Each night after coming home from a local neighborhood trattoria or pizzeria, we would pass this small corner food kiosk about a block away from our apartment. No matter when we returned home, whether at 10pm, midnight, or even 1am, it seemed like every teen and 20-something was there. We gathered from what people were eating, they were selling some sort of slushee or shaved ice (called a “granita� in Italy). But night after night, we would be stuffed from an incredible meal, never saving room for this obviously famous local hangout.

One early evening, we were returning to our apartment before going out to dinner. Though there were no crowds like late-night, the granita stand was open. We both knew that now, before we ate dinner and before the crowds descended, was our chance to try what every local Italian already knew. Two elderly ladies were working the stand, a slight shock to me considering its relatively youthful clientele. I picked something from the menu above their heads, not knowing exactly what I was ordering. T chose something different.

I tell you, as soon as they started loading up the juice squeezer with tangerines, lemons, cherries, and several other fruits, we knew we had come across something unique. Not only was the fruit fresh squeezed, but they dumped the then-squeezed fruits straight into the ice mix. Topped off with a bit of coconut, we had in our hands the most incredible treat known to Italy. As it turns out, these were not ordinary granitas. They were “Supergranitas�!

We never did go back to that place, a shame considering how flavorful the concoctions were. But every night for the rest of our stay in Rome, we would pass by this innocent-looking food stand, wade past the mass of Italians socializing over their late-night treats, and continue to our apartment, knowing that we had experienced a true “Rome city secret�.