Learning Italian is no small feat. You might have to study for years, spend time in full immersion, read full-length novels, and then finally find yourself fluent. But even if your Italian is perfect, you will find that many people pepper their speech with dialect and local idioms that don’t appear in any textbook. So […]
We are currently sitting at home in Rome, which is exactly what we have been doing for most of 2020. For Christmas, the Italian government has released a confusing, color-coded DCPM (decree) about what we can and cannot do, who we can and cannot see, where we can and cannot go, and what businesses can […]
Walk down the aisles of your local supermarket and you will likely find something claiming to be mozzarella in the refrigerated section. Even in Italy, you can find little plastic bags filled with water and a ball of white cheese sitting in the fridge. But the truth is that most Italians would never dream of […]
There is nothing quite like an extended lockdown and the uncertainty of a global epidemic to make you appreciate the solid foundations and familiarity of your own neighborhood. We are lucky to live in Testaccio for many reasons, but I have always particularly loved the architecture of this quartiere. We have public housing dating back […]
Imagine walking among the ruins and urban buzz of Rome only to hear a parrot, then see the bright flash of its wings. Parrots in Rome are more common than you might think. However, these tropical-looking birds in Rome are actually brilliant green parakeets. Most are rose-ringed parakeets, to be precise. With so many parks, […]
With all of Italy currently on lockdown, every single restaurant in the country has closed. Supermarkets and some markets remain open with limited hours. However, if you want to respect the quarantine and stay inside as much as possible, there are several options for staying well-fed with food delivery in Rome. There are multiple food […]
I am going to go ahead and just say it: most of the coffee in Italy is bad. Some of it is terrible. However, there is some hope that things are changing so I keep a running list of where to find the best coffee in Rome. Despite what you may have heard, Italian coffee […]
It is impossible to talk about food in Italy without talking about pasta. There is dried pasta, and fresh pasta, in hundred of shapes with a range of toppings. So where, exactly do you find the best pasta in Rome? That depends on what pasta dish you want to eat. There are four classic Roman […]
