Lazio is the second largest region of Italy, in the heart of the country. It is home to the capital city, Rome, and an entirely separate country: the independent city-state of the Vatican City. Home of the pope and the centre of the Roman Catholic religion, it is also the world’s smallest country by both size and population.

Roman cuisine is rich and in keeping with the history of the city, with dishes such as coda alla vaccinara – a sweet-and-sour peasant dish of oxtail that originated from the Testaccio Rione, Rome’s meat trading houses. Another Roman dish better known outside of Italy is carbornara, made from egg yolks, Parmesan, black pepper and guanciale (cured pig cheek, similar to smoked pancetta).