Rome, Italy

Oh Roma! Ti amo! Rome is a breathtaking city that you should see for yourself once in your lifetime. Being in Rome is like starring in your own travel movie. You know the scene, the montage scene to a 90s pop song as you walk around the city and gasp at all the sites. I see you Lizzie McGuire! Rome is one of those famous cities, that I find to not be overrated. The city lives up to all the hype, and then some!

So what makes this city so magical? I’m not a huge museum person, but Rome has a way of bringing history to life right before your very eyes. Walking around Rome, I can practically picture the ancient civilization that used to walk the same streets. The attention to detail is amazing. Throw in some spaghetti, red wine, gelato, and Italian sunshine, and you are living the ideal European vacation.

Roman Colosseum

The most famous and iconic site of Rome is the Colosseum. In ancient times, gladiators fought here to the death as 80,000 fans cheered on. The sheer size of the amphitheater will blow your mind. I personally thought the fact it was partially in ruins even more fascinating and beautiful.

The Forum

The forum is an ancient city that is in ruins today. For centuries, the forum was the city center, containing statues and government buildings. I am not kidding you, every single pillar, wall, and pebble was intricately decorated. This was actually my favorite site in all of Rome! The colosseum was certainly a close second.

The fountains

The Trevi Fountain was under construction when I visited in 2015, SO SAD!! I so wanted to throw a penny in and make a wish to live out my Lizzie McGuire dreams. The Trevi Fountain looks absolutely stunning in pictures and I can only imagine what it would look like without construction. That said, there are many fountains around the city that you will stumble upon while exploring!

The Vatican

The Vatican is it’s own sovereign “country” within Rome that is ruled by the Pope. It houses St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, and the Vatican Museums. You must cover your shoulders, which if you there in the summer it is sweltering, so I suggest buying a scarf to cover yourself with outside of the start of the tours. I personally found the tour to be a little boring and I felt like it was way too overcrowded in the Vatican. It felt like we were sheep being herded from room to room. Just my opinion, but I wouldn’t go back and it was my least favorite part of site seeing Rome.

Other sites

There are a bunch of other sites to walk around and check out! Some are just a photo opportunity and others you won’t even plan to see, but you stumble along your path to another site. You can go to St. Peter’s Square, the Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Altar of the Fatherland, and Villa Borghese Gardens.

Nightlife

The nightlife in Rome is also spectacular! Do a bar crawl, there are many that run in the city. It starts out with a more casual bar with an open bar to start out the night – score! You work your way from bar to bar, picked out by the tour company, and end at an outdoor bar to dance under the stars by the end of the night!

The food

If you want amazing Italian food, look no further than Rome! Rome has everything you want in delicious Italian! A lot of restaurants are small and family owned. I often just walked around and stopped and ate at a restaurant when I was hungry and one looked good. I never had a bad meal! Seriously, everything is to die for. A lot of the restaurants have dining in the streets which is a fun atmosphere. Also, wine is cheaper than water! And if you are hot and sweaty out seeing the city, there are a million gelato shops.

So my overall review of Rome?

I loved Rome!! I think Rome is a perfect city to start with if you have never been to Europe or Italy. You can see everything in two days if your quick (like me), but I recommend staying three days. Rome was not only my favorite city in Italy, but maybe all of Europe! I think it is the most unique city and truly is the quintessential European city in my mind. There is something about this city that makes me feel like I’ve stepped right out of a fairytale and I have to remind myself that it is real. There’s a certain romance about it, not with a person, but with the place.