Insider’s guide unlocks secrets to eating in Rome

Quick look: Elizabeth Minchilli explains the unwritten rules of dining in Rome in her latest book, which she calls “my homage to the city that feeds me.”

What’s inside: This 241-page soft-cover insider’s guide to eating in Rome comprises 25 chapters – from “Bringing Home the Pancetta” to “Learning to Love Grappa.” Minchilli shares restaurant recommendations, recipes and the spoken and unspoken rules regarding pizza, gelato, coffee culture and more.

Italian coffee bars, in particular, have a strict protocol, Minchilli writes. For example, there is no takeout. If you want to sit at a table, have a seat; a waiter will be right over. You’ll also pay more. But never order cappuccino at the counter, then carry it to a table; you didn’t pay for that table and you will likely be admonished – loudly – in Italian.

Another rule – actually a recent Roman law – is: don’t eat pizza or anything else within 10 feet of any historic monument (which pretty much covers every place in the city). You could be arrested. Minchilli offers two exceptions: gelato and pizza bianca. (It’s unclear whether these are arrest-free exceptions.)

“In general, Italians don’t eat between meals,” she writes. However, they will enjoy gelato as a late afternoon snack, usually between 4 and 7 p.m., while walking and talking along ancient cobbled streets. If you want to sit at a table in the ice cream shop, it’s just like the coffee bar; you’ll pay more. You’ll also receive a glass of water.

When it comes to pizza, don’t share. Individual pizza pies are meant for individuals. But they’re not meant for eating with your hands; use a fork and knife. Pizza bianca is “white pizza.” But don’t expect white sauce. It’s basically baked pizza dough with olive oil and nothing else. It’s also “meant to be eaten right away while hot, and is one of Rome’s true street foods.”

This volume is a valuable primer for travelers, particularly first-timers. Restaurant recommendations from a longtime, in-the-know resident are especially helpful.

If you don’t have a trip planned, enjoy Minchilli’s memoirs and live vicariously through her recipes. The author of six books on Italian living, she lives in a rooftop apartment in Rome.

What’s not: Some of the photographs were shot with the author’s cellphone – and it shows.

Red Currant and Grappa Cocktail

From “Eating Rome” by Elizabeth Minchilli

1/3 cup fresh red currant juice

2 ounces good-quality grappa

1 teaspoon fresh Meyer lemon juice

Ice

Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake until well chilled and strain into a glass.

Serves: One