To ask you for your most loved places to go in Rome?

[Igetknockeddownbutgetupagain]

I’m going to Rome. Alone.

Absolutely cacking myself, but also very excited. I’ve done some travelling alone, but not entirely alone for the entire period, and I’m going for 5 days, this month.

I love food, fashion, wine, culture. I’m staying in a lovely hotel in the Trastevere area of Rome. I don’t have endless cash, but I can splurge a little, if that makes sense.

Where have you been, what have you seen?
Particularly keen to hear about lovely friendly restaurants

[Sewrainbow]

Definitely pre book Vatican if you're going there.

I loved Rome, wasn't fussed about Coliseum but loved the forum and pantheon

[Helenluvsrob]

I felt no more worried about safety or pickpocketing than I do in London and it sounds like the anti terrorism stuff has beefed up but Rome was ahead with defensive street furniture etc anyway

[Spam88]

I don't think it's worse than any other big city for pick pocketing? I've heard the buses on tourist routes can be dodgy but we didn't go on any ourselves.

I always use a cross body bag, generally with the bag more in front of me than to the side if that makes sense, and if I'm wearing a jacket then that goes over the bag

[Hearthside]

Stmajormummy yes we noticed that too a very heavy police/military presence at the tourist sites .And the whistle at the Spanish steps etc if someone sits .We found the buses really packed and bit unnerving as my youngest is 10 and we had to keep a tight hold as it was so packed at times .
I had a Travelon cross body bag , got mine off Amazon they are anti theft they can't be cut anywhere and they locked and it does work .We were on a bus my youngest clocked this guy get hold of what he thought was the zip handle to open the side pocket my bag , it wasn't it is a false end the true end locks .He realised it was false saw my daughter clock him and jumped off at the next stop .I never felt a thing so he was very sly as the bus was packed so they are well worth investing in .

[Sgtmajormummy]

There is a huge difference security-wise in the Rome I saw this summer.
No more organized groups of little Rom children swarming around tourists, touching them from all sides and waving newspapers. That WAS distressing.
Armed police (Carabinieri, so military) in flak jackets guarding tourist sites. They were brought in after the Paris attacks, when Rome and the Pope were thought to be the next target.
Airport-style security to get into St. Peter’s.
There are still homeless people on the street and kneeling beggars but you can see they’re harmless lost souls. People “selling” tat or over-priced bottles of water are regularly moved on with a quick siren blast from the local police in their cars.
I saw one scene in 5 days. A person with a shopping bag of food had obviously done a runner from a supermarket. Two security guards chased him and “bumper-car” diverted him into a dead end side street. The police were there in seconds to take over.

One thing for you to bear in mind. You can’t sit down on the Spanish Steps any more! Or any other national monument (same in Venice). There are high-vis vested people who move you on. Is it to stop loitering or to safeguard monuments from damage? Nobody knows but as of this year you can be fined.
I can’t say about public transport but in general I would say keep your money and phone in an inside pocket or use a cross-body bag and you’ll have no problems.

[Ratonastick]

I wouldn’t worry too much. Be sensible, keep your valuables in a zipped handbag not a backpack or an open bag. Hang on to your bag in crowds, wrap your bag handle round your foot and keep your bag between your feet in restaurants, don’t put things in your back pocket, etc. Pickpockets operate in all big cities and they go for the easy grabs. My experience is that Rome is no worse than any other tourist destination or city.

[Igetknockeddownbutgetupagain]

I am quite nervous about the pick pocketing now. A few people have mentioned this in real life too. I really don’t want to have to get a bum bag to put my money in...🤣

[Davros]

A walk in the Villa Borghese on a Sunday is nice with ice cream at the cafe near the top of the Spanish steps where they used to have swing seats. Haven't been for a long time, it may have gone

[Hearthside]

CluelessBeetroot that is were our apartment was Campo de Fiori .We loved it and at night too it comes alive .

[Hearthside]

We went on holiday to Rome in August and love it .Hadrian's Villa , the catacombs , Pompeii all just amazing .Museum of the Fatherland is good too .And if you like cats there is a cat sanctuary where Julius Caesar was killed we went and it was lovely .Trevi fountain , Spanish steps .We found an amazing little cafe think it was called Domi Cafe .And the Gelatto .Vacation and Sistene Chapel. We went for 10 days would have happily stayed longer .

[Igetknockeddownbutgetupagain]

You guyyyyyys!

You’ve done me proud. Thank you. So many tabs open now

[DorisDances]

Santa Maria Sopra Minerva is closed at the moment .

[cptartapp]

Placemarking. Going next month.

[SuzieSunshine]

Wow - sounds like the OP needs to book a longer holiday!! This sounds like a fantastic place to go and I'm afraid to say I have never been to Rome but it's now on my list. Oh and don't forget no screaming in the Sistine Chapel................

[tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz]

This thread is making me very happy

[Hippee]

I loved the Forum and St Peter's. Can't recommend any restaurants because I went as a student, so mainly ate from the pizza shops that sell slices by weight - loved chocolate pizza too!

