Travel

5 Cool Things To Do In Rome

March 27, 2018

A few unique ideas for your next trip to Rome, Italy!

I really hope that travel recommendations don’t expire, because these ideas are from our Roma trip back in September 2015. I’m just that kind of travel blogger these days, giving you city guides years later ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Like a whirlwind romance, I fell hard and fast for this beautiful, historic city. It was the first stop on our 3 week Italian honeymoon. We spent 5 days in Rome and then a bonus last night there at the very end of our adventure before flying home.

An initial visit to an iconic place like Rome is going to warrant a lot of your typical tourist activities. We had to see the Colosseum, Roman Forum, St. Peter’s Basilica, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Victor Emmanuel II Monument, Saint Peter’s Square, etc. It was my first time there, but since Adam had been a few times before, we were also looking for some slightly different ideas for places to see and things to do. We had the best time and wanted to share a few ideas that might elevate your trip to Rome. Hope you enjoy!

Go To A Football (Soccer) Game

One of my new travel traditions is to go to a sporting event in the place I’m visiting. What can I say? I married an intelligent bro, this is my life now. Goooooo Sports! A home game gives you a guaranteed hang with locals and is always such a fun time. Since we were no where near Adam’s beloved Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, a few of our friends got us a seriously thoughtful wedding gift: two tickets to a local soccer match at Stadio Olimpico! They had the tickets delivered to our hotel room and everything, you should have seen Adam’s face. It was amazing.

En route to the stadium, the clouds rolled in and some light rain began, the first we’d seen on our trip. That escalated to a full on downpour as we made our way through the gates. The drops were so large and intense, it honestly felt like movie set rain. A bit lost, we ran outside what must have been the entire length of the stadium, searching for our entrance. When we finally found our spot, we were soaked to the core, it was as though we’d jumped into a pool with our clothes on. Our spots were close to the pitch, but those seats were open to the elements, so we chose some random ones further back to dry off and maybe warm up. Our section had pretty sparse attendance, but to our left was the hometown crowd that is caged in by the glass partitions.

The game was Lazio versus Udinese and witnessing the passion of these Italian fans was the best people watching imaginable. So many hand gestures. Every move and play and call was debatable to these people. We watched as groups of friends disagreed and moved seats, too heated to continue watching the game side by side. Don’t worry, they were all handshakes and laughs once the match was over.

We marvelled at the concession options at the stadium. Adam got a beer, I got an espresso shot and popcorn. We absolutely lived for Lazio scoring, so we could witness the hundreds of fans beside us rush towards the pitch in celebration. Lazio ended up taking home the big win at home, 2-0. It was our favourite night in Rome.

Explore The Monti District

After some research for our bonus last day in Rome before flying home, I found a few mentions of an area called Monti. It’s actually really close to the colosseum, but the sort of neighbourhood you wouldn’t know was there unless you went looking. Which, is why so many locals hangout there.

We started with some wine from the bar nearby and sat at the fountain chatting and recapping our entire trip. The people watching was great from those steps, I love seeing the world go by in a big city. After our vino, we grabbed some appies at a restaurant and then wandered the streets to see what else the area had to offer. The clothing stores were amazing, I could have spent hours and lots of Euros rummaging through those vintage shops.

Basically, Monti is a neighbourhood I highly recommend if you like something with a little more personality than the touristy hotspots.

Hire A Private Vatican Tour Guide

Our private guide was a recommendation from my best friend’s mom. I can’t remember how she found this guy, but he is a quirky retired professor who absolutely made our tour of the Vatican extra amazing. He was a tad condescending with his questions, the way profs can be, but it made us laugh throughout the entire experience and kept us on our toes.

A private guide was a truly wonderful way to get a full and interesting Vatican experience without a big group. If it’s too pricy, an alternative option is to purchase a ‘Skip The Line’ ticket. Trust me, still worth the extra money to avoid those wait times!

Wander Trestavere At Night

I live for the way a city comes alive at nighttime, especially somewhere as hauntingly historic as Rome. An evening in Trestavere is a must. It’s where the people go for food and drinks and gathering. You’ll find a mix of tourists and locals, but we always enjoyed being amongst the people after the sun goes down, their energy helps us fight that jet lag!

Eat Like A Local

Food is such a huge part of our travels and I can’t stand wasting a meal at a tourist trap restaurant. Which, does happen from time to time and is always super frustrating. It can be difficult to find the balance between overly researching top rated restaurants and just stumbling upon a gem. Depending on where we’re visiting, our policy now is to do a bit of both. It means that you aren’t guaranteed the best meal (would you be based on Yelp reviews anyway?), but that you aren’t completely blocking yourself from a unique find. And it’s those unexpectedly spectacular meals that really make for a memorable travel moment.

This particular photo is from our last night in Rome. We took a Taxi to Flavio Al Velavevodetto and stuffed our faces with one final pasta feast. With drool-worthy grilled peppers and bread to start, of course.