When in Rome: 9 Top Attractions
The Colosseum - Rome, Italy
Intro
With Easter Sunday upon us, it made me think of my dream vacation to Rome. This is not the first time I had traveled abroad; by this point I had been to Canada, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Greece, and England. This is however, the first time I had planned and executed foreign travels completely alone.
I was not an efficient packer, planner, or traveler at this time by any means but I was definitely becoming more efficient. Within years, I would be able to travel for weeks and months on end with just a carry on suitcase. But for this trip to Rome, which actually was a 2-month trip across Europe, visiting 11 countries and 14 cities, no one would call my luggage a travel backpack but rather a very large suitcase. Even with my lack of a backpack, I was technically ‘backpacking’ through Europe. This trip was far from luxury travel with tour guides and high end hotels, but it was also by no means riding a donkey as a mode of transportation to get me to a hostel I would be sharing with multiple strangers, sort of trip. I split between air travel and traveling by train between each city. By the time I left the UK for mainland Europe, I was completely traveling on the Eurorail.
Initially I was supposed to be taking a flight from Newark Airport in New Jersey, directly to Dublin, Ireland for a 3 month acting class with New York Film Academy. Due to low participation, the class was cancelled but my non-refundable Aer Lingus Flight was not. So, I found a hotel for a few nights in the Malahide section of Dublin for a few days before continuing my journey around Europe for just shy of two months.
The Arch of Constantine - Rome, Italy
I was spending nine days in total within Italy; just over three days each in Venice, Florence, and Rome before heading on my last leg of the trip to Lisbon, Portugal and then back to New Jersey. This was well before backpacking became super popular and everyone you knew was a social media star and influencer. To figure things out, I had to pre-book a lot of things out on my laptop at home, print out the information, and then survive the trip off of my Dad’s limited function Blackberry, which he told me to use sparingly but I took to mean, use aggressively. To pick my travel destinations and places to visit in each city, I had to rely on some internet searching and word of mouth from friends or family who had vacationed or studied abroad in Europe. At the time, travel agents were still prevalent and I am sure I could have book some vacation packages that would have fit most of my needs, I just wanted to do what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it. As a 22-year-old, I didn’t really have that experience yet. This trip was in the 2000’s but it was so long ago that I had a separate digital camera from my mobile phone and TSA Pre-Check and Global Entry weren’t created for another 6 years. TSA at each airport in the US at least, were only created six years before I left for this trip (right after 9/11).
I was not as smart of a traveler as I am now. Part of that has to do with experience, part of that has to do with a lack of technology. The main sights that I hit during my three days in Rome were taking a tour of the Colosseum and the Castel Sant’Angelo. I was meaning to spend the second full day in Rome at the Vatican. When I had gotten to the Vatican on my last day, I arrived to finding out that you couldn’t wear shorts or sleeveless shirts, and I was wearing both. I wouldn’t have made it back to my hotel in time before the Vatican closed. I thought about buying clothes close by but it was becoming too much of a mission so I just went over to the Castel Sant’Angelo with the thought that this wouldn’t be my last time to Rome. I regret missing the Sistine Chapel, but at least I did see the Colosseum which is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
What are the best restaurants in Rome?
If you are a foodie like me, I always want to try all the local food when I am in a different country. The great thing about a major city like Rome is you can’t go wrong. Partially because it is a huge city, with a lot of options. Partially, because Italian food in Italy is amazing. I grew up in New Jersey with an obscene amount of Italian restaurants in a close proximity. The options usually were pizza or a dish with an excess of pasta and red sauce. All of the restaurants I went to in Rome and Italy focused more on the item versus the sauce. The fish was complimented with a light sauce, the pasta and veggies were all complimented with light sauces. The one thing that did throw me off were the bones still left in the fish.
Rome, Italy
I was in Rome so long ago, even if I remembered the restaurants I visited, the likelihood of them still being around are slim. With that said, what I can recommend is getting recommendations from people you know who live or have visited there. If you don’t have that resource, I always check out sites like Yelp or travel shows like Anthony Bourdain.
What is the best time of year to go to Rome?
I don’t think there is a bad time to visit Rome. I was there in the beginning of October and it was beautiful and still very warm versus the UK. I think September through November and March through May might be great months to visit Rome because of the weather, which will be pleasant versus the summer which can be hot and humid. Also, these couple of months tend to have less tourists than summer vacation.
9 Top Rome Attractions
If you are looking to explore another country with rich history and culture, check out my 19 Must See Sights in Israel.
The Vatican - Rome, Italy