Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
about the local social scene. The friendly organisers arrange regular social events, includ-
ing
aperitivi
evenings and film showings.
Lazio Wines
Lazio wines may not be household names yet, but it's well worth trying some local wines
while you're here. Although whites dominate Lazio's production - 95% of the region's
Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC; the second of Italy's four quality classifica-
tions) wines are white - there are a few notable reds as well. To sample Lazio wines, Pala-
tium (
Click here
) and Enoteca Provincia Romana (
Click here
) are the best places to go.
WHITES
Most of the house white in Rome will be from the Castelli Romani area to the southeast of
Rome, centred on Frascati and Marino. As Italian wine producers have raised their game
to face international competition, so Lazio's winemakers have joined the fray. New pro-
duction techniques have led to a lighter, drier wine that is beginning to be taken seriously.
Frascati Superiore is now an excellent tipple, Castel de Paolis' Vigna Adriana wins
plaudits, while the emphatically named Est! Est!! Est!!!, produced by the renowned wine
house Falesco, based in Montefiascone on the volcanic banks of Lago Bolsena, is increas-
ingly drinkable.
REDS
Falesco, based in Lazio, also produces the excellent Montiano, blended from merlot
grapes. Colacicchi's Torre Ercolana from Anagni is another opulent red, which blends loc-
al Cesanese di Affile with cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Velvety, complex and fruity,
this is a world-class wine.
Coffee
To do as the Romans do, you have to be precise about your coffee needs. For an espresso
(a shot of strong black coffee), ask for
un caffè;
if you want it with a drop of hot/cold
milk, order
un caffè macchiato
('stained' coffee)
caldo/freddo
. Long black coffee (as in a
weaker, watered-down version) is known as
caffè lungo
(an espresso with more water) or
caffè all'american
(a filter coffee). If you fancy a coffee but one more shot will catapult
you through the ceiling, you can drink
orzo,
made from roasted barley but served like cof-
fee.
Then, of course, there's the cappuccino (coffee with frothy milk, served warm rather
than hot). If you want it without froth, ask for a
cappuccino senza schiuma;
if you want it
