We are so happy you are going to Rome and that you will be able to spend time enjoying one of Italy's most romantic, historic and beautiful cities. Below are some recs we have sent to our friends: 

 

For an abbreviated version of our Roman recommendations, we created a google map. Download the map to your phone so you don't get screwed on data charges while traveling internationally: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1oka0NVU3RepAXvp9TfPwK0DRytw&usp=sharing

 

). Many of these http://www.agriturismo.it/en/Not sure if your itinerary is set but one of our favorite things in Italy to do as a tourist is rent a car and stay at an agritourism (agritourisms are basically villas on gorgeous family farms where you can have authentic meals made from fresh produce, drink homemade wine, and feel connected with the people and the land while not worrying about the traffic and chaos of the big cities. 

 

Rome is our favorite city so take a look at the below, we know it's a lot. If you want to eat with a local family we would be happy to ask some local friends if they are interested in hosting you for a meal one night at their place probably around 40-50 euros total, for a true Roman meal with appetizers, a first course, second course, sides, and dessert with wine and limoncello. We can expand on any of the below items if you'd like.

 

Do As The Romans Do:

 

For an authentic, romantic, and no stress Roman night simply go the Trastevere or Testaccio area at 8 PMish, walk around, take in the scenes and choose a restaurant that feels right or follow our recs. Once you pick a restaurant you must try either the Pasta with Carbonara or Amatriciana Sauce (Sometimes read as all’matriciana). Order the house red (Una Bottiglia Rossa di Casa), simply sit outside (Ai fuori), and take in the atmosphere. Next you should take an after dinner walk (una passegiata) to a gelateria. Below are some of our recommended dishes and spots.

 

Roman Foods: Most of these are typical to Rome

 

1. Bucatini All'Amatriciana (pancetta and tomato sauce pasta with a little kick sometimes)

Pasta 2. alla Carbonara (egg, cheese, and pancetta pasta)

Pasta con 3. cacio e pepe (cheese and black pepper pasta)

Pasta 4. alla Gricia (pancetta and cheese pasta)

5. Suppli (fried rice balls with tomato sauce and mozzarella that you can order at any pizzeria)

Pizza a 6. taglia (they have pizza made and you choose how big or small you want them to cut it.) Rome is famous for Potato Pizza (Pizza con patate), sounds heavy but it is delicious.

Saltimbocca 7. alla Romana (veal, prosciutto, and sage leave deliciousness)

8. Granita di Caffe - Not typical Roman but famous in Rome: Near Pantheon is a place called Tazzo d'Oro (https://goo.gl/maps/4rzYqeBCjBk) they are known for their "granita di caffe" a delicious coffee ice. Eat it with panna (or whipped cream)

9. Carciofi Romani: Roman style artichokes grilled in olive oil, sprinkled with parsley. Delicious.

10. Carciofi alla giudia: Jewish style artichokes deep fried and only found at places in Roman's jewish ghetto

11. Obviously morning Cappuccinos or Espressos with a cornetto aka crossant

12. Bread: This place Roscioli has some of the best Roman bread made with sourdough, natural yeast (We can go on for days about the difference): Link to G Map

 

 

Best Gelato: Look for Ice Cream Cones on my google map

Fatamorgana - Watch our Video

Maria and her crew truly do everything from their heart and you can taste it in their gelato. They focus on every detail from making the most incredible complex flavors to perfecting the most simple ones! We tried over 30 flavors each one better than the next. Each and every flavor is made with the raw ingredients of that flavor then turned into gelato to enhance the taste! This is true gelato. The only difficulty is choosing which flavors you will enjoy during your visit. They have 4 locations so find one closest to you and go!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fatamorgana.Gelaterie

Website:  http://www.gelateriafatamorgana.it/

 

Restaurants:

 

1. La Tavernaccia - Via Giovanni da Castel Bolognese, 63

http://www.latavernaccia.com/

“Family style, true Roman experience”

Run by a family, and located off the beaten path from the traditional trastevere and testaccio neighborhoods, it is definitely worth it to venture off to the wood fired restaurant that has been opened since 1968. The roasted sucking pig was the most delicious I've had and both the amatriciana and a special tonnarelli with eggplant and artichokes were made in true Roman form. Chef Giuseppe and his daughters truly care about your satisfaction. Yes you can find cheaper restaurants but the extra 1-2 euro you pay per plate makes all the difference in quality.

 

2. Impiccetta
https://www.facebook.com/Impiccetta-595652993900972/
Big portions, delicious food, traditional and very friendly staff. This is a newer restaurant that maintains old Roman traditions. It focuses on friendliness and keeping customers full.
 

