Tell me that you are in Rome without telling me that you are in Rome: Colosseum, pasta, prosciutto, Nutella, Aperol Spritz, and serious coffee culture.
Of course, Rome is much more than that. The city is one big open-air museum of historical sights and old buildings that invites one to get lost in its many nostalgic streets. It is called the eternal city since the 1st century BC because Rome persists. Robert De Niro once said: “Italy has changed. But Rome is Rome.”
It is a romantic and the very definition of a picturesque city. When the weather permits it, just sit in front of one of many cafés and have yourself a drink. Watch and learn how Italians enjoy life - slowly and passionately.
I arrived in Rome on a Wednesday after my first flight on a Tuesday was canceled due to a strike at the Italian airport. So always make sure to check your flight status 48-24 hours before takeoff. Taking a taxi from Fiumicino airport to the city center will cost you about 48 Euros. So you might want to consider taking public transportation as I did, which is easy and much cheaper. I was going to meet up with my sister and her husband at our Airbnb in Trastevere - a hip and up-and-coming, trendy neighborhood, full of bars, cute cafes, and restaurants. The train ticket to Trastevere Railway Station costs you 8 Euros. Then you take the street railway for 1.50 Euros to get to your specific destination in Trastevere.
But be aware: Pickpocketing, especially in trains and crowded places, is a serious problem in Rome. Some will try to get into your pockets or bags while pushing you into the train or trip over you etc. Watch out and stay alert! Keep your valuables close to you. My sister had to “fight off” a couple of pickpocketing attempts.
Arriving in Trastevere at noon the first sensible thing to do was to get a good cup of coffee. Bar del Cinque is probably one of the most Instagrammed spots in this area, but the proximity to our accommodation was the actual reason why we went there. We secured the only table outside and the sun was shining like it was saying: “Welcome.”
Here’s a tip for you: Coffee drinking in Italy is unique. Most locals order coffee (caffè), which looks like a shot of dark espresso, at the counter for less than one Euro and drink it right there standing. If you want to sit down, you’ll have to pay around one Euro more. And no, there is no to-go culture. So I followed suit and ordered my daily fix at the counter and drank it right there. Besides Bar del Cinque I went to the following places to get my caffeine fix, but in all honesty, any place in Rome serves more than decent coffee:
After drinking the nectar of the gods I was ready to walk around and take in the city. The last time I was here 14 years ago as a teenager. During my second stay in Rome, I was planning rather eat and drink my way through the city than to visit the historical sights, but since Rome is one big museum we ended up passing many of them. You are walking around and, baam, there is the Pantheon. This way we saw everything from the Spanish steps, the Castel Sant'Angelo, the Colosseum, to Trevi fountain, the Vatican City, walked by countless beautiful basilicas to the Villa Borghese Gardens, a beautiful park in the north of the city center.
Expect many tourists at the Colosseum.
To hydrate properly throughout the day skip the bottled water, save the money and plastic and drink the water from one of the many ‘nasoni’ drinking fountains. They are called "Nasone" (big nose) due to the shape of the fountains. There are over 2500 scattered around the city and the water is safe to drink, cold and fresh. According to the internet it is licensed by the City of Rome and tested thousands of times every year for purity.
We didn’t really have big breakfasts, since we just relaxed in the mornings. A coffee and a croissant was the true Italian way to start a day. But for brunch and lunch, we made sure to try all kinds of Italian cuisine. From newly invented street food and snacks to traditional dishes, we feasted on amazing food.
Pane E Salame, a fantastic charcuterie-like place for sandwiches and platters. It opens at noon and you will most likely wait for a table, but not for too long and it is worth it. I highly recommend the mixed platter of delicious meats, cheeses, bruschetta, and vegetables. It comes in different sizes. A small platter is 5 Euros, a medium 10 and a big platter is 15 Euros per person. My sister and I shared a medium platter. The waiter was recommending us the small size, thinking that medium was maybe too much for us, yet we stuck with our choice. To our waiter’s surprise, we finished the whole thing in less than 20 minutes because it was really good. Last but not least, it’s important to know that they do not serve coffee here, but juices, brunch cocktails, and wine.
Escosazio, a healthy option: Smoothies, acai bowls, and yummy vegetarian sandwiches for under 10 Euros.
We also gave Italian fast food, which they call street food here, a try:
Suppli, a fried riceball filled with cheese, bacon or raguo sauce. Make sure that yours is fresh from the fritter. Mine was unfortunately stale, so I tried my sister’s. Very good, yet heavy.
Fried pizza at Don Vera Pizza Fritta Napoletana. Yes, you heard right. Fried pizza. It looks like a calzone, but the special dough and fresh ingredients make all the difference. The initial doubts crumbled like a cookie: This was indeed super delicious.
