Rome Travel Guide
SUMMARY
*must-do (honestly everything was a must-do, so it was very hard for me to decide and keep it at 10)
Restaurants
Il Falchetto
*Dar Poeta
La Taverna dei Monti
Vatican Museum outdoor restaurant
Da Tonino
Ristorante La Nuova Piazzetta
Trattoria Papa Re
Sights
*Colosseum
*Roman Forum
*Capital Building
*Trevi Fountain
*Pantheon
St. Ignatius Church (don’t remember the actual Italian name)
Villa Borghese
Piazza di Popolo
John Cabot University (Lexy’s old school)
St. Peter’s Square
Palatine Hill
Castel St. Angelo
*Trastevere (neighborhood!)
Activities
*Vatican Museum
*St. Peter’s Basilica
Colosseum + Roman Forum + Palatine Hill tour
Cafés/Dessert
*Giolitti
Burro e Alici
Caffe Settimiano
Fatamorgana
Hotel
Filomena Arthouse
COMMENTARY
Restaurants
Il Falchetto
· This place was delicious; would definitely recommend!
o Sat outside with heat lamps and I LOVED the vibe
· Really good food and the wine was SO good
o We splurged a bit on wine and got some chianti that was OH MY GOD so good, some of the best wine I’ve had
· We split a platter that I know had burrata, some prosciutto, zucchini, bread, and sundried tomatoes; very good and a good amount of food for an appetizer
· Also split fried meatballs and they were delicious (came with a really good dipping sauce)
· I got the cacio e pepe and it was really good; I did really like it but I don’t like pepper (didn’t really think that one through HA) so that was the only reason I didn’t LOVE it; still would recommend, it was delicious
· We split the special they had for dessert, it was some type of dessert from Naples with ricotta and candied orange bits and even though it sounds weird and like something I wouldn’t like, it was DELICIOUS
· Definitely more of an upscale-ish place but also not too expensive; definitely more expensive though than the typical Rome meal and they have higher end wine
· I wore a satin dress with a casual button down and booties and felt totally fine!
Dar Poeta
· LOVED the pizza at this place; went for lunch
· Was a very highly rated rec (thanks Lex!)
o She said it had the best pizza ever and that was so true
· We split a carafe of the house red wine and 1) it was delicious 2) it was a LOT 3) it got both of us sneakily mid-day drunk
· We also split some bruschetta as an app and it was really good
· I got the margherita pizza and it was perfect; classic and still SO GOOD
· Then finally we split the Nutella + ricotta dessert and HOLY SH*T one of the best things I have ever eaten. You HAVE to get it!
· Casual spot and feels super cozy and authentically Italian
· Absolutely recommend
La Taverna dei Monti
· Hanna and I went here for dinner on her first night and she said it was a great first Roman meal
· We got caprese for an app and it was delicious
· We got the seafood risotto and the spaghetti Bolognese and shared; very good
· We got dessert but I honestly do not remember what I got
· They gave us free shots! I think because we were American
· I wore a sweater vest, turtle neck, and white flare jeans with black booties and felt appropriately dressed
· More of a casual family vibe
Vatican Museum outdoor restaurant
· This restaurant was AMAZING
· Right in the middle of the Vatican Museum, such a lovely setting
· I got the spinach + ricotta ravioli in a butter + sage sauce and it was genuinely one of the best things I’ve ever eaten
· Prosecco is also very good
· Prices are good
· SUPER convenient to do lunch here in the middle of your Vatican Museum visit
o Surprisingly not super busy
o Much better than the “food court” type thing inside
Da Tonino
· Again, LOVED this place
· Rec’d by Hanna’s friend as her favorite restaurant she went to in Rome (thanks Hanna’s friend!)
· Went for dinner and split prosciutto + mozzarella for an app: it was a must-get: absolutely DELICIOUS
· I got for my entrée and would recommend
· This had such a cute, cozy, traditional Italian vibe and I loved the inside
· No reservations but got in within 10 minutes at normal dinner time
· I was wearing a pink midi skirt with a tank and button down and felt appropriate
Ristorante La Nuova Piazzetta
· SUCH a great place; we went here for lunch
· Absolute 10/10 would recommend
· We split the fettucine alfredo and gorgonzola pizza and both were delicious
o Of course got prosciutto + mozz for an app and it was really good
· This felt like a typical Italian lunch place vibe and it was nice and warm inside which was much appreciated hahaha
Trattoria Papa Re
· Went here for our last dinner
· Rec’d by Karen, thank you!!
· It’s in Trastevere and is so cute and quintessentially Italian inside
· I wore a sweater and flare jeans and booties and again felt totally appropriate
· 12/10 would recommend the lasagna, which Hanna and I both got and both agreed that it was the best we’ve ever had
· I got the chocolate mousse and it came in an adorable little mason jar, def recommend! Soooo good
· Perfect spot that wasn’t too crowded and seemed like more of a locals’ place (there were several families speaking Italian sitting around us who looked like they were out for a typical Saturday din)
Sights
Colosseum
· Walked by here at night and during the day: both are a must-do
· It’s located close to a lot of other sites too so it’s easy to see a bunch!
· Obviously I was awestruck by all the history etc
· (more details below when I talk about the tour)
Roman Forum
· Again, walked by here at night and during the day and would recommend doing both
· (more details below when I talk about the tour)
Capital Building
· I had never even heard of this building but it was just incredible and beautiful
· Obviously walk by at night but make SURE you walk by at night too because it is just so cool
· Wish we would’ve had time to actually go in the building and look around
Trevi Fountain
· Another MUST of course
· Again, no surprise, came here at night and during the day
o It was only mildly less busy at night, so just go whenever you can
· BUT do both!!!
