Top 14 Things to do in Rome, Italy
Welcome to the Eternal city, once the capital of the Western world - Rome! Arguably one of the most interesting cities in the entire world. This summer Jon and I spent 1 month in Italy, where we got to visit some of the most iconic places in Italy, like Venice, Rome and the Amalfi coast. Make sure to check out last weeks blog post to see what we got to explore for 3 days in Venice.
Despite Covid 19, you can still travel to Rome, Italy, just make sure to provide a negative covid test. We had zero problems entering Italy from the US and Norway. But without further ado, let’s jump into my “Top 14 Things to do in Rome, Italy” list. Additionally, if you are a visual learner, then you might prefer watching my YouTube video below instead.
In todays blog post I’m sharing the top 14 things to see and explore in Rome, Italy. I’m definitely no Rick Steves, but after soaking up as much history as possible, I’m ready to share our knowledge and experience with you guys! Rome and its history can definitely be overwhelming. There’s so much to see, and literally everywhere you turn, you always spot some new ruins or architecture you hadn’t seen before.
ROME
Have you ever wanted to walk in the footsteps of the first Roman Emperor Ceasar Augustus and touch the 2000 year old stone walls at Colosseum? Then you’re in the right place, Rome has it all! In todays blog post, we’re taking a closer look at all the historic sites, and also show you all the other fun things Rome has to offer! We are starting with the most obvious ones, then moving closer into the secrets of Rome later on, so make sure you read until the end (or just scroll down now lol)!
THE COLOSSEUM
Starting off with the number one tourist attraction in Rome, and all of Italy - The Colosseum. If you watch my YouTube video, I show you around and tell you about the different floors, and explain more of what went down there. But to sum it up here, the Colosseum is over 2000 years old, and it’s the world’s largest amphitheater. It was mainly used for gladiatorial shows, where they were killing each other, and tons of animals as well. Additionally, it’s said that the emperor Titus inaugurated the Colosseum with a hundred days of spectacle in which 5000 wild beasts were killed.
In the 350 years the Colosseum was used for bloodsports and spectacles, it is believed that as many as 400,000 gladiators, slaves, prisoners, and entertainers were killed there. All his naturally makes it one of the new 7 wonders of the world!
FYI, the Colosseum is still at a 10% capacity because of Covid-19. So we had to buy our tickets a few days in advance because a lot of days were sold out. The official website of Rome city is a good starting point for all your Rome tours. We only waited in line at the Colosseum for a few minutes, and it’s honestly the perfect time to visit now! Remember, before Covid-19 they used to have about 3 million people visit this site every year. So hurry up before the crowds come back and the colosseum will be packed again.
2. PALATINE HILL & ROMAN FORUM
Moving on to number 2, Palatine Hill and the Forum Romanum. This is the most famous of Rome’s seven hills, and it was considered as one of the most desirable neighborhoods in the city.
This hill was the crown jewel in Rome's most important area, the Forum Romanum. It was the most distinguished real estate in Rome back in ancient times and became a royal palace during the Renaissance era. To be able to visit this place, you need to purchase tickets on-site for 16 euro per person, or buy online all access tickets like we did.
Palatine hill was eventually abandoned and neglected, but in the sixteenth century the Farnese family turned them into a botanical garden. It’s today filled with flowers, fountains and overall a beautiful garden with rich history too.
3. THE PANTHEON
Number 3 on our list is the Pantheon! Another grand building located in Rome's most important area, the Forum Romanum. This was Rome's premiere piece of architecture from its earliest years up until today it is still one of Rome's biggest tourist attractions. It was built in Rome's golden age in 27-25 BC and is still in great standing condition. An interesting fact about the Pantheon is even though it was built by Romans, it has three different major styles of architecture incorporated into one building.
The reason why the Pantheon is the most well preserved roman monument is because it is the only structure that has been in continuous use since it was built. It used to be a Roman temple, but later turned into a Catholic Church.
4. VINTAGE SHOPPING
Number 4, - Vintage Shopping! Rome is of course known for its rich history, but it’s also famous for its notoriously chic fashion. This city has so many markets and vintage stores, I was in heaven! Rome is a vintage lover's paradise with its rich history and abundance of old world engravings, mosaics, and fountains. Rome has a good amount of vintage shops all over the city where you can get your hands on some nice stuff like clothes, home decor, ornaments and more at affordable prices. Rome is definitely not a cheap city to live in, but vintage shopping Rome is certainly one of the most budget-friendly places to get your freebies.
5. EXPLORE THE FOOD SCENE
Moving onto something a bit more tasty, number 5 - Exploring the Italian food scene! I was so impressed by the food scene in Rome! I’m also making a dedicated food guide episode/blogpost about this, that will come out next Sunday. So if you want to know where you cannot this gorgeous food, and cuddle with these cute cats, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you get notified when I upload my next video! Or check in here in my blog!