[Cluelessbeetroot]

Ohh I'm so jealous!
As a PP said, breakfast in Campo de Fiori is a must, there is a little cafe with quirky chairs, tables and tiny sofas in bright colours, great for people watching. Check the narrow streets off it, most of them are named after the artisans who once had shops there, Via dei Capellari (hat makers), Chiavari (keys) etc.
Don't be scared of the long Vatican queue, I've been 3 times and it never took more than 25 minutes to get in. Definitely don't buy "fast-track" tickers from the dodgy sellers swarming around the place, they book you on a tour which is every 45 min or so, so you'll end up waiting even longer.
If you are into art there are a couple more galleries (aside from Doria Pamphilj) not far from Fontana di Trevi, Galleria Sciarra and Galleria Barberini.
Piazza Navona - yes it's quite touristy but again amazing for people watching. Look for Piazza del Fico which is a few streets away and Bar del Fico, they both take their name from the fig tree in the square. There's a nice mix of independent shops, impossibly trendy young italians and old men playing chess with a cup of espresso.
The Pantheon is gorgeous.
Jewish Ghetto is great for lunch up and down Via del Portico d'Ottavia, if again a bit touristy - there's lots of trattorias famous for their artichokes but check Nonna Betta, Hosteria da Giggetto and Piperno. For amazing history look for Teatro Marcello and Portico d'Ottavia; for a smile look for Fontana delle Tartarughe in Piazza Matei.
Trastevere is great for night life, but not too raucous - Piazza di San Cosimato and Piazza di San Calisto were the most lively spots. Most trattorias serve the same sort of food so you can't go wrong.
Not far from Trastevere you'll find the Palazzo/Galleria Corsini, amazing collections including Caravaggio, Fra' Angelico and Titian.
If you have a soft spot for Art Nouveau, check Quartiere Coppede. It's fully residential, no bars or restaurants, but the most eclectic architectural mix you can think of - Baroque, Greek, Gothic, there's even a chandelier at the entrance.
For street art, go to Pigneto or Ostiense. Also in Ostiense you will find Eataly, huge food hall if you want to stock up on gorgeous Italian food.
For hip Rome, Testaccio is the place to look for. There is a contemporary art gallery called the Mattatoio, housed in what it used to be a slaughterhouse. Opposite there's the Testaccio market with lots of great options for lunch, both stalls and sit down places. If you're feeling brave try Mordi e Vai, delicious sandwiches with unusual ingredients (tripe, kidneys etc). The owner is a living legend.
For lovely, romantic Rome go to Piazza della Madonna in Monti. It looks just like a film set. There are some beautiful churches in Monti too, San Pietro (with a statue of Moses by Michelangelo) or Capella din San Zenone for the gold mosaics.
I have saved the best for last - Garbatella, my favourite place in the world, a gorgeous maze of courtyards, gardens and fountains. It's a working class neighbourhood of rust and copper coloured buildings, with a sort of village feel but also an old Rome charm hard to put into words.

[Sgtmajormummy]

Osteria da Fortunata. From about 2 minutes in...
www.dailymotion.com/video/x741dht

[Sgtmajormummy]

On our last night we went to the restaurant where they make pasta by hand in the shop window, just around the corner from Campo dei Fiori. I thought it looked familiar and remembered it had been in a Mary Berry programme...
We booked the day before. It was August, so probably not necessary now. The food was great, very authentic Roman dishes, but the servings were HUGE. DH (eyes bigger than belly) ordered antipasto, primo, secondo, dolce e caffè and was extremely uncomfortable for the rest of the evening!
I’ll see if I can find it on YouTube.

[ThePallidBustOfPallas]

And it's the Piazza del Popolo ffs - sorry for the typo!

[ThePallidBustOfPallas]

Definitely try not to miss this

Capuchin Crypt

The church that Ratonastick is talking about is Santa Maria Sopra Minerva and is, incidentally, the 'home' church of Cardinal Vincent Nichols.

Behind the Pantheon, but the other side from the church, is the shop where everyone from a newly ordained priest to the Pope himself buy their robes. It is fascinating. This Place

If you like art and sculpture then Bernini's Ecstasy of St Teresa shouldn't be missed. It was also the church features in Angels and Demons if that's your thing. Santa Maria della Vittoria

Finally - well, no, not finally because there's no such thing in Rome but if you walk from the Victor Emmanuel monument through to the Piazza del Popola by way of the Via Corso there is a cafe - left hand side of the road - absolutely stuffed full of statuary from Popes to mythical figures. It's amazing, and the coffee is good too. And sorry, I can't remember the name of it!

[Sgtmajormummy]

We were there a month ago. We got the RomaCard but with our hotel in the centre of town we didn’t get our money’s worth.

You need to pre book the Colosseum 100%. No unbooked entry.
Villa Borghese is pre-booked weeks ahead apart from the last Wednesday(?) of the month. We were too late and only saw the park. But that’s a reason to go back, I suppose!
Also the Vatican, unless you want to spend hours in the queue or pay a tout agency €30 over the odds.

They’re all easy to find online.

[Allboundformoomooland]

One of the best things that I did there was a food walking tour. As they take you around eateries the guide gives the history of the area, and it's not one that the average tourist would go to. We stopped at around six places and then went for lunch. Look up Eat Italy tours. Not cheap but well worth it!

[LIttleMissTickles]

Sounds so incredible, wish I was going too!

[UrsulaPandress]

I want to go back ...