No. It’s not Italian for “beer and fud”, but the phonetics for these words. And for me, is the place to go when I’m craving for a pizza, but not the typical pizzas that can be found in each one of the gazillion Roman pizzerias.

It is a small place in via Benedetta, crowded during the evenings. The waiters will go out of their way to describe the selection of entrees, pizzas and sweets for that day (there’s a regular menu too). And since there shouldn’t be a pizza without beer, here (don’t mind your weight, they use natural yeast so you digest easily) you will find the best and most complete selection of Italian beer. If you have no idea of what kind of beer you want, just give your waiter a few hints of what tastes you like and he or she will bring you the perfect Italian beer that matches your criteria. Don’t overlook the sweets. They’re as good as the pizza.

Make a reservation in advance. Is not unusual to find it fully booked. You can also ‘wow’ yourself with no reservation and ask to be included in the waiting list. They’ll call you on your mobile after 30 or 40 minutes. It is so worth the wait. 

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Bir & Fud | Restaurants (Italian) | Dinner & beer € 20
Via Benedetta 23 | Trastevere | +39065894016
Mon – Fri 19:30 – 00:00, Sat – Sun 19:30 – 02:00

Sure, during your stay in Rome you have had enough cornetti and cappuccini for breakfast, haven’t you? At some point enough is enough. You should try the kasher bakery shop in the Jewish ghetto.

Even if you’re not Jewish, you should try the delicious sweet treats they offer here. Crowded mostly in the mornings and especially on Sundays (Saturday is closed, as they observe Hebrew traditions), this very small space has the most appetizing cheesecakes, macaroons and a kind of little fruitcakes they call “Jewish pizza”. But the distinctive cake is the one stuffed with ricotta and cherries. It is mouthwatering, and the one filled with almond paste should is also really good.

The downside is that you can’t get a cappuccino to accompany your sweet treat, but just a few steps away outside the shop you will find a barista willing to prepare for you a warm caffelatte or a doppio macchiato. You choose.

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Forno Boccione | Snacks
Via del Portico d’Ottavia 2 | City center
Sun – Fri 08:00 – 18:00

I tend to be kind of special when it comes to gift giving. I, for one, appreciate a lot the quality and detail of the wrapping. To me, the illustration of the paper and the ribbon are also an essential part of the present and say a lot about the person who is giving it.

And even when the present itself is rather simple, when it is boxed in an elegant envelope it gains presence. That is why I find this small store near the Pantheon very useful: they have a vast selection of beautifully adorned wrapping papers and matching ribbons. But not only. The store, a franchise from a Florentine papermaker, specializes in hand-made products using paper as the main material. But not only.

They also have everything you could possibly need in your desk: agendas, notepads, notebooks, pencils, pencil sharpeners and photo frames. They also have seals with your initials to be stamped in wax. It is a very elegant way to add distinction to your personal envelopes. Of course, if you don’t have the time or the will to melt sealing wax, you can choose your initials in cursive small adhesive stickers. Same effect with less effort. 

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Il Papiro | Shopping
Via del Pantheon 50 | City center
10:00 – 19:00 Daily

One of the things I miss the most from the US and my Country is the ability to just enter a coffee shop, order an extra-large cappuccino and concentrate in the book I’m reading or just stark talking endlessly with my friends. Here in Italy, the concept of “let’s have a coffee” means a quick espresso shot in a coffee bar and you drink it standing in front of the bar and the thing takes no more than one minute. But there’s an alternative to it. 

If you are in the center you find yourself wanting to have a coffee in a charming green atmosphere I suggest you try the Caffè Fandango in Via dei Preffeti. In this place cinema, books, theater and art exhibitions coexist and create a perfect space for relaxing or taking the time to plan your next sightseeing tour. All of this while you relish a nice herbal infusion, a warm caffèlatte or, if the time is right, a fresh aperitif.

Even if you’re not so lucky as to find an art exhibition while you’re there, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the time just sitting and chilling out.

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Caffè Fandango | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Tea & cookies € 8
Via dei Prefetti, 22 | City center
Tue – Sun 09:00 – 21:00

Modern buildings are scarce in Rome historic center. Apart from the very controversial and recently constructed Ara Pacis museum building, the Augusto Imperatore square is the only place in the area that shows a little of the architectural style used during the Fascist regime in the early 20th century.

And it’s precisely under the porticoes of this square that the first and third Sunday of every month the bargain market takes place. There, the many expositors offer a wide range of wares and items that may or not be old. You can also find collector items, pieces of furniture and old objects that give the impression of having been forgotten for decades in someone’s home until found and left available for sale.

Browsing around under the full-of-history columns of this Mussolini-age style is an interesting experience. Talk to the vendors. They will be delighted to explain to you the history of every piece they’re selling and, of course, try to convince you to pay the full price. If you’re patient enough and possess a smart eye to recognize what is valuable from what is not, I am sure you find very nice surprises in this place.

At this market I found one of my favorite pieces of decoration: a plastic figure of the Pink Panther.

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Augusto Imperatore Market | Shopping | Free
Augusto Imperatore Square | City center
1st & 3rd Sun 10:00 till dusk

Trastevere is generous in options for everything. You want a bar? Pick one; there are several of them in any street. Feel like a good Roman pizza? In no time you will see before you plenty of pizzerias. Most of them follow European schedules for lunch and dinner, which means that if you’re hungry, say at 16:00, no restaurant or pizzeria will be open.

