Daily life
Codice fiscale
KO-dee-cheh fees-KA-leh
Your Italian tax code. Nothing — lease, bank, SIM, doctor — happens without it, and it is free and issued the same day.
Municipio
moo-nee-CHEE-pyo
One of Rome's fifteen administrative districts. Your anagrafe, your school catchment and your local services all follow your municipio, not the city.
Ufficio Immigrazione
oo-FEE-cho ee-mee-gra-TSYO-neh
The Questura's immigration office, where permits are processed. Rome's is the busiest in Italy and appointment dates run long.
ZTL
dzeh-tee-EL-leh
Zona a Traffico Limitato — camera-controlled restricted zones covering most of the historic centre. Rome has several, each with its own hours.
Nasone
na-SO-neh
'Big nose' — the cast-iron street fountains running cold drinking water continuously across the city. Free, safe and everywhere.
Sampietrini
sam-pyeh-TREE-nee
The black basalt cobbles of central Rome. Beautiful, historic, and the reason your ankles and your bicycle will suffer.
Food
Caffè al banco
kaf-FEH al BAN-ko
Coffee standing at the bar. It costs a fraction of the same coffee at a table, and the price difference is legally required to be posted.
Social
Aò
a-OH
The Roman all-purpose interjection — hey, listen, come on. Hearing it used at you is a sign of familiarity rather than rudeness.
Daje
DA-yeh
'Go on' / 'let's go' — Roman dialect, used as encouragement, agreement and exasperation depending entirely on tone.
Culture
Sanpietrino / Ferragosto
fer-ra-GOS-to
15 August. Rome empties, most independent businesses close for a fortnight around it, and no public office achieves anything.
Emergency
112
uno uno due
The single European emergency number. Lazio's unified answering centre dispatches police, fire and ambulance from one call.
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