Is there a single travel bucket list that doesn’t have Italy on it? There are so many options when it comes to choosing where to go in Italy! Every region is unique and different from each other. They even have varying dialects, depending on where you are. It can be overwhelming traveling to Europe in general from the United States. Which trains should you take? What flights? How do you pick which cities to visit and for how long? What do you need to know before you go? How can you do it on a budget? While I definitely don’t have all of the answers, maybe this can help with some!
I am truly so happy with our decision to visit Rome, despite the crowds and tourists – even in May. I feel like we were still able to connect with the locals and have an authentic experience. But beyond that, Rome is just indescribable. Everywhere you look is a different scene. The architecture is incredible. It’s humbling to be in a city like this with so much history and culture. Three nights was definitely a perfect amount of time for us to feel like we experienced enough, even though there is clearly a lot that we missed.
Know Before you Go
- Rome is a lot dirtier than I expected. Not dirty in a way that I felt unsafe or that it took away from the beauty of the city, but there was a lot of trash on the sidewalks – way more than I expected. Just something to be aware of and prepare for before you go.
- Tipping servers is not customary in Rome, and they certainly don’t expect it, but it’s obviously appreciated. We learned that you kind of have to get your servers attention when you’re ready to order and you might have 1-3 different servers during one meal because they are paid an actual salary, unlike the servers in the US. Don’t feel rude about calling your server over!
- The food is so affordable!!! We could get a pizza, pasta dish, and a liter of wine for less than twenty dollars in Rome.
Day 1: Rome B&B, Gelato, Happy Hour
I found this great Bed and Breakfast in Rome and I couldn’t recommend it more. We stayed 3 nights, and it was a total of $150 for a private room and bathroom with a shared kitchen space. **We did have to pay a city tax once we got there, in cash**. It was a short little walk (3.7km) to get to the main tourist attractions (Colosseum, Spanish steps, Trevi fountain, etc.) and that’s what I loved about it. We both felt safe there and it was perfect for us.
First thing we did? Gelato, of course. Gelateria Fassi was on my list of places to visit, and it happened to be a short 1km walk from our B&B. This gelato place was founded in 1880 and I would say is a staple in Rome.
Next, we ended up walking to the Colosseum and exploring! After walking around a few hours, we wandered into this bar, which ended up being our favorite place to get an aperitif at happy hour. It had a great view of Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore, the staff was so friendly, and the menu was so good!! You could get an aperol spritz for 7 Euros and it came with an entire snack board!!
After our happy hour, we walked right across the (cobblestone) street for dinner at Birreria Marconi for some incredible pasta. You NEED to order the Caico e pepe here. If you’ve never tried it, it’s a Rome essential and a must!
Day 2: Spanish Steps, Basilica, Trevi Fountain, Trastevere, Colosseum
If you don’t start your morning off with a croissant, what are you even doing?!
The coffee culture in Rome is different. You don’t really sit down. You order a “coffee” and most likely, you’re going to drink it standing up at the bar and it’s going to be a shot of espresso. In the mornings only, it’s more customary to see the locals ordering the specialty drinks like a latte or cappuccino. You won’t really see it after the late morning/early afternoon timeframe. With all the activity and walking around in Rome, just do as the locals do to get you through it, and drink excessive amounts of espresso.
Highlights/things to know:
The Spanish Steps are cool but it was crowded and it’s hard to get a good picture without a million people in it. Still happy we went. The Trevi Fountain is even MORE crowded but just be patient. We should’ve gone at night or very early in the morning, instead of peak mid-day time when everyone else was there.
Colosseum tip:
- Download the app “Get your Guide” and purchased ahead of time: Rome: Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill Entry Tickets. I highly recommend doing this – it’s almost a must if you want to visit these places.
The Trastevere area of Rome is a must! It was less crowded and there were a lot of cute alleys and cobblestone streets to be discovered. We ate dinner in this area at Nannarella, Osteria, Roma Trastevere. Other restaurant highlights from this day that I highly recommend (linked below):
Day 3 - Vatican, Salotto 42
The Vatican. It’s on everyone’s list. I knew this, and I mentally prepared and thought I was prepared for the crowds. I was wrong. I’m not trying to encourage you NOT to visit the Vatican… but I honestly could’ve done without it. It was so crowded; I just couldn’t really appreciate it. Maybe things have changed since then but I was actually very disappointed. Again, that’s not to say it wasn’t still an amazing thing to see – I just wish there was more crowd control and limiting the amount of people that are allowed in at once.
Vatican tips:
- Book ahead online if you want to go to the Vatican! I used the Get your Guide app to book: Vatican: Museums & Sistine Chapel Entrance Ticket. This will save you a ton of time when you arrive at the Vatican because you won’t have to wait in line to purchase tickets.
- Shoulders have to be covered at all times and your knees cannot be exposed. Avoid t-shirts with graphics and avoid wearing shorts. This is hard to do when it’s so hot in the city so pack a bag with a change of clothes if you can!
- We went in May 2022, and everyone had to wear an N95 mask, so just make sure to research that if you plan to go!
We were probably there for about two hours, walking through the museum to get to the Sistine Chapel. You could probably spend way more time here, but I personally had enough…
After that, we needed a drink, and we had a place in mind! Salotto 42. The drinks were delicious and of course came with a free snack! The atmosphere was so fun, and it was surprisingly not crowded. The drinks were a little more expensive here compared to other places we had been so far, but it was to be expected, because it was more of a unique cocktail bar.
We wandered around a bit, had more gelato and ended up back at Birreria Marocni for dinner, before calling it an early night because we left early the next day for Sicily! We used Uber to schedule a driver for the morning to take us from the B&B to the FCO airport and didn’t have any issues using Uber here.
.. stay tuned for the rest of our Italy trip: Sicily!
Wow!!!! This is really good. I want to go there.
I have been to Italy but wish that I would have read this information before I went! It would have saved me so much time, trouble and money! Thank you, Alysa for giving such valuable and useful insight on such beautiful places to travel! I am a huge fan of yours!!!❤️
Oh my gosh 🤍🤍
Thank you so much it means the world 🤍🤍🤍
This is a great travel piece! I would definitely like a similar trip with a more little kid friendly aspect. The sights sound amazing and getting to eat all that food would be amazing.
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