A weekend in Rome + City Guide
I’ve been longing to return to Rome ever since I went as a teenager. I first visited this marvel of a city during an inter-railing tour of Europe with my step-sister, before starting university and I distinctly remember being in awe of the history of the place, plus falling in love with its beautiful architecture, ambience, culture and of course the food.. On a tight budget (befitting of most adolescents travelling for a month), we stayed in a not so beautiful hostel that cost less than 20€ a night, but at 18 I wasn’t so concerned with my sleeping arrangements, and was more eager to drop off our bags, find the nearest slice of pizza and then start exploring immediately. With just a couple of nights, we made a beeline for the Colosseum and I’ve been wanting to go back ever since.
As it did for most of us, my travelling came to a screeching halt at the beginning of 2020, so this trip was extra special, not just because I hadn’t taken a flight in 2.5 years and because it was my birthday weekend, but because it was also my first trip out of France (besides the UK) in over two years. I made a travel wishlist (as I try to do most years, not counting the last two) at the beginning of the year, and put Rome at the top of the list, so I’m so happy we made it happen! We packed in a lot in 3.5 days, as one usually does on a quick city trip, but I thought I’d share a few favourite places with you:
Mini City Guide
Eat
La Taverna dei Fori Imperiali - a good place for lunch before or after a visit to the Colosseum
Rimessa Roscioli - a tourist trap, but the food was good
Cipasso - a good place for dinner, with great service
La Matriciana dal 1870 - the best meal and service experience that we had in Rome
Ai Bozzi - the second best meal we had in Rome. It was laid back, we were surrounded by locals and the food was delicious.
Places we wanted to go, but we ran out of time
Trattoria Da Enzo al 29, Il Sorpasso, Harry’s Bar, Stravinskij Bar, Pizzeria Dar Poeta, Mordi e Vai, Cielo Terrace Hotel de la Ville, Bar San Calisto
Visit
Villa Borghese, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Palace, Colosseum, Roman Forum - the usual suspects
Shop
Lela - a scandi-inspired interiors shop that also stocks everything from terracotta vases to rustic cooking essentials
Santa Maria Novella - an 800 year old iconic Italian skincare and beauty brand with the most beautiful old world packaging. If you visit Italy, you must visit a boutique and bring something back!
Stay
We stayed at the recently opened Hoxton Rome, which I highly recommend, not just for the rooms, but they also make a delicious granola and freshly squeezed blood orange juice!
