Historical and Cultural Journey Through Rome

Parks

If you’re looking to spend time in nature, visit Orto Botanico and Giardino degli Aranci. Orto Botanico is a botanical garden in the Trastevere neighborhood. It has a variety of landscapes and pretty Roman architecture. To walk through takes about 2–3 hours. Giardino degli Aranci is where I think about it when I reminisce about Rome. It is a peaceful little square tucked away in the Ripa neighborhood with amazing views of the city. It is a shaded area where people picnic, nap, relax and just live la dolce vita. When we went, there was a man singing and playing his guitar. The combination of that with the church bells that rang every few minutes and the just general serene vibe of the environment, it was like living in a dream. I think we spent two hours laying on the grass, just enjoying our surroundings. It was truly a highlight of my trip.

Historical sites

You can’t visit Rome without touring key historical sites and walking through a living history book. Gianicolo Hill has panoramic views of Rome’s various buildings. Also, if you visit around noon, they fire a cannon from nearby Piazzale Garibaldi. Another stop should be Marcello Theater in the Jewish Grotto, which is a 1st century BC amphitheater that inspired the much more well-known Colosseum. It was the largest and most important theater in ancient Rome. You cannot go inside, but you may walk around the exterior. Next, the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel can satisfy any art history enthusiast. Regardless of whether you’re religious or not, there are amazing sculptures, paintings, pottery and more to view within the museum. It is highly recommended to go as soon as it opens or very late in the afternoon (around two hours before closing) as it can get very crowded. Remember to dress appropriately and that it will take about 3–4 hours to walk through. In the city center, you will find the Pantheon, which is a perfect dome, as well as the Largo di Torre Argentina, which is an archeological site very popular with local cats. Additionally, in the historic city center, you’ll find the Spanish Steps as well as the Trevi Fountain. Keep in mind, there is fencing around it so it is no longer possible to take pictures right up on the railing. Both of which should be visited in the early morning or very late in the evening to avoid crowds. The most popular historical sites to visit will be the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Roman Forum. To visit all three will take about four hours and tickets should be reserved in advance. You will be transported back in time as you walk through the ruins of Imperial Rome, through ancient temples, palaces and on the very streets where emperors once walked. It is truly a sight to behold and a must-do for any first-time visitor to Rome.

Museums

If you want to view living history indoors, then you should visit the Baths of Diocletian and National Roman Museum - Palazzo Massimo museums. The Baths of Diocletian are the largest and most impressive public baths in Rome. The ticket for this museum includes the Palazzo Massimo museum, which is one of the finest archeological museums in the world. You’ll be able to walk through the massive complex of the bath house with its huge vaulted halls and columns. The National Museum hosts ancient artifacts, statues and a beautiful courtyard garden in the center of it all that is relaxing to sit in. To see both takes about 3–6 hours, depending on how thoroughly you walk through.

Shopping

When I studied abroad in college and visited Italy, the airline lost my luggage, so I had to buy my clothes for the week in Florence. What better place to lose luggage and have to buy clothing than in Italy. This time though, I went shopping on my own accord and there are many great areas to do so in Rome. Along Via del Corso and Via Cola di Rienzo, you’ll find elegant dresses as well as Italian brands like Sisley, Miss Sixty, Subdued and COIN. If you’re looking for more independent Italian brands and souvenirs, Via del Governo Vecchio has stores like Omero and Cecilia, Penny Lane, Civico 93 and Arsenico36. For luxury brands, especially in the handbag category, Via dei Condotti has multiple stores. For handcrafted items, check out Via del Boschetto.

Culture

Cooking class at Fortuna’s Cooking Academy: If you love Italian food and you don’t take a cooking class in its home origin, I think you’re missing out on a wonderful experience. We found Fortuna’s Cooking Academy through Airbnb Experiences (however, you may also book a class through her website). We took a class with six others — Europeans, international students studying in Rome and other visitors from North America. Fortuna was charismatic, helpful and very easy to follow as we learned how to make arrabbiata, spinach and ricotta ravioli and chocolate gelato. We had so much fun learning how to hand-make pasta and the food was so delicious. We even made friends for the night with the other attendees and went out for drinks afterward with some of them. She does give you a copy of everything we made (plus extra recipes of similar styles). Since coming back, we have made them at home and the taste and quality always bring us back to Rome. I would highly recommend this experience.

