I was walking to the market one day and I stopped dead in my tracks, staring open-mouthed at a billboard that read:
I went back to take a picture the next day, but it had been plastered over by an advertisement for a new low-cost washing machine.
Oh well, I figured, it must have been a joke.
Excuse me while I get a little crude to explain my shock. ‘Vaffanculo‘ is an Italian curse that I wouldn’t normally write about, but I hear the nonne (grandmas) drop it every now and then over coffee, so I guess I can use it here.
Vaffanculo means “fuck you.”
So I was a bit surprised to see a fake advertisement for a drink called VafFanCola.
Fast forward two weeks when I try to order a Coke for a friend over lunch at a small trattoria.
Waiter: “I’m sorry, we don’t have Coke. We do have cola.”
Me: “Ok, what kind?”
Waiter: Sheepish smile and long pause. “…. VafFanCola?”
It’s real. Have you tried it??
Oh wow. I’m not a big fan of cola but that is BRILLIANT. I’m going to have to see if I can find it up here now!
Let me know if you can find it! It might be a Rome thing from what I can gather from an old Ansa article?
OMG. SOOOO FUNNY!!!!!!!!!!!! I love it.
What will they think of next? Hee hee!
I am so tempted to come back just to try it.
XXo,
Neekoh
HAHAHA!!! I can’t WAIT to order this myself. =P LOL!!!!
Yes! If only so you can say the name out loud to someone without being considered rude. I don’t think it’s overly common, but it can be found!
hi someway looking at in on italy because i am coming there in aug for 12 days, , no special plans , saw the big tourist stuff 6 yrs ago with tour group, at a fast pace, i have soo enjoyed your site, and all the places you hav written about has certainly given me, some choice, and thing i plan to see and do there, i went all the way back to the begining, lets me know to check the shoes i am taking, not bringing much clothes , plan to buy lots there, i just lost 53 lbs. i rented an apartment. One thing i would like to ask is what is the best way to get from airport to rome, i”m staying around piazza novona area. Cab , train, arrange car threw hotel? confused which to do, dont want to get lost.And to be safe.Thanks for any info you can give me.
Hey Dena!
Cabs from the airport to the center are a flat rate of 40 Euro (plus sometimes an extra fee for luggage). Piazza Navona is pretty far from the train station, so you could take the train to Termini and then catch a cab from there to save a little, but I’m not sure it’s worth the extra time and effort.
When I moved to Rome, I used airportshuttle.it
It was 25 Euro to come into the city. There can be some delays with the shuttle actually leaving the airport, so again- up to you if you want to spend the extra time.
Hope you have an amazing 12 days in Rome!
Oh my god! It’s real?! I thought it was fake for who-knows-what publicity!
I was convinced it was fake, too! I couldn’t believe it when it was the only cola the restaurant in Garbatella had in stock!
That is great. Truly an “only in Italy” moment.
Love it! Can’t wait to try it!