Discover Rome
In September 2019, I had the chance to go to Rome thanks to Liligo (French travel website). It was the first time for me to travel in Italy, and believe me: it wasn’t the last one!
• Accommodation Recommendation
There are many hotels to stay in Rome. However, we decided to stay at an Airbnb to have the ‘home sweet home’ feeling. I recommend you to choose the Trastevere district as it’s such a nice place. There are many small restaurants, bars and night markets. But make sure you choose a calm place to be able to sleep peacefully at night.
We booked a small apartment (clean, functional, with the perfect localization: near restaurants and close to all major areas to visit).
On the top of all these advantages, it is such a cute apartment!
• How to commute?
From the Airport: we took the FL1 train that travels between the airport to the Trastevere Station (it costs 9€). Then, we took the tramway to get closer to the Airbnb (one ticket costs 1,50€). So we payed 10,50€ in total to get to Rome, while taxis cost 48€. Choose the solution that suits you the best!
Within the city: you can easily walk from a famous spot to another, and there are so many things to see (there are amazing details at every street corner!). We decided to walk during the whole time we’ve been there as we wanted to see as many things as possible. Moreover, the weather was super nice, so it was so pleasant! (and, to be honest, it was a good way to get rid of all the calories eaten with all the yummy pasta and pizza haha)
Otherwise, you can ride the tramway, as I wrote before: a ticket costs 1,50€. There are many lines that will lead you to your favorite places within the city.
• Food & Restaurant Recommendations
As we had our Airbnb in Trastevere, we ate at many restaurants there. Honestly, it was a great district with many small restaurants, take-out pizza and renown places (one night, we ate at a restaurant which had a very long waiting line!). But you can explore the whole city! Just be careful at the ‘touristic’ restaurants with high prices and not so good food. Do not hesitate to have a look at restaurants in small streets to find great food.
Here are some places we ate at. Please note that as I eat gluten-free, we only selected restaurants with gluten-free options :).
Mama Eat
This restaurant offers two different menus: a normal, and a gluten-free. I ate a delicious pizza while my sister tasted some antipasti. It was situated in a small and quiet street apart from the crowd… Perfect spot. I recommend you to eat there!
MAMA EAT
Via di San Cosimato 7/9
00153 Rome
La scala in Trastevere
A really nice restaurant, a bit classier, with many traditional dishes (other than pizza and pasta). I had an amazing grilled fish, and my sister ordered truffle pasta. It was so yummy! It’s a little bit more expensive but the cuisine is absolutely delicious and the restaurant is on a cute Trastevere place you will surely enjoy!
LA SCALA IN TRASTEVERE
Piazza della Scala
00153 Rome
Caffè della Scala
We went to this bar to eat some charcuterie and Italian cheese with -of course- a cocktail. We also got a salad. The quality was ok for the price. Not too fancy, though.
CAFFE DELLA SCALA
Via della Scala 5
00153 Rome
Voglia
A small restaurant with very nice cuisine (ok, I keep saying that’s good but seriously food is so great there, that’s crazy!). Just as MAMA EAT, there is two cards: normal/gluten-free. I really love this Italian concept that allowed me to taste the same things as my sister! It’s a real plus!
VOGLIA
Via dei Giubbonari 33
00186 Rome
Frigidarium
One of the best ice cream shops in Rome! There is always a long queue… but it worths it! The shop is quite small and offers only around thirty flavors but they are all extremely delicious. Surely the best ice-creams I ever had!
FRIGIDARIUM
Via del Governo Vecchio 112
00186 Rome
Pandali
A bakery specialized in gluten-free products. You can find many different kinds of pastries, tarts and pizza. It was really good and generous — and absolutely perfect for people like me who eat gluten-free.
PANDALI
Via di Torre Argentina 3
00186 Rome
NOTE : To be honest, I was quite surprised by the prices in Italian restaurants. It was quite cheap. A good point when you are a food lover like me!
• Activities/Visits Recommendations
As I was saying a bit earlier, you just have to take a stroll in the streets of Rome to discover so many interesting details. Here is a list of the touristic places we visited and my feedback:
Coliseum It was my dream to visit this place! Just by seeing it from outside was impressive. If you feel like, you can also visit inside but you’ll have to pay. Nevertheless, it does worth it!
the Pantheon The visit is free, and I highly recommend you to go there! It is so beautiful!
the Trevi Fountain I recommend you to go there early as it is usually a crowded place. Even if there are a lot of visitors, I would say that’s something you need to see once in your life.
Spanish stairs Honestly… I didn’t really get the point… haha
Borghese Villa It is a large garden with a beautiful view over the city. We loved to visit there as a break during our day full of places to visit. It was so relaxing. You can also rent small cars to visit fully visit and enjoy the park. The garden entrance is free, however you have to pay for the cars rental.
La Bocca della Verità We only saw it from outside as there was a looooong queue to put our hands in the mouth. It is a free and very touristic activity. According to the myth, this sculpture can guess if you are telling lies. So, if you say a lie while having your hand into the mouth, it will close on your hand!
The Vatican Vatican is a small independent country of 44 hectares. We chose the 3-hours long visit with a guide, and we discovered all the little details. You have to pay for guided visits, and the price depends on what kind of visit you choose. We booked our visit on Get Your Guide. The guide spoke French, it was highly useful in order to understand everything. If you search on the website, you will surely find a guide who can speak your language.
Corsini Palace It is a small palace which was owned by the Sweden Queen during the 17th century. It is full of pieces of art: paintings, sculptures… The ticket costs 12€. To be honest, only a small part of the palace is open to the visit, so even if all the pieces of art are impressive, I think that the price is a bit too expensive.
My opinion about Rome : love at first sight! I better understand the concept of ‘Dolce Vita’ now that I visited all these small cafes, bars and restaurants. It is so nice to take time to visit, drink a coffee… Moreover, the weather is so nice during summer time, and you can visit only by walking. There are a lot of lovely shops, high quality products,… There are a lot of cultural aspects within the city, and I absolutely loved that. More than being beautiful, it is extremely rich in discoveries. I’m sure about something: I’ll go visit other cities in Italy!
I hope this article would have helped you, and make you want to discover Italy! Do not hesitate to ask questions in the comments section, and share your experience.
Follow Florine:
.png)