Rome, Italy

Things I did and loved in Rome

• Hop-on-hop-off bus. Rome is massive, and all the things you’ll want to see are a ways apart. Having the chance to rest our swollen feet after hours of walking was pretty great.
• The Vatican is pretty interesting, and the view if you hike to the top is great; however, don’t bother waking up early to go in an attempt to beat the crowd. Everyone has the same idea. The line in the morning took hours and was borderline miserable. But a few hours later? No line.

• And speaking of Vatican, the Sistine Chapel is awesome IF you get the whole story. Download Rick Steve’s Audio Tour and get a guided tour right to your phone (and laugh at all the people paying for their audio headset muahaha). Just don’t forget your earbuds!
• Go inside the Colosseum. We hemed and hawed over whether or not to do this, but it was worth it.

• Piazza Campo de’ Fiori. We stayed in an amazing airbnb apartment here, not expecting the whole square to transform into a bustling, open-air market each morning. Fresh fruits, pastas, kitchen utensils, flowers. It was an Italian wonderland! The market is open from 8:30 to 1:30 pm, Monday through Saturday.

Things to eat

• Gelato gelato gelato.

• I’d recommend you stay in Rome for a few days, like 3 to 5. So with that, I’d recommend you branch out into the Italian super markets and open-air markets and find yourself some good Italian ingredients and cook yourself up something real nice! Most hostels and Airbnbs will have a small kitchen.

• Also, branch out from pizza at every meal (a struggle for me). Italy is (obviously) jam-packed full of amazing food, so be sure to try a variety!