DISCOVER THE DELIGHTS OF LA PASSEGGIATA

What other country has the history, the food, the wine, the geography, the abundance of differences in everything from north to south? Italy is the country of the moment. Everyone’s going there. It’s about the food, the language, the balance of work, life and family. We spent eight months in Rome and two months travelling across the country. Collette’s history is in Paris and France and we wanted to try living somewhere completely different that was neutral ground for both of us. We’ve always loved Italy. We love Positano. We were married there by the mayor, in Italian, on a terrace overlooking the ocean and I think our choice of place for a year away was deeply rooted in that. If Milan is like a symphony then Rome is the rock concert. Italy’s capital city is kind of lawless but it works. There’s a jovial respect, the Romans are more flamboyant than their northern Milanese neighbours. One of the best things to experience across Italy but particularly in Rome on Via del Corso is la passeggiata. It’s a walk, a kind of stroll that Italians do post-work and pre-dinner to go and show off their latest girlfriend or their new clothes or jewellery. It’s iconic all throughout Italy and great to watch with an aperitivo. Sundays are dedicated to la passeggiata all day and the Corso in Rome is closed to traffic. It’s a big family day and a real buzz. You don’t see it on this scale in any other city. this page: Just moments from the famous Spanish Steps on a charming pedestrian-only piazza is the cafe Ciampini. A family-run business founded by Giuseppe Ciampini, his son Angelo (pictured) has recently opened the Ciampini Bistrot just a short stroll away. It serves quite possibly the best tramezzini in the city — a grilled sandwich with cheese, vegetables or meat, which people eat when they’re in a rush. It’s very Roman; ciampini.com. opposite page: a small, traditional trattoria with a fresco ceiling, Da Gino al Parlamento serves up home cooking in style. They have daily specials and two very colourful waiters. It’s not pretentious or touristy and quite hard to find; ristoranteparlamento.roma.it