Rome

Ciao e benvunto a Paige’s Posts, Italy edition! Tyler and I are visiting five cities in Italy this trip and I will be dedicating a blog post to each one. Click subscribe and get notified when each city is posted!

Rome – Florence – Venice – Cinque Terre (Vernazza) – Milan

Andiamo, let’s go!

Travel to Rome

We took an overnight flight out of Newark (much cheaper than Philly) and flew direct to Rome (Leonardo da Vinci - Fiumicino International Airport). Currently, you must be vaccinated or provide proof of a negative covid test in order to enter Italy. Surprisingly, we were not asked to show our vaccine cards before getting on the plane. However, a flight attendant announced halfway through boarding that only KN95 masks were allowed on the plane and we only had N95 masks. This prompted a mad dash by Tyler through the airport where he encountered one broken mask vending machine and a woman selling masks for $15 cash (which we did not have). When a man in line behind Tyler heard Tyler offer venmo, he immediately jumped around him and bought the last three masks this woman had. Tyler checked three other stores before he found one selling the masks we needed. I was nearly in tears by the time he returned, after I watched the entire flight board and convinced myself we were going to miss our flight because we had the wrong masks (that was not in the “Travel Ready” portal United -_-). Fortunately, the rest of our flight was uneventful. We arrived at 7:40 AM, breezed through customs (the fastest I have ever been through customs in any country) and made our way to a taxi stand outside the airport.

Travel from Airport to Central Rome & Info on Taxis

There are a few ways to get from the airport into the main city – bus, train, and taxi. Since we had a long night of travel, and our Airbnb was 20-30 minutes from the closest train station, we decided to “splurge” and spend extra to get a Taxi. White, metered taxis, that are registered in Rome (not Fiumicino), are required to charge a set rate of 50 euros (as of publishing this) for trips from the airport into the Aurelian walls in Rome (this includes four people and luggage). A taxi registered in Fiumicino is allowed to charge by the meter which can result in a much higher fare. That being said, though our taxi driver was registered in Rome, he definitely tried to take advantage of us being tourists and ran the meter instead of charging the flat rate. The resulting fare was 55 euro. He then added five euros because of “traffic.” In the grand scheme of things, an extra 10 euro is not a big deal but I, like most people, do not appreciate being taken advantage of. I was also running on no sleep from the night before and was understandably cranky. So, I did my best to haggle and saved us a whopping three euros... >D

His card machine was also “broken.” Some drivers don’t like to take card so if you don’t have cash or don’t want to use it, make sure your driver is ok with using card before you leave. In general, I think we probably just got unlucky with our driver. But if you’re also taking a taxi from the airport, confirm the set price before you get into the car. Worst case scenario, you get charged a couple extra bucks like we did.

One other thing I will mention on taxis, itTaxi is a great app to have when you are in Italy. It is basically uber for Italian taxis. It's easy to use, you can pay by card directly through the app, and you can request a taxi wherever you are instead of finding a taxi stand. You will rarely be able to hail a taxi from the street - your best bet is to wait at a taxi stand (big orange signs with "taxi") or use the app.

Day 1

Our Airbnb wasn’t available to check in until 1 PM so we hung out at a local café in the main square until we could drop off our bags at 10:30 AM. It was a beautiful morning and great way to kick back, enjoy an espresso and cornetto (croissant) and watch people walk by on their way to work.

After we dropped our bags, we wandered around and took in the city. Our Airbnb was about two minutes away from the Pantheon, a former roman temple, now a church. I originally intended for us to follow a self-guided walking tour I found online, but we had more fun wandering. At 1 PM, we met our Airbnb host, climbed the 5 flights of stairs to our apartment (phew) and were met with a charming, modern apartment with a great view of the bustling street below.

Airbnb in Rome.

We had an hour before we had to leave for our Colosseum tour so we changed clothes, took a quick nap and then headed out the door. Our tour was three hours long and included all three levels of the Colosseum plus the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. I highly recommend taking a guided tour, particularly of the Roman Forum. Without a guide, we wouldn’t have had a clue what we were looking at. At the recommendation of a friend (thank you, Renee!) we booked a tour that included access to the gladiator's arena and dungeons. This was easily Tyler’s favorite part of our stay in Rome. Walking beneath the arena made it much easier to visualize gladiators preparing for battle. You could almost hear the roar of the lions that were kept in cages before being lifted into the arena via a manual elevator (operated by slaves). It was fascinating and stomach turning picturing some of the stories. Despite what we are shown in movies, most gladiator fights did not end in death. However there was plenty of carnage for the crowds...the animal fights typically took place first, followed by criminal executions where people were tied up in the middle of the arena and fed to the lions/tigers that fought there. Yikes. You can check out the tour we did here.

