central Storico.

Here you wander cobbled streets draped in vines and eat at Trateria that have been around for decades.

It's a neighbourhood whose character

endures, despite definitely being a place where tourists like to visit. And a good reason for that

lies in the character of its people. Those of you who have visited Italy will know that there's

something about the Italian people and culture that's so enchanting. Sure, the sites and landscapes

are mind-blowing, but it just wouldn't be

the same without the Italian people, and you definitely find that character and the essence of being

Italian in Trastevere. Today we're talking to my friend Maria Pasquale, an award-winning travel

and food journalist and author who has peeled back the layers of what it means to be Italian

in her newly released book,

How to Be Italian. Maria lives in Tostevere, and I've asked her onto the show to talk about her

beautiful neighbourhood and how you can find what it means to be Italian in its streets,

...