rome - highlights, tips and recommendations

Vittorio Emanuele II Monument.

(Rome, Italy).   My husband and I spent three lovely days in the bustling city of Rome recently.  It was his first time in the city (as well as his first time in Italy) so I did my best to play "tour guide" for him.  He wanted to see all the touristy sites and I wanted him to enjoy the wonderful food and wines of Italy so we had a lot to pack in!

So what did we end up doing?


Day One

 After checking into the St. Regis (which is near the train station and near the Repubblica metro stop), we put on our comfortable walking shoes and headed out towards the Trevi Fountain* (about a 15 minute walk from the hotel) which I think is a must-see on any trip to Rome just for sheer beauty.  But much to my chagrin, it was undergoing renovations so my husband didn't experience the glorious beauty of the fountain or toss a coin in (rumor has it that this will ensure you return to Rome). 

Sigh - Trevi Fountain all dried up.

But fortunately, my favorite gelato place - San Crispino* - is right near the fountain so he was able to enjoy his first gelato in Italy there!  It is the only gelato place I've seen so far that has honey as a flavor (mmmm). I usually get honey with melon.  I'm salivating thinking about it now...  Tip:  You can basically walk almost everywhere in Rome, but it can get tiring especially walking on stone paths so wear comfy shoes.  I was surprised seeing women teetering around on heels or wedges.

Mmmm San Crispino!

From there, we then headed to the Spanish Steps (which is the former site of the Spanish ambassador's residence).  There are always hoards of tourists there which always surprises me since there is really nothing interesting there other than upscale shopping.  I guess there are also horse carriages you can rent, but I'm always puzzled as to why people would pay to ride in carriages that can barely move because of the crowds.  Tip:  There are lots of guys who offer ladies flowers on the steps and they say it's "free" but if you take one, they will hassle you (or your boyfriend or husband) to pay for them.  It's obviously a scam so do your best to ignore them, which admittedly isn't that easy.  One guy basically whacked my face with roses trying to get me to take them.

Looking down at the Spanish Steps.

We stopped for a quick coffee break at Antico Caffe Greco (Via Condotti 86)  nearby.  They had a gorgeous display of desserts.  But they do seem to be resting on their laurels a bit - service was lackluster and the espresso was just ok, not great. 

Tip:  All throughout Italy, if you sit down for coffee, you will be paying significantly more.  Be like an Italian and just grab your espresso at the counter and stand so you don't have to pay a service charge.  Of course most tourists who come to this famous coffee place want to savor the experience.  In my opinion, the espresso was actually better at Caffe Tazza D'Oro, which is near the Pantheon.

Revived, we walked along Via del Corso (which is a main street in Rome) filled with touristy retail shops and viewed the Piazza del Popolo from afar.  It's a huge public square with an obelisk (one of many in Rome) that was brought from Heliopolis in Eqypt.  There are often concerts and other events in this piazza.  While we were in Rome, they showed the World Cup games in the square which was cool.

Pantheon.

We then took a quick walk towards the Pantheon* where a choir was performing beautifully.  The Pantheon is a remarkable building - the only ancient Roman building that remains fully intact.  I have no idea how the ancient Romans were able to build this large structure with a perfect dome on top.  Natural sunlight flows through an oculus in the dome to illuminate the building.  I took advantage of a Rick Steves' audio guide that I had downloaded on my ipad mini to learn more about the site.  Tip:  Rick Steves has many free downloadable guides for various parts of Italy.  I would recommend downloading to an ipad or other tablet since you are able to use all the functionalities (e.g., the map and script) instead of being limited to just the audio if you download to your smartphone.

Oculus at Pantheon - doesn't the reflection look like a skull?

After our hectic turn through a very crowded Pantheon, we headed towards a relatively mellow Piazza Navona* which is decorated by beautiful baroque fountains by Bernini.  Oddly enough my husband seemed less interested in the amazing fountains and people

watching, and more interested in the fact that chariot races used to be held here.  You can still sort of see the shape of the course around the piazza.  I especially enjoy this piazza in the evenings when street artists come out in full force to sell their paintings and the cafes/bars around the piazza are filled with people and abuzz with activity.  Most of the artwork is pretty mediocre, but it's still nice to pick up an original artwork as a souvenir.  Also you can bargain!

We were starting to feel the jet lag creeping on so we decided to have dinner a little early and return to the hotel.  (Note:  Italians tend to eat late around 9pm, but the restaurants are usually open by 7pm.)  We had a lovely meal at Da Fortunata* (Via del Pantheon 55).  I was glad my  husband's first meal in Italy was fresh and tasty!  We enjoyed a scrumptious steamed artichoke, veal meatballs, pastas and a delectable bottle of wine.  Service was very nice and attentive.  Supposedly Bill Clinton eats there when he's in Rome.  

