Seven-year-old Tara would FREAK out if she knew that at 25, I finally got to visit Rome and live out my Lizzie McGuire Movie dreams (okay, minus the riding around on a motorcycle with an Italian guy and performing a concert in front of hundreds of people who think you’re actually somebody else). BUT, did I sing almost the whole soundtrack during our two days here? Yes. Was my mom most likely getting tired of hearing me belt out “Hey now, hey nowww, this is what dreaaams are made of!” every 5 minutes? Also yes.
However, we had such a good time and saw so much of this incredible city, that I don’t think she minded too much! Ending our Italy trip here just felt like the classic thing to do, and I’m so glad we did. So, like they say, when in Rome…
• WHERE TO STAY •
There’s definitely no shortage of hotels and Airbnb’s to pick from, so the big question is what PART of Rome? I think that depends on what your itinerary is going to look like! Since we only had two days to explore, I knew I wanted to be close to the popular sites so that they were easier to see in a shorter time span.
We chose to get an Airbnb in the “Historic Center”, close to the Trevi Fountain & Spanish Steps. I will say this is one of not only the best apartments I have ever stayed in, but also one of the SAFEST, especially for two female travelers. There are THREE locked doors (with actual keys) you have to go through before you even get to your apartment door. The apartment was incredibly clean and stylish, and the host is so thoughtful and thinks of everything you might need. She even sat down for at least 30 minutes to go over a map with us so that we had a general idea of where all the attractions were. She also provides a binder full of recommendations of the best restaurants, cafes, gelaterias, pharmacies, and convenience stores. I cannot recommend this place enough!
Another very popular neighborhood to stay in is Trastevere, which is a quieter part of the city full of colorful alleys and charming streets. We did walk around here a bit and I thought it was really cute! However, I personally preferred being closer to the attractions. Definitely pay it a visit though if you have time!
HOW TO GET AROUND
One of my favorite things about Rome is how walkable it is! We have Verizon Travel-Pass so our phones worked during our trip and we were able to use the walking feature on maps to get directions, plus we also had the paper map that the Airbnb host gave us. I think the furthest we had to walk was from our apartment to Vatican City, which took probably 45 minutes-1 hour. If you’re using maps on your phone, make sure to bring a battery-pack to charge it because it will drain your battery quickly.
Unfortunately, since we were there in June, it was quite hot. We did our best to walk on whichever side of the streets were shaded and drink plenty of water. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes and take breaks when needed!
I believe there is a subway system in the city as well if you aren’t up for walking. As for getting to the train station and/or airports, Ubers and taxis are easily found, or ask wherever you are staying to help you set a transfer up. Just remember there is more than one airport, so make sure you know which one you need to go to!
As I mentioned in my Positano blog, I used bookaway.com to book shared-shuttle transfers from one location to another. Highly recommend them if you’re interested in visiting other parts of Italy as well!
WHERE TO EAT
Another great thing about Rome is that there are definitely no shortages of places to eat! Around every street corner was a cute little restaurant with outdoor seating and authentic vibes, so take your pick. Chances are, no matter where you stop will be a great choice!
While here, we ate supper at Al Picchio and White Bar & Restaurant. Both were excellent with great service, so if you’re in the same area I definitely recommend them. Of course, make sure to get pasta and an aperol spritz wherever you go! I didn’t stress about picking restaurants before hand because I knew that one of the biggest things Italy is known for is their food.
We also had gelato several times. Truly, there wasn’t a single place that DIDN’T have good gelato, so don’t be afraid to pick a random spot! And trust me, we ate a lottttt of gelato! However, my favorite spot that we got some while in Rome was definitely at the Tiberino Gelateria on the Tiber River. Sitting on the bridge in the shade and people watching while we ate it was the perfect break after our ling day of exploring!
WHAT TO DO
Now here’s the fun part, and probably what you came to this blog to read about!
If you’re like me, when you only have a short amount of time in one location, you want to see it ALL. So of course, that’s what we had to do!
Rome is famous for many different attractions, so I’ll break it down by our first day and second day. MOST of the things you are probably wanting to see are free and you can simply walk by and take pictures! However, there are also tours you can plan too.
DAY ONE
On our first day, we arrived in Rome around 11:30ish in the morning from Positano. After checking into our room early, we took off walking! Our plan was to hit as much of the “free” stuff that we could since we had tours scheduled for the next day. Lemme tell ya, we went all over the place and saw SO MUCH. I’m pretty sure my mom said we hit 25,000 steps this day!
