Indian businesses and services in Rome, Italy

If you are looking for South Asian groceries in Rome, start on the Esquilino, the district around Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II just south-east of Termini station. The square and the streets around it, along with the covered Nuovo Mercato Esquilino, are where Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan and Chinese grocers, spice sellers and halal butchers trade side by side. The market is a good place for fresh coriander, okra, bitter gourd and other vegetables that ordinary Italian supermarkets rarely stock. Metro line A stops at Vittorio Emanuele, and Termini is a short walk away.

Rome's own Indian population is fairly small and varied: diplomats, staff of the UN food agencies, students, business families, and many priests and nuns from Kerala serving in the Church's institutions. The much larger Punjabi Sikh community of Lazio lives mainly in the Agro Pontino, the farmland around Latina, Pontinia and Sabaudia, home to one of the largest Sikh communities in Italy. Many work in agriculture, and the community has built its own gurdwaras there. Diwali, Navratri and Holi are celebrated by associations and temples in and around the city. Keep in mind that many smaller Roman shops still close for a long break in the early afternoon, so mornings and early evenings are the most reliable times to shop.