Indulgences

1. aperitivo

   Aperitivo — the pre-dinner drink with snacks

   Usage

   The pre-dinner ritual, roughly 18:00–21:00. The price of one drink includes snacks such as olives and crisps. In Milan and Turin the buffet version, "apericena", is generous enough to replace dinner. A non-alcoholic drink counts too

   Grammar Note

   Masculine (l'aperitivo), from a Latin root meaning "to open" — the drink that opens the appetite

2. spritz

   Spritz — the classic Italian aperitivo cocktail

   Usage

   An aperitivo from the Veneto (Venice, Padua): prosecco with a bitter liqueur such as Aperol, topped with soda. Venice often uses Select; Campari or Cynar make a more bitter version. Low in alcohol, but alcoholic all the same

   Grammar Note

   Masculine, but takes "lo" rather than "il" because it begins with s + consonant. The plural is unchanged

3. Negroni

   Negroni — gin, red vermouth and Campari

   Usage

   Equal parts gin, red vermouth and Campari, drunk before dinner; it is generally traced to Florence around 1919. Much stronger than a spritz. Swap the gin for sparkling wine and it becomes a "Negroni sbagliato" (mistaken Negroni)

   Grammar Note

   Masculine (il Negroni), capitalised because it comes from a family name

4. digestivo

   Digestivo — an after-dinner drink

   Usage

   The umbrella term for after-dinner drinks — grappa, amaro, limoncello, sambuca. Restaurants sometimes offer one on the house; "no, grazie" is enough to decline

   Grammar Note

   Masculine (il digestivo), the counterpart of "aperitivo"

5. grappa

   Grappa — Italian grape-pomace spirit

   Usage

   A spirit distilled from grape pomace and drunk after meals. By law it is at least 37.5% alcohol, and 40–60% in practice. The best-known producing areas are in the north (Veneto, Piedmont, Friuli)

   Grammar Note

   Feminine (la grappa). Under EU geographical-indication rules only spirits made in Italy (and Italian-speaking Switzerland) may be called "Grappa"

6. amaro

   Amaro — bitter herbal liqueur

   Usage

   A sweet-bitter liqueur infused with herbs, drunk in small measures after a meal, neat or over ice. Brands are strongly regional: Averna (Sicily), Montenegro (Bologna), Fernet (Milan)

   Grammar Note

   Masculine (l'amaro, plural gli amari). The word is also the ordinary adjective for "bitter"

7. limoncello

   Limoncello — lemon liqueur

   Usage

   A sweet liqueur made by steeping lemon peel in alcohol, served ice-cold in a small glass after dinner. Sorrento, Amalfi and Capri in Campania are the classic homes, and "Limoncello di Sorrento" carries IGP protected geographical status

   Grammar Note

   Masculine (il limoncello), from "limone" (lemon) with the diminutive -cello

8. caffè corretto

   Caffè corretto — espresso "corrected" with a shot of spirit

   Usage

   An espresso with a dash of grappa or sambuca. Specify the spirit as "corretto alla grappa" or "corretto alla sambuca". It is alcoholic even in that small amount — not for drivers

   Grammar Note

   Masculine noun plus past participle: "corretto" from "correggere" (to correct), agreeing in the masculine singular

9. Prosecco

   Prosecco — sparkling wine from the Veneto

   Usage

   A sparkling wine from the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, made from Glera grapes and protected as a DOC; the Conegliano Valdobbiadene wines are DOCG. It is also the base of a spritz

   Grammar Note

   Masculine (il Prosecco), capitalised as a place-derived name. Italians call sparkling wine in general "spumante" and reserve "champagne" for the French product

10. sigaretta

    Sigaretta — a cigarette

    Usage

    Smoking has been banned in all enclosed public places in Italy — bars, restaurants and workplaces included — since 10 January 2005. You may smoke only outdoors or in designated smoking rooms. Sale of tobacco and e-cigarettes to under-18s is prohibited and ID may be requested

    Grammar Note

    Feminine (la sigaretta, plural le sigarette). No-smoking signs read "Vietato fumare"; a smoker is "il fumatore" / "la fumatrice"

11. tabaccheria

    Tabaccheria — the licensed tobacconist, marked with a "T"

    Usage

    The licensed shop marked with a white "T". Tobacco is sold only here — but for travellers what matters more is that it also sells stamps, bus and tram tickets, and duty stamps (marca da bollo). In many cities it is the most reliable place to buy transport tickets

    Grammar Note

    Feminine (la tabaccheria). The shopkeeper is "il tabaccaio" / "la tabaccaia", and the shop itself is often called the tabaccaio too

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