For almost 20 years now, Paolo Allegrini has been living in Rome's Via di Monte Giordano where he runs a small trattoria. He and his wife Veronica swear by the traditional Roman recipes of their home town, but they are also big fans of their own spaghetti con melanzane e ricotta, hearty minestrone and rich panna cotta. cbi:///cms/67924

Customers at Antica Taverna know that they can rely on the trattoria's skilled team and the culi nary talents of Paolo Allegrini. He in turn relies on his local Metro Cash & Carry wholesale store on the outskirts of Rome. That's where he buys the top-quality ingredients for his dishes: aubergines, tomatoes, garlic, aromatic olive oil, ricotta, fresh herbs and, of course, coffee beans to make espresso. Employees at the store know exactly what products a customer like Paolo Allegrini needs and they are always happy to help.

We spent a day with Paolo Allegrini, his regulars and his kitchen staff to see if we could find out what makes this the best trattoria in the Castel Sant'Angelo area. We spoke to Daniela Sirbo and Giovanni Mancuso, who have been serving Paolo's customers for years.

Unfortunately, we didn't discover exactly what it is that makes the pasta at Antica Taverna taste so good. But we did find out that it's not just Metro Cash & Carry but also Real, Media Markt, Saturn and Galeria Kaufhof that Paolo Allegrini and his customers know and love.

By the way: Paolo Allegrini did let us in on one little secret. It is the native olive oil from Metro Cash & Carry that gives his sautéed aubergines their hint of fruitiness. cbi:///cms/67905