Italy Travel: A Trip Report, Part 1: Rome

We traveled to Italy as a family in the shoulder season in October in 2018 - where the temperatures had cooled down and the summer tourist throng had begun to wane. I was my wife, my three and a half year old and I on our Italian holiday.

Planning and Preparation

Our Itinerary

Rome - stayed there for the first 5 days, covering Rome and the Vatican. Also did a day tour of Amalfi & Positano during this time.

Venice - was the next stop and our base for the next 3.5 days.

Cinque Terre - we were there for the next 3 days. Then finally got back to Rome where we stayed for 1 more day before flying back.

We intentionally skipped Florence, Milan, and Tuscany but do intend to visit them on another trip. We skipped Pisa because we were told there is not too much to do there other than being a selfie spot.

Initial itinerary planning doc.

Italy has one timezone, which makes things simpler.

We did the long distance routes on Train, and booked the train tickets well in advance from Trenitalia (booking on the fast Frecciarossa trains), and also booked the Cinque Terre Train card.

We booked all our (day) tours ahead of time as the popular ones tend to get sold out. We booked them via Walks of Italy

It’s useful to have some Euros on you. Your bank may give you a good rate on Euros. Most places accept cards but some remote places may need cash.

Many places we were visiting are not stroller friendly, so we opted not to take a stroller with us. If you have small kids, you could take a baby carrier which is more useful.

Pack good sneakers as there will be a good deal of walking (and heels are mostly useless in these places).

The Italy plug adapters came in handy for charging. I also got luggage chain locks for safety.

Since we were going to travel all over, I got a TIM Tourist SIM card which came with 15GB of data - useful for maps on your phone (we needed maps a lot in some places). We have Google Fi and it has good coverage in some but not all areas.

Though English is mostly sufficient all over Italy, learning a few Italian words and phrases is very useful. It also eases conversations with strangers.

Be wary of Pickpockets & swindlers - see section on this here.

Rome

We spent the first 5 days of the trip exploring Rome, and staying at the magnificent Palazzo Naiadi hotel.

The hotel is a 5 min walk from the Termini station (but walking with luggage is cumbersome), so we opted for a private transfer from the airport to the hotel after picking up our TIM SIM card at the airport.

Palazzo Naiadi hotel

The Palazzo Naiadi is fantastic, with beautiful interiors, great service, and dining options. We had an upgraded room with had sufficient space (regular rooms i heard were smaller). The hotel also has a rooftop pool areas with great views of room and a rooftop restaurant.

In Rome, we did not take public transport. We either took Taxis or just walked everywhere. Walking was fun as we soaked in the sights everywhere.

Tours and Sights

We did most of the must-see places using tours (Rome and Venice) from a company called Walks of Italy, and so glad we did.

The tour guides were extremely knowledgeable and provided the historical context that made visiting the sites of the Eternal city so much more meaningful than doing it ourselves.

All our tours were half day or day tours, and we spaced them out so we have plenty of time for checking out the city, the food spots, and other spontaneous activities.

An advantage or doing these via tours is that we get to skip the long lines, especially worth it for the Colosseum and Vatican.

Tour: Colosseum, Roman Forum

On the day after we landed, we started early with the Colosseum Tour with Roman Forum & Palatine Hill from Walks of Italy. It was a great start, we took a taxi to the meeting point, and were given audio equipment and had an excellent guide (Roman historian and researcher).

The Colosseum

It was a small group, and the guide covered the intricate details of the Colosseum and surrounding areas (Palatine hill, Roman Forum) giving us enough time to explore, learn, and wander in time through the history, and grandeur of what was Rome and how it came into being.

Inside the Colosseum

The breathtaking Roman Forum

We were walking with our eyes as big as saucers the whole three and a half hours. There is a lot of walking but it's absolutely worth it.

Tour: Walking Tour of Rome

The same evening, we also did the Welcome to Rome: Twilight Stroll Tour from Walks of Italy.

We wanted to do this early as this tour takes us through the main sites, and provides the baseline and context for us - so we could come back to all these sites on our own later during the visit. It’s also good to get some tips from the tour guide early on before we do Rome.