In the San Cosimato square, a few steps from Santa Maria in Trastevere square there is a restaurant that does not have this hourly restriction, and it’s open from noon until late at night. It’s Ai Spaghettari, roughly translated as “place where the spaghettis are made”, and they offer a varied menu specialized in roman cuisine. Pasta sauces like carbonara (parmigiana, egg and a type of bacon), ammatriciana (tomato and bacon and a touch of wine) have a very special taste in this very traditional restaurant. Pizzas and bruschetta are only served in the evening.

Make sure to not leave the table without having ordered a grappa barricata, it’s the perfect digestif after a good dinner like this.

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Ai Spaghettari | Restaurants (Roman – Italian) | Entree, pasta & drink € 15
P.za di San Cosimato, 57 | Trastevere
12:00 – 00:00 daily

There was a time when in Rome tea was only available in pharmacies. Two English ladies came to the city planning to open a tearoom and a space for reading. So they opened Babingtons, just a couple of meters to the side of the Spanish steps lower level, and right under the place that was John Keats’ home.

Just ahead of the entrance door you have the welcoming sight of the cookies, scones, cakes and pies that a few minutes from then you will be devouring in your table.

It is not a cheap place: You will be paying about 10E for a small tea pitcher, and another similar amount for the accompanying sweet treats. But on the other hand you will get to feel like an Englishman (or woman) having tea the proper way. The waitress wear this cute white-and-turquoise dresses and speak a correct English.

The selection of teas and infusions is varied. In the menu you can read the characteristics of every particular flavor and essence. If by the end you liked the tea so much that you would want to take it home with you well, you can. Just ask the waitress or at the register and they will give it to you a beautifully packed bag. Enjoy!

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Babingtons | Coffee & tea | Tea & cake € 20
Piazza di Spagna, 23 | City center
10:00 – 21:30 daily

We love everything about Italy. Well, except for Berlusconi. Its fashion, its food, the ancient buildings and the savoir-vivre… they all have a very high content of style and good taste. When it comes to paper and paper-related products it is no exception.

Fabriano, a cozy boutique located in Via del Babuino, between the Spanish steps and People’s Square, carries the most stylish and minimalist collection of everything that can be made out of paper: squared blocks of notes, coloring books, agendas, notepads, drawing pads, beautiful RSVP books and, of course, folders and business cards holders.

My personal favorite: whenever I get invited to a nice dinner, I bring along a bottle of good wine and this special adhesive sheet that allows the labels from wine and beer bottles to be removed and collected. It works great when the drink is exceptional. Or when the occasion is memorable.

Fabriano’s boutique is like a museum for paper. When I visited, they had this magnificent haute-couture nightdress made entirely with colored paper done by a Mexican illustrator who combined the beauty of fashion and the simplicity of paper.

They also have a store in Rome – Fiumicino airport. It comes very handy when you need a nice stylish souvenir from Italy to take to your relatives but want to avoid the poorly made key chains and magnets.

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Fabriano | Shopping | Small notebook € 10
Via del Babuino 173 | City center
10:00 – 21:00 daily

If you feel like blending with the locals come to this recently re-opened bar. It is located in a small square by the same name (literally, fig) and when the evening comes, it IS the place to be. Its crowd during weekdays is mostly young professionals in search of a drink before heading home (or elsewhere) for dinner.

Sparkling wine is very fashioned here. Its name is prosecco and it’s served in the same flute-shaped glasses as champagne (they’re actually very similar in taste but can’t be named that because of protected designation origin rights). My favorite drink is called Spritz and in this part of Italy has a particularly is bittersweet tasting. To accompany your drink you’ll find a table full of salty snacks that vary from evening to evening. Usually you’ll find pasta dishes, pizzeta (pizza-like bread) and crudités. After all, you don’t want to get fat.

If you’re lucky and the weather is right, a table in the external part of the bar will be available. Take a sit, enjoy the view of neatly dressed romans and decide where to go for dinner. The restaurant is just a few steps away, on Via della Pace. And it’s worth trying it. 

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Bar del Fico | Bars, Snacks | Drink with snack € 8
Piazza del Fico 26 | City center
07:30 – 02:30 daily

In one of the ways of pedestrian access to the bohemian area of Trastevere there is one special gelateria. Now, with Rome being full of ice cream shops, what can make this one so special? Well, the natural bio – cultivated flavors they offer, for one. Second, the high standard of quality they use, defined as the search for balance between the organic, nutritious and ethic properties of the ingredients. Isn’t this enough?

Inside you’ll find a good selection of water and cream-based tastes of high quality ice cream. The ingredients used are obtained only trough the organic cultivation, and obtained through fair trade agreements. S

Surprisingly, they only offer iced cream in cups but not in cones. And this is because, they say, the use of cones came only after a long time after the long-established method of ice-cream elaboration. While this may or may not be true, truth is the gelato tastes great and you can actually feel the sensation of no artificial ingredients added in your taste buds.

But you can also find other kind of products here, always from bio- produced. Here is where I get my marmalades and fruit preserves. They are usually low in sugars and have a natural taste that I really appreciate in my morning bread.

If you have extra room for more calories on your gelato, don’t forget to ask for whipped cream and a delicious wafer on top of your cup. You have to pay extra for these but they’re so worth it.

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Fior di Luna | Snacks | Small gelato cup € 2.50
via della Lungaretta 96 | Trastevere
Tue – Sun 12:00 – 01:00