I know there are readers who don’t care that what they see here is now being served by a delicious new all-singing, all-dancing, super-spiffy server -- but they might give silent thanks when they (or so I am promised) receive far fewer error messages in the future. For them, then, which is probably...

The Italian attitude to rules and regulations -- that they exist only for other people -- is one of the most maddening things about living here; except, of course, when it works for you.

So we’re sat in the front row in front of the big white screen, glancing around at the beautiful courtyard of the palazzo that houses the administrative offices of the Provincia di Roma. We’re there to see a movie, part of the Wine and Food Film Festival. A woman comes on stage. She announces that...

A man needs a purpose to get the most out of life. My purpose last Saturday was to sample ice creams. Not any old ice creams, but those recommended by Elizabeth Minchilli a couple of months ago. ¹ My original plan was to visit all the establishments she mentioned and compare my impressions with...

Rome’s publicity often leaves a lot to be desired. So when friends invited me to the Ara Pacis on Saturday night, I had no idea there was anything special going on. As we shuffled forward in the line (one person on duty to sell tickets for a special occasion) you could see something rather speci...