We had a friend’s wedding in Tuscany, so we chose to fly into Rome and explore for a few days! Below are spots we enjoyed as well as spots we didn’t have time to hit but want to go to when we visit Rome again.
Activities
Pantheon: The Pantheon was built to celebrate the Roman gods and today it is famous for being the most preserved monument of Ancient Rome.
Trevi Fountain: Built in the 1700s, the Trevi Fountain is one of Rome’s most iconic structures. It is made of the same material as the Colosseum (travertine stone) and sits on the site of an ancient Roman water source. Given it is very touristy and crowded, we quickly stopped by to see it, snapped a picture, and then went on our way.
Jewish Quarter: Rome’s Jewish Quarter is one of the oldest Jewish communities in Europe. We enjoyed walking around and exploring the area. Given we were visiting just a few days before Rosh Hashanah, we passed many Kosher bakeries and bought circular challahs from L’arte Del Pane and shofar-shaped pastries from Pasticceria Boccione.
Jewish Museum: The Jewish Museum of Rome is situated in the basement of the Great Synagogue of Rome and offers both information on the Jewish presence in Rome since the second century BCE and a large collection of Jewish art.
Trastevere: Trastevere is a colorful and funky area known for traditional and innovative trattorias, craft beer pubs, and artisan shops. We enjoyed bopping throughout Trastevere!
Colosseum: The Colosseum is the largest ancient amphitheater ever built and is still the largest standing amphitheater in the world. The structure was finished in year 80 AD and could fit up to 80,000 spectators. It is in the center of the city and is a must see when in Rome. We bought tickets in advance, which we highly recommend!
Spanish Steps: We walked to this touristy spot just because it happened to be on our route to get to Villa Borghese. We personally believe that it is definitely not a must see 🤣.
Terrazza Viale del Belvedere at Villa Borghese: We enjoyed walking throughout the city and the park and ending up at this beautiful viewpoint overlooking the city.
Food
Pizzeria Dar Poeta: We learned about this pizza spot from a friend of a friend who lived in Rome. It was a great stop for lunch during the afternoon we spent exploring Trastevere.
Frigidarium: This gelato spot was recommended by a few friends and we can 100% confirm that it is worth the hype!!
Baccano: This spot in known for some of the best carbonara in Rome. The chef, Nabil Hadj Hassen, cooked the famously delicious carbonara at Roscioli for almost 18 years! We ordered the carbonara, cacio e pepe, and some Roman artichokes.
Next Time
We only had two days in Rome while also fighting jet lag, so there is definitely so much more we want to do the next time we visit Rome!
– Free Walking Tour: We booked this, but ended up sleeping through it since we weren’t yet acclimated to the time difference.
– Jewish Roma Walking Tours: Although we walked around the Jewish Ghetto and visited the Jewish Museum, we’d love to go on Jewish a walking tour next time we’re here. The Jewish Tour of the Vatican City seems interesting, especially because we didn’t have enough time to visit Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel this trip!
– NY Times Food Writer’s Tour: We would love to do this, especially throughout the Trastevere neighborhood.
– Taverna Trilussa Trastevere: Many of our friends recommended making a reservation here for dinner.
– Roscioli: It is super hard to get a reservation here because the food is so good! They recently opened a sister restaurant in NYC which is located across the street from our current apartment. We haven’t been yet, but need to go soon!
– Carciofi Alla Giudia (car-chof-ee ah-la jew-dee-a): Eat crispy, fried Jewish artichokes
Melanie & Cody 