Italy - Rome

Well, the vacation that I spent the better part of 2.5 years dreaming of and planning has come and gone. In the blink of an eye. We were thrown smack dab back into the middle of a blazing hot Texas summer, and while I love Texas, I already miss the Italian sun, the smell of jasmine everywhere, the sound of tiny espresso cups clinking against porcelain saucers, and the promise of gelato around every corner :) Oh Italy, how I love you so!

I’ve had many requests to share the details of our incredible two week trip through Italy and quite honestly, I don’t even know where to start! I feel that I am just about a walking thesaurus on planning a trip to Italy so if you have any questions after reading everything, please feel free to ask! If there’s anything I love talking about more than food and fitness…it’s Italy :)

I think the best way to tackle this and share all the deets is to break it down by each location. That way you can easily have all the good info divided up by location for your own planning purposes! In this segment, I want to talk all about la Citta Eterna (the Eternal City), Rome!

Rome

How to get there - we traveled by train of course! It was super easy and convenient but we did have to switch from the regional train to the local city train so that required a little extra planning and an additional (cheap) ticket. It’s also accessible by car and there are lots of transportation options. I’ve heard that the buses in Rome and all around Italy are not the most reliable though. Apart from arriving by train, we walked everywhere while in Rome so be prepared with good shoes! We did end up taking the rideshare scooters on our last day which was fun but a little scary! Just be prepared to walk A LOT. Like average 20,000 steps per day. But that just means you get to have more gelato :)

Where to stay - Okay. I did SO. MUCH. RESEARCH. On this topic and just let me tell you, while I’m sure every neighborhood is amazing for different reasons, I think the best area to stay is near the Pantheon. Lots of others will agree! It’s a great central location between all of the major sites and attractions and it felt pretty safe! There’s tons to do in that area, as well as lots of the best restaurants! We stayed at this Airbnb and we loved it! It had a/c sooooo #blessed :) If you want a more local vibe, go with the Trastevere neighborhood!

What to do - You know what they say…so much Roma, so little time-a :) There’s so much to do in this incredible city, it can be really hard to choose! Pick what kind of experiences are most important to you and go from there.

• Colosseum tour including Roman Forum and Palatine Hill - we paid extra for the Underground tour with The Roman Guy and we loved it! It was totally worth it in our opinion.

• St. Peter’s Basilica - we visited in the evening about 45 minutes before closing and thought that was great! It wasn’t very crowded. We did feel a tad rushed to make it to our Vatican tour, so I’d recommend allowing yourself an hour to be amazed. We used the free Rick Steves audio guide and enjoyed that too!

• Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel - we ended up taking a guided night tour of the Vatican Museums and it was such a good choice! There’s no a/c in the museums so going at night when it was cooler and waaayyyyyy less crowded was the way to go. Plus, we closed down the Sistine Chapel and there were only maybe 30-40 other people in there with us, which I hear is pretty unheard of. It was a really cool experience.

• Campo de’Fiori – Market square, it was fun to see all of the fresh fruit and market items being sold, but just know that you will stand out as a tourist and there will likely be people trying to sell you things! Just be nice and keep moving!

• Aventine keyhole – unique scene and line of sight through the rooftops of Rome to St Peters

• Pantheon – ancient Roman temple in the heart of Rome, now a church. The age of this building is shocking, and it was really cool to see! Despite all my research and planning, I somehow missed that when we went (June 2022), they were requiring reservations so we ended up having to pay to book a tour the night before so we wouldn’t miss it.

• St. Ignatius of Loyola church - really cool painted ceiling and story

• See the underground that feeds the trevi fountain - Area Archeologica vicus caprarius (4 euro)

• Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps - be sure to go early to have a less crowded experience! We went around 7:30 and it was perfect! The crowd definitely grew as we were leaving.

• Visit the Trastevere neighborhood - great local neighborhood with lots of really good restaurants and nightlife

• Wander the streets and marvel at how beautiful the city is!

Where to eat - Okay. Hands down my favorite food AND number one gelato was in Rome! Gosh. I’m drooling just thinking about it.

• When you visit the Vatican, be sure to eat at Borghiciana Pastificio Artigianale. It was agreed amongst all of us that this was the best pasta of the trip! It’s a super small place with the friendliest owner who treats you like family. We got the carbonara and pasta with zucchini, bacon, and cheese. They were both AMAZING. The prices were really great too! Like the Vatican, it is also closed on Sundays.

• Roscioli Salumeria - we weren’t able to get a reservation, which we majorly regretted! It looks amazing and everyone raves about it. We were able to stop by the Roscioli cafe and grab coffee and maritozzo which were incredible! Don’t miss that! Lunch or dinner requires reservation https://www.salumeriaroscioli.com/, Via dei Giubbonari, 21

• La Casa Del Caffè Tazza D’oro - delicious espresso granita with cream

• Tonnarello - there are a couple locations in the Trastevere neighborhood. We made reservations for lunch and really enjoyed it! The giant salad, carbonara, saltimbocca, and another tomato-based pasta were all so good!

Other places on our list that we didn’t get the chance to try:

• Pane e Salame - charcuterie style

• Pizza e Mozzarella

• Prosciutteria Cantina dei Papi – This Roman institution, just a hop from the famous Trevi Fountain, is the place to sample succulent, salty cured meats and delectable cheeses.

• Pizzarium – excellent pizza address in Rome - near Vatican

• Tadolini - coffee bar with sculptures

• Trattoria Da Enzo al 29 is a typical restaurant of the Trastevere district that serves up superb main meals, pasta dishes and desserts. Must-trys include fried artichokes, the typical Roman pasta dish cacio e pepe and something from their changing dessert menu. They don’t take reservations so you can expect to wait a little while.

• Aroma - requires reservations, expensive but overlooks colosseum

• Luciano Cucina Italiana – The home of the carbonara king!

Gelato:

• La Romana - not to exaggerate butttt, this gelato was life changing :) It was my #1 top favorite gelato from the whole trip. They fill their cones with liquid chocolate!!!!!!! And top the already delicious gelato with whipped cream for free! That’s my kind of place. The stracciatella, amarena, and biscotti cookie flavors were to die for. It was so good we went back on our last night.

• Gelateria del Teatro - also really great! I loved the unique flavor combos they had here.

• Giolitti - pretty good and near our airbnb

We absolutely loved Rome! It was our favorite major city of the ones we visited. It was walkable and just full of so many fascinating sites. And as I mentioned, it was home to the best food in my opinion. Although I’d volunteer to go back and try it all again :)

Ahhh and there you have it! The most incredible trip summed up in a few pages. I highly highly highly recommend visiting Italy! The food was fantastic, the landscape diverse, the cities magical, and the people beautiful. There was so much to soak in, it still doesn’t feel real!

As you plan your own trips and adventures to Italy, the best advice I can give you is to focus on the kind of experiences that will mean the most to you! Don’t feel like you have to do something just because it’s a major thing that everyone else does. If it doesn’t excite you, don’t waste your time or money! There’s something for everyone.

We had the most incredible (and exhausting) two weeks in Italy, and I’m already trying to plan for when we can return!