Rome; the eternal city of beauty, culture, food, wine and gorgeous men in suits on their motorini during rush hour.  I had the fortunate experience of living in Italy for 2 ½ years; and for half that time, I lived in Latina, just outside of Rome. What I soon learned while living there, and not as a tourist, was the ways of the Romans, and how steadfast they are about certain rules. Especially when it comes to food!

So here are a few rules, I learned the hard way:

• No Cappuccino after 12pm. Huh? You might say? Right, you heard me. Italians don’t believe in ingesting milk after noon unless you are a “bambino”!

• No wine with pizza! Beer is the accepted accompaniment. Oh, and only pizza “al taglio” (by the slice) during the day and a pizzeria at night. They wouldn’t dream of going to a pizzeria during daylight hours. They leave that for the tourists.

• At coffee bars, you usually pay first, order second and enjoy your beverage at the bar. So, when entering “un bar” look for the cashier first and keep you receipt to present to the “barista”. You might even be forced to join the other Romans and yell and scream your order to get some attention! Once, I made the mistake by choosing to politely wait my turn. Ended up missing my bus (which only comes every hour, by the way) and late for work! So remember, if you’re not loud enough, you get lost in the shuffle.

Usually, I abide by these rules, but I have to admit, not all the time!

So, shhh…don’t tell Rome, but I’ve been sneaking in cappuccinos after 12pm and have once or twice been known to have a glass of red with my pizza Napoli!

AE

Advertisement