Rome is by far the most beautiful city I have ever visited. Every corner you turn round there is something utterly amazing, it is a complete feast for the eyes. Before visiting I of course knew that it would be a very aesthetically pleasing place, but everything is even more incredible in real life. Italy is one of my favourite countries, so I was excited to be visiting an Italian city. Myself, my boyfriend and parents visited for 3 nights to celebrate my 21st Birthday. I got the choice of where we went, and Rome is somewhere I have ALWAYS wanted to go, so that's where it had to be! It didn't disappoint, with the amazing scenery, beautiful weather, and incredible food... what more could you want in a city break?
Here's what I got up to whilst there (be prepared for lots of photos)...
The Apartment
We stayed in the lovely area of Monti, which was a 10 minute walk from the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain. It was a less touristy area, with lots of lovely classically Italian restaurants and lots of boutique shops. It was very conveniently placed, with easy walking routes to the main attractions. I couldn't recommend this apartment more. It was beautifully decorated, a very modern apartment inside a beautiful old building. We booked it through booking.com, and stayed in the two-bedroom apartment with terrace. I was glad we stayed in an apartment rather than a hotel, as it felt like we got to live the Italian lifestyle for a few days. With a supermarket around the corner we could wake up and have some brunch on our lovely roof terrace, something you don't necessarily get with a hotel.
Trevi Fountain
Undeniably one of the most beautiful sights in Rome, if not the most. It really is even more magnificent when you're stood right in front of it. It almost seemed surreal, you're walking down a normal street and all of a sudden it pops out of nowhere. I can imagine it would be amazing to visit at sunrise or sunset. Even if you're in Rome for one day, definitely put visiting the Trevi Fountain in your itinerary.
Spanish Steps
A lovely area in Rome, with more beautiful churches and fountains. It's worth the sweaty climb to the top to see the view. There was a bar at the top of the steps which looked like a good stopping point for a drink, to soak up the lovely views. We didn't have time to stop, but it's a good one to know about as everyone loves a bar with a good view. The church, Trinita dei Monti, at the top of the steps is open to visit, however be aware that you must cover your shoulders and knees.
Almost directly across from the Spanish Steps there is the shopping street known for it's high-end stores. If you're feeling like you wanna splash some cash, then that's where you want to head!
The Vatican
We pre-booked a 3 hour tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica through City Wonders. The tour was really well organised, and meant that we got to skip all the queues which made a big difference. There was around 10-15 people per group, so it was quite personal. Although the tour guide was helpful in giving an insight into different sculptures, buildings and artwork, I personally found the tour dragged a bit and was much more artsy than I thought it would be. If you're a big history of art lover, then you will really enjoy this tour. But I found myself leaving with unanswered questions about the Vatican in general. I would suggest pre-booking tickets to skip the lines, but if you're not a massive art lover then just walk the museum etc. by yourself. I realise I sound very negative and like I didn't enjoy it, which isn't the case. It was an amazing building to walk around, I just found myself much more interested in the architecture than the artwork. There were also so many beautiful tiles around, which any blogger loves! If you're in Rome it is definitely worth a visit, just maybe consider whether or not a tour is for you.
St. Peter's Basilica
This does really fall under the Vatican, however when there I felt like it was a whole different attraction by itself. Obviously this is one of the most famous Churches in Rome, and it really lived up to it's expectations. It was huge, and so amazingly decorated. Alike the church at the top of the Spanish steps, you must make sure your shoulders and knees are covered for both the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica. If not, they simply won't let you in. And if you're in the Vatican you definitely don't want to miss out on viewing this incredible church.
The Colosseum
We visited the Colosseum on my Birthday as I knew it would be one of the most exciting things to see. It truly is amazing! We pre-booked tickets online through the official website, which was super easy. It allowed us to skip the extremely long queues and get inside in about 5 minutes. We couldn't quite figure out why everyone else hadn't done the same? The Colosseum was unbelievable, you don't quite realise how vast and magnificent it is until you're stood inside. I personally didn't find we needed a tour guide to go around it, but I guess if you want more in-depth information then it's worth doing. However, there are information boards dotted around. It's an obvious must-see when visiting Rome!
The Roman Forum & Ruins
There are several ruins situated around the centre of Rome, but of course the main ones are found at the Roman Forum site. It's pretty spectacular, and really allows you to envisage what Rome used to be like. As you wonder around there are lots of signs that provide you with information. I believe you can pay and actually walk amongst the Forum, but we just observed it all from the pathway that goes around it. It's all very close to the Colosseum, so definitely head there afterwards.
A Couple Quick Stops...
The Pantheon
Altare della Patria
Shopping
As I said, there is the shopping street right across from the Spanish Steps called Via dei Condotti, full of lots of covetable high-end brands. If you're a little more like myself and high-street stores are more in budget, do not fear there are plenty of those! The main shopping street in Rome, Via del Corso, has all the great high-street shops. Look out for the five floor Zara!
Food & Drink
I think it's pretty hard to find a restaurant in Rome that'll disappoint you. Italian food is by far my favourite, and there are hundreds of restaurants around. You'll never struggle to find somewhere to eat! I recommend staying away from the tourist trap areas, as you'll pay a lot more for food. There were lots of lovely restaurants around the Monti area, where we were staying. We found them to appear much more family run and more rustic than the ones in the touristy areas.
One night we ate at a restaurant called Gli Angeletti. We had great food and the service was really good, we were even given limoncello shots at the end of our meal. This is the perfect restaurant if you want a classic Italian meal in a rustic environment. The same night we headed to a cocktail bar after dinner, called Dow Jones. We didn't know anything about it, it was just conveniently placed across from our apartment and looked lovely inside, so we thought we'd take a look. If you're a big gin lover, then this is the bar for you! They had over 50 different gins, which is really rare to find in Rome as it is so expensive over there. We all had amazing cocktails, some of which were improvised and not even on the menu. They ranged between €12-€15, quite pricey but reflected in the craftsmanship and deliciousness.
On the second night we ate at a restaurant called Il Girasole at the bottom of our road, having looked up reviews it seemed pretty good. Once again the food couldn't be faulted, and it was really well priced. It's your standard Italian restaurant, serving lovely food in a casual setting.
On the last night it was actually my 21st Birthday, therefore we had already planned to go out for a more special meal in a more special restaurant. We actually got the recommendation off of our apartment host, as we knew it would be good to ask someone who lives in the area. The restaurant was called Ar Galletto, about 10 minutes from the Piazza Navona area. It was around a more busy area, but the restaurant itself was quite tucked away so we weren't surrounded by tourists. The food was amazing (small tip: share a starter) which was reflected in the price. But as we were celebrating, we knew that we wanted to splurge a bit more on this meal. If you like to eat at more expensive restaurants regularly, then you should visit this one. Or if you're visiting Rome for a special occasion like I did, then this is the perfect restaurant to eat at.
Rome was everything I expected and more. I couldn't recommend it enough to anyone. There is so much to do, even walking around the beautiful streets is exciting enough. Sorry for the excessive amount of photos, I honestly couldn't pick between them all! I must've taken about 4,000, as every corner you turned around there really was something amazing to look at. By making it a very image based post, I hope I have given you a good insight into Rome. I'd be surprised if you don't want to book a holiday there immediately!
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