Rome, Italy: A Travel guide
There’s no place like Rome. It is definitely a must see if you are in Italy. The amount of history in this one city is truly insane. You could spend an entire trip in just Rome, we only had a couple days so we didn’t even scratch the surface of what this city has to offer. We hit the major spots, mostly to check them off our bucket list. Rome is HUGE, it would be wise to utilize the public transportation. We walked A LOT, let’s just say I wore sneakers every day, lol! We did have some great meals, drinks and made the most out of our days here!
where to EAT
+ Trattoria Melo — We found this gem via trip advisor and it was nearly 30 seconds from our airbnb- can you say amazing? Ok, this restaurant is everything you want from an Italian dinner experience. Small, family-owned restaurant, where the owner himself greets and seats you. Delicious pastas, stuffed artichokes, bolognese that could make me drool thinking about it. Finished with limoncello on the house. It was amazing. A hole in the wall type of place that turned out to be a truly memorable culinary experience. Highly recommend.
+ La Taverna Dei Fori Imperiali — This place is very well known and if you look it up on TripAdvisor you will understand why. Nearly 4,000, five star reviews, it must be pretty good then, huh? Well, it was. We had cacio e pepe and bucatini alla amatriciana; two dishes you must order if you are in Rome, as they are traditional roman pastas. They did not disappoint!
+ Angelino Ai Fori — this place may or may not be a bit of a tourist trap.. it is basically right outside the colosseum so many will stop for lunch before or after their tours. With all that said, we sat outside under the pergola lined with lights and had a great meal. Honestly I forget what we ate but I remember it being good ;)
what to DO
+ Tour of the Colosseum — this is a must, in my opinion. It was so striking to be standing in such a historical landmark. It almost took my breath away. We did the phone/headphone guided tour which gave a lot of insight as to what we were looking at, while also allowing us to be flexible and on our own timeline. A memorable experience!
+ Tour of the Vatican — This was super interesting. We aren’t huge history people but we had an awesome tour guide who took us all over the grounds, through the museums, to the Sistine Chapel and gave us fun facts about the Pope. We learned so much and were glad we did it. Something you have to do at least once!
+ Walk to the Trevi Fountain — We did this one morning, grabbed some coffees and people-watched. You can spend hours in this area just wondering and looking at all of the amazing architecture. And obviously you must throw a coin in!
+ Saint Peters Basilica — you can do this as apart of touring the Vatican or you can do it separately. I recommend going to the top of St. Peters Basilica for a one-of-a-kind view of Rome. It is unlike anything else. Warning- there are A LOT of stairs and at times it gets extremely tight/claustrophobic but its all worth it once you get to the top. Comfortable shoes are a must and an FYI you must have your shoulders and legs covered to enter the Vatican so dress accordingly!
where to DRINK
We only went out for drinks one night, so I don’t have many recommendations. We used TripAdvisor to find the best restaurants and bars in our area so I suggest doing that!
+ Public House — this bar was super close to our airbnb. It definitely has a slight college vibe to it but we had fun chatting with the bartenders. We learned all about their lives, how they ended up in Rome, where they were from - this is the best part about traveling, learning about other people and their stories. The craft cocktails were great- we loved this place!
THE PUBLIC HOUSE.
We did a lot of walking and wondering while we were in Rome. I didn’t plan much besides our tours and the rest just kinda worked itself out. It was care-free and spontaneous and we had so much fun!
the architecture and these windows.. so obsessed.
where we STAYED
+ I found an airbnb that was affordable and somewhat centrally located - Rome is so big so this is like saying “centrally located” in NYC… impossible. However I would definitely suggest the apartment we stayed at. It was beautiful, extremely clean, the host was helpful and the location was perfect for us. It was right next to Piazza Venezia and was about a 15-20 minute walk to everything we needed to get to!
Ciao!
xx M
