When in Rome
This is the first post on my blog. It’s a bit unnerving to post content on the internet and I have a lot of respect for writers and bloggers who have been doing this for years professionally or as a hobby.
I don’t really have a goal with my blog, at least not yet. I’m just going to write about things that I want to or that I feel would be useful to share with other people. Even though this post is about my trip to Rome last year, I don’t expect this to be a full-fledged travel blog. This topic felt easier to write about and get started with the blog.
Anyways, onto the post itself. Thanks for being here and if you have thoughts or opinions, feel free to reach out to me via email. Always happy to chat!
Rome wasn’t built in a day.
After visiting Rome for the first time, I agree that it really could not have been built in a day. The magnificence of the city is something I cannot express in words well. You can almost breathe it as you roam the streets of the city. Especially when you walk around the Roman Forum and Colosseum. In fact, anywhere within the city and around most of the central squares (aka Piazzas), you’re going to feel the majesticness. And for anyone visiting Rome, I would highly recommend just walking to most places and exploring the city on foot, given the weather is suitable.
I’ll share a few things we liked and the mistakes we made - both might help you plan your trip better. Owing to my experience as an engineer, I’m going to share my experience in a retro-esque style where I am going to list down What I liked, What I disliked and What I would’ve done differently! And then get to the most exciting part about all trips — food! I’ll share some restaurant recommendations and pictures from my trip.
What I liked
- Visiting Vatican City, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica
- We booked our tickets through GetYourGuide and were able to skip the queues as a result. Although, the queues weren’t as bad since we visited in January which is usually less preferred by tourists as compared to the summer.
- Exploring the different piazzas like Piazza Navona and Piazza del Popolo. Trevi Fountain, which is nearby, is the fountain of all fountains!
- If you’re into architecture, I’d recommend exploring Colosseum from the inside and also visiting the Pantheon. How did they build all these structures 2000 years ago? If you know of any books / shows related to Roman history, I’d be interested in them.
- Roaming around the streets of Trastevere was a lot of fun!
What I disliked
- We stayed at a boutique hotel called Livia Valeria Palace. This neighborhood was a bit out of the way so wasn’t very convenient to get around.
- Public transportation was not very reliable in Rome which was disappointing. Buses were usually late or cancelled without notice. We had to Uber to most places which ended up getting expensive given we were living a bit far out.
What I would’ve done differently
- I’d definitely stay in a hotel / Airbnb in the city centre or in Trastevere.
- I would love to visit the Catacombs of Rome which we were not able to find time for in this trip. We heard really good things about it but weren’t able to visit them unfortunately.
Places to eat / drink
- Tonnarello in Trastevere is a classic local chain and you won’t go wrong with it! Definitely try the tiramisu here.
- Ginger was amazing, had great ambience but was slightly on the pricier side. If you want a break from Italian food, Ginger is a must-try.
- REM is a speakeasy bar in Trastevere with very interesting cocktails!
- Gina Sorbillo in Prati is a lovely pizzeria serving amazing Napoletana pizzas!
- I’d absolutely recommend trying gelato at as many gelaterias as possible. We found gelatos at Gelateria La Romano to be delicious!
- Everyone hyped up the tiramisu at Pompi but I thought it was average! Better than most places in the world but there were other spots in Rome where we liked the tiramisu better like Tonnarello.
- If you want to quickly grab a coffee & croissant, Giselda bakery was decent.
- Mimi & Coco for some traditional Roman food.
Pictures
