In this installment of In My Mind’s Eye, I take you to the historic city of Rome, Italy. This trip was primarily a vacation as I was not there on business.  I want to provide some observations on the journey to Rome and, of course, discuss cigars and cigar culture in Rome.

This ten-day trip was split between Rome and Venice. The Venice portion will be covered in a separate In My Mind’s Eye report.

The City of Rome

Rome is an intriguing city to many of us in the United States because historically, it spans from ancient times to medieval times to modern times. It’s a city that very much aligns itself with its history. This was my second trip to Rome. My last trip was in 1996, and from the moment I returned to Rome, it seemed very much a city where time stood still. In other words, it looked almost the same compared to 1996.  Because of Rome’s long history and the many ancient artifacts still being uncovered, new construction has been widely limited. It has to be undertaken gingerly to avoid disturbing significant archaeological sites. In the central area of Rome, no building’s height is allowed to exceed 446 ft.

Rome is located in the Lazio region of Italy, on the central-west portion of the peninsula. It serves as the political capital of Italy. One unique thing about Rome is that within the city limits is Vatican City, the spiritual and administrative capital of the Roman Catholic Church. Vatican City isn’t a city within a city; it is actually an independent country (albeit the smallest in the world) within the city limits of the City of Rome.

My wife and I were in Rome from August 11 through August 15, 2024. For two reasons, this might be the worst time to visit Rome (or Italy). First, it was the middle of summer – and it was very hot. (Worse for us, the highest temperatures were just under 100 degrees, which is unusual) The high humidity makes it almost unbearable. Second, August is a major vacation month in Italy.  August 15 is the Ferragosto holiday, the Roman Catholic Feast of the Assumption. It’s a federal holiday, and most Italian businesses shut down on that day. August is also a traditional vacation month in Italy and many businesses shut down for a couple of weeks each August.  More about that later on.

Rome has many neighborhoods. The Ancient Rome and Pantheon sections have historic places to visit, but these are also the most touristy type of places. We discovered areas such as the Trastevere and just outside the Vatican were less touristy and offered quite a bit of charm.

Back in 2018, I visited Stockholm, Sweden, and I found out that the city was moving toward being cashless. There were places in Stockholm that would not accept cash for payment. Italy is not even close to that point yet. In fact, it is probably one city where you need to carry cash. This is especially true when you are tipping.

Another interesting thing is the taxi system. Uber is present in Italy, and I found it quite reliable. There is also itTaxi. Three points about itTaxi: 1) If you are not at a taxi stand, you must reserve a taxi by phone; 2) They will add charges for the time between your reservation and when you are picked up, on top of the regular fare; 3) You can book itTaxi through Uber.

There are ample water fountains in Rome, which has some of the cleanest water in the world. Initially, I was hesitant to drink from the ancient fountains, but my empty water bottle and the 98-degree heat quickly changed my mind.

Finally, I know street art is of interest to many in the cigar industry. If there is one thing I didn’t remember from my previous trip to Rome, it was street art. This time, it was more noticeable to me, and from asking around, it sounded like something on the rise. From what I heard, street art in Rome is a combination of commissioned work as well as some general vandalism.

The Cigar Market in Rome

The good news is that if you are looking for a place in Italy that sells tobacco, it must display a sign indicating that it does so. The sign is denoted by a white T. I noticed the T is either on a blue or black background. I asked several people about the differences between the blue and black signs and checked the internet, but I could not get an answer as to whether the background color meant anything different. These signs are also in places with tobacco vending machines.

The bad news is that there are few cigar stores in Rome. Just because there is a store with a T sign does not mean they carry cigars. As far as dedicated cigar tobacconists, this was even harder to find. Many tobacco stores with cigars have a small upright or tabletop cabinet with the cigar offerings displayed there.

Fincato is located in the heart of Rome and is a La Casa del Habano franchise store. To my dismay, the shop was closed for a couple of weeks due to the August holiday season in Italy. I’m told they do have Habanos, but overall, the selection of Cuban and non-Cuban cigars was still  limited. I’ve said this often – we are spoiled in the United States regarding cigar retail establishments.

One brand that you will have no trouble finding is Toscano. Toscano Cigars are the brand of Manifatture Sigaro Toscano S.p.A..  They are based in Tuscany, Italy, and are one of the oldest cigar companies in the world, going back to 1818. Italian cigars are pretty different from many handmade premium cigars. They leverage fire-cured tobaccos grown in the U.S. (Kentucky and Tennessee) as well as Italy. These cigars tend to be in the shape of a cheroot. We’ve assessed several Toscano Cigars on Cigar Coop, and while they are different, they can still be quite tasty. The good news is most Toscano Cigars do not require humidification – making them quite portable. I also saw Perdomo Cigars as they are distributed in Italy by Toscano.

My general advice is to take your own cigars to Rome. You will be able to find places to enjoy them.

Cigar Smoking in Rome

It’s not surprising that since there weren’t many cigar stores in Rome, I saw few cigar smokers. Another point about the cigar stores in Rome is that I didn’t see anything that resembled a smoking lounge.

The good news is that I could find places to smoke throughout my stay, but they were all outdoors. Smoking is prohibited in most enclosed places in Italy, including indoor public spaces and workplaces. The balcony of the hotel I stayed at allowed smoking- which was especially lovely in the evening. The heatwave that gripped Rome did not make smoking outside an enjoyable option. Evenings were another story, and these were especially enjoyable.

I noticed people smoking cigarettes at several restaurants with outdoor seating. Finally, I could smoke outside the Colosseum, ticking off a bucket list item of famous places where I wanted to enjoy a cigar.

Photo/Video Credits: Cigar Coop

Lisa Cooper Contributed to this story