3. Taverna Romana (Monti 79 - might be the name on the door)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/La-Taverna-Romana/190256354346589

Via della Madonna dei Monti, 79, 00184 Roma, Italy
Great family owned restaurant serving delicious traditional foods and sourced from top quality producers. This may be Anthony's favorite pasta that he ate in Rome (he orderedg allaricia) and he's eaten a ton of pasta. Everything is great, we loved the lamb especially. 

 

4. Meridionale Restaurant

http://www.meridionaletrastevere.com/

Traditional Roman Food with a Naples twist meaning bigger portions and more sauce for you to wipe off of your plate with bread. Found in a hidden alleyway this quaint, charming and small restaurant is run by a friendly staff with a Neapolitan chef.
 

5 . Sora Margherita:

aYou must go here to try the Carciofi Romani and Carciofi . This restaurant is located in the Jewish Ghetto of Rome and they mastered these artichoke dishes!! We also tried the cacio e pepe there which was really good!lla giudia

 

https://plus.google.com/105411136909489680463/about?gl=us&hl=en

 

6. Go to Trastevere or Testaccio and walk around until you find a place of your liking. These neighborhoods are charming so you will not be upset with any choice in these areas and it is not as expensive as the very touristy areas.

 

7. These two bloggers are known for their food recs: http://anamericaninrome.com/wp/

and http://katieparla.com/ who also has an app

 

g piuPizza -  Pizza in Rome is thin and usually bought by the cut meaning you tell them how big or small you want ( o piu piccolo). order it to eat there (mangiamo qui) or to take away (portare via) Look for Italian chefs and make sure to try suppli :) rando

 

Pizzeria Da Simone. Via Giacinto Carini, 50, 00152

Great pizza variety. Run by a really nice owner who keeps the quality high. I loved this place when I studied in Rome but it is a little of the beaten path. Trip Advisor Link If you go here get the pizza to go and stroll to Gianicolo Park where you will get the best view of Rome and can have a romantic picnic. The pizza is amazing but so are their side vegetables in case you want to have a little balance :)

 

- voted Pizzariumbest pizza in Rome. We loved everything we tried here especially because they make the dough the right way.

 http://pizzarium-us.com/ near the Vatican, they only use top quality products and natural yeast to slow rise their dough, highly recommend

 

Alice: This is a pizza chain that serves delicious quality pizza so if you want to grab a quick slice, and there is one of these in the area, this is a great safety choice

 

Things to see/do:

1. Trevi Fountain. Free to see but it's tradition to throw coins over you shoulder into the water for the good fortune to return to Rome

2. Coliseum (you must pay to enter but to get a real perspective of how massive it is you will need to go inside)

3. Arch of Constantine: Next to the Coliseum and free to see

(next to the Roman Forum4. coliseum but not free to enter anymore, it is a bunch of ruins so unless you are a true history buff, this is probably not worth it to enter just peer in from the outside)

5. Victor Emmanuel Building and Trajan's Column: Also called the birthday cake building, massive white structure in the middle of Rome. Near Coliseum

6. Spanish Steps: Tons of people hang out here and its a must do on a trip to Rome, Cool boat fountain in front made by the Famous Bernini

7. Pantheon. Wonder of the world and free (see more under churches)

8. Walk along the Tevere River across the bridge to Viale di Trastevere and then go down the stairs to the river side

9. Vatican City and Castel Sant' Angelo

c10. Piazza del Popolo. You can walk straight from the Victor Emmanuel Building on Via del Corso and arrive at this square that has a famous church (see hurchs) and twin churches

w11. Villa Borghese - a large park her you can rent bikes or just walk around

Campo 12. dei Fiori: There is a market here during the morning and in the center is a statue of a man named Bruno who was killed because he never denounced the heliocentric theory

12. The giancolo view is spectacular, off the beaten path, and sort of near my favorite pizza place Pizzeria da Simone. https://goo.gl/maps/SWrUzFXFXRv

Fontana maybe the most beautiful big piazza's in Rome. Bernini once again dominated with his Piazza Navona -13. dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers)

14.Church tours are a lot of fun if you are interested in religion, history and architecture.

 

o**To note: The more you walk and get lost the less you regret having an extra pizza or bowl of pasta. Walk everywhere you are literally in an pen air museum, enter random piazzas and churches, take a seat on a bridge/fountain/stairs or grab a drink at numerous places and people watch.

