Where to Eat
Dining in Italy is about enjoying life, the food and the people you are with. Trastevere is the place to go for restaurants in Rome. Because food, and the experience of eating is so important in Italy, its imperative to a memorable trip that you choose wisely the places to dine. Often called “Rome’s favorite neighborhood” and home to the picturesque cobblestone laden streets, Trastevere is not only a quaint and cozy community in Rome, but it is where all the best meals are cooked. Choose from dozens of family-owned restaurants, snag a table and enjoy the most important part of the Italian culture- the food! Eating in Italy is so very different than in the US, so don’t expect to have prompt service, a server rushing you out of your table or an obligation to tip. All of the restaurants in Italy specialize in different dishes and have their own recipes and ways of doing things. Instead of just stumbling into any restaurant you pass, make sure you check out their menu to see if anything catches your eye. The atmosphere, the menu options, and the people are all important factors in choosing the best restaurant.
Where to Stay
If you do it right, traveling in Rome can leave you feeling like you are one of the Romans, rather than just another tourist. The narrow, cobblestone laden streets are the perfect landscape to intimately reside with the locals, leaving you to feel like you are in the heart of the culture from your first step out the door.
It is important to choose your location very carefully when in Rome. Most things are relatively centralized and not too far of the walk. The bus system is also easy to learn, and you can be aided by your concierge or a local corner stand that sells the bus tickets and maps. Airbnb is a great option if you want to live as the Italians do, and give yourself the chance to live in an authentic Roman home. However, I opted for a refreshing and clean hotel called Salotto Monti, set in a prime location between Between Piazza Venezia and Fontana di Trevi, and only a few steps from the main monuments of Rome.
Where to Play
A few days, to a week in Rome, is enough to see all the sights, experience the culture, and still eat copious amounts of pasta and gelato. However, one who lives in Rome can always find new and exciting things to do, because the culture places such an emphasis and value in sharing time and creating new memories and moments with friends and family. Whether you are staying for a few days or a few months, there is plenty of variety in Rome. If you decide to travel with others or are going solo, your Rome trip should have plenty of variety between checking out the top places to visit such as touristy destinations and sightseeing, and also embrace some of the Italian cultures by visiting the Markets in the Plaza’s and enjoying a few nights out after dinner.
What do you think?