Nightlife

Rome may not be the hippest of capitals, but for those who know the right places, it is possible to party all night. A typical night out for Romans usually involves a long dinner with a group of friends, starting after 9 pm and continuing until after midnight.

Bars in the centre of town are good places to begin your night out. Most have tables outside where you can sit around and people-watch until the small hours. Campo dei Fiori, the Piazza Navona area, and Trastevere are some of the best places for an evening out. Locals and tourists alike stroll around the streets all evening, or sit at the many welcoming bars, which range from the stylish to the homely. Irish pubs are also popular with Italians and expatriates, and can be a good place for a fun and informal night out.

The biggest concentration of nightclubs lie in the Testaccio and Ostiense districts. One of the main drags in Testaccio, Via di Monte Testaccio, is literally lined with bars, pubs, live music venues and clubs. In Ostiense the scene has taken off in recent years and this is where to find some of the hippest new bars and so-called 'ristodisco', places where you can both eat and dance. The gay scene is alive and kicking and accounts for many of the more avant-garde night spots. Be prepared for venues surrounded by traffic chaos, which are hard to reach by public transport. Research your transport options; take taxi funds.

The legal drinking age in Italy is 16 and the absence of licensing laws means that drinking is possible at all hours. Most wine-bars and 'birrerie' stay open until 2400 in winter and 0200 in summer. However, in general, people are more interested in seeing and being seen; alcohol is almost an afterthought.

Romans tend to dress more casually than their counterparts in Milan and Florence, although most women do their best to look stunning for a night out.

Casinos

Gambling is banned throughout Italy (with the exceptions of Venice, San Remo and Aosta).