Where do locals actually go for aperitivo in Rome?

Romans do aperitivo differently than Milan: it's looser, less codified, and centered on specific bars rather than a citywide ritual. Pigneto is the neighborhood to know — Bar Necci dal 1924 and the cluster of spots along Via del Pigneto draw a genuine mix of residents, not tourists. Testaccio works too, particularly around Piazza Testaccio, where you'll find older Romans drinking Campari soda at counters rather than posing on terraces. In Trastevere, locals have largely ceded the main piazzas to visitors, but the side streets off Via della Lungaretta still have holdouts. The format is typically a spritz or negroni for around 6-8 euros, sometimes with a small snack, between 6 and 9 p.m. Avoid anything on or immediately adjacent to Campo de' Fiori. The reliable signal: if the bar has a handwritten chalkboard menu and the staff doesn't greet you in English first, you're in the right place.

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