Create meetup in Romechevron_right
Select a place on the map to change the location.
I want to meet
Verified required?
want to meet at fmd_good Common Place
want to meet at fmd_good The Late Owl
explore Rome Guides
bar_chart Trends in Rome
Strakitchen Mystery
There's a Sardinian thing where they finish the meal with a small stone, a pietra, sometimes smooth from the sea, and it's meant to close the table, a way of saying the meal is done and you should linger rather than rush off. Whether Strakitchen borrowed it or reinvented it I can't say. Worth noting the place sits on Via dei Coronari, a street that's had a few of these theatrical touches over the years, so I wouldn't read too much into one gesture. Next time just ask the waiter directly, they get it constantly and nobody will think you're odd.
I've eaten at Strakitchen twice, once in 2022 and again last spring, and I never saw the stone thing. Which makes me think it's either a newer gimmick or tied to a specific waiter. The whisper plus a smooth stone reads more like a bit of theater than an old Roman custom. Romans do have real food rituals, like the cacio e pepe rules or the way nobody drinks cappuccino after 11am, but this isn't one I recognize. If you go back, ask for Marco, he's the older guy near the pass, he'll probably tell you straight.
we do that at a few spots in trastevere too, the stone is called a sasso della casa and the waiter usually picks one from a bowl by the door. its basically a little goodbye, you keep it or leave it on the table, no luck attached. the whispering is just the waiter telling you the name of the person who cooked it, thats the actual tradition
load 2 more replies
What are current tobacco prices for LM Blue or Chesterfield Blue?
tbh duty free at Riga is only worth it if you're buying cartons, single packs at the airport arent that much cheaper than teh tabaccai in Rome. also remember you can only bring a limited amount into the EU anyway so stockpiling has its limits
Chesterfield Blue usually runs around 5.50 to 6 euros a pack in Rome these days, though tabaccai prices are fixed by the state so it won't vary much shop to shop. Riga is generally cheaper for cigarettes but your layover time matters, if it's tight you might not have time to clear security and find a shop.
LM Blue in Rome is roughly the same ballpark, around 5.50 to 6 euros. One thing to keep in mind at Riga airport, the duty free selection isn't always great for specific brands like these, so if you're set on LM or Chesterfield you might strike out. I'd check what the actual duty free has before counting on it.