Rome, Italy Travel Guide

The final leg of our trip! Rome was busy and touristy, but it was an incredible experience to see so many famous landmarks in person. There was no shortage of walking and great food, making it a great place to end our Italian adventure!







DAY ONE
To get to Rome, we had to take a cab down from the top of Capri to the ports where we then grabbed the ferry to Naples. Once we arrived to Naples, we had about two hours to kill before our train to Rome so thought this would be the perfect time to grab a pizza from the famous L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele (the pizza spot in “Eat, Pray, Love”). Walking through the cobblestone streets of Italy with a 50 lb suitcase is no joke and after getting lost along the way and almost giving up, we grabbed a pizza to go and rushed to the train. The pizza was incredible but not sure if the stress of getting it was worth it overall.

When we arrived to Rome, we took a cab to our Airbnb which was located in Vatican City. I loved the neighborhood we stayed in because it was quiet and filled with charming cafes and shops and not right in the busy area of the city. After unpacking, our first mission: gelato. A gelato spot that came highly recommended was called Old Bridge Gelato and only a few blocks from our apartment, so we each grabbed a delicious cone for our walk to the Pantheon. However, once we arrived there we got turned away for our bare shoulders (no off the shoulder dresses here!) so we made our way to the Colosseum. We got a little lost finding the entrance and somehow ended up walking in with a tour group that was entering from a special entrance (oops!) so we quickly snuck away to walk around on our own.




Once we finished at the Colosseum, we continued to check out as many of the historical spots as we could so we headed to the Trevi Fountain. After being renovated the last year, the Trevi was beautiful to see in person, even with the huge crowds surrounding it. We quickly made a wish and then headed to the last spot of the day, the Spanish Steps. The area surrounding the Spanish Steps is filled with designer boutiques, flower shops and cafes so it was a nice place to stop and rest for a bit after a long day of walking. In need of a cocktail and snack, we then headed to the top of the stairs to Hotel Hassler, a super luxe hotel located at the top known for their gorgeous garden bar in the back. Lindsay had their famous pomegranate cocktail while I sipped on a Pimm’s Cup. We also shared a cheese and meat board, but were first brought a cheeseburger after a miscommunication and language barrier with the waiter, oops!

We caught the sunset from the top of the Spanish Steps and then made our way to dinner at Il Corallo. I had found this restaurant thanks to Instagram because of their Cacio e Pepe inside a bowl made out of parmesean (!!!). The restaurant is small and cozy, tucked along a cobblestone side street and we sat outside and split the incredible pasta and some wine to finish off our day.





DAY TWO
We had an early morning on our last day in Italy, starting the day off with a three hour tour of The Vatican. We bought our tickets from here a week before and so glad we did as I couldn’t get over the insane lines there were to get inside. We met up with our tour guide across the street, where we received headphones to listen with as we began the walking tour. There were about twelve people in our group and our tour guide did an amazing job of going through the different areas such as Sistene’s Chapel, Saint Peter’s Square and the Basilica. It was definitely a tiring morning but doing a tour is the way to go when seeing so much in only three hours.

After our tour, we walked over to get lunch at a cute spot called Dilla. We sat outside and split a bottle of rose, assorted crostinis, a goat cheese salad and one of their special pesto and squid pastas. Everything was delicious and a great place to relax and have a leisurely lunch. We then explored the area, from walking Via Margutta (where Gregory Peck’s apartment is in “Roman Holiday”) to stopping in the gorgeous Hotel de Russie (wish we would have had time for breakfast here!) and then walking around Villa Borghese, which is Rome’s version of Central Park. Our afternoon gelato craving kicked in and we headed towards Giolitti, one of the famous spots of grab a cone from and it was definitely worth the crazy line. Our favorite flavor combos of the week were Pistachio and Lemon and Strawberry and Nutella. Craving a cone now!








After walking almost eleven miles that day, we headed home to relax before heading to our final meal of the trip. Taverna Triulussa came recommended by almost everyone (for their famous ravioli) so we headed there right at 7 pm when they opened and were able to grab a table inside, as the rest were held for reservations. We split two pastas, their famous Ravioli Mimosa and the Bucatina Amatriciana. The huge portions were served straight from the pan to our table and it was some of the most indulgent pastas I’ve ever had. The neighborhood the restaurant was in was super busy and filled with people, live music and a ton of cute bars and restaurants, so was bummed we didn’t have more time to explore that charming area as well. We grabbed an affogato next door so we could get the energy to pack up everything and walk home before our long day of flying the next morning!

I still can’t believe how quickly the ten days went! Truly one of the best travels of my life so far, especially because I got to do it with my sister. I hope these travel guides will help you all when you make any upcoming trips and hope to share more places with you all soon!

Also, you can now find all my travel guides here now for a quick and easy reference while abroad or away. Thank you for following along!

STAY
Airbnb

EAT AND DRINK
Old Bridge Gelato
Hotel Hassler
Il Corallo
Dilla
Giolitti
Taverna Triulussa

THINGS TO DO
Walk around the Colosseum
Make a wish in the Trevi Fountain
Catch the sunset from the top of the Spanish Steps
Take a guided tour of The Vatican
Relax in Villa Borghese

WHAT I WORE