You might be puzzled if I tell you we are some of the richest populations in the world. It’s because of our water: we do have one of the biggest aqueducts with source waters of the world and we do have more than 3000 free drinking fountains in the city territories. Rome waters have not only the reputation of being some of the best in Italy but are cold, so refreshing that in summer are a must. Thanks to them we fear no heat. The ancient Romans knew what kind of treasure is water already thousands of years ago building 13 aqueducts to bring clear, pure water to the city that they used to call the queen of the waters. Drink, drink and drink! It’s healthy, we are made roughly 60% of water and walking and visiting Rome is a passion and a sport in summer as in winter. Bring with you a bottle as I always do, better if it’s thermic so that keeps the temperature down while visiting a museum or an archeological area. It’s sustainable, it’s free and it doesn’t produce any plastic. Did you forget? Don’t worry you will find in Rome a new one as a souvenir of the eternal city.

You might never heard of our regional wines. Don’t worry: it’s normal they are not famous worldwide and we start to take care of our grapes, the special taste of it and the native sorts relatively lately. Being mostly family productions we have done a lot for the quality of it but we will probably never do enough for the worldwide marketing which asks investment forbidden to small realities. If we stay in the province of Rome the red that is considered the best one is Cesanese di Olevano or di Affile. If you consider the whole region of Latium one of the most recognized then is Cesanese del Piglio, all three are DOC (Controlled Origin, a quality mark) and the wine is a delicate red with flower scents of violet and roses, cherry, and spicy notes. In spite of it traditionally Rome has been dominated by whites with an important character, capable of emerging being drunk with the traditional tasty dishes like pasta alla carbonara, puntarelle with anchovies, roast lamb, or even tripe. The most famous is Frascati Superiore produced some kilometers southward from Rome but being the region of volcanic origin our soil has always hosted wineries and hundreds of small productions: to taste them in the area where they are produced, it means to experience deeper the spirit of the place, to feel the human work and passion behind it.

I used to consider beer no honorable drink, commercial but refreshing that enjoyed sometimes like a betrayal to the noble wine.

But experience and studying showed me, how much I was wrong: don’t let prejudice keep you away from tasting, experiencing, and learning! Beer is more ancient than you can possibly think, thanks to its carbohydrates, helps the body to integrate energy while under effort.