Rome: the Eternal City. Yes, it really is. What can I say that hasn’t already been said? The food, the history, the art, the gelato… Rome is a dream.
Io amo la bella Roma!
If you’re planning a trip abroad, I wrote about a lot of our planning tips in my Milan post, and I wrote a carry-on only packing guide earlier this year if you’re interested.
But I’m here to talk about Rome!
A few highlights:
- We stayed in the Monti neighborhood, which is near the Colosseum and centrally-located. We loved the ivy-covered storefronts, the masses of college students, and the cobblestone streets. We greeted (Giorno!) the same shop owners as we headed out every morning!
- We bit the bullet and reserved GUIDED tours of the Colosseum and the Borghese galleries (we used tickitaly.com). Worth it! We bought general admission tickets for the Vatican museums and used an audio tour app. I wish we’d done a guided tour.
- We spaced out our tours and touristy stops throughout our trip, which worked out well.
- I ate all the cacio e pepe and spaghetti carbonara I could get my hands on
- We ate dinner at 9 most nights
- Speaking — and failing at speaking — Italiano (i.e., asking for una cipolla (onion) instead of un cucchiaio (spoon)
- Walking, walking, walking
- Eating, eating, eating
Where to eat:
Our favorite spots weren’t part of any “must-eat” list. In fact, those fancy places weren’t nearly as fun as those we happened upon. As the saying goes, “Hunger is the best sauce.” We happened upon all of these spots, and they were all best-meal-I’ve-ever-had caliber.
- Er Baretto
- Osteria La Carbonara
- Suburra 1930 Liquori e Cucina
- Flavio al Velavevodetto
- Gelateria Come Il Latte
- Panifico Bonci
- Urbana 47
I found a few resources to be helpful as we planned our trip, which I’ve linked here:
Have you been to Rome? What was your favorite part of your visit? Let me know in the comments!
Want to see more travel posts? Check out more travelogues here.
Emily Paine Smith 