Steamed artichoke and veal meatballs at Da Fortunata.

Negroni at Le Grand Bar.

Although we were stuffed from dinner, we wanted to have a nightcap at our hotel bar - Le Grand Bar*.  I had read that this bar made some of the best Negronis in the city and I was not disappointed.  My Negroni was very good and very strong.  I slept like a baby.

Day Two

This day was dedicated to ancient Rome so we got up early and walked towards the Roman Forum (probably a 15-20 minute walk).  Along the way, we walked past the Palazzo del Quirinale and the Vittorio Emanuele II Monument and marveled at the amazing architecture and sculptures. My husband is a bit of a history buff so he really enjoyed seeing the ancient ruins amidst a modern city.  

Our main goals for the morning was to visit the Roman Forum*, the Colosseum*, and the Imperial Forums*.  We used our Rick Steves guides for the Roman Forum and the Colosseum and they provided quick explanations of what we were looking at, which made the visit more interesting.  If you want more in-depth audio guides, each site has its own audio guides that you can rent for a fee.  Or you can opt for a guided tour.  Tip:  As Rick Steves has said in the past, this is probably the best tip for Rome.  Get your ticket for all of the sites at the Roman Forum box office or the Palatine Hill box office.  One ticket covers all of the sites and the lines are always shorter than the ones at the Colosseum, especially earlier in the day.  Every time I'm in Rome, I'm astonished at how many people are waiting in the super long lines at the Colosseum to buy tickets.  If you get your ticket at either of the other box offices, you can breeze right into the Colosseum with ticket in hand and bypass the crazy lines.  

From the Colosseum, you get a grand view of the Arch of Constantine and Palantine Hill. 

The Colosseum.

Eating spaghetti carbonara at L'archetto.

After our tour of ancient Rome, we were hot and hungry as we dragged ourselves back towards our hotel.  At some point, we found a charming little restaurant tucked in one of the small streets near the Trevi Fountain and decided to take a break.  L'archetto had a wide range of pastas and pizzas so we ordered some mushroom pizza,  spaghetti carbonara and rose wine.  It was affordable and pretty good.

We had made reservations at the Borghese Gallery* and we decided to walk there from our hotel (about a 15 minute walk through a very posh neighborhood).  The highlights for me were the amazing sculptures and ornate ceilings.  I couldn't help but stare and marvel at the artistry - and think of the fact that this was previously someone's private home!  I didn't bother coming here on my previous visits to Rome, and that was definitely a shame.  I would highly recommend this gallery to anyone visiting Rome.  So beautiful!  Tip:  You have to make reservations and get tickets online in advance, or you risk not being able to visit the gallery since they have a limit on the number of visitors at any given time.  It was very simple to go online, reserve our time slot and pay for the tickets.  28 euros for 2 advance tickets.  Alternatively, you can ask your hotel concierge to make reservations when you arrive in Rome.

Afterwards, we strolled through the surrounding parks (Villa Borghese) and watched the Italian families out for their Sunday strolls.  There are several other galleries and museums in this area that we didn't have time to see, but if you have the time, you should check out the National Etruscan Museum and the National Gallery of Modern Art.

On our return from Villa Borghese we spotted a bar playing a World Cup game in its outdoor patio.  It turned out to be Harry's Bar in Rome.  We

Martini at Harry's Bar.

stopped for a quick drink and some snacks before dinner.  Tip:  It seems in Italy that they serve their bar drinks with peanuts and olives or potato chips.  For the nuts, there is usually a small spoon, which I assume means you aren't supposed to reach into the bowl of nuts with your hands.  Very sanitary and civilized.

For dinner we had the tasting menu at ad hoc (Via di Ripetta 43),

Fancy meal at ad hoc.

which we had heard was recommended by Mario Batali or Nancy Silverton.  Unfortunately it was our least favorite meal during our entire trip to Italy.  Don't get me wrong, the food wasn't bad.  But then it wasn't that great either.  Considering it was one of the more expensive meals we had, it was rather disappointing.  The concept of each dish was interesting, but something was clearly lacking in the execution in terms of flavor.  There are way better restaurants to spend your hard-earned cash and calories on.   Service, however, was very nice, and they even gave us a little gift of truffles in lard as a honeymoon present.   Despite all that, I still can't change my opinion about the food...

