Rome, the eternal city

And one of my favourites!

I’ve been there for 4 days and by waking up really early I’ve covered a lot, so here are some basic rules, tips and things to see and do in Rome. If your time is short but you still want to see the best things and experience some local gems, continue reading. 

⬩ Basic rules and tips:

-       Drink coffee at the bar if you don’t want to pay 2 times more. Seating down will cost you around 2€/2.5€ versus 0,80€/1€ at the bar.

-       Paying the bus? Oh well, in Portugal we say, “In Rome be Roman”. They do not pay the bus! So it's up to your judgement, the bus opens both doors and there is no rules to entry or exit.

-        Take headphones with you to see museums, if you go with someone buy just one audio guide and use the headphones.

-       Be careful to cross the streets! Look twice and repeat, just in case.

-       Buy a city guide. I’ve bought “Chic & Cheap Rome”, I guess this guide doesn't exist anymore but you can find a good Pocket guide from Lonely Planet, like this one. Don't be afraid to get lost in Rome, it’s the perfect city for it, as you walk, there is always something wonderful to discover.

-       Now, let’s talk about… Pizza!! The best for me it’s Ivo a Trastevere, in Trastevere neighbourhood.

-       If you are less than 25 years old, good news! Museums and attractions have discounts.

-       In Vaticano city it’s not permitted to pay with debit/credit card (or at least it’s wasn’t 3 years ago). With €60 for 2 people you can pay your entry, have lunch and possibly still have money for a coffee.

-       TRAINERS. Do not play the fashionista, seriously, you’ll walk a lot.

-       Rome is the world capital of traffic, so give yourself time to go to the airport. Terravision get you from the airport to Rome and vice-versa for like 8€ return ticket.

Hotel:

I stayed a bit on the outside of the centre, very near the Termini station in a hotel called Serendipity. It's cheap-ish (84€ for 3 nights for 2 people). There was no breakfast and had to pay 2€ for a local tax, but it’s cheap, has a good service, it’s clean and you can sleep well.

Out and about:

Day 1: 

1^st the 📍Coliseum andRoman Forum, costs about 12€ (under 25: €8.5)

Also known as the Colosseum and Flavian Amphitheatre, it's a particularly family-friendly archaeological site. 
⬩Tip: Purchase your tickets in advance to avoid long queues; bring a hat and sunscreen at it's an open-air space. 

📍Fontana di Trevi, I walked there so I would recommend you to do the same as you can appreciate the local living at the same time you are walking. 
If you can, go at dusk, it’s incredible! It was one of the most impactful things I saw. Throw a coin and make a wish.

I visited 📍The Pantheon after but it was already night and I couldn’t see the real beauty so I had to come back the next day in the morning. To have dinner, pizza! There are plenty of places near the Pantheon with really nice pizzas.

Day 2:

Wakey-wakey! I took the tube until Spagna station arriving at the 📍Piazza Spagna qhere I climbed all the stairs that surround the Trinità del Monti church. There are amazing views over Rome that you can’t miss. There is also the 📍Fontana de la Barcaccia (from Bernini) that you should see.  

Walking towards the 📍Piazza del Popolo you can the “artists church”, Santa Maria in Montesanto. I then climb some stairs that I wasn’t sure where it would lead, so I stumble at the 📍Pincio Promenade that has a panoramic view over Rome, gardens, statues, etc. a Good place to take a break and enjoy the haughty beauty of Rome.

Going down through the commercial 📍Via del Corso, one of the main and crowded streets, you’ll arrive to 📍Piazza Venezia. It has an imposing building that after climbing the stairs (yeah, as you can see there are a lot of stairs in Rome!), you can find the perfect place to admire all the big monuments and buildings of Rome.

Leaving this Piazza behind, I’m not too sure how, but I arrived at 📍Campo de' Fiori. A square full of flowers and a small market. There is the most famous carbonara restaurant in this square. Can you guess the name? Yup, 🍲La Carbonara.

Another good Pizza restaurant is 🍕Da Baffetto, there is two of them but we went to the one in Via del Governo Vecchio, 114. 

Because tiredness is overrated after dinner I went to 📍Piazza Navona. You have to see this square by night! It has a subtle illumination and there are less tourists (if you go during the day it’s overcrowded). The palaces, fountains and churches turn this square in a special mystery.

Day 3:

I spent almost all day in 📍Vaticano city. I went on a Thursday and it was almost empty! No queues to pay, what a treat!

The 📍St. Peter’s Basilica it’s free but, if you wish to climb the 550 stairs you have two options:

1-    Pay 5€ and climb on foot the 550 stairs (good luck!)

2-    Pay 7€ and go in the lift half way. You still have to go up around 200/250 stairs nonetheless.

Guess which one was my choice? Number 2 of course. When you reach the top, welcome the 360º view!

St. Peter’s Basilica

View from the St. Peter’s Basilica top

After climbing and more climbing, I had an amazing lunch at a very authentic place, the Pininoteca da Guido, now called 🍲 Sosi Guido. It’s a very small restaurant full of local charm. It’s also very cheap, €10 for 2!

Bacchus, Vatican Museum

Finally reached the 📍Vaticano museum (€16/pp), where I got lost in art and richness for more than 2 hours.
After all of this, off I went to the Travestere, to the restaurant I've mentioned above, Ivo a Trastevere. If possible, spend some time in this neighbourhood, it's famous for its funky and bohemian environment that clings to its century-old, working-class roots. I absolutely loved it. 

Day 4:
My flight was quite “early” at 6pm so I only had time to see the 📍Villa Borghese Gallery. This gallery has the most beautiful art exhibitions I ever seen, a private collection of art from Bernini, Caravaggio, Rubens, Tintoretto, Canaletto, Corregio and much more. Entry is every 2 hours and costs €8.5 for European citizens.

Some photos below that impressed me a lot. I never saw marble worked like this, the details are amazing, like the fingers pressing the led or the pillow where the goodness is resting.

Borghese Gallery

Borghese Gallery

I couldn’t leave Rome without going to 📍The Mouth of Truth and depending on time, take a quick peak at the 📍Circus Massimus. 

Circus Massimus

The Mouth of Truth

Definitely would go back to Rome, it’s a city to remember and re-visit, over and over again.