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Fiore di Zucca's Secret?
those little pumpkins are a quiet thing, not a legend. fiore di zucca means squash blossom, so the owner puts one on every table, it started years ago when his mother hand made them in civita castellana, the ceramics town up the via flaminia. regulars just leave them be, some rub the stem before eating. if you go back ask for salvatore and he'll tell you the whole story over a bicchiere of cesanese
honestly the pumpkin thing is half inside joke, half practical. salvatore got tired of tourists pocketing the pepper grinders so he started pairing each one with a cheap ceramic piece, nobody steals a pumpkin that looks hand-glazed, weird psychology but it worked. flip one over and there's a small stamp, usually a squashed "S" for the family or a number for the table, so theyre not all identical.
also fwiw the real squash blossom move is the fried fiore di zucca on the antipasti, they only do it when the zucchini flowers come in from the mercato at testaccio that morning, so if you go back ask if they have it before you even sit down. if not, the cacio e pepe is still the safest bet.
the pumpkin thing is newer than people think. i've been going there since it was on via dei coronari before the move to the current spot near piazza navona, and the ceramics only showed up around 2019. salvatore's mother did make them but the whole "every table" bit came later, a friend who does the glaze work in civita castellana told me they fired a batch of about 200 and just kept going.
what most people miss is the number on the bottom. flip one over, there's a little stamped digit, and it matches the table number. so they're not identical, each one's made for its spot. some regulars swear table 7's is the lucky one. i don't buy it but i still ask for 7 when i book, so make of that what u will.
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.