“It’s Italian; it can be both a drink and a moment.” The perfect crossword clue for the entry “aperitivo” would be this. Everyone does it, and it’s become such a part of the national way of life that you could call it a tradition. It’s not ancient–claiming that would be historically inaccurate–and like all “traditions”, it’s constantly evolving. And today, we’re in the era of the “apericena,” a neologism that refers to a less sophisticated but significantly more abundant version of an apéritif dînatoire.

Just look around. On menus of places along pedestrian streets in city centers, neighborhood bars, bakeries, and even churches, there’s an explosion of “apericena“: it costs €10-15 for a drink and a board filled with anything from cold cuts, focaccia, and mini pizzas to small portions of regional recipes, seafood, meat, vegetarian dishes, pasta plates, and even those paired with a game of bingo at the senior center, dessert included.