Day Three

On this fine day we decided to partake in the fancy breakfast buffet at the St. Regis and were shocked that it costs about $55 per person.  The buffet was lovely, but definitely not worth $55 per person.  We quickly learned to just grab a pastry and a cappuccino or espresso at a local coffee place for breakfast - like the Italians - for about 5 euros for both of us!  Tip: Italians only drink cappuccinos in the morning and seem perplexed when tourists order the drink after 11am, so go with the flow and don't order cappuccinos after 11am!

We had reservations at the Vatican Museums* and the Sistine Chapel* so we decided to be adventurous and take the subway there (subway stop Ottaviano).  It was relatively easy, but I have some tips.  Tips:  Ask your hotel concierge how much it will be and see if you can get exact change.  If you have trouble with the automated ticket machines, go to the information booth for help.  "Kind" strangers will attempt to assist you at the machines, but basically they will try to either ask you for money for their assistance or they will confuse you with the change and basically steal from you.  It's only a few euros usually so it's not a big deal but it makes for a bad experience which is easily avoidable.

Once we got off, it was easy to follow the crowds (and the many signs) towards Vatican City - which is ginormous!  We headed for the entrance to the Vatican Museums first and were shocked to see how long the line to get tickets was - it literally went on for blocks! 

Crazy line at Vatican Museum.

Tip:  If you want to visit the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel - get a reservation online (40 euros for 2 people) or join a tour that will be able to take you in immediately.  Otherwise you are wasting 2 to 4 hours of your precious time in Rome  waiting in a crazy line.  With our reservation confirmations in hand, we walked up to the entrance, stood in a reservation line for maybe 5 minutes and then entered to pick up our tickets.  The collections in these museums are amazing and truly impressive.  You could literally spend the entire day in here.  But while my husband and I love art, we are also impatient so we tend to breeze through museums and galleries quickly.  Regardless of our speediness, it still took us a couple of hours to get

through the vast museums and into the Sistine Chapel (which is the final stop).  It's astonishing how one man (Michelangelo) was able to create the artworks decorating the chapel.  I can't even begin to comprehend how he did it.  Tip: They don't allow photos or speaking in the Sistine Chapel so be respectful and don't do it or you will be yelled at by the attendants.  Also I don't think you can have bare shoulders or short shorts/skirts in there, so dress appropriately.  It would be very disappointing to get there and not be allowed in.  We also used a Rick Steves audio guide for the chapel and that was really helpful to explain each of the panels on the ceilings, etc.

There are two exits from the Sistine Chapel.  The one at the farthest end is much closer to St. Peter's Square and St. Peter's Basilica.  We unfortunately took the wrong exit and had to go through the museum again to get out, and then to go all around the city walls to get to St. Peter's Square.  We admired the amazing structure but was too exhausted to continue into the basilica.  

As we left Vatican City, we walked along the Tiber River and admired the Castel Sant'Angelo and Ponte S. Angelo (below).  I was actually reading Dan Brown's Angels and Demons and Inferno novels at the time so it was amusing to see that the angel atop the Castel Sant'Angelo did appear to be "pointing" at something. 

It was past lunchtime for us after leaving the Vatican, so we headed towards the Trastevere area in search of food.  A friend of ours had recommended La Piazzetta and we went there to enjoy some fried appetizers and pizzas.  Tasty!  I also had a lovely watermelon granita (basically a fruit slushie) at Fior de Luna*.  The fruit is so tasty and fresh in Italy and they make for fine granitas!

Pizzas!

The Trastevere area seemed really interesting and reminded me a little bit of Los Feliz or Silverlake.  I think there is a college nearby since it felt like a student hangout which was cool.  I would have liked to spend more time exploring but my husband was exhausted and almost fell asleep in Santa Maria church so we headed back to the hotel for a break.

In the afternoon, we ventured out near the Pantheon area because I wanted to try the gelato at the famed Giolitti, but I am sorry to report that I was disappointed.  (boo) I got melon and marron glace, but the texture of both were a bit icy and not as creamy as one would expect.  I would definitely recommend San Crispino over Giolitti.  (There is also a newer branch of San Crispino near the Pantheon so you don't have to go far.)  Then we happened to be near Caffe Tazza D'Oro* (Via degli Orfani 84) and so we popped in for 2 espressos at the counter.  

Really good and the perfect pick me up!  

There was a street musician playing rock music in front of the Pantheon and he was quite good.  We joined the crowds in front of the Pantheon and listened to him perform for a while before heading out to dinner at La Falchetti* where we had amazing lasagne, mushroom pasta and molten lava cake.  This is what molten lava cake should be like - not the sorry excuses that are served at almost every other restaurant in Los Angeles now.  (sigh)

Spaghetti with seafood, grilled veggies and lasagne.

Amazing molten chocolate cake.

Tomorrow we head to Florence by train.  Arrivederci Rome!


* recommend