La Bella Vita is our regular look at the real culture of Italy – from language to cuisine, manners to art. This newsletter is published weekly and you can receive it directly to your inbox, by going to newsletter preferences in ‘My Account’ or following the instructions in the newsletter box below.

Rome is a magical city all year round, but there may not be a better time of year to be in the capital than May as the days are long, temperatures are still far from the intense heat of the summer months and local parks and gardens are in full bloom, filling the air with fragrance. 

But it’s not just pleasantly warm weather and lush green spaces making Rome a great place to be this month. The city buzzes with energy as a number of major events – from the Internazionali d’Italia tennis tournament at the Foro Italico to street-food festivals and art shows – populate the Eternal City’s calendar.

We’ve put together a selection of some of our favourites below.

The best things to do in Rome in May 2024

Tricky grammar and essential vocabulary are generally the first things Italian learners are encouraged to get familiar with in their path to proficiency, but there are some hugely popular bits of everyday speech that you may not find in ordinary textbooks and courses. 

Whether you’re looking to reach native speaker level or simply add some flair to your Italian, learning popular interjections like boh, mah and eh, and incorporating them in your conversations will be well worth the effort.

Boh, mah, eh: Five strange noises Italians make and what they mean

Italy is famous all over the world for its strong culinary traditions and unwritten rules around eating.

But there are signs that some of the country’s longest-standing taboos, including a peculiar hostility towards the idea of taking restaurant leftovers home in ‘doggy bags’, may be becoming a thing of the past.

In the below article, writer Silvia Marchetti looks into how Italian restaurants are becoming more ‘international’, adapting to global habits and the requests of foreign clientele.

Doggy bags and sharing plates: Why Italy’s last food-related taboos are dying out

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Is there an aspect of the Italian way of life you’d like to see us write more about on The Local? Please get in touch at news@thelocal.it.