Category Archives: Italy

Five Ways To Drink Like The Romans Drink

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Feeling thirsty as you wander the streets of the eternal city? Here are five ways to drink like the locals.

No, really, you can drink out of this! photo by trumanlo, via Flickr

Acqua

Water is water, right? It might all be H2O, but Rome has elevated water into a cultural statement. The aqueducts that supplied the city in classical antiquity were among the most important contributions to human culture until twentieth century inventions like electric lightbulbs and the internet. To this day, street corner fountains surge with water that is safe for visitors to drink – making it both the cheapest beverage and one of the best ways to get in touch with your inner ancient Roman.

Il Chinotto, by Tiziano Caviglia via Flickr

Chinotto

It’s too late for coffee, too early for wine, and the novelty of Rome’s water fountains has worn off. What you want is chinotto. This southern Italian soda is flavored with a bitter citrus fruit of the same name. The resulting drink is complex and earthy, with very little sweetness. The flavor isn’t for everyone, but acquiring a taste for complicated chinotto will give you an insight into the Italian palate that can’t be found in local specialties you’re already familiar with from home.

spritz, photo by Darren and Brad via Flickr

Spritz

Aperitivo is a big deal in Milan, and possibly the best excuse for an impromptu prosecco tasting in Venice. But don’t worry: it’s also popular down south in Rome. The typical drink is spritz, a sort of champagne cocktail made with Aperol bitters and a little soda water, served over ice in either a white wine glass or a tumbler. It’s also possible to make a spritz with Campari or Negroni (in Italy this is called a Negroni spagliato, which translates to a “wrong Negroni”), which are great options if you want to try the cocktail in the USA, where Aperol can be difficult to come by.

Wine is also very portable! Photo by Corscri dai Tutti, via Flickr

Vino

While the spritz is a somewhat recent import from the north, Romans have been drinking wine since at least the eighth century BC, when southern Italy was colonized by the Greeks. In typical Italian fashion, the wine lists of casual bars and enotecas are dominated by local products. The nearby growing region of Lazio produces simple fruit-forward wines which are wallet friendly and almost unknown outside Italy. Lazio is most famous for white wines like Frascati and Marino, though red wines – dominated by Sangiovese – are also popular. If you’re on a serious budget, ask for vino da tavola, or “table wine”. This is of a lower technical classification than the regionally controlled varieties (which would include Frascati or Sangiovese), meant for local consumption.

Birra Peroni, by muchachino, via Flickr

Birra

Not only is it the most popular Italian beer internationally, Peroni is also the beer of choice in the eternal city. It isn’t one of the world’s great beers, and honestly if your time is limited it would be better to stick with wine. But go out of on the town and you’ll find Romans sucking this locally owned brew down like the nectar of the gods. Sometimes doing as the Romans do means getting wasted on mediocre beer. And that’s OK.

When In Rome: How To Drink Coffee Like An Italian

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Caffe latte in Trieste, photo by Sara Clarke

The spread of Starbucks outlets from Seattle to Saudi Arabia implies that coffee is now the same all over the world. But in the land that invented espresso, coffee culture is as idiosyncratic as ever.  Here’s how to get your fix the way millions of Italians do.

Find coffee.

What you want is a bar. In Italy, a bar isn’t where you drink cocktails at night, but the place to go for a hit of caffeine. Every town has at least one, and major cities will have hundreds of them. A few signs that you’ve found a good bar: a marble counter, piles of crescent-shaped pastries called cornetti, and – most importantly – a crowd of locals waiting for their morning cup.

Step right up.

Italian culture is not known for its love of queues. If you stand at the back of the mob and politely wait your turn, you will never get your coffee. The best approach is to be assertive. Move into the crowd and try to make eye contact with the barista as much as possible. Gradually you’ll find yourself surging forward towards the counter. The barista will eventually acknowledge you; this is when you should call out your order.

Know what you want.

There are plenty of guides to Italian coffee drinks out there, so I’ll keep this bit short. If you ask for a caffe, you’ll be served espresso. If you want something resembling drip or press coffee, ask for an americano (espresso combined with hot water; tastes a lot better than it sounds). If you’re after a latte, ask for a caffe latte - you probably weren’t looking for a plain glass of milk. My favorite is a macchiato: a shot of espresso with a teaspoon of steamed milk, a happy medium between bitter espresso and bland caffe latte.

There’s a complicated business about cappuccino being a breakfast drink and “truly authentic” travelers not ordering it after noon, but honestly, who cares? If you’ve always wanted to order a cappuccino in Italy, do it! Even if it’s three o’clock.

Stand at the bar to drink your coffee.

While some Italian coffee bars have seating areas, you’ll see most people having breakfast right at the bar. At a table you may be charged a fee, called coperto, for the privilege. This can be worthwhile if you want to savor a caffe latte over the newspaper, but if you intend to move on quickly it’s better to stand.

Note: in most bars you pay after you’re finished, though there are a few where you have to order and pay a cashier before making your way through the mob at the bar to get the coffee. Watch out for this!

When In Rome: How To Drink Coffee Like An Italian

Posted on by

4

The spread of Starbucks outlets from Seattle to Saudi Arabia implies that coffee is now the same all over the world. But in the land that invented espresso, coffee culture is as idiosyncratic as ever.  Here’s how to get your fix the way millions of Italians do.

Find coffee.

What you want is a bar. In Italy, a bar isn’t where you drink cocktails at night, but the place to go for a hit of caffeine. Every town has at least one, and major cities will have hundreds of them. A few signs that you’ve found a good bar: a marble counter, piles of crescent-shaped pastries called cornetti, and – most importantly – a crowd of locals waiting for their morning cup.

Step right up.

Italian culture is not known for its love of queues. If you stand at the back of the mob and politely wait your turn, you will never get your coffee. The best approach is to be assertive. Move into the crowd and try to make eye contact with the baristo as much as possible. Gradually you’ll find yourself surging forward towards the counter. The baristo will eventually acknowledge you; this is when you should call out your order.

Know what you want.

There are plenty of guides to Italian coffee drinks out there, so I’ll keep this bit short. If you ask for a caffe, you’ll be served espresso. If you want something resembling drip or press coffee, ask for an americano (espresso combined with hot water; tastes a lot better than it sounds). If you’re after a latte, ask for a caffe latte – you probably weren’t looking for a plain glass of milk. My favorite is a macchiato: a shot of espresso with a teaspoon of steamed milk, a happy medium between bitter espresso and bland caffe latte.

There’s a complicated business about cappuccino being a breakfast drink and “truly authentic” travelers not ordering it after noon, but honestly, who cares? If you’ve always wanted to order a cappuccino in Italy, do it! Even if it’s three o’clock.

Stand at the bar to drink your coffee.

While some Italian coffee bars have seating areas, you’ll see most people having breakfast right at the bar. At a table you may be charged a fee, called coperto, for the privilege. This can be worthwhile if you want to savor a caffe latte over the newspaper, but if you intend to move on quickly it’s better to stand.

Note: in most bars you pay after you’re finished, though there are a few where you have to order and pay a cashier before making your way through the mob at the bar to get the coffee. Watch out for this!