6. RENT A SCOOTER
Number 6 on our list is exploring the city with a scooter! We stayed in Rome for almost 2 weeks all together, and we stayed at 2 places a bit out of town. During this whole period, we only got around by using these electric scooters. It was way faster than Uber, and we felt very safe using them. They are honestly game changers and way cheaper than taxi or Uber. We used these 3 services, Lime, Bird, and Dott, and I happened to have a discount code for all 3 for you! Here are MY PROMO CODES you can use for free rides:
Lime: RIBN42W | Dott: 544T90P | Bird: 8T91MZ
7. ALTAR OF THE FATHERLAND
Number 7 on our list is to visit this beautiful building - The Altar of the Fatherland. It was built between 1885, and 1935. Every city in Italy has some noteworthy historical building or monument, while some cities have several of them. One of the most famous and historic monuments in Rome is the altar of the fatherland. It was built to honor Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of a unified Italy, Rome, the all the soldiers from WW1. The entrance fee today is free, and I’ve read there is a beautiful cafe at the top with a great view.
8. THE PYRAMID OF CAIUS CESTIUS
The cool thing about Rome is that we did not know about this Pyramid, we were on our way home and randomly stumbled across this beautiful site. We got off our scooters and started reading about it. It’s located close to the Testaccio neighborhood. This pyramid is a Roman Era pyramid, close to the Protestant Cemetery. As the name describes it, this is actually a tomb built for Gaius Cestius, a member of the Epulones religious corporation. It was built around the year 18 BC, which makes this place over 2000 years old! It’s currently closed, but I’m sure it will open up again soon, and it’s worth stopping and taking a closer look.
9. THE TREVI FOUNTAIN
Number 9 is the beautiful Trevi Fountain. This too, is hard to capture how insanely massive this fountain is. It’s 26 meters high, and 49 meters wide. One of Rome's most iconic sites that dates back since the 1700s! Visit this beautiful fountain and make sure you toss in a coin just like the tradition says. Rome is Rome! Rome, Italy's capital city has a total of 28 fountains and Rome Trevi Fountain is the most beautiful among them all.
10. GO TO A ROOFTOP BAR
Number 10 is a fun one! Go to a rooftop bar for drinks to get that perfect view of the Eternal City Rome. Rome has tons of beautiful rooftop bars, with incredible views. We only got to go to one at the NH hotel, but the view here was so beautiful. I had no idea which one to pick, so our friend Marie, who lives in Rome chose this place for us! So remember if you want to see Rome from a different angle, definitely head to one of the many rooftops Rome has to offer. Take your time and enjoy the view while music is playing in the background.
11. CHECK OUT THE NIGHTLIFE SCENE
Another similar one, is number 11, hit up the nightlife scene after your rooftop session! Rome has such pretty cool places you should check out at night. We loved the Voodoo bar, great drinks, super large space, with cool people and fun entertainment. They also sold tacos here! But yeah, we only made it to Wodo bar, and a speak easy called Club Derrière where the bathroom was behind a cool secret bookshelf. There are lots of pubs, bars, and clubs scattered all over the city that plays EDM music to get you dancing on the dance floor. Some places might be exclusive for Italians only, but there are some road bars that welcome tourists as well! Pictures from the Voodoo bar below.
They also had a large restaurant, everything was outdoor seating, and they even had a beautiful pool you can dip in during day time brunches. I loved this place so much, it gave me Bali vibes and I’m here for that.
12. THE TEMPLE OF HERCULES VICTOR
Number 12 is the Temple of Hercules Victor. This small ancient temple was once a church dedicated to patron saint of penitents. It is believed that it was built by a greek architect in the second century B.C.E. A cool thing about this place is that there are never any tourists here, so you can walk around in peace and really enjoy the site (can you spy the local couple in the background lol).
13. VISIT TESTACCIO NEIGHBORHOOD
Number 13 on our list is to visit the neighborhood called Testaccio. This is where we stayed when we were in Rome, and we absolutely loved it. There were no tourists there, and the vibe was great. It has tons of restaurants, bars and great grocery stores. We found a little local coffee shop that fast became Jon’s favorite place to go each morning. The Cappuccino’s were 1 Euro, where as in NY you pay $5 minimum for that. But that was basically one of the only cheap things we found in Rome haha. I definitely recommend checking out Testaccio in the evening too, every night all the locals would play and bring wine with them and drink on the benches. I really loved that cultural aspect of Rome, it was super social and it was nice to see people of all ages enjoying themselves like that after Covid.
14. THE VATICAN CITY
Last, but definitely not least! Number 14: visit the Vatican City! I will make a dedicated episode for this too, because there is so much to include here. After all, it’s actually a whole other country we had to explore! So make sure you stay tuned for that!
But okay guys, that sums up my top 14 things to do in Rome! I can not stress enough how lucky we were to visit Rome when tourism was at a record low. If you are thinking of visiting, now is honestly the best time! There were no lines or big crowds at the Colosseum, Palatine hill or the Vatican city. If you’ve seen YouTube videos from Rome Pre pandemic, you know you often have to stand in line for hours to access the top attractions. Also, important info, make sure to book your tickets in advance to some of these places, as most of them are still at a low capacity because of Covid. I think the Colosseum was at a 10% capacity when we were there. But as I said earlier, we had an absolute amazing time in Rome, despite the severe heat wave that was there. I would love to know if you have been to Rome, or if you are planning to go? Let me know in the comments below, I love talking to you guys there!
Love, Camilla
