Rome

Mercato rionale are neighborhood markets where Romans buy fresh produce daily—loud, functional affairs that close by 2pm. Vendors shout prices, argue with regulars, and sell seasonal ingredients. Romans shop daily because refrigerators are small and the tradition is to buy what's seasonal and eat it that day.

Rome transforms after dark with dramatically lit ancient ruins, cooler air, and piazzas filled with locals. Night walks have been a tradition since the Grand Tour era (1600s-1800s). The daytime crowds disappear and the city belongs to locals again.

The Colosseum is the largest amphitheater ever built, constructed between 70-80 AD to hold 50,000-80,000 spectators for gladiatorial combat, animal hunts, and executions. The floor could be flooded for mock naval battles. It's Italy's most-visited monument and the defining symbol of ancient Rome's power.

The Pantheon is the best-preserved building from ancient Rome, built in 126 AD by Emperor Hadrian. Its concrete dome remained the world's largest unreinforced dome for 1,300 years. The oculus (9-meter hole at the dome's peak) is the only light source and lets rain fall directly onto the marble floor with drainage holes.

San Luigi dei Francesi is a church containing three massive Caravaggio paintings in the Contarelli Chapel: The Calling, The Inspiration, and The Martyrdom of St. Matthew (1599-1602). These paintings revolutionized art with their dramatic use of light and shadow. Entry is free, making it one of Rome's best art bargains.

The Orange Garden is a small hilltop park on the Aventine Hill with the best sunset view in Rome: St. Peter's dome perfectly framed by pine trees across the Tiber. The garden was created in 1932 when the city planted bitter orange trees (not edible). It's a local secret for sunset, though increasingly popular.

Gianicolo is the highest viewpoint in Rome with 360° panoramic views of the entire city. A cannon has been fired every day at noon from the terrace since 1847 to synchronize the city's clocks. The terrace offers the best overview: all seven hills, the Vatican, and the Apennine Mountains.

St. Peter's Basilica is the largest church in the world and the center of Catholicism, built over St. Peter's tomb. The current Renaissance structure was built 1506-1626 under multiple popes. Michelangelo designed the iconic dome at age 71. It contains masterpieces by Michelangelo, Bernini, and Raphael. Entry is free but lines can be 2+ hours.

The Vatican Museums contain 7km of corridors with one of the world's greatest art collections, ending in the Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo's ceiling (painted 1508-1512). The museums hold Egyptian artifacts, Greek statues, Renaissance paintings, and tapestries accumulated over 500 years. Over 6 million people visit annually, making it crushingly crowded.

Carbonara is a Roman pasta dish made with egg yolks, Pecorino Romano cheese, guanciale (cured pork cheek), and black pepper—absolutely no cream. The heat of the pasta cooks the raw egg into a silky, creamy sauce that coats each strand. It's Rome's most iconic dish, fiercely protected by locals who consider adding cream a culinary crime.

A trattoria is a family-run, casual Italian restaurant serving simple regional food at affordable prices, typically with paper tablecloths and handwritten menus. Real trattorias never advertise, never have English menus with photos, and never seat tourists preferentially. They're loud because Romans talk loudly, cramped because space is expensive, and serve food locals eat daily.

Fritti are fried appetizers served before pasta or pizza, including supplì (fried rice balls with mozzarella), fiori di zucca (fried zucchini flowers), and potato croquettes. They're crispy, hot, eaten with hands, and central to Roman dining. It's a social ritual: you order one plate for the table and everyone picks.

Cacio e Pepe is a minimalist Roman pasta with just three ingredients: pecorino cheese, black pepper, and pasta water. The cheese must be finely grated and tempered with hot pasta water to create a smooth emulsion, not clumps. Despite its simplicity, it requires extreme technical skill and has become a test of a restaurant's quality.

Amatriciana is a tomato-based pasta sauce with guanciale (cured pork cheek), pecorino cheese, and chili. It comes from Amatrice, a mountain town destroyed by a 2016 earthquake. The recipe is legally protected: only guanciale, pecorino, tomato, white wine, and chili are allowed—onions and garlic are forbidden by purists.

Roman artichokes come in two styles: carciofi alla romana (braised with garlic, mint, and olive oil) and carciofi alla giudia (fried whole until crispy like flower petals). Both use the tender romanesco artichoke variety, prized for its lack of inner choke. Artichokes are Rome's seasonal obsession from November to April.

Maritozzo is a soft brioche bun split open and stuffed with whipped cream—the filling should be twice the height of the bun. It's a Roman breakfast staple eaten as a mid-morning snack with coffee, never as dessert. The bun must be soft, lightly sweetened, and brushed with honey.

Roman pizza is thin, crispy, rectangular, and sold by weight at bakeries (pizzerie al taglio). The dough has more olive oil than Neapolitan pizza, creating a cracker-like crust. It's street food cut with scissors, eaten standing up, folded like a sandwich. Toppings are simple: margherita, potato and rosemary, or zucchini flowers.

Gricia is the oldest Roman pasta—carbonara without egg, or amatriciana without tomato. It's just guanciale, pecorino, black pepper, and pasta water. Some say it's the original shepherd's pasta before tomatoes or eggs were added. Despite being the foundation of Roman pasta, it's the least famous, overshadowed by its descendants.

Porchetta is a whole pig, deboned and stuffed with wild fennel, garlic, rosemary, and black pepper, then roasted on a spit for 8+ hours until the skin crackles. It's sliced thick and served in crusty bread as a sandwich. Porchetta is street food, market food, and Sunday lunch food found at markets and porchetta trucks.

Gelato is Italian ice cream churned at a slower speed with less air and fat than American ice cream, resulting in denser, more intense flavor. Real artisanal gelato is made daily in small batches, stored in covered metal tins, and has muted natural colors. Pistachio should be brown-green, not neon; banana should be grey-white, not yellow. If it's piled in tall colorful mounds, it's fake industrial gelato.

Trippa is slow-cooked beef tripe (cow stomach lining) in tomato sauce with mint and pecorino. It's nose-to-tail eating from Rome's slaughterhouse culture in Testaccio. The tripe must be cleaned, boiled, then stewed for hours until tender. The texture is slippery and chewy, which polarizes diners unfamiliar with offal.

Saltimbocca is a thin veal cutlet topped with prosciutto and a sage leaf, secured with a toothpick, then pan-fried in butter and white wine. The name means 'jumps in the mouth,' referring to its explosive flavor. Cooking time is under 5 minutes—overcooking makes the veal tough. It's a secondo (main course) served after pasta.

Jewish Ghetto cuisine is a 500-year fusion of Jewish dietary laws with Roman ingredients, including carciofi alla giudia (fried artichokes), concia (fried zucchini with vinegar and mint), and baccalà (salt cod). Frying in olive oil became central since butter (dairy) couldn't be mixed with meat under kosher law. These dishes are found in the Jewish Ghetto neighborhood and many traditional Roman restaurants.

Espresso (called 'caffè' in Italy) is a concentrated coffee shot consumed in under 60 seconds while standing at the bar. Sitting adds a €2-4 surcharge. Cappuccino is strictly a breakfast drink before 11am; ordering it after lunch marks you as a tourist. Romans drink caffè (espresso) after meals with a small glass of water.

Roman wine culture centers on Frascati and Castelli Romani whites made from Malvasia and Trebbiano grapes. The tradition of ordering 'vino della casa' (house wine) by the carafe remains strong—house wine is local, cheap (€8-12 per liter), and perfectly fine for daily drinking. Romans view wine as a meal accompaniment, not an event.