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

[tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz]

OP god I'm so jealous. Rome is in my opinion the most incredible place to visit and I would sell my child do anything to go alone! I remember going into the Armani boutique a few years back and being served by the most beautiful and incredible smelling man I've ever encountered. I think I may have slobbered into a posh jumper or something

We've not been in a while (but off in October) so my recommendations may be out of date (lots of helpful posters on here who I'm happy to be corrected by!) but we liked Gusto (has an amazing cheese room) and I would def recommend the colosseum. I've tried booking tickets for our trip but the official website that is recommended everywhere doesn't seem to work whenever I try!

There was a v posh hotel near the Spanish steps that Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon visited in The Trip which looked fantastic for a massively over priced drink for a treat but I don't know the name.

Fallen who did you you do your ghost walk with? Did you pre book?

I'm going to google every recommendation on this thread! I cannot wait to go!

Have an amazing time OP!

[Helenluvsrob]

Eat a da Enzo in trastevere.
Be there queuing at opening to get in , or work out how to book ahead which, apart from doing when they are open seems impossible.
It is sooooooo good.

Book ahead with early morning skip the line if you want the Vatican museums / Sistine chapel. Maybe too late though.

If you have time go to the centre monemartini near pyramide station. It’s part of the capitoline but quiet and amazing. Also go in the pyramide ! It’s only open certain days though.

A day out at Ostia antica is amazing - like Pompeii without the crowds. Go on the ordinary cross city train for a couple of euros. Takes about an hour. Get audio guide and don’t get lost like I did 😂

Also smaller museums - there is a ticket with 3 on- crypto Balbi , Pallazo altemps and something else. All excellent and uncrowned.

Got to the mythreum at san Clemente and the capuchin crypt for bonkers boney stuff

Villa borghese is amazing but bonkers. Must book ahead. They let the booked people in on time, and lock the doors then basically shoo you round in a group. Wouldn’t go again but glad I’ve been.

Eat pizza at pizzeria Florida in largo Di Torre Argentina and admire the ruins there. The gelateria on that square has interesting gelato flavours and is great but not fancy.

Don’ts - if you are there on the once a month opening of everything till midnight for a Euro don’t bother. The queues / crowds are mad. I’ve tried and failed twice 😂. Just walk the city at midnight.

[Helenluvsrob]

And yeah, I don’t do shopping 😂

[tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz]

Oooh yes, talking of the city at night the Basillica is really quite something to see. You will get goosebumps

[Helenluvsrob]

Oh and do St. Peter’s the moment it opens - be there waiting at 7 or what ever. It is totally amazing to get up the dome before the crowds build up

[Greenteandchives]

Galleria Borghese for the most astonishing Bernini sculptures if that’s your thing. You may need to prebook as it gets busy and only so many are allowed in at a time.
Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, to see Fra Angelico ‘s tomb, and Bernini’s little elephant obelisk. It’s behind the Pantheon. Which you must also see, of course. Again, it may not be your thing.
Have a great time. What an adventure. You can be a femme mysterieuse, and wear sunglasses and a big hat.

[uhhuhyeahok]

Do a food tour! We did a twilight food tour of Trastevere and it was brilliant! Places i would never have thought to try and it included a wine cellar too. Company was called Eating Europe but I bet there are loads of options

[Latenightreader]

Definitely recommend Ostia Antica. You can walk along streets of Roman flats! The on site cafe/restaurant was terrific when I was there a decade ago.

The forum had an excellent audio visual guide (small tablet) but take snacks in with you as there were only a few vending machines when we went a couple of years ago and you can spend the best part of a day exploring.

Have an amazing time!

[BillieEilish]

Definitely Gioletti.

A lovely restaurant in Via della Copelle near the Pantheon. Best pasta I ever had (and I lived in Rome for a year) Very friendly. Very cheap. The real deal.

[BenWillbondsPants]

Everything! There's nothing I don't love about Rome. When we went to the Vatican I had the best slice of pizza I've ever had in my life, even better than in some of the little cafes and restaurants (which are also wonderful). Make sure you have comfortable shoes and have an amazing time!

[Spam88]

The Baths of Caracalla are amazing. Much much quieter than some of the other sites as well. Walking distance from the colosseum etc so can do in the same day as those.

I'd echo PP who said to get your ticket at the palatine hill (that covers the forum and colosseum as well). Was really quiet there when we went and then you can feel all smug when you stroll past the colosseum queues.

I wouldn't even bother trying to go the the Vatican museums without prebooking. We did and gave up. We just booked that night to go the next day then.

St Peters queue is fine if you aim to get there shortly before it opens.

The pantheon is lovely. There's also a really lovely vibe in the square that it's in - nice to sit with a drink.

Pretty much everywhere offers audio tours, but we downloaded a free Rick Steeve app with audio tours on. Definitely adds to the experience, and saves a bit of money.

No particular restaurant recommendations, but everything we ate was delicious. Staying in trastavere id definitely do a food tour.

Oh and go in every church you can! Most of them don't look much from the outside but they're AMAZING inside.

[Spam88]

Oh yeah, definitely comfy shoes 😂 I've never walked so much in my life!

[Davros]

If you get any free time go to Grotaferata, the Taverna Dello Spuntino is one of the best places I've been in Italy. There's also a ruin of some sort there. It's a train ride from central Rome, via Frascati I think but I could be wrong.
We never used to go specifically to galleries etc because just walking around the streets and popping into interesting churches, shops etc is great. Mind you, in those days you could just walk into the Coliseum, no payment or queues!
Don't forget the Bocca Della Verita where Gregory Peck almost lost his hand. And the Castel St Angelo where Tosca plunged to her death. And the Hotel d'Inghilterra where Tom Ripley stayed

[Ratonastick]

Go to the Ara Pacis. It’s a bit of a walk, but absolutely amazing. It’s an Augustan temple that was collected back together in the 30s and rebuilt on (or rather slightly off) it’s original site. It’s not huge and usually fairly quiet as it’s a bit of a walk from the main sites (20-25 minutes from Trevi Fountain) but one of my favourite sites.

And I go to Rome on my own pretty regularly. It’s a great place to go solo and one of the easiest places to eat out on your own. I heartily recommend breakfast in the Campo De Fiori then a nose round the market too.

[Ratonastick]

Oh, and drop into the church next to the Pantheon behind Bernini’s elephant. Can’t remember what it’s called, but it has an amazing ceiling.

[Villaneller]

Book the borghese. I once spent a day wandering around the churches finding caravaggio paintings

[UrsulaPandress]

I want to go back ...

[LIttleMissTickles]

Sounds so incredible, wish I was going too!

[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!

[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.

[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!

[ThePallidBustOfPallas]

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

[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.

[Sgtmajormummy]

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

[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.