Hello takealookers!
I guess I don't need to tell you that Rome is absolutely beautiful, what I do need to tell you, though, is that it's packed with tourist. When in Rome...just stay away from the city centre :) I guess that's what any Roman would tell you. I know it's impossible to do so when you go for a touristy visit, but honestly, brace yourself.
I visited Rome around 6th of April, I'd say this was the most perfect time for a visit, it was right after Easter holidays, and just before summer season has started, meaning - less tourists. Apparently, the billion people I've seen there is what's considered only a few tourists. How do I know this, well, I managed to, relatively easily, get into the Colosseum and Vatican without preordering the tickets. The wait was less then on hour long, which, according to what my online research told me, is no wait at all. Basically I broke one rule all tourist guides have - preordering the tickets for the major sites.
I'll probably invite a s**t storm here, but visiting Vatican Museum, for me at least, is something I'd gladly have omitted from my trip. Now, let me explain the reasoning behind it. Basically, it is almost impossible to appreciate and enjoy all the beauty Vatican Museum holds when all you can actually see is backs of people's heads, catch my drift? It was literally impossible to see anything while pushing through the crowd, let alone, experience the whole atmosphere in the Sistine Chapel. To be fair, if it wasn't for the Sistine Chapel I'd have felt extremely frustrated by my visit to the Vatican. The beauty of the Sistine Chapel is undeniable, it's definitely the most fascinating work of art I've seen in my life, so pushing through a river of tourist was worth it.
My visit to the Colosseum was, I dare say, more enjoyable, however, the mistake we've made was not booking a guided tour. I believe that your experience and the impression of the Colosseum would be largely improved by a guided tour that would let you imagine all the magnificent things that took place there, otherwise you're stuck looking at the ruins, recalling the Gladiator and staring at your phone trying to learn more. Word of advice - book a tour. :)
A wonderful thing about Rome is that most of the major tourist attractions are in the walking distance. You'll be able to enjoy a brief outside look of the main sites, such as, the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, Vatican, Pantheon, Palatine Hill in one day. Note that I said "a brief look" naturally if you'd like to do a more detailed exploration, one day wouldn't be enough. I stayed in Rome for total of 4 days, which for me was more than enough. However, I do believe that you could easily spend moths in Rome enjoying it's beauty, it's history and amazing sites. Trevi Fountain would leave you speechless, you'll definitely enjoy chilling on the Spanish Steps, but I do believe you'd appreciate equally just taking in wonderful, slightly run down look of buildings in Rome.
Where to stay in Rome? Now this one is a tough one, it's clearly easier to stay in the city centre, you'll reach all the sites on foot, however, be prepared for the non-stop clamour of people and traffic, also be prepared to pay a rather hefty sum. We've opted out for staying a bit away from the city centre, in the 12th district of Rome, Gianicolense. It's located in the hills of Rome in a more residential area which allowed us to understand a bit better the local culture and way of life. We had a pleasure of staying in a lovely villa Calasetto 210 where we enjoyed a stunning view, lovely apartment with a beautiful pool and some peace and quiet. The villa was located 20min ride from the city centre, city was easy to reach, but I won't lie, Roman public transport sucks. I guess your choice will depend on your budget and what matters to you, peace and quite or being in the midst of things.
And finally let's go to food portion of this post, now, when in Rome, don't count calories, don't bother being vegan, just eat your pizza, pasta and gelato and get some stretchy pants. Also, when in Rome, don't eat in the city centre, it's not gonna be necessarily bad, but you'll overpay for sure. Explore and eat with the locals. We had a wonderful recommendation from a local to visit Trastevere area of Rome and we loved it. It was packed with locals and with little restaurants that served fantastic and affordable food. My favourite was Carlo Menta, a small, completely crazy restaurant serving fantastic local food. There, I witnessed a group of locals enjoying a 5 course meal!!! I've never seen that before, antipasto was followed by a pasta, then pizza, a meat dish and a dessert! If I ate like that, I'd weigh a ton! Guess what, they were skinny as they can be!!! How's that possible? Oh those Italians!!!
Alright takealookers, that's it for our virtual toor.
Find time in you busy schedules to visit this amazing city and allow yourself to eat all the pizza and pasta you can, like a real Roman.
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