{travel guide} When in Rome - Part 2

*see my 2017 Rome Travel Guide here*

This was my second visit to Rome so I already knew the major things to see but this gave me the opportunity to try restaurants i missed the first time around and enjoy knowing sort of where I was going. So this is going to be similar to my last guide but with some updated information and different food!

What to Do

The Coliseum

The first time I went to Rome we weren't sure of our plans so we didn't pre-buy tickets. This time, however, I knew that the Coliseum was the main thing we were doing in Rome. I originally wanted us to do the Underground and Panoramic tour but we hadn't finalized our dates early enough and they all sold out. It's very competitive! (although the upper levels are closed right now so it would have just been underground) A couple weeks before the trip they released more regular tickets so we grabbed the first time slot of 8:35am.

I highly recommend getting this first time slot and arriving early (before 8) so you can be in the front of the line. When we got in we were pretty much the only people for the first 10 minutes. We were literally the first to walk in and then when we made it to one of the main photo spots a few other couples came in. It was magical to see it without all the crowds.  For help with buying tickets I recommend this TripAdviser thread, they are very helpful at telling you when tickets will be released and how it all works.

Palatine Hill / Roman Forum

You can gain access to these with a ticket from the Coliseum, its 14 Euros for all three if you pre-buy online. It's one of the Seven Hills of Rome and is one of the most ancient parts of the city. We did this right after our Coliseum visit in the morning so it wasn't TOO hot yet, but you will want some water. Once you come down from the Palatine Hill you will find the Roman Forum.

Trevi Fountain

One of the most crowded photo spots in Rome is the Trevi Fountain. It is constantly full of people (except in the wee hours of the morning) so getting your shot will be a bit difficult. The legend goes, if you toss a coin in the fountain you're sure to return to Rome some day.

Piazza Di Spagna / Spanish Steps

The Spanish Steps are another huge tourist area. Last time I went they still allowed people to sit on the steps, which was a bit annoying for people who actually needed to use them. Now they have people stationed there making sure no one is sitting. After checking this out you can do some designer shopping in the surrounding streets! I checked Gucci to see if they had the bag I want and went into Prada and some other stores as well.

Piazza Navona

This is a great place to sit and relax. Christian and I spent a couple hours resting our feet here while we waited for it to be dinner time. There are 3 gorgeous fountains, that have been featured in numerous movies, as well as lots of people watching. Just watch out for all the people peddling selfie sticks and other touristy garbage.

Where to Eat

Tempio di Mecenate

This was one of Christian's favorite meals of the trip and we just happened to go to this restaurant because it was close to our airbnb after our long day at Pompeii. He had the Cacio e Pepe and I had Fettucini al Ragu. Both were super delicious even if the old man we had as a waiter was cranky, ha ha. I wish I had a better picture of Christian's pasta but we were sooo hungry!

Sapori e Delizie

This was one of my favorites, the pizza was so good! We got the Calabrese pizza that came with red onion, sausage, and 'nduja spicy sausage. AMAZINGGGG. We also had the place almost all to ourselves because we went in between lunchtime and dinner time.

Trattoria Pizzeria Vecchia Roma

Another day, another 2 pasta dishes! At this restaurant, that our airbnb host recommended, I got the pesto and Christian tried carbonara.  If you want to eat here for dinner you should make a reservation, it is very popular. We went right when they opened for lunch so it wasn't crowded yet. The food was tasty and we enjoyed the decor.

Emma Pizzeria

This place was recommended by numerous people so we made sure to head there. If you want to sit outside, make a reservation, otherwise you'll be taken inside. We arrived a few minutes before they opened at 7pm and were told we had until 8:30 to finish eating. That's how popular they are. We must have chosen the wrong food because we didn't think it was worth the hype. We started with the Focaccia which was tasty but not at all like actual focaccia, it was just pizza dough with oil and rosemary. We also shared the Chorizo pizza which was good but not amazing.

Trattoria Morgana

Another good, but not amazing, spot was Trattoria Morgana, also by our airbnb. I really enjoyed my chicken with green olives (forgot the wording on the menu) but Christian wasn't too big a fan of his lasagna.

Venchi Gelato

This was Christian's favorite gelato of the trip. It was quite tasty. I stuck with my tried and true combo of chocolate and strawberry every time we had gelato. What can I say, I know what I like!

Fatamorgana Gelato

This was nearby our airbnb and was sooo tasty! We had it on our first night in Rome. Delicious and the cheapest gelato we had on the trip.

GROM

There are GROMs everywhere in Italy, and even a few in New York, but even though it's a chain it's amazingggg! I love the Cioccolato Extranoir. Dark chocolate with chips...YUM.

Day Trip to Pompeii

Christian is big into ruins so I knew he had to see Pompeii. We made a day trip from Rome by taking a 7:40am train to Naples followed by a metro ride to Pompeii. The journey should only take a couple hours in total but we had major metro delays that caused it to take at least another hour. There are a few major things to see at Pompeii and you may want to do a tour but we opted to wander for ourselves. I made sure we saw the House of the Tragic Poet, House of the Faun, and the other famous spots before we headed back to Rome.