Lestat compared his bloodlust proclivities to wine varietals:
- Tempranillo - Spanish wine whose name is derived from temprano or "early" ( a reference to the fact that it ripens several weeks earlier than most Spanish red grapes). It is black grape variety widely grown to make full-bodied red wines in its native Spain ("fleshy and tart"). It tends to thrive in chalky vineyard soils .
- Primitivo - dark-skinned grape known for producing inky, tannic wines (" hints of iron, rather plain"). It is grown in southern Italy, particularly Puglia ("the heel" of the Italian boot).
- Cabernet - or Cabernet Sauvignon, a dry red wine, "thick-skinned and chewy", made from a single widely cultivated variety of black grape especially in the Bordeaux region of France (city in the South West region of the country)
"Marius de Romanus" is a major character in the Anne Rice Immortal Universe. The character can be seen in the film adaption of Queen of the Damned (2002).
Caffè Greco, also known as Antico Caffè Greco, is a historic landmark café which opened in 1760 on Via dei Condotti in Rome, Italy. It is the oldest bar in Rome and second oldest in Italy, after Caffè Florian in Venice.
The Hotel d'Inghilterra (Italian for England) is a former 16th-century residence, this regal hotel is a 3-minute walk from the Spanish Steps, a 9-minute walk from the Trevi Fountain and an 11-minute walk from the Roman Pantheon. The Pantheon was a temple which housed the statues of all the Roman Gods. The Fountain was built on the site where three roads converged, hence the name "Tre Vi(a)". The centerpiece is Neptune, god of the sea riding a chariot pulled by two winged horses and assisted by tritons (young gods of the sea).
The Sea Shanty sung by the sailors "Haul Away Joe" can be traced back to the late 18th century. In the book "Folk Songs of Old New England", it's said that "Captain Charlton L. Smith, master mariner and yacht master since 1889" recalls it being sung on ships he sailed on. For it to have been sung on multiple ships suggests the song's origins are probably earlier than 1889. The book goes on to say "this chantey is thought to have appeared on Yankee ships sometime between 1812 and the Civil War, although it was known much earlier among British sailors."