 | Rome Local Customs | Tips 21 - 30 of 409 |  |
Popular Local Customs | Other Local Customs Tips | All Tips (409) I noticed immediately that people stare - expressionless - yet long and hard - until they have taken in all that they want to see. Now, we could note, the subject of their gaze determines whether this has been feast or famine. This excerpt from Henry James' account of his day in Villa Borghese in 1873 fairly references this local custom:
"The great difference between public places in America and Europe is in the number of unoccupied people of every age and condition sitting about early and late on benches and gazing at you, from your hat to your boots, as you pass. Europe is certainly the continent of the practised stare. The ladies on the Pincio have to run the gauntlet; but they seem to do so complacently enough. The European woman is brought up to the sense of having a definite part in the way of manners or manner to play in public. To lie back in a barouche alone, balancing a parasol and seeming to ignore the extremely immediate gaze of two serried ranks of male creatures on each side of her path, save here and there to recognise one of them with an imperceptible nod, is one of her daily duties."
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When traveling in a country where english is not the main language I try to make an effort to speak the local language. Italian is a beautiful language and it isn't very hard to pick up the basics. I got a phrase book and a CD, which I put on my i-Pod, to help me learn some phrases. And while I was shy about trying to speak the language at first, by the end of my 2 weeks there I was ordering meals and ice-cream (gelato) all in Italian!
So here are some helpful phrases to get you started!
Hello/Goodbye (informal): Ciao
Good Morning: Buongiorno
Good Afternoon/Evening: Buonasera
Good Night: Buonanotte
Yes/No: Si/No
Please: per favore
Thank you: grazie
That's fine: Va bene
How Are You?: Come sta?
Open/Closed: aperto/chiuso
Entrance/Exit: entrata/uscita
Where is...?: Dov'e...?
and...
I didn't understand: non ho capito
Do you speak English?: Parla Inglese? Leave a Comment
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Renovate, refurbish, retrofit, reconstruct, repair, re-decorate - a staple of life in Rome and most high-maintenance cities of the world.
Leave it to Romans to add a dimension of art to the procedure. Note that the scaffolding itself is adorned with an artwork - far be it from proud and vain Roma to powder her nose in public - let alone expose a face-lift in process!
OK - Piazza Spagna is back and with her cosmetic surgery all in place around Bernini's fountain - just in time for Festa della Primavera (Spring Festival) - in April, the Spanish Steps are decorated with azalea plants and concerts are held in Trinita dei Monti.
Now, the obelisk in Piazza Popolo is cloaked as per photo. More detail about this obelisk
on Things to Do Piazza Popolo
Will update this page as I see changes in the making................. Other Contact: Piazza Spagna February 2006
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Sunday is one lazy and relaxing day in Rome. Even the traffic seems to calm down.
Even though it's not what it once has, Italians and Romans in particular remains pretty religeous and, to my surprise, my neighbourhood church had 2 services on Sunday morning and it was PACKED. Funny detail, the first stop on the way back home from the mass for a lot of parishoners was... the next door bar ;o) for a little "aperitivo". I also indulged and loved to the bar when it gets lively with older gentlemen having a sambuca or a martini rosso (the real drink, not the cocktails), kids on their Sunday best enjoying a soda or a hot chocolate... Then, everybody's off for lunch, usually a family affair on Sunday and everybody gathers at the grandparents to have a 4 course home-cooked meal (antipasto, mostly cold cuts and cheese, pasta, main and dessert). In the afternoon, if it's football season, most of the family will be glued to the TV to watch a football game (I would hear my neighbours scream about the feats of AS Roma or Lazio di Roma, the 2 Romans teams). In the evening, a "before dinner" passegiata is often recommended. The passegiata (simply taking a walk) is a big social affair. In my street, you would find lots of people on their porch or in front of their houses, people stops and chat, enquire about each other and each others family... Maybe a stop for a little limoncello at the next door bar before going back for a small dinner... Or maybe enjoy Rome at night. Leave a Comment
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Most Italians do not eat dinner until around 9pm, and it is not uncommon for people to linger over a meal until after midnight. Consequently, it's almost impossible to find a restaurant that opens before 7pm, and many don't open until 7:30 or 8pm. It's best to adjust your schedule accordingly and, you know, do as the Romans do. If a restaurant looks empty or if the only people eating there are tourists, this is not necessarily a sign that it's a bad restaurant; it could just mean that the local crowd hasn't arrived yet.
