Rome

5.18.2023 – 5.22.2023 || Rome | Italy

To say I was incredibly excited for my return to Rome 21 years after my last visit is an understatement. I may have slightly over planned for four days but we got in a good mix of historical sights, art, food & wine, and shopping. R&R will be saved for Capri. Check out what we did while in Rome!

Where we Stayed:

There are so many good options when it comes to hotels in Rome. We stayed at the Sofitel Roma Villa Borghese and loved its proximity to the Spanish Steps, Trevi fountain, the main shopping street, and as the name suggests, Villa Borghese. Sofitel Roma is located on a quiet street, features a champagne wall in the lobby, and their main dining area is on the rooftop so you can enjoy views of Rome while eating breakfast. This is a great home base if you are looking to be in walking range to everything you will do in Rome. Booking through Souvenir & Far got us an upgrade with a view!

What we Did and Where we Ate:

We spent the first day with my cousin who also happened to be in Italy and “in the area.” We met at the airport where we took a train to Termini station. After checking into the hotel we headed straight for Ai Tre Scalini for lunch.

Once we had our first Aperol spritz or two, we were ready to explore. First stop was the Pantheon.

We then proceed to walk to the Trevi fountain where we visited just days before activists dumped a bunch of charcoal in it. We didn’t stay long because it was jam packed with tourists.

The walk to the Spanish Steps takes you along some of the main shopping streets with high end brands. We saved shopping for another day as we spent some time people watching at the top of the steps. There is where we said goodbye to my cousin as she headed on to Florence.

We went to Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina for dinner to celebrate my birthday. Imagine a wine shop, a meat and cheese shop, and a restaurant all in one. It is a little bit of everything in a small space serving great food & wine. I hope to recreate the scallop gazpacho this summer to remind me of this meal.

After dinner we walked by the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain to get another peak at night. Where did all the other tourists go?

Our second day in Rome started with an Underground tour of the Colosseum. We booked a small group tour through Viator to secure a timed entry. That is also the only way you can access the underground. Otherwise, you can only view the upper level. Considering I thought Mel Gibson was in Gladiator and not Russell Crowe, you might say I didn’t have any expectations going into this tour. Afterwards, this was the highlight of Rome for me. Get the guided tour.

The tour extended beyond the Colosseum and proceeded to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill before we parted ways with the tour guide and the three other people in our group.

Time for lunch! We headed to Rossopomodoro for some Napoli style pizza because we saw it on Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy. The spritz was refreshing and the pizza was devoured after all that walking.

One of the reasons we went to Rome this time of year was the Internazionali BNL d’Italia aka the Italian Open tennis tournament. We bought tickets to the women’s quarterfinals and saw Rybakina vs. Ostapenko’s match. Unfortunately, it started raining right before the match started and then throughout the first and second set so it was not the best night for tennis.

The next day we had an early start to meet our tour group at the Vatican for a tour. We thought we would be on the early side with a 10am tour but that was not the case. It felt like ALL of the people in Rome were at the Vatican. I would not do this again. The tour was 2.5 hours and they spent way too much time leading up to the Sistine chapel. With that being said, the best views here in my opinion were on the ceiling or the tapestry wall (not pictured). After the museum tour ended, we admired the Sistene Chapel on our own before exiting the museum.

If you head this way and happen to snag a slice or two of pizza at Bonci Pizzarium please tell me how it is. We waited in line for an hour and our number was no where close to being called. We ended up grabbing pizza and prosecco nearby at La Paticceria Siciliana Roma. The potato pizza reminded me of tortilla Espanola and Barcelona.

We completely missed the walkway to St. Peter’s from inside the Vatican so we missed our chance to go inside the basilica without waiting in an incredibly long line. Instead we spent a few minutes in the square and headed out as it started to rain.

Our favorite meal in Rome was at Osteria al Vicolo 9. We ate al fresco and had so much food and wine for a fraction of the price if we ordered this at our local Italian restaurant at home. Here’s what we had – a carafe of wine, fried anchovies, eggplant rollatini, shaved artichokes with lemon and olive oil and shaved cheese, then I had the zucchini pasta and RJ had veal saltimbocca. I want to recreate this entire meal!

We spent our last day in Rome exploring different neighborhoods. First stop was Piazza Navona.

Trastevere was up next. We had lunch at Pizzeria Dar Poeta that came highly recommended by friends.

Afternoon spritzes at La Rinascente department store. I would like in person shopping a heck of a lot more in the United States if there was a rooftop bar in Nordstrom.

Our final dinner in Rome as was a fancy one at Le Jardin de Russie in Hotel de Russie. Once you enter the hotel you feel worlds away from the busy shopping streets near the Spanish Steps and Piazza del Popolo. From the gorgeous flower arrangements in the lobby to the serene garden setting whether you dined al fresco or in the restaurant, the ambience was memorable. We enjoyed the crudo with amberjack and Himalayan sea salt and lemon sorbet, ravioli cacio e pepe and zucchini parmesan for me and a rack of lamb for RJ. I will say that the real highlight was spotting Chris Rock and Woody Harrelson on the way out. The food was good but I would opt for a trattoria over this place next time I am in Rome.

That is a wrap for how we spent four days in Rome. Next up we head to Capri and then onto Florence. Check out the rest of our tip and let me know what we missed.

Question: What is your favorite way to explore Rome? What should I do next time?