Cafes

• Sciascia Caffe: This is a great stop before you tour the Vatican. It’s a small cafe with coffee, pastries and sandwiches. The coffee was great and the service was very nice. Order a cappuccino or espresso and sip it at the counter like a true Italian.

• I Dolci di Nonna Vincenza: If you need a break from walking or the heat, this is a good spot to stop. They have cannolis, pastries and a diverse array of coffee drinks.

Lunch/dinner

• Flavio al Velavevodetto: It is recommended to get a reservation for this restaurant in the Testaccio neighborhood. However, despite making a reservation, it wasn’t noted but the restaurant staff was nice enough to honor it anyways. I’m glad we made a reservation as there didn’t seem to be many walk-ins. The fileja pasta, carbonara and roasted potatoes were our favorites. We felt truly European as we had a very relaxed, drawn out dinner here until 10 pm.

• Pizzeria Mediterranea: This was my favorite pizza that we had in Rome. This place was a bit hard to find (we walked past a few times) as there wasn’t clear signage, but I’m so glad we didn’t give up looking. These are rectangular slices with a variety of different toppings. My favorites were the potato and sausage as well as the fungi. Be warned, they give you 2–3 slices per option. Don’t order too many by accident like we did (though we did not regret being able to try four different flavors — it was just very filling for a lunch).

• La Tavernaccia da Bruno: This is another restaurant that needs a reservation. Known for its veal and potatoes as well as their suckling pig, this ended up being one of my favorite meals in Rome. We ordered the veal brisket and potatoes as well as the wild boar white ragu, both of which were absolutely delicious. We also ordered the house red along with our meal, which was also quite good. The service was friendly and everything was homemade.

• Mercato di Testaccio: Mercato di Testaccio is the community market for the district. It features almost 100 stalls with a variety of offerings. We tried the famous Mordi e Vai, a sandwich stand that many celebrities (both Italian and international) have been to and a regional champion in its category. We also tried pizza from CasaManco, which was my partner’s favorite pizza in all of Rome. While wandering around figuring out what to eat, I also stopped by one stand for a maritozzi and London fog tea, both of which were very good. They’re only open for morning and lunch hours, so plan accordingly.

Quick bites

• Pasticceria Valzani: If you love cannolis, this is the stop you have to make. They have a diverse range of flavors as well as many different chocolates and other sweets to choose from. This was the best cannoli of the trip.

• Suppli: This small store can get very crowded during the lunch hour, and it was easy to see why. They sold pasta, square pizza and their namesake, suppli. The suppli were bigger than a baseball. We brought it over to a nearby park for an afternoon snack. It was steamy, crunchy and filled with gooey cheese, meat, tomato sauce and rice. Such a great snack!

• Frigidarium: This was my favorite gelato place we found on the entire trip (and we had a lot of gelato to compare it to). The diversity of flavors and quality of the gelato was better than most places, and they had the most buttery, crispy waffle cones to go with it. Definitely worth a stop.

Drinks

• Pimm’s Good: This bar definitely caters to the international student population that is studying in the area. However, the drinks were good and the vibe was nice, so we didn’t mind being surrounded by mostly foreigners.

• Ch1887: I think about this place a lot. This is the type of cocktail experience that I wish was more pervasive. Tucked away in an upstairs nook above a restaurant sits a very small bar with homemade paintings from bar guests and the most friendly and knowledgeable bartender I’ve ever met. Bartending never seemed like an art until I watched him artistically create each drink. He also told us the history of each of the drinks, their ingredients and the decision to meld those particulars together. It was a cozy place, with soft jazz music, low lighting and the most amazing drinks, making it an overall peaceful environment. I have yet to have a drinking experience that has been so memorable.

• Stadlin: We came here after our late dinner and despite the quite strong drinks, it had a very chill vibe. They have a variety of delicious cocktails served in nice tall glasses, good music and ambient lighting. It is a bit of a ways out from where we were staying, but we felt it was worth the visit.