Also, be aware that most restaurants close one day a week. The most common closure day is Monday, right after they've made a lot money on the weekend. Restaurants will usually have a sign out front (in Italian) stating when their closing day is.
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In most establishments where you would order at a counter, such as a gelateria or a snack bar, there will be a cash register that is separate from the counter where the food is displayed. When this is the case, you should go to the register first, tell the clerk there what you want, pay and get a receipt. Then take your receipt to the counter, and hand it to the employee who will fill your order. Many visitors to Italy are confused by this and get exasperated when they wait forever at the counter and are never served. If it's busy there will be no queue; you'll have to just wave your receipt at the employee along with everyone else, and hope you get served eventually.
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When you order a coffee it is normal to leave 5 or 10 cents as a tip with the receipt when you put it down on the counter. 5 or 10 cents is enough, as untiol 3 years ago it was nromal to leave 100 or 200 lire, so it is fine. Don't start big tipping as it only makes people then expect those big fat tips all the time. In Rome it is more a courtesy than an expected sort of thing. In Florence, you almost never see anyone tip for a caffee. Leave a Comment
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I often tell people about the beautiful woman, with coifed hair and manicure, wearing jewelry, heels and a long elegant coat, who swept into the hotel in which I was staying. Ten minutes later I saw her in slippers and a pink maid's uniform!
While styles have definitely become more casual over the past five years, Rome still dresses up more than American cities. I'm not the clothes police, but if you're over 30, your jeans should probably be designer jeans and you should be wearing them with $300 stiletto heel leather boots. You never used to see Italians wearing shorts, but lately......
Big, bulky white running/walking shoes aren't seen much (though leather "bowling" shoes are popular). Ditch the fanny pack and I've never seen an Italian wearing sweats. Other than that, your feet need to be comfortable, cause you're going to be doing a lot more walking than the gorgeous Italian woman with the fabulous 300 Euro shoes.
To look more Italian, just carry a cell phone next to your ear and say loudly into it "COH-may?"
Of course, teenagers and 20-somethings dress more casually. You'll find them in torn jeans, backpacks and running shoes, just like everywhere. But you'll also find some young fashion victims wearing the newest (and sometimes bizarre) styles.
UPDATE, Oct 2005: The times they are a changing. If you can believe it - I actually saw three ITALIANS in sweat pants! To be sure, it was in Naples, but sweat pants? On an Italian? Good lord. Leave a Comment
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We usually stand in front of the statues admiring their beauty and skill of the sculptors who made them. Rome is rich of magnificent statues which can be found all over the town, in particularly on many of its numerous squares. Some locals, however, who are acting "statues" from the past ancient times of Rome, use them in order to sack naive tourists, attracted by chance to make immemorable snapshot for family album.
The good advise is; put your money or purse in a safe place before getting together with such a group of, allow me to say, professional plunderers. Leave a Comment
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Well, anyone who lives in the U.S. has either given or been given "the finger" - a local custom particulary well-known among irate U.S. drivers - and, even more common during rush hour's road rage.
So now, Italy has "the finger" also - and a few signs are customary. Among them and probably one of the more common and certainly more civil, is this sign (with two fingers as shown rotate back and forth) used to let you know that "its not working" - "its broken" - if used when in the area of one's head, it means the guy is "not 100% there."
Note for drivers - If you're approaching a toll booth and you see this sign being waved out of a car window, look for the next toll booth with a green light because either this one is broken or the guy ahead of you is not paying and waiting for a person to issue a printed ticket (we're talking about a considerable amount of time if we're dealing with real people here).
We'll be adding a couple more here on "the finger" just for fun...........
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