Rome Recap

Last week I headed to Rome to spend a few days with my sister and her family. I was so excited to see her again and also to be going alone without the girls ... freedom!

I flew in on Tuesday night and caught the regional FR1 train into Trastevere which cost 8 euros. You can also catch the Leonardo da Vinci express train into Termini but this is nearly double the price although it takes about the same time (30 minutes) as the regional train. Make sure you validate your ticket at the machines before you board otherwise you are fined 100 euros.

We were staying in an apartment in a great location, Via del Governo Vecchio which is right around the corner from Piazza Navona. This road is filled with wine bars, cute boutiques, gelatos and delis which I didn't know before booking so it was a nice surprise that the location was so buzzy. As soon as I arrived we popped into Cantina e Cucina for a quick Aperol spritz, some crispy fried artichoke and Pasta Amatriciana ... just a light meal at 10pm!

 
The next day I woke up early from excitement and went out for a wander on my own. I loved the quietness of the streets at this time and felt like I had the city to myself for a few moments. Rome is definitely one of those cities where you can just walk, get lost in the cobblestone roads and then look up to find that you're here!

 
I stopped at Sant Eustachio for a quick coffee and then headed over to Campo di Fiori where I stocked up on some fruit to take back to the apartment. I then went into Forno to get a couple of cornetto alla cremas. These are the best things for breakfast.

via hande.wordpress.com

I also bought a slice of Pizza Bianca, one of the most famous things to try at this bakery and it did not disappoint. Crispy on the outside with a thin layer of olive oil and salt yet soft and fluffy on the inside. I can see why this is the snack of choice for many Romans!

The morning was spent exploring the Colosseum and Forum. If there had to be one main theme from the whole trip then I think it was queuing! But thankfully not too bad for us. These days you can buy nearly all your tickets for main tourist attractions over the internet and it will save you so much time. My sister said the Vatican queue was the worst, she estimated that it would have been around an hour. 

For lunch I had found us a restaurant that was close to Forum as I knew we probably wouldn't want to walk around for another half an hour finding somewhere. The restaurant was La Taverna dei Fori Imperiali which had great reviews. All the pastas that we tried had nice flavours, but unfortunately they were all way too salty.

In the afternoon, we walked back up Via del Corso for a bit of shopping and then made our way home via Gelateria del Teatro for a much needed gelato stop! I chose pineapple and mint which was a great combination, tasting creamy and refreshing at the same time. My sister had tried Il Gelato di San Crispino a day before which she said was disappointing. She much preferred Gelateria del Teatro.

 
Stay tuned for the next installment!

MP