Leisure: food, markets, parks, sea, sport, evenings

Food and markets

Traditional dishes: the four Roman pastas (carbonara, gricia, amatriciana, cacio e pepe), abbacchio lamb, coda alla vaccinara and the "quinto quarto" offal cooking born around the former slaughterhouse in Testaccio, artichokes alla romana and alla giudia, puntarelle, thin crisp Roman pizza, pizza by the slice and supplì. The Jewish-Roman cooking of the Ghetto is an integral part of the tradition.

Markets: the Testaccio Market (covered, with ready-food stalls), the Nuovo Mercato Esquilino (the most multi-ethnic), the Trionfale market in Prati, the Campagna Amica farmers' market at Circo Massimo at weekends and Porta Portese, the big Sunday-morning flea market in Trastevere.

Parks and sea

Villa Borghese is the central park, with the Galleria Borghese, the small lake and the Bioparco zoo; Villa Doria Pamphilj, in Monteverde, covers more than 180 hectares; Villa Ada and Villa Torlonia to the north. The Appia Antica regional park joins the consular road, the aqueducts and the Caffarella valley and is where people run and cycle on Sundays. The city's sea is at Ostia (Municipio X), with beach clubs and free beaches (the "cancelli" of Castelporziano), reached by the Roma-Lido railway; further away Fregene, Santa Marinella and Anzio.

Sport and big events

Roma and Lazio both play at the Stadio Olimpico: the derby is the city's sporting event, with reinforced public order. The Foro Italico hosts the Italian Open tennis in May; the Rome Marathon is run in spring; the national rugby team plays at the Olimpico. Grassroots sport happens in the parks, along the Tiber (cycle path) and in municipal pools.

Evenings and free things

Evening areas: Trastevere (touristy, crowded), Testaccio (bars and clubs around Monte dei Cocci), Pigneto and San Lorenzo (young, students, low prices), Monti (aperitifs), Ostiense (clubs and street art), Ponte Milvio to the north. In summer the Estate Romana programmes bring open-air cinema, music and theatre to many squares and parks, largely free.

Always free: the Pantheon for residents, churches with works by Caravaggio and Bernini, the Musei in Comune with the MIC card for residents and the first Sunday of the month at state sites, sunsets from the Gianicolo, the Pincio and the Giardino degli Aranci, walks along the Appia Antica.