Our tour guide was funny, and walked and educated us through many of the beautiful Piazzas and structures, The Fontana di Trevi, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, Fontana di Quattro Fiumi, and other ancient monuments and galleries. It was a nice leisurely stroll on ancient cobblestone paths and it ended with some good Gelato.

The guide also gave us a lot of tips on food, shopping, things to do, and cautions on pickpockets and swindlers.

Revisit the sites again leisurely

On the day and times when we didn't have anything pre-planned, we walked around most of these historic sites again. Rome is a beautiful place to walk on ancient streets. You can still see the marks the Roman chariots made thousands of years ago on the cobblestones.

I recommend visiting these spots in day time and some of them again at nighttime for a different vantage point.

We walked around, had coffee, ate amazing food and did a few other spots like Castel and Ponte Sant’Angelo, and the Altar of the Fatherland. Most of these landmarks are all within walking distance of each other.

Trevi Fountain

This beautiful landmark has a lot of history (the tour was helpful here).

It can get very crowded, so come early and see the note of caution. It’s free to visit and btw the only fountain in the world where throwing a coin makes sense.

Pantheon

Do the tour to get all the wonderful history and hidden secrets inside the Pantheon. It’s beautiful and free to visit.

Spanish Steps

Another historic landmark. Recently a law was passed disallowing sitting on the steps (bummer).

There are also a lot of shopping areas close to the steps, and restaurants.

Castel Sant’Angelo

A beautiful castle we showed up to visit.

Tours close by late afternoon - we were luckily the line was short.

Ponte Sant’Angelo

Is the ancient bridge right in front of the castle built across the Tiber, and it’s a lovely place to ramble around.

Rome is a great place to stroll around.

Altare della Patria (also known as Victor Emmanuel Monument) is magnificent.

I recommend visiting the Victor Emmanuel Monument in the daytime to take the elevators (for a small fee) to the top of the ‘Panoramic Terrace’ (by the chariots way on top) for a spectacular view of Rome.

Every step you take is seethed in history.

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Caution: Pickpocketing and petty scams are real, especially around very crowded areas like the Trevi Fountain and public transport areas.

Here are some real related incidents that we encountered on this trip and some tips:

Camera Scam

One of guides had (thankfully) cautioned about this: One time by the Trevi, and once again by Pantheon, innocent looking people asked us - ‘nice family, I can take a picture for you?’. We politely declined, as these people would take our phones and run.

Backpack Skimmers

In Cinque Terre, on the train, a group of young (maybe 15 yr old) girls once crowded us, and one of them started quietly unzipping my wife’s backpack (which happened to be a diaper bag). She felt it, turned to them, showed the open bag and asked, ‘do you want diapers?’. They mumbled something and quickly scurried.

Rose Sellers

Beware of the street peddlers who try to give your child a rose to hold and then ask you to pay. They can be persistent.

Centurion Pictures

The Roman Centurions in costume make a great photo op near the Ponte Sant’Angelo but they charge you an arm and a leg! We did fall for this :).

Bottled Water

Do not buy bottled water at exorbitant rates from street vendors. Fresh water is freely available with the Nasonis (see the section on food).

Thankfully the whole trip, thanks to caution and good tips, we did not lose anything.

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Food & Drink

Rome is known for its history and its food. The food here (and around Italy) is absolutely divine - even the simplest of items are bursting with flavor, because of the high quality, and fresh ingredients. Here are some tips to eating in Rome, and beyond:

Stay away from the touristy restaurants right next to the big historical monuments. They will usually have big, colorful menus in English, and may even have touts outside, trying to get you into their restaurants. They serve average, to bad, and non-authentic food at exorbitant prices - not worth it.

Go a little bit into the city, away, but not far from the historic sites, and you will experience real authentic Italian cuisine (menus will be in Italian too with or without english translation). If you are taking tours, ask your guide.

Pizza is synonymous with Italy, but when most people say pizza, they refer to the ‘Pizza Napoletana’ - the thick chewy pizza from Naples in the south. Roman pizza, or ‘Pizza Romana’, is more widely available in Rome, and is much thinner and crunchier. And it’s delicious too.