· We went on my first night but you couldn’t actually go down to right next to the fountain, but then Hanna and I went at the same time a different night and you could; depends on the day I think
Pantheon
· SO freaking cool
· Hadn’t honestly remembered that it was in Rome until right before we got there but it was so amazing to see
· Unfortunately didn’t get to go in because all of the times were booked but wish I could’ve
· Definitely make a reservation online if you can
· Even if you can’t go in, make sure to walk by during the day and at night because it’s just an amazing sight to behold
o One of my favorite abroad pictures out of everywhere is one of the Pantheon on my first night
St. Ignatius Church (don’t remember the actual Italian name)
· This church was beautiful
· Admittedly only went in here because of the name hahaha (the BC hold on me is incredible)
· Stunning ceiling especially, and seemed like a popular church to see
Villa Borghese
· Ugh! The actual museum didn’t have any reservations available so I couldn’t see that (BIG bummer), BUT this park was just beautiful
· I loved walking through the gardens
· So so beautiful
· It was nice to stroll through here because it was very relaxing and was a different vibe than the rest of the city
· Lots of pretty vistas as well, you can see the Vatican!
Piazza di Popolo
· Cool to see, not super unique, but I enjoyed going
· Also very cool because you can see Borghese
o Close to Borghese, super easy to stop here after Borghese
· Fun fact! There’s an obelisk here that the Romans had taken from Egypt (there’s several others scattered throughout the city)
John Cabot University (Lexy’s old school)
· I just loved walking through here, felt very full-circle!
· In Trastevere, so it was an easy spot to see considering I wanted to stroll through the area anyways
· Didn’t go into any buildings but it was still fun to stroll around
St. Peter’s Square
· Um STARSTRUCK, this was such a surreal moment, especially because I vividly remember watching footage of of SPS in 6th grade on the smartboard at QP when Pope Francis was chosen
· Just amazing to see
· Absolutely a must-do
Palatine Hill
· We saw this on our Colosseum + Forum tour
· Didn’t actually go up but it was so beautiful from down below
· If we had more time I would’ve loved to go here!
· Fun fact: this is where Romulus + Remus were, by legend, said to have been born
Castel St. Angelo
· Really beautiful castle in Vatican City
· We only saw the outside, so very easy to walk by
· Located on a beautiful bridge that you take over the Tiber from Rome proper to the Vatican
Trastevere (neighborhood!)
· UGH! SO beautiful and calm and quintessentially Italian
· Love love LOVED this part of the city
· Much slower pace and truly felt like the heart of Italy
· Lots of cute cafés and restaurants, definitely get at LEAST one meal here (my restaurant recs are very good ones)
Activities
*Vatican Museum
· INCREDIBLE, like I have no words for this place, it was just amazing
· I’m pretty sure Hanna and I literally spent 7 hours in here (including lunch)
· There are just SO many amazing things and rooms
· An absolute MUST
· TIP: the Sistine Chapel is IN the Vatican Museum
· TIP: we bought skip-the-line tickets through a third-party seller and it was 1000% worth the money
*St. Peter’s Basilica
· Breath-taking, like I don’t really have any other words to describe it
· I cried
· The inside is just so beautiful and detailed and magnificent and UGH I loved it
· Free to get in!
· Another absolute MUST
· Their “summer” hours say they’re open til 7 but basically they kick people out at 6:30 which was really frustrating
· I wish I would’ve had hours in here honestly
Colosseum + Roman Forum + Palatine Hill tour
· If you’re going to splurge on anything for sightseeing, this is it
· We LOVED our tour!
o Tour guide was awesome and super informative, but made everything like a big long story
o Tons of detail (that was actually interesting)
o He’s an archaeology professor at University of Rome
· I don’t remember the name of the specific company, but it’s the one on tripadvisor that has like 10,000 reviews
· Tour is 3 hours, we did 10-1, which was perfect (breakfast before, lunch after)
Cafés/Dessert
*Giolitti
· My FAV gelato omg I loved it
· Rec’d by Lexy as her fav when she was in Rome, AND the Pope’s favorite
· SO DELICIOUS
· The Stracciatella and chocolate are amazing
· The Nutella is very good but it’s weirdly not cold..? idk how to describe it but just a heads up
· Every flavor that I tried of everyone else’s was also good
· Homemade whipped cream was *chef’s kiss*
· Would recommend going at night, it wasn’t busy at all when we went
Burro e Alici
· Cute little café that we grabbed a quick breakfast from
· I got a delicious tomato + mozz sandwich and a chocolate petit four type thing
· Cheap and good!
· Great for a quick meal
Caffe Settimiano
· Just stopped here for a quick cappuccino and it was delicious!
· Super convenient spot in Trastevere
· Adorable outdoor seating and super cute traditional Italian coffee shop vibes
· Loved it!
Fatamorgana
· Had one of the best things I’ve ever eaten here: salted chocolate hazelnut gelato! (I still dream about it)
· More of a “modern” gelato place, not a traditional old one
· Delicious
· I liked the vibes of Giolitti better, but the flavor I mentioned was so so good
· Still a great option
Hotel
Filomena Arthouse
· SUCH a little gem for college student travelers
· It was relatively cheap but actually quite nice and very clean
· Was an actual hotel room which was appreciated (with them making the beds and everything! Luxury!)
· Pretty good location; 15-20 minute walk from the major sites
There wasn’t a ton right around it, but it was good enough and worked well
