When in Rome- a short guide to Rome
As the saying goes "When in Rome- do as the Romans do…"But what is it that the Romans do exactly? First ofall relax, sit back and enjoy your Romevisit. Here are some ideas as to how to enjoy life, Roman style.

Food and coffee in Rome
Most Romans don't like to wake up to early but whenthey need to you will find them in the local café drinking at the bar anespresso or cappuccino before they're off to work. When they have time to sitdown they may enjoy a milky LatteMacchiato. If you're in need of a lot of energy before a day of visiting Rome and all of Rome'sattractions, try a fried sugar coated doughnut -like pastry such as a Chambellaor bomba alla crema with your coffee. Have a light lunch around 14:00; maybe a pizza altaglio in the Park or a panini.
 Altaglio pizza is a thick crusted pizza (about 1-2 cm), baked in rectangularpans. It is cut into rectangular slices in front of the customer and sold byweight. A panini is basically a sandwich, but a yummy one! Sometimes thePanini is served slightly grilled.Always have dinner after 08:00 Pm. try to sample thelocal trattorias. Try the house wine with your dinner. It's always cheep andusually not bad. After dinner go for drinks in one of the trendy bars in Monti or Trastevere neighborhoods.
 
Transportation Strikes in Rome
Try and keep your ears open. Many a time there arestrikes in local transportation in Rome or intransportation around Italy.Be careful not to miss your flight or get stuck somewhere when traveling in Italy. Usuallythe strikes only last one day or only a few hours.
 
Sundays in Rome
On Sundays most stores are closed. This is mainlyfamily time though some restaurants and cafes are open.
 
Food Shopping in Rome
The main guidelines for buying food products is buysmall and buy fresh. Prefer buying your fresh food in the market or merkato.Don't buy stocks of food but only enough for a day or so.
 
Shopping in Rome
Romans love their shopping it and see it as a leisure activity, especially on Saturdays. See young trendy couples enter the boutiques hand in hand. The main areas for shopping are Via Corso where the Spanish chain Zara is an all time favorite. On Via Via Condotti, right near the Spanish steps (Piazza di Spagna) you can find the high end boutiques such as Fendi Armani, Gucci, and Prada.On via Nazionale you can also find many stores. This is a good place to buy suits and shoes for good prices.Opening hours for Shop sin Rome are generally 9am-1pm and 3.30-7.30pm (4-8pm in summer), apart for Sundays when most shops are closed. Rome also has some open air markets. The huge Porta Portese flee market on the left bank of the Tiberis open every Sunday. You can find many second hand clothes, records, books and antiques there. Be careful because these open air markets are very popular with pickpockets.