Our first stop was the Spanish Steps, which are massive! I highly recommend starting at the top and working your way down if you want to see them, because it’s a loooot of stairs, haha! We went down them and from there walked to Fontana Tritone, mainly because we wanted to double check the pharmacy hours to plan for our covid tests for returning home to the US. After that we walked to Piazza della Repubblica to see a popular fountain in the square. After a quick break in the shade, we then set off for the Colosseum! We only stopped to see the outside since we were going inside the next day. Also, here’s a great tip: for pictures without anybody in the background, find the sidewalk with a ledge right next to it. Hop on the ledge for a photo and WALA, no people!
After pictures we stopped for a ham and cheese sandwich from a little café, then took off walking again. We walked past Trajan’s Column, Altar of the Fatherland, and Capitoline Hill, until we got to the Tiber River. We crossed at the Fatebenefratelli Hospital which is on a little island (I’m honestly not sure if the hospital is still in use?) to get to the Trastevere neighborhood. There, we just walked around and admired all the cute alleyways. Once we were ready to head back, we headed towards the Trevi Fountain.
If you’ve done any reading at all, then you know how famous the Trevi Fountain is! Which means it is also very, very crowded. We simply walked by and didn’t stop after we saw how many people were there, because we already had plans to come back early in the morning for pictures. After hitting up some gift shops for some souvenirs, we headed back to the apartment to change for supper and then went to bed early.
DAY TWO
As I said, we got up early for pictures at the Trevi Fountain, and it was worth it! There were still quite a few people there (I think we arrived around 6:45-7:00) that I’m sure had the same idea as me about waking up early, but we managed to get pictures without fighting crowds. Make sure to toss a coin in when you visit
Fun fact: If you follow me on Instagram, you know that my husband and I are expecting our first child in February! After trying for several months, I had been getting a bit depressed about it, and was excited about this trip and hoped it would cheer me up. When I tossed my coin, I made a wish for a baby. Little did I know…I was about 4 weeks along during this trip and had absolutely no idea! I guess my wish came true! Can’t wait for all the future adventures with Baby Major. Anyway, back to our trip!
I booked a skip-the-line combo-tour for this day to see Vatican City, Sistine Chapel, Colosseum, and Palatine Hill with Dark Rome, operated through City Wonders. This is a walking tour and you are responsible for your own transportation to and from the sites. There are many tours available online from various companies, but I highly recommend that whatever you choose to book, that it is a skip-the-line tour. So worth it! So after the Trevi Fountain, we headed to Vatican City!
As I mentioned before, it was about an hour of walking, but very doable. Once we got to Vatican City we grabbed a Nutella croissant (we ate a lot of these on our trip, they are so good!) and some coffee from the café across the street and then sat on the steps where our group was supposed to meet. Once it was time, in we went!
I honestly didn’t know what to expect in the Vatican, and truthfully only booked it because 1) I felt like it was a must if you’re in Rome and 2) my mom grew up Catholic so I thought she would like to see it. But it was gorgeous! So much history and incredible artwork, and still so pristine even though it was done centuries ago. I loved learning about Rafael and Michelangelo as well! I will share a few pictures but will try not to over-do it, because we spent almost all morning walking through it, so trust me when I say there is a lot to see. A fun fact about Vatican City is that it is the smallest country in the world, governed as an absolute monarchy lead by the Pope. This makes country #18 for me!
They give you an almost 3-hour break between the two halves of the tour, so it was plenty of time to walk back to our apartment and rest for a bit, swing by the pharmacy for our covid tests, grab a snack, and then head to the next meeting spot.
The second part of the tour meets at the Colosseum, which is one of the New 7 Wonders of the World! Getting to go inside and picture gladiators battling each other and wild animals so long ago was such a cool experience. This is definitely something you shouldn’t miss out on when visiting Rome, I think it’s one of the most iconic spots! It remains to be the biggest amphitheater in the world, even to this day, despite the fact construction started allllll the way back in 70 A.D.
We then walked over to the area around Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum. I was really interested in this, because I enjoyed reading about the times of Julius Caesar in high school, so it was neat to get to see places that he stood and where other aristocrats and emperors lived. This is a pretty large area with quite a few ruins to explore, so take your time looking through all of it!
After the tour ended, we stopped for supper on the way back to our apartment, then finished packing to head home the next morning. Our lovely Airbnb host set up a driver to pick us up and take us to the airport bright and early.
We truly loved our time in this city and it was everything I could have dreamed of. I’m so grateful we finally got to go on a mother-daughter trip again! I cannot wait to go back to Italy someday and explore more. If I’m ever back in Rome, a few things I want to do and see the next time are…
• Tour the catacombs at night
• See the Pantheon
• Do a day tour to Tuscany
• See the public baths
Hope this blog has been helpful in planning your trip to Rome! Please feel free to comment questions or add things you did during your trip. Enjoy your travels! And thank you to my amazing mom for such a fun trip!