explore it yourself:
The journey and accomModations:
We arrived by train from Sorrento on the afternoon of July 18th and stayed until the morning of July 21st. We arrived into Rome Termini Station and departed from Roma Ostiense.
Our family joined us in Rome so to accommodate the size of our group short term rentals were the most affordable option. We ended up selecting an Airbnb located in the Trastevere neighborhood. We highly recommend staying in this neighborhood! Trastavere is the perfect area to stay if you are looking to enjoy some authentic Italian food, while also staying within walking distance of many of the major attractions that fell on our itinerary below.
Helpful tips:
- Lines for restaurants may be deceiving. There is often a wait for outside seating, but if you are okay with eating inside you can usually get in no problem. Perfect for when you have a big group and no reservation. This is also good to note if you are looking to sit in air conditioning on a hot day.
- Water fountains can be found all around the city that are always running with water pouring out into the street. The water from these fountains is perfectly safe to drink and comes out of the fountains cold! We frequently drank right from the fountains and filled up our water bottles here to save money.
- During the summer months, the average temperature runs in the mid 90’s and is obviously most brutal during mid-day hours. We suggest to wake up early and do as much exploring as possible before noon in an attempt to beat the heat. Spend a few hours back at you accommodation during the hottest hours of the day, then head back out for the evening hours as the sun sets.
- Public transit is very easy to navigate and only costs 1.50 EUR per 100-minute ticket. We used buses to get around the city and had no issues at any point.
Note: * our additions to ai itinerary and exclusions are crossed out, also see our summary at the bottom.
Arrival Afternoon-Trastevere & Janiculum Hill
explore Trastevere
- Lunch at
Pommidoro dal 1890 Ristorante* (featured in Tucci in Italy) near train station - Wander the charming Trastevere neighborhood with its narrow cobblestone streets
- The alleyways are lined with many living walls, perfect for photo opportunities.
- Visit Piazza and Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere church and
Villa Farnesina(beautiful Renaissance villa, $14)- Free entry into the Bascilica of Santa Maria where you can sit quietly and enjoy an absolutely stunning church while having a quiet moment away from the crowds.
- Piazza Trilussa*, watch the neighborhood come to life in the evening
- Catch a fun street performance here while sitting on the steps. We saw a group of drummers and fire dancers who were amazing!
- Sunset at
Janiculum Hill (Gianicolo Hill)- After a long day of walking and sweating in the heat, we opted to skip this hill at sunset to get home and enjoy the air conditioning.
- Ponte Sisto Bridge*
- This bridge is the perfect place to take a great photo down the Tiber River.
- Dinner at
- Tonnarello*
- The line for outdoor seating was all the way down the street (easily a 45+ minute wait) so we asked for an indoor table for 7 and were seated immediately! The food here was incredible, we loved the Carbonara.
- OR
Osteria, great for seafood and local winesder Belli
- Tonnarello*
- Gelato at Otaleg*
Day 1: Ancient Rome & Historic Center
Iconic Morning stops
- Walk to the Trevi Fountain around 6am to avoid crowds
- Even arriving as early as we did, there was still a decent crowd but certainly better than if you wait until later in the day!
- Head to the Pantheon, marvel at its architecture and the oculus ($7 cash line is short)
- We explored from the outside of the building. It is amazing seeing the architecture and knowing much of what you see is still from the original building.
- Piazza Navona* – Famous Roman Square with beautiful Baroque architecture.
- We arrived early in the morning on a Sunday so a majority of the cafe’s around the square still weren’t open at this point. The fountains within the square aprovide a peaceful spot to sit and listen to the running water.
Chiesa del Gesu*– Unfortunately, this was closed when we walked by, but it is on the route so it would have been cool to stop in because it is free.- Stroll to Piazza Venezia and see the Vittorio Emanuele II Monument
- One of the most amazing looking buildings in Rome, this looks majestic as it rises above the surrounding buildings.
- Walk up to Piazza del Campidoglio designed by Michelangelo
- After walking up the stairs to get here you also get a panoramic view of Roman Ruins on the back side of the Piazza with a glimpse of the Colossem!
Giardinetto del monte Oppio* – We didn’t end up stopping here because of the timing, but including it because we would have liked to see it.- Coffee/Breakfast at Vapore e Caffè* near the Colosseum
- Try one of the many tasty pastry offerings, We loved the chocolate filled croissants!
- Start early (8:30 opening) at the Colosseum to avoid crowds and heat
- Note: In order to purchase the earliest available tickets for the colosseum, you need to log on to the official ticketing sight (https://ticketing.colosseo.it/en/) exactly 30 days in advance at the exact time you want to visit at. For example, we knew we wanted to purchase the 8:30am tickets so we logged into the ticket portal 30 days early and at 8:30am Rome time, the tickets became available for purchase then sold out within minutes.
- Explore the nearby Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, the heart of ancient Rome
- Be sure to take a look at the building where the remains of Julius Caesar are buried.
- Lunch at
Aroma- OR
Celia Bistrot - We ended up grabbing some groceries and making a quick pasta meal back at our AirBnB.
- Walked over Ponte Palatine* to take a break at our AirBnb
Note: We got up at 5:30AM to see some of the sights before they got crowded and the heat kicked in. AI recommended the Trevi Fountain for sunset, but with speaking to people it seemed early morning or late evening is better. This also avoided the fee and lines.
We stopped back at our Airbnb to relax and cool down for a bit
Aventine Hill, Orange Garden & Testaccio
- We had an early dinner at 075 zerosettantacinque*
- This restaurant has a large menu of dishes from all over the world. It was a nice switch-up from the many Italian meals we had shared up to that point.