 

Churches/Art/Museums:

Every church is free to enter and there are churches on every street. Each and every church have great works of art but obviously some more than others. My favorite artist is Caravaggio. He uses a technique called chiaroscuro meaning he employs the light and darkness to tell the story. Don’t miss out on his paintings especially the free ones in the following places:

d1. The ‘’Calling of Saint Mark” is at the church called San Luigi ei Francesi which is near Piazza Navona.  FREE TO ENTER

2.  Madonna del Loreto at Sant' Agostino Church. Also near Piazza Navona. FREE TO ENTER

The ” and "Conversion of Saint Paul3. The “crucification of St. Peter" are both located in Santa Maria Del Popolo in Piazza Del Popolo. FREE TO ENTER

 

Churches: 

1. St. Peter's Church aka the Vatican. To enter is free after you pass through the security. Michelangelo's Pieta is there in all of its beauty. Once you enter on the right. It is a marble sculpture of "the pity" aka of Mary holding dead Jesus. The rest of the church is ornately designed and it is breathtaking and grandiose from an art form (you really see how rich the church is)

2. Pantheon: this is technically a church. One of the most incredible buildings and an ancient wonder. The famous Renaissance artist, Raphael, is buried here so check out his tomb. There will be tons of people hanging around this area. 

3. Santa Maria Maggiore

4. Santa Maria in Trastevere

5. Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo (where they have Raphael, Caravaggio and Bernini art)

6. Santa Maria Sopra Minerva

7. Basilica of San Clemente

8. San Giovanni in Laterano

 

 

Paid Art:

v1. Obviously you must visit the Vatican Museums (home of The Sistine Chapel). You definitely should book a tour for this because you will save time from waiting on a really long line and you will be able to get better information than just aimlessly looking around. If you are really into art and doing your own research, or if you just want to discover it without a guide, don't book a tour but make sure to get there extra early, get a guide book of the atican museum and you can literally spend all day here as the pope harbored so many magnificent pieces.   My favorites murals are found in the Vatican Museum but they are not the Sistine Chapel they are the Raphael Rooms (I hear that some tours do not include these rooms so if you book a tour make sure they take you there! This is my favorite artwork of all time) Sistine Chapel: The most famous painting of all time perhaps. This includes the ceiling where God creates Man, and the wall of "The Last Judgement"

*On Sundays the Pope holds mass and on Wednesday the Pope says hi to the people in the crowd so traffic/security will be higher on these days.

2.The Borghese Gallery probably has the next best full collection of artwork and it is in the "central park" of Rome. If you are going to pay to go to a museum, this is #2 after the Vatican.

 

High End Shopping

1. Via del Corso ( a main street in the heart of Rome)

2. The area near the Spanish Steps.

 

Raining

pIf it’s raining don’t be deterred, the is a hole in the top so consider yourself lucky to be there :)antheon is one of the most spectacular sites in the rain because their

 

Places to stay:

We usually stay with our friend in the nearby town of Frascati but we have stayed at the following

1. Lungotevere Hotel (http://booking.com/d4e88fd8a3a769f9) because we love the location, the rooms are standard, but most importantly, they have a full gym including spinning and other classes so helpful to keep that pasta and gelato weight off

2. Our friend, Cristina's brother rents out his place and it is a very nice studio in a very good location. Plus if you can combine this with a meal at Misa and Cristina's you will be in Roman food heaven. http://www.wimdu.com/offers/A7AQICRV?city=Via+Lusitania%2C+4%2C+00183+Roma%2C+Italy&distance=5&guests=2&lat=41.87617&lng=12.503730000000019&min_bedrooms=1&per_page=25&sort_by=score#offer-reviewsOur 

a3. If you don't mind sharing an apartment and you are interested in meeting some cool locals, you should stay at this irbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/8008598 these girls are really friendly and constantly out and about so would be able to show you some nightlife/the local scene. 

a4. Another great part of Rome to stay in is Monti. Monti is near many of the sites plus some great food places. Here is a nice irbnb we stayed in one time: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/13402868?guests=2&adults=2

 

Frascati: Outside of Rome an easy 30 minute train ride: 

Our favorite place to stay because it is a very charming town that has locals, great restaurants, and great wine that they produce locally. If you are in Rome for a long time it definitely makes sense to either stay here for a night or come for a half day trip via train. You won't regret it.

 

Nightlife:

People always stay out until midnight, walking around, talking, standing on a bridge or sitting on steps. One cool spot to check out at night is Campo Di Fiori it is a square surrounded by bars. Although some of them are very American (I believe Sloppy Sams is the name) you can check out others and either stay there for a few or sit at table outside. Piazza Navona is also another square with a few restaurants and tables outside to sit or you can walk around (very expensive). Piazza Spagnolo/The Spanish Steps always has people hanging out too. Another place is the steps of Trilussa in Trastevere this is a younger scene because of AUR and John Cabot University.

 

I don't have advice for nightclubs/discos. 

 

Feel free to ask any questions!