If you drink decaf you don't NEED to drink coffee anyway!

As an aside and completely off message.....do try and go to the Protestant Cemetary in Rome..(Via Caio Cestio)..not often publisized...a beautiful and an oddly romantic spot just 10 mins from the centre....fabulous 150ft Cyprus trees planted in 1823...

I would agree with all the previous posts..there's no concept of "doggie bags" as you wont be served with the industrial sized portions that you get in the US...as for taking away a bottle of unfinished wine..(never seen one myself..) I would just do it as long as it's done discretely...and decaf coffee is a waste of time ...just stick to the wine ! ...Have a great trip....

I am sooo glad I asked these questions ~ I thought they were kind of silly, but they kept popping up in my brain at 3AM! Thank you all.

So one more :) Did I read somewhere that sitting around in the historic area and eating/drinking is not "encouraged"? Does this mean packing fruit and cheese for a snack isn't a good thing in Rome?

Thanks for the heads up on the cemetary byshhe ~ we're tree freaks so would love to see that Cypress!

Rome actively discourages sitting around and eating/drinking on or near its historic monuments, and there are not that many places to sit that are *not* on or near historic monuments. It's fine to picnic in parks, but there are none in the historic center.

"Does this mean packing fruit and cheese for a snack isn't a good thing in Rome?"

That's a good question. I'm glad you asked.

Cheers!

John

I guess if we pack something we're eating it as we walk!

By the time I need a restroom I also need a glass of wine and a sit-down. So I find a cafe and take care of all 3 at once!

Rather than seek out "public restrooms" it's usually a lot easier just to remember to use them when you see them... if you are already in a museum, at a restaurant, etc.

I wouldn't do this in a nice restaurant, of course, but having a few ziplocks tucked into your day bag is good, say if you want to bring half of a sandwich or like that back to your hotel room or save for later in the day.

I read somewhere that Italy passed a law stating that it is illegal for restos, etc., to refuse restroom use to a non-patron. Never had a problem in Italy. Only one toilette had me heading for the hills. Don't think you'll have a problem.

"I wouldn't do this in a nice restaurant, of course, but..."

.... you would do it merrily in an average place !
This amazes me. Why don't people have the courage to be gross everywhere? Especially when doggie bags are not an Italian custom?

My husband doesn't usually eat lunch, but I think he will have to stop and eat with us if he wants to pee :)

I think I'll pack some fruit, snacks and water bottles in our small backpack (which will have only non-valuables in it)........ I think they will fit with all the kleenex and sanitary wipes!

Do the Gelato places usually have restrooms?

"Do the Gelato places usually have restrooms?"
Not in my experience, but most coffee bars do.

Hi Wrenwood...this is completely nerdy and I am ashamed that I know stuff like this!!....but the the cyprus trees were planted in 1823 by Edward John Trelawny (aka Lord Byron's jackal). He was a friend of the poet Percy B Shelley and is buried next to him the Protestant Cemetary (by the back wall near the pyramid). Shelley drowned in Lierci in 1822..Trelawny went back to his place in Cornwall and bought back and planted some saplings which are the ones that you see there....their cones are enormous !...Trleawny died an old man in his native Cornwall in 1880 and was buried next to Shelley in Rome... John Keats is also buried there...another of our poets....our poets dropped like flies in Italy in the 19th Century ......best, Bysshe (yup, I mispelt my name when I set up this account ??)

If you know you won't finish a bottle of wine, just order by the glass or a half-carafe/pitcher of house wine.

If you want food for your apartment, shop at bakeries, delis, street markets.

I really cannot imagine walking out of a restaurant in Italy, or any place else, with an unfinished bottle of wine. Order what you think you will drink; wine is generally very inexpensive compared to the US.

You can order half portions of pasta, and often half-portions of the second course, at some restaurants. Just ask nicely.

ekscrunchy thanks for the thought on half portions, hadn't thought of that!

Ok bysshe ~ when you said Cypress, I thought you meant Italian Cypress............the typical tall narrow evergreen. But when you say " the cones are enormous" that makes me think of Cedar of Lebanon, or Deodar Cedars, which are sometimes called Cypress. Are the trees tall and narrow, or wide and spreading? ( I'm a tree nerd, but I won't bore you with Latin names!)

Hi Wrenwood..........ah, you clearly are The Treemeister !....they are extremely tall and spreading with huge fir cones....I thought they were cypress but I'm no tree expert...they look great whatever they are....have a great trip...ciao bene.

....I wouldn't do this in a nice restaurant, of course, but having a few ziplocks tucked into your day bag is good, say if you want to bring half of a sandwich or like that back to your hotel room or save for later in the day....

Taking out half a sandwich in a ziplock bag???
This reminds me of a discussion a time ago about taking food from the breakfast buffet to eat at lunch.
If you can afford to travel abroad, surely you are not so strapped for cash that you have to shove the remains of your food into a plastic bag.

MissPrism I do agree, I would not feel comfortable doing the zip-locs. I do love doggie bags however, especially when my husband won't share a dessert with me because he wants his own, so I am FORCED to order my own dessert. ;) It is nice then to be able to only eat half (for sugar and calorie reasons) and take the rest home for breakfast or lunch. Maybe my sister-in-law who is travelling with us will share desserts with me!

Decaf Lattes, Cappucinos etc
This has been answered but a cappuccino can be drunk after breakfast but not after midday.

Sharing food.
Do with discretion and there will not be a problem. Not acceptable in very smart restaurants but this is more or less the same anywhere.

Doggie Bags
In Italy this is considered an absolute NO NO! During 30 years of living in Italy I have never seen anyone do this. An Italian would not even dream of doing so.

Bottle of wine
Another NO NO! But I fully agree with the comments about bottle and carafe sizes as well as the comments regarding hotels recorking the wine for staying guests.

Restrooms
All bars must by law have a restroom. However, it is not considered acceptable behaviour to use the restroom without “una consumazione” i.e. ordering a coffee or something. In many bars you have to ask for the key to access the restroom.