Rome, Italy

 
 
 

LOCATION

Rome is the capital city of Italy, located in the central-west part of the country about 30 minutes from the west coast. Within Rome is the Vatican City, the home of St. Peter’s Basilica, Sistine Chapel and the Pope. The city is known for its astounding architecture, rich Roman Empire history, and delicious pizza and gelato.

 

MAIN ATTRACTIONS

  • The Colosseum

  • Trevi Fountain

  • The Pantheon

  • Vatican City (St. Peter’s Basilica & Sistine Chapel)

  • Spanish Steps

  • Roman Forum

  • Piazza Venezia

  • St. Peter’s Square

 

TOP 10 MUST-DO’S

  • Tour the Colosseum, Palatine Hill & Roman Forum

  • Make a wish & take a picture at the infamous Trevi Fountain

  • Stop in & grab a scoop of Rome’s best gelato at Giolliti

  • Rent a Vespa & cruise through the streets of Rome

  • Take a moment to watch a street artist paint a masterpiece or performer

  • Grab a different slice of pizza from a variety of top pizza places around the city

  • Start at Piazza Venezia & shop down Villa del Corso until you arrive at St. Peter’s Square

  • Spend a day touring the Vatican City (make sure to dress appropriately!)

  • View the city & its surrounding from the Spanish Steps

  • Sit in the plaza or on the patio of a restaurant near the Pantheon to listen to street singers

REVIEW

After I decided to write about cities and other destinations outside of hotels and resorts, I thought it was only right to start with two places that have been affected greatly by the coronavirus outbreak. I have dear friends in both locations that are currently on complete lock-down, and I send my best to them. At the same time, however, both Madrid & Rome are some of the most popular tourist locations and also two of my favorite cities I have been to in the entire world.

I have traveled to several cities within Italy and there is obviously something that stands out about the city of Rome. First, the food is unreal! From the pizza to the pasta to the calzones and Stromboli’s to the gelato, authentic Italian cuisine in Italy – I do not have to say any thing more. No matter what place we dined in or stopped by to get a quick bite or scoop of gelato, we were not disappointed. It was crazy that each place you went to, you could tell they had their own ingredients and uniqueness to how they made and prepared the food. Hands-down the best location for gelato was Giolitti, which is arguably the most famous gelateria in all of Rome. I had gelato after almost every meal…when in Rome haha. As for food, I will say that I have a gluten intolerance, thus my research for top restaurants were of one with a slight dietary restriction. What I will say is that surprisingly, the city took the intolerance very seriously (considering almost all Italian food contains gluten, minus most gelato) and had many restaurants that served gluten free pizza, pasta, calzones, and even had gluten free menus. My favorite place was Voglia di Pizza, which had a separate gluten-free menu. What I noticed was that my friend (who is not gluten-free) had a regular menu and it was the exact same thing as mine; so basically, they made everything! We ate there at least once every day, trying something new each time.

Besides food, the architecture and the rich history was incredible. Learning about so much of it in school (and probably not paying attention to or disliking half of it), you had that much greater appreciation for seeing it in person with your own eyes. Touring the Colosseum was one of the first things we did, and it left a great impression on what was to come for the rest of the trip. In addition, the Trevi Fountain was jaw-dropping. Just being there in that plaza and being able to flip a coin and make a wish, it was just like Lizzie McGuire. Just like Madrid, the city is very walkable – probably more walkable than Madrid. We did not take a single metro while we were there, and walking from our Airbnb to the downtown area of the city took maybe 20 minutes. But on the walk, we passed by the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and Plaza Venezia – so it was not a bad walk at all! The people, too, were very kind, and the street performers and artists were phenomenal. We would stop every now and then to watch a bit of a show or watch them create a painting.

One final thing…if you plan to go to Vatican City and tour St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel, make sure you pack clothes appropriately for the occasion. Being a holy center for the Roman Catholic Church, tourists are advised to wear pants and shirts that cover the shoulders – which means no tank tops or shorts. My friend & I were on our backpacking trip in the heart of summer and I had not brought pants with me, so we were not prepared. In addition, we planned our days out to go on a Sunday, and well, it is closed off to the public for good reason (if you put two and two together). Other than that, Rome is a beautiful city, filled with a lot of amazing, historical tourist sites and all the food and gelato your heart could desire, and is must-visit during your life!

 
Ryan HarrisonComment