After our tour, we walked back towards our Airbnb and stopped for dinner along the way (pasta, of course) before getting to bed early. I have a detailed section on food recommendations below but one thing that surprised me was how inexpensive the food was in Rome. A typical pasta dish was generally 8 - 12 euros and wherever we went it was delicious. The most we spent on a meal was 70 euro and that included water (which you pay for), two appetizers, two entrees, and two desserts. This also included the standard 2.50 euro a person for seating.

Day 2

Our second day in Rome started promptly at 7 AM. We walked about 30 minutes from our Airbnb to St. Peter’s Basilica for a 5.5 hour tour beginning at 7:45 AM. Rome is not an early city and the streets were empty on our walk, something I really enjoyed. There is something special about seeing the city before it wakes up. And quite the culture shock for us when we realized the work day seems to start closer to 9/9:30. Can we adopt these slow mornings in the U.S.? I highly recommend booking reserved tickets and touring sites first thing in the morning. Temperatures are more manageable (Rome heats up quickly!) and the lines are a breeze.

This tour took us through St. Peter’s Basilica and included the Dome. This was my favorite part of our time in Rome and I highly recommend touring the Dome. This is not included in the basic St. Peter’s Basilica ticket so if you are interested in doing this, make sure you get the ticket that includes this or buy it separately. Climbing the Dome is definitely a workout so be sure to wear comfortable shoes. The stairwells also get pretty narrow towards the end (see pics below) so may not be for you if you're very claustrophobic (however, I usually am and I was fine). You will be rewarded with stunning views and get up close to amazing mosaics. The artwork in the pictures below of the dome ceiling are mosaics, not paintings! Hard to believe, right? Lastly, if my opinion isn’t enough to convince you to tour the Dome…you know who else enjoys it? Jason Momoa. Can you spot him in our pictures?*

*Hint for Jason: check out the man in the pink floral scarf coming down the Dome steps in the first photo.

Know who else likes the Basilica (and maybe works there?) Our “friend” from the airport. Remember the man from Newark airport who rudely bypassed Tyler and bought the rest of the masks? Evidently he is a monk! We saw him in the Basilica in the garb worn by Franciscan Friars. Not a very charitable Friar is he?

After we completed our visit of St. Peter’s Basilica, we took a break for lunch before reconvening with our group to tour the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. The museums and chapels here are overwhelmingly decorative. It seems like every inch of the interior is ornately carved or covered in stunning mosaics or paintings.

Day 3

Our third and final day in Rome we did something a little different and depending on how squeamish you are, something I think is worth checking out. Definitely off the beaten path and a unique experience! We met our guide, Divan, at the Triton Fountain in Piazza Barberini and walked from there to the Capuchin Crypts, also known as Rome's Bone Chapel. This chapel contains six crypts, decorated with the bones (yes, actual human bones) of 4,000 Capuchin Monks.

A little backstory for you - the Franciscan religion was founded by St. Francis of Assisi after he spent many years partying, womanizing, and spending the money of his wealthy merchant father. Despite his riches, Francis was unhappy. He decided he would go to battle and bring glory to his village and his family. Naturally, as the son of a rich man, he was sent off with much pomp and circumstance with a parade and a full suit of gold armor. Unsurprisingly, Francis did not last a day in battle before he was captured and a ransom note was sent to his father. However, he spent over a year in prison as his father, in the way of the Romans, would not pay the full amount and began negotiating for his son's life. It was during his time in prison that Francis began hearing a voice telling him to repair the Christian Church and live a life of poverty. Francis did not immediately renounce the riches of his father (there was another battle and parade for him, and a stint touring as a merchant) but in time, came to dedicate himself to a life of poverty and ultimately founded the Franciscan religion.

The idea of dedicating your life to poverty was a radical idea at the time, as the Christian Church and the people leading it were tremendously wealthy (just look a the photos of the cathedrals above!). Franciscans, in their quest to embrace poverty, would not own property, so they did not have a single church in which to practice. This resulted in a nomadic lifestyle where they would tour village to village, set up camp for a few months, and then move on. However, they could not leave their dead behind, so each time they moved on, their dead were exhumed and carted off to the next place. Eventually, they were gifted a church in Rome (which is what we viewed on our tour) and the bones of their dead were brought with them and eventually used to decorate the church. The message is not meant to be a gruesome one (though you can make of it what you will). Rather, it is a reminder that no matter who you are, young/old, rich/poor, no one can escape death. There is an inscription in marble in one of the crypts that sums it up well: "What you are, we once were. What we are, you will become." Photos aren't allowed but you can see a few in the description of the tour we took here.