Most of the pizza we ate in Rome was Pizza Romana. There are many bakeries (Fornos) where they serve Pizza by the (square) slice. Whole pizzas are usually served in sit down restaurants (pizza tonda).

Breakfast in Italy is a very simple affair - consisting of a Cappuccino and a Cornetto (or other pastry) - that’s it, and you usually have it standing up at the bar. It’s important to note that Cappuccino is only served till breakfast hours (like 10:30 or 11am), and anytime after that, normal places will not serve it!

They do serve amazing espresso all day long. Rome, and Italy is known for its espresso - It is fantastic everywhere. If you do crave for something with a spot of milk during the day, a Macchiato is acceptable to order (but not something too milky like a Cappuccino after 11am).

And to order an espresso, just order a caffe (caffe = espresso here, you don’t need to specify).

Water: Always have bottled water in restaurants (never tap water). Good restaurants will have good glass bottles of water (sparkling or still).

However, when you are walking about - do not buy the expensive bottles of water from street vendors, Rome has many many ancient water spouts (nasonis) that deliver fresh, pure, and amazing water from the nearby mountains. This system was set a very long time ago and is spread all across the city, providing free drinking water.

(And no, the Trevi Fountain is NOT one of them, and don’t drink from that).

Restaurants in Rome

We did not do much fine dining, and kept it mostly ‘eat like the locals’. The density of great restaurants is higher in the Trastevere area.

Emma: One of the best sit down Roman Pizza was at Emma - it's a good 10 min walk from the Pantheon and is a sit down place with excellent full pizza pies (pizza tonda).

Li Rioni: Another good place for roman style pizza is Li Rioni very close to the Colosseum. We chanced upon it because our tour group for the Colosseum tour started here.

Bonci Pizzarium: There are many Pizzerias / Fornos that are like small street-food bakeries that serve slices or rectangular pieces of pizza (al taglio) which are delicious, and the most famous of them is the Bonci Pizzarium right by the Vatican Museum entrance. The pizza is delicious and there is a lot of variety, but the lines can be long, and it’s slightly pricey.

Old Bear: One of the best restaurants we ate was a hidden gem called Old Bear, a nondescript looking place on an ancient cobblestone alley. Not far from Piazza Navona, it’s easy to miss though.

The food and service at the Old Bear were amazing. The interior was warm and inviting, and the Lasagna was to die for.

Ristorante Alessio: This restaurant is very close to Termini and is a 100 year old restaurant.

Almost have to walk down to a basement level to enter this place. The interior was laid out very simply, cozily, and unpretentiously. The food was amazing - pastas, gnocchi, and pizza; and our waiter was downright funny.

Trattoria Lilli: This is a not so famous, but local recommended place. It's family run and has with excellent home cooked style meals. It’s across from the Ponte Sant’Angelo bridge but (really) tucked away. Hardly anyone spoke English there, and the owner, who was an old lady, came up and chatted with us in Italian (which we didn’t speak at all) the whole time, and still managed to connect with us and make us feel welcome.

Ristorante Tazio: This place is right inside our hotel (Palazzo Naiadi) was exquisite and i would recommend it.

Ristorante Life: A slightly upscale place (we visited on our last day), and has amazing pasta and Truffle dishes

Roma Sparita: An amazing restaurant in Trastevere - it came highly recommended, and is famous for their Cacio e Pepe.

Sant'Eustachio Il Caffe: The best coffee (espresso) is allegedly at this place. It stood up to the hype. It’s very close to the Pantheon. They also sell lots of snacks, and their coffee beans.

Instead of drinking at the bar, we chose to sit (costs a little extra to sit at cafes) outside on the old roman cobblestone street, to relax and people watch and savor the amazing espresso.

Old Bridge Gelateria: Gelato is amazing all over Italy. One of the best Gelato we had was at a hole-in-the-wall looking place right outside the Vatican gates called Old Bridge Gelateria - just couldn’t get enough of the deliciously fresh Gelato there.