The ban on plastic bags is a revolutionary move for a country that's responsible for one-fifth of Europe's plastic bag consumption. Even though the new law took effect on January 1, you wouldn't know it in Rome.

The supermarket check-out people still ask you if you want to buy one for your groceries, just like last year. Nearly everyone does so. The difference is that the bag offered is made of biodegradable plastic - and often costs twice as much: up to 0.20 euros ($0.25). The national agriculture organization Coldiretti says the average Italian will pay at least 30 euros more each year for these sacks.

They could bring their own. After all, Italy is in the midst of a dire financial crisis. But Rome will rise again before that happens. Since the ban went into effect, I've watched wallets get whipped out like Wild West shotguns to pay for bags. Sure, consumers may consider it highway robbery, but they'll pay the price to maintain their look.

The national agriculture organization continues to encourage Italians to go green even if it makes them red with embarrassment. Coldiretti produced a survival guide that suggests ways to avoid paying for bags. Haul groceries in cloth bags, beach bags, cardboard boxes or a shopping trolley. Well, they call the trolley in a press release delle nostre none. That means the trolleys that our grandmothers use.

In Italy, having a trolley means you're old. Put on the reading glasses and the sensible shoes and head to the market to get all the ingredients for the eggplant parmigian. It's a look - for sure - a classic look that many Italians under 70 want to avoid.

I know because I am the owner of a trolley. When I first arrived in Italy, I'd drag bags of groceries from the outdoor market to my apartment. My back and shoulders would ache. I decided to buy a trolley and showed it off to my flatmates.

"Nancy, you're now a SIGNORA!" said Paola. Signora means madam or misses, but is also a way of saying that someone is, well, old. Paola, a 30-something architect and fashionista, would rather haul bottled water on her head for kilometers than take a trolley and roll into signora-ville. And she's not alone.

Furthermore, you're more likely to see the pope in the produce section than someone using a washed-out cotton or hemp shopping bag. Many Europeans have embraced the bring-you-own-bag model. Yet I suspect Italians won't follow suit until bags are more Milan-runway worthy. Of course, not all Italians are fashionable. But putting themselves together well is important. And hemp has always been a fashion-no.

This new law possibly could prompt Italy's legendary designers to get busy making hip shopping bags and trolleys. Just imagine Gucci, Prada, Fendi and lower-priced designers outfitting shoppers. They'd have a look to die for that gives new life to the environment.

Author: Nancy Greenleese
Editor: Sabina Casagrande