Nonna’s soup tureens symbolize Family, Trauma, and Resilience. When Elisabetta moves in with Nonna, Elisabetta admires her beloved China collection. When Nonna’s greedy relatives arrive after her death, they argue with Elisabetta over selling the China. The relatives leverage their shared blood, proving blood doesn’t equate to respect. In response, Elisabetta gathers the soup tureens, guarding a small part of Nonna’s legacy on the roof. Using the tureens to grow herbs and vegetables, she actively pursues survival amid scarcity—for herself and others.

A distinctly Roman dish, supplì are fried rice balls, usually eaten with tomato sauce, that symbolize the importance of Food and Community. Sandro first shares supplì with Elisabetta, a moment which leads to their first kiss. While Marco misses out on these supplì, he later brings some to Sandro in a gesture of friendship. However, disturbed by Marco’s Fascist beliefs and Mussolini’s race laws, Sandro ignores these supplì despite his hunger. Thus, supplì symbolize the bonds between Elisabetta, Marco, and Sandro—strained or otherwise under the weight of World War II. When Nonna’s daughter-in-law Sofia abandons Casa Servano, Elisabetta prepares ravioli alone before making supplì for Sandro. Sandro again misses these supplì, as hungry rats “emerged from the shadows of Sandro’s house…and swarmed the supplì” (310).