After the crypts, we took a taxi to the Basilica of St. Clemente, an archaeological record of the history of Rome from the beginning of Christianity down to the early foundations of Rome. Here we learned Rome is truly the lasagna of Italy. Rome was subject to severe flooding so whenever homes or buildings were destroyed, they were filled in and built on top of. Over time, the floor level of Rome rose and was literally built on top of historic buildings. Because of this, whenever you dig in Rome, you are almost guaranteed to unearth an archaeological site. The Basilica of St. Clemente is clear evidence of this - a 12th century Basilica built on top of a 4th century Basilica, built on top of a 2nd century Temple of Mythros, built on top of a 1st century Roman Apartment block. Many people pass by or even walk into this Basilica without realizing the layers of history underneath it.

After the tour, we took a taxi back to where we met the guide and near where we had stored our bags for the day. At the recommendation of our driver, we stopped for lunch at Signorvino. Now, I know vino means wine, so I knew this restaurant would likely involve wine but I figured, we are in Italy, everywhere serves wine. However, I underestimated how much emphasis this restaurant placed on wine. It was actually connected to a wine store and they offered a discount if you purchased the wine with the intent to drink it in the restaurant. They also provided a free first glass which I quickly and rather awkwardly refused, something I don’t think happens very frequently based on their insistence that it was free. The waiters also all wore shirts that said, “save water, drink wine” on the back. I didn’t love the drinking cliches back when I did drink. I detest them now. I mean really, is there anything more tacky?

Despite being surrounded by wine and shirts that encourage you to drink wine, we actually had a nice meal and the food did not disappoint. But, if wine is triggering for you, probably would avoid this restaurant if you visit (avoiding a restaurant called Mr. Wine? Groundbreaking, I know).

After lunch, we collected our bags from the very sketchy looking laundromat where we stored them for the day (and where Tyler's duffle bag was returned very wet - apparently cleaning was included but the dryer was extra ;) - and walked around aimlessly (and stressed) trying to find a taxi to take us to the train station. We caught a high speed train from Termini Station to Santa Maria Novella station in Florence.

Everything I read in my research said you can do Rome in two days, three days max. However, we could easily have spent four or five days here. There is so much to see and do! As the saying goes, Rome wasn't built in a day...

Food Tips & Resturanta Recommendations

Everywhere we ate was fantastic but here are some general tips and places we visited/were recommended by locals. Thanks again to Renee for recommending #3 - 10!

1. Be wary of restaurants immediately surrounding tourist attractions. It's not always the case, but frequently these will charge more and the quality may not be as good.

2. Rome is known for its carbonara so be sure to try this while you're here!

3. Il Chianti - near the Trevi fountain. We got their prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella starter followed by pizza and truffle gnocchi.

4. Pepe Verde - in Trieste. Try the pumpkin truffle gnocchi.

5. Tonnarello - expect a line but worth the wait. Also a great area to walk around.

6. Trattoria da Enzo 29

7. Roscioli Salumeria Con Cucina

8. Dar Filattero a Santa Barbara

9. Nonna Betta

10. Seu Pizza Illuminati

General Tips for Italy

1. Pack light! You will thank yourself when you are dragging your bag over cobblestones, small side walks, and through crowds. We spent 16 days in Italy, saw five cities, and limited baggage to one carry on suitcase, a small backpack, and a purse.

2. Wear comfortable shoes. Seriously, leave the fashionable heels at home. Most days we walked 10-13 miles. A light day was 5-6 miles and this only happened on travel days between cities when we spent more time on trains.

3. Contrary to popular belief, jeans, a t-shirt, and trendy (COMFORTABLE) sneakers are quite normal in Italy. Comfort > style, even for the locals. Italians appreciate dressing nice, not necessarily dressing up. You are more likely to stick out as a tourist if you are overdressed everywhere you go.

4. Carry your passport and covid card with you – museums and attractions sometimes ask for ID and for your vaccination card (even though green pass is no longer required). Bottom line is, you never know when you will need it so it’s best to have it on you. And remember, you are in a different county so a U.S. driver’s license means nothing to them.

5. Beware of pickpockets. Avoid keeping your phone or valuables in your pockets and carry a purse with a zipper top. I brought a bag with a zipper top and a zipped inside pocket for our passports and covid cards. Tourist attractions and lines for attractions are the most commonly targeted areas.

6. Book train tickets ahead of time and print them out to avoid stress over data or phones not working.

7. Do not exchange money in the airport – these have the highest fees and longest lines. You are better off withdrawing money at an ATM.

Did you visit any of the places above? Let me know! I would love to hear about your travels. And, if you’re interested in learning more about traveling in Italy, subscribe below and get notified when future posts on the rest of the trip are available! For more photos, check out my instagram, @thesobertraveler_

Arrivederci!

-PNM