In Rome, as in many other Italian cities, it is not easy for newcomers to make new friends and acquaintances , especially for those who are not familiar with the city and perhaps do not even speak the language. Despite the international atmosphere of the capital of Italy, the highly social nature of Italians makes it quite unusual to see young natives sitting by themselves at a restaurant table or entering a pub alone.
There are still very few places in town where people sit alone at a bar to eat or drink something. It may not , however, be easy to make friends and join one of these groups. On the basis of experience gained by living in Rome, it can be said that young Romans or Italians coming from other regions tend to frequent groups of friends they have known for some time β maybe classmates from University or even childhood friends.
These groups are certainly open to welcoming new people into their ranks. Italians in general are quite friendly and like talking to people who come from other places , but it is not always easy to become a member of a long-standing circle of friends.
It often happens that when people transfer to Rome , at first their social contacts are limited to people who live in the same building, to colleagues or, if they are in Italy on an Erasmus program, to other exchange students like themselves.
However, as many of these people are only in Rome for a limited period of time, they are not very familiar with the city and may intend to return to their country of origin at the end of their Roman work or study experience. Generally, it is thanks to casual acquaintances made with local people that it is possible to form lasting relationships with bona fide Romans.
