On the long, thin cobblestone roads lined by palm trees, the architecture rises on marble, brick and a mixture of stones - the mortar of many civilizations.

Beneath a sky dotted with ancient spires, bell towers and crucifixes whose churches date from the 10th century, the restaurants feature distinctive local delicacies of fresh seafood, Gaeta olives and tiella - a pizza-calzone type combo filled with a variety of meats and cheeses.

Here, a lifetime is measured from moment to moment, and residents remind you to stop and enjoy each one. 'Piano,' they say - 'slow down.'

Here is a country where everything is negotiable, from traffic lights to business appointments.

Cell phones, with their picture-taking abilities and text messaging are popular. The Olympics - which locals will tell you are so far north they are more Swiss than Italian - are not. Much more attention is spent on the Giallorossi, the yellow-and-red football squad of Rome.

Any attempts at setting new rules are treated with visible contempt. When recent laws called for drivers to buckle up or risk a fine, T-shirt manufacturers got busy silk-screening a realistic depiction of a buckled seat belt across the front of their shirts, which motorists wear over the top of their business clothes while driving their vehicles.

At the city's southern end, in the 'new' part of town, the Via del Independenza winds through alleys showcasing hundreds of tiny storefronts, featuring specialists in cheeses and pastries, baked bread and lingerie and fresh fruit markets.

The strip is dotted with clay-colored buildings with burgundy trim, arching sunflower-yellow doorways topped by verandas where clotheslines hang alongside shuttered windows and deep-green potted plants.