What to Expect: Rome

Before dedicating this Friday topic to our usual restaurant tips, we thought we’d offer up the titillating truth about Rome first, so you’re not surprised. After all, if ever a gal was to have a dangerous love-hate relationship with a city, it would be with Roma.

The traffic in Rome literally stinks with overpopulated, exhaust -intensive buses and vespas zipping through winding rows of jam-packed cars, regardless of traffic violations or pedestrians. And heaven forbid you get sick at 1:00 PM, because the farmacia does not re-open until 3:00 PM. You can also forget about processing paperwork, be it your Visa, passport, plane ticket, or perhaps even a receipt from McDonald’s (yes, we already know Americans shamelessly love to visit McDonald’s during their ten tiny days abroad).

“Working just enough so someone notices you working at all” should be the motto, not "When in Rome," as the polizia proudly directs traffic with their right hand and smokes a cigarette with their left.

Additionally, in various parts of Italy, and especially in Rome, you mostly get Italian food, so don’t expect to find burger joints, the Outback Steakhouse or Vietnamese restaurants on every corner. Fortunately, today there's more “stranieri” restaurants popping up, so we'd like to recommend a few. If you’re in the mood for Asian, we like, Ci Lin (Ponte dell’olio 6, around the corner from Santa Maria in Trastevere). For Mexican, head to Cantina Mexicana (La Charreada, Piazza dei Quiriti 4), for Indian, try Surya Mahal (Via di Ponte Sisto 67). And, while you can go just about anywhere to find excellent Italian cuisine, for dinner, we love Taverna Trilussa in Piazza Trilussa (Via del Politeama 23; try the ravioli mimosa).

Keep in mind that like the farmacia, and chaotic traffic, finding food in Italy is difficult during certain times of the day (dinner typically begins at 8:30 PM or 9:00 PM). But, if you can get over the inconveniences of the chaotic city, then I promise you’ll find yourself having the most fabulous affair with Roma.