The making of pizza fritta.
Almost every day in the late afternoon, like a clockwork, we sat down after walking for miles and treated ourselves to a delicious Aperol Spritz:
Cioccolato e Tentazioni, this tiny corner shop is owned by a very nice lady. One day after a rainfall, we stopped here and asked if we could sit outside and have a drink because it is not raining anymore. She smiled and said “of course”, put out a table and three chairs and fixed us three delicious Spritz for 6 Euros each, complimentary chips and nuts included.
Caffè Perù, this one looks like a bistro, and your drink is not served in a fancy glass but in a tall water glass. Yet the 5 Euro Spritz is well made by a very nice staff, who also brings you chips and nuts for free.
Mimi e Coco in Trastevere is a cute corner cafe for good drinks and appetizers. While sitting there the staff offered me complimentary bruschetta with my Spritz, which was a nice touch.
One our first night we met with my brother-in-law’s very good friend Flavio for dinner, who invited us for an incredible Italian feast at his place. Through his work as a TV journalist, he was gifted all these locally farmed and produced cheeses, salami, sausages, bacon, jerky meat, and pork leg. He also let us taste his homemade-pressed olive oil with fresh bread, which was the best olive oil I’ve ever tasted. In an Italian manner, we started with an appetizer platter, moved on to pasta with salty lard, and finished with the pork leg. All along we fueled up on good Italian wine. In the end, I was so stuffed, you could have rolled me out of the apartment.
On another night we cooked pasta with Genoa pesto, which is said to be one of the best in the country, at our rented apartment provided by Sonder apartments.
Side note: It was the first time I stayed at an apartment by Sonder. The booking works like a hotel, but the accommodation they offer is more like a home and in neighborhoods, where locals live. In complete disclosure, we arrived at midnight at our apartment and had major difficulties in “checking in” since no one answered the phone at the number they gave us. So it took us more than an hour with customer service to get into our apartment. To make amends for this mishap, Sonder reimbursed us for one night, stopped by the next day with a bottle of wine, and offered to pay for one dinner, which we really appreciated. The apartment itself was clean and comfortable.
Pasta with pesto from Genoa.
Spaghetti Carbonara at Felice restaurant
We also went to Da Felice A Testaccio, a Michelin starred restaurant, where we spontaneously got a table although it is usually booked out for months. It sounds fancy, but the prices were actually decent. I ordered Spaghetti Carbonara, which was all I hoped for. The pasta was al dente and the Carbonara sauce was subtle and not too heavy, which I loved.
A great place for an apéritivo is Vino E Olio, a bar with a broad selection of great wines and snacks.
The main reason I came to Italy was a wedding of a good friend in the village Calice Ligure, close to Genoa. She asked me to take some photos and document her special day. So for the weekend, we took the train to Genoa and then another to Calice. If you are planning on traveling by train in Italy, always book the slightly more expensive high-speed FrecciaBianca train. They are comfortable, air-conditioned, and clean. From Genoa to Calice we had a taste of what the slower train feels like and it was not pleasant. Since it is more crowded and there is no air-conditioning, it felt like sitting (or standing) in a sauna with strangers.
By the way, taking a taxi from Rome’s city center to Termini (train station) costs you between 15 to 20 Euros with the first luggage for free and every additional bag for an extra charge of 1 Euro. This luggage policy is, unfortunately, an unwritten rule and the extra charge will not appear on your taxi meter. Don’t argue with your taxi driver, they won’t have it.
Arrived in Calice we met up with the wedding couple and took a tour of the small but beautiful village. About 500 people live here and everybody seems to know each other. The village is often passed by local and international Downhill mountain bikers. The area is apparently known for this sport.
Like in Rome, the architecture, the look in Calice is bohemian, super aesthetic, and effortless. It is warm and inviting. And I could take millions of photos and document each corner.
The most famous and popular establishment here is the Gelateria Pastorino. It is said that people come from far away to have a taste of the most delicious home-made ice cream and I can only second their choices. This place has probably the best Stracciatella I’ve ever tasted. After it was highly recommend we also stocked up on the infamous Genoa Pesto, capers paste and regional pickled olives at the local supermarket.
The weather in Calice was generally very moody, with rain and clouds competing with each other. But like a miracle on the wedding day, the sun fought through, and for one day only (seriously!) it was sunny and warm. I was particularly happy because the light was ideal for gorgeous photos with many happy faces. After a beautiful civil ceremony, followed by a big Italian lunch in one of the restaurants in the village, we headed to the beach bar La Ruggia in Varigotti to dance the night away. Thank you very much, Livia and Tobias, for allowing me to document this day. it was so much fun! To love and light, saluti!