- Visit the peaceful Orange Garden (Giardino degli Aranci) for stunning city views
- The neighborhood at the top of the hill is one of the most beautiful areas we saw in all of Rome.
- Peek through the famous Keyhole of the Knights of Malta for a unique perspective of St. Peter’s Dome
- The line to peek through the key hole was simply outrageous. Many people try to capture a photo through the key hole which is difficult to do so they each take several minutes and the line moves extremely slow.
- Explore Testaccio, a foodie neighborhood off the beaten path
- We explored this area and if we were to come back to Rome we wouldn’t make extra time to see this area again. There wasn’t much to see and compared to its Orange Garden neighbors, the buildings felt more run down.
Flavio al Velavevodetto, authentic Roman cuisine loved by locals
- Returned back to Trastevere for drinks and to watch the world cup final game at Baccanale*
- Must Try: The Espresso Martinis!
Day 2: Vatican City & Borghese Gardens
Vatican City & St. Peter's Basilica
- Coffee/Breakfast at Alle Fratte di Trastevere*
- Take the metro to Vatican City
- We actually took the bus from our AirBnB and while it did involve a bit of walking on the front and back end of the ride, it was very manageable.
- Explore St. Peter’s Basilica and climb the dome if you’re up for spectacular views
- We opted to stay in the lower section for free. The church is absolutely amazing.
- Note: Entrance into the Bascilica is free while tickets to explore the dome portion cost money and include a several hundred steps of walking.
- We opted to stay in the lower section for free. The church is absolutely amazing.
- Book tickets to the Vatican Museum – Marvel at Renaissance art and Michelangelo’s ceiling painting
- There is so much to take in here it is so beautiful it’s almost overwhelming. The standard route through the museum involves quite a bit of walking to reach the Sistine Chapel. Take your time venturing through to really enjoy all of the scenery.
- We were here at 8:45 on a Monday and it was already packed. It was great to see, but also kind of hard to enjoy with the heat and crowds.
- There is so much to take in here it is so beautiful it’s almost overwhelming. The standard route through the museum involves quite a bit of walking to reach the Sistine Chapel. Take your time venturing through to really enjoy all of the scenery.
Note: We didn’t book skip-the-line tickets, but we did book tickets in advanced and we did early morning tickets so we didn’t have any issues with the lines
Lunch & Borghese Gardens
It was 100 degrees while we were in rome so unfortunately we skipped the below and instead went back to our airbnb to cool down
- Lunch at Pizzarium Bonci, famous for gourmet Roman-style pizza al taglio (by the slice)
- Metro to Borghese Gardens
- Piazza del Popolo (People’s Square)
- Temple of Aesculapius
- Piazza del Popolo (People’s Square)
- Walk down the Spanish Steps, then explore upscale shops on Via Condotti
- Dinner at Pastificio Guerra near the Spanish Steps (quick, affordable, and tasty pasta)
- What we did instead:
- Lunch at Suppli Roma* – Popular Italian snack of rice balls. We tried all of the flavors being served that day and they were all great. 2 per person was plenty.
- Wandered around Trastevere
- Dinner at Enzo* – Small authentic restaurant that has become quite popular so arrive early or expect a bit of a wait. Well worth it!
- Gelato at Fiordiluna* – Great quality gelato spot in the hear of the Trastevere neighborhood.
Departure day
Coffee/Breakfast
- Coffee/breakfast at
- Bar San Calisto* (featured in Tucci in Italy)
- Coffee at counter
- Maritozzi
- Bomba con la creme
- OR Caffe 67* – We stopped at this mom and pop shop and they had great cappuccinos. This is definitely a local favorite.
- Bar San Calisto* (featured in Tucci in Italy)
final thoughts:
How did ai do?
Overall Rating: 10/10
Would we go again? Definitely! The city felt like Paris and Athens merged together with an Italian flare. It was incredible.
Favorite moment:
Bailey’s favorite: My favorite was wandering through the Trastevere neighborhood in the evening. It has a similar feel to the West Village in New York which is my favorite.
Parker’s favorite: I genuinely could have sat quietly in the Sistine Chapel and marveled at the paintings for hours on end. It’s a truly out of body experience looking around and seeing how detailed the ceiling and walls are.
Favorite meal:
Bailey’s favorite: Tonnarello was incredible. The food, service, and ambiance was great.
Parker’s favorite: I loved the Suppli rice balls! They were so tasty and filling for only a few Euros a piece.
Any surprises? This doesn’t come as a huge surprise, but may be helpful to someone else, the heat was intense. It was about 100 degrees every day we were there and upon stepping outside we were immediately sweating. Most places, even those that claim to, don’t have working air conditioning. Would highly reccommend not going in the peak summer months.
Anything we missed? We definitely would have liked to see the Borghese Gardens and Janiculum Hill.
Food spots AI recommended, but we didn’t have a chance to go: Osteria der Belli, Aroma, Celia Bistrot, Flavio al Velavevodetto, Pizzarium Bonci, and Pastificio Guerra.
Average step count per day: 18,250 steps
Nailed it: We appreciated that AI didn’t go out on a limb to suggest that the tourist attractions like the Colosseum and Sistine Chapel were overrated and still had us plan our days around seeing these because they were all some of the most incredible places we’ve ever seen. We were unsure of paying for both attractions but AI was spot on for having us pre-book tickets for the Vatican museum because it ended up being one of our favorite spots.
Needs work: A common theme we’ve seen on this trip is AI often recommending many high-class, fancy restaurants that require some sort of dress code. Although the restaurants are likely very nice, it simply doesn’t work when the weather is constantly above 95 degrees and we are sweating through our shirts before we even get to the places to eat.