Trastevere Food Tasting & Tiber River Cruise Roman Cistern

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.03 (34 reviews) 59% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellation

1/23

Duration1h 55m–2h 10m

GroupUp to 20

LanguagesEN · IT +2

Mobile ticketAccepted

Sail the Tiber, then descend into a 1st-century Roman cistern for wine and food

You board at Ponte Sant'Angelo and drift downriver past St. Peter's and under Renaissance bridges, then disembark at Tiber Island for a short walk to Fabullus Wine Cellar. Underground in a restored Roman cistern, you taste five Italian wines paired with cured meats, cheeses, breads, and olive oils—all certified and sourced by their staff. The boat ride and tasting together run about three hours, and you need to arrive on time to keep your reservation.

1h 55m–2h 10m

Step-by-step itinerary

Tiber River ride and wine tasting

Embark at Ponte Sant'Angelo
View Castel Sant'Angelo
Pass by St. Peter's Basilica
Pass by Vittorio Emanuele Bridge
Pass by Ponte Principe Amedeo Savoia Aosta
Pass by Trastevere district
Pass by Janiculum Hill
Pass by Ponte Sisto
Pass by Pons Fabricius
Pass by Pons Cestius
Disembark at Tiber Island
Walk to Fabullus Wine Cellar in Trastevere
Enjoy food tasting with wine pairing

The Experience

The boat leaves from Ponte Sant'Angelo—the bridge Hadrian built in 134 AD to reach his mausoleum—and you drift past St. Peter's Basilica, under Ponte Sisto, past Tiber Island where the Temple of Asclepius once stood. It's about an hour on the water, moving slow enough to actually see the city instead of rushing through it. The river narrows and widens; you pass the Janiculum Hill on one side and the old Campus Martius on the other. Then you disembark at Tiber Island, a five-hundred-meter walk through Trastevere's narrow streets to Fabullus.

Fabullus is underground, in the basement of an eighteenth-century building, but the cellar itself is older—it's a Roman cistern from the first century AD that someone excavated and restored. The walls are original marble and stone; there are ancient artifacts on the shelves, wooden furniture that looks like it belongs there. No neon, no modern bar design. You sit down and the staff brings out five glasses and starts pouring: one Prosecco first, then two white wines and two reds, all selected by their team. Each pour comes with an explanation—where it's from, what it pairs with, why they chose it.

The food arrives in courses. Three types of bread, three olive oils to taste. Roman pizza—what they call focaccia here. Then a board of cured meats: mortadella with pistachio, buffalo mozzarella, ricotta, vegetables preserved in oil. Fresh and aged cheeses. Honey and jams to go with them. It's not a meal; it's a tasting, so the portions are small and deliberate. Everything carries a certification—DOC, DOCG, DOP, IGP—which means it's tracked, it's real, it's Slow Food approved. You're not eating tourist food. You're eating what Romans actually source.

The whole thing—boat plus tasting—takes about three hours from start to finish. You need to be on time; if you're more than twenty minutes late, they cancel the tasting. Allergies and intolerances have to be declared when you book, not when you arrive. The boat ticket is one ride only, and you choose your departure point: either Ponte Sant'Angelo or Tiber Island. The recommendation is to start at Sant'Angelo and get off at the island, which puts you closest to the wine cellar. If you go the other way, you're walking longer through the neighborhood.

What’s included

Your experience includes a one-hour Tiber River boat ride departing from Ponte Sant'Angelo (or Tiber Island, your choice), passing St.
Peter's Basilica, historic bridges, and the Janiculum Hill before disembarking at Tiber Island.
From there, a short walk brings you to Fabullus Wine Cellar in Trastevere, where you taste five Italian wines—one Prosecco and four superior selections (two white, two red)—paired with three breads, three olive oils, Roman pizza, cured meats including mortadella with pistachio and buffalo mozzarella, ricotta, fresh and aged cheeses, vegetables in oil, honey, jams, and expert presentation by staff.
Water is provided.
All products carry certifications (DOC, DOCG, DOP, IGP, Slow Food).
Hotel pickup is not included.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by Rome Fabullus Wine Cellar Food Tasting with Wine Pairing and Tours

Is this one for you?Right for travelers who want to see Rome from the river and then sit down to real Italian wine and food in a historic setting, not a restaurant. Plan for three hours total, with punctuality required—the tasting starts at a fixed time, and delays over twenty minutes mean the reservation is canceled.