When in Rome: What To Do — Destination Dreamer Diaries

I’ll be honest… for me, Rome was disappointing.

It wasn’t anything like what I saw in the Lizzie McGuire movie. The trevi fountain is deceitful in that movie too; the area around the fountain is scare and filled with tourists trying to document their own Lizzie-Trevi-Fountain dreams come true.

Don’t get me wrong, the sights of Rome are in fact beautiful – but the city itself… isn’t structured the way other European cities are. It’s missing the “sterile” vibe, it’s missing the immaculate public transportation, it’s missing… organization.

Something about Rome’s charm felt very… surface level, to me.

Because Rome is a destination so high on so many traveler’s lists, you feel the chaos of the tourism. In other popular European cities, (like Paris, London, Barcelona, even Amsterdam…) I’ve found it pretty easy to ignore the tourism, or to find the places where it’s less apparent. But in Rome… that’s difficult to do.

Especially if you decide to go in the middle of July, like I did.

Nevertheless, I’m going to break down our 36-hour itinerary to you.

Don’t be fooled by the short amount of time we spent there… we did a lot.

Day 1:

We took the high-speed train from Milan to Rome, where we quickly dropped off our bags at the hotel and headed off to the city center for a couple of hours.

I had found Trastevere in several articles online as a cute and colorful neighborhood to eat and take pictures of.

Now, like I mentioned before… Rome’s public transportation Is not similar to other European cities. There are only two lines: red and blue, and they make an ‘x’ instead of the widespread, color-coded-metro-map you’d be used to if you’ve traveled Europe before.

Since there wasn’t a metro that took us there directly, we got on a tram… and we got lost.

We quickly realized that the city was dirty… but figured it was only the area we were in. Eventually, we got on a tram towards the real Trastevere.

Needless to say: Rome is big, and google maps can and will get confused with the places you put in.

Trastevere is exactly what I had seen in all of the pictures online. It’s leafy, funky, and filled with motorcycles that make for the greatest, “I’m trying to be artsy” pictures.

Motorcycles all over Rome… just like you’d expect!

There are a lot of places to sit and eat there, but if you’re going in the summer: prepare for it to be packed.

I’m not going to lie to you… my spaghetti in Milan was better (they didn’t cook it al dente here, and I could feel that the pizza and pasta was more of a tourist trap than the real stuff…), but at the end of the day – I was still happy to be hitting my 14thcountry in 14 months; all was good.

Ombre Rosse in Trastevere in Rome; July 2018

We then checked out Piazza Novena, which I recommend. It’s not one of the major tourist sites, still beautiful, and a breather from the other popular places.

Ponte Sisto, however – was a disappointment to me. Nothing like the seine in Paris or any canal in Amsterdam. In my opinion, it’s not really even worth the trip over there.

Ponte Sisto seems lackluster after having seen the seine in Paris and the magical canals of Amsterdam…

The Colosseum was last on our list. We could’ve waited till the next day, but we were too excited to wait.

It is awesome to see the massive, still-standing structure in person. In the surrounding areas, there are dreamy-guitarists playing for you as your We would’ve stayed longer, but we had to get back to our hotel and meet our tour group.

Day 2:

Our guided tour started at the Colosseum, and first off was the Roman Forum.

I got pretty bored here, because I can’t stand still for too long – but if you’re into the history, you’ll appreciate this.

Afterwards we had a photo stop at the Alter of the Fatherhood. It was refreshing to take pictures here as it isn’t flooded with tourists.

The Alter of the Fatherhood in Rome; July 2018

We then went inside a church I had never even heard of. Our tour guide was a native Roman, and told us that he always takes people in here because he thinks it’s one the prettiest ones, and that the lack of tourism and silence inside is wonderful.

It is.

When you’re in Rome, I highly recommend popping into Sant’Ignazio Church.

Afterwards, we took a peek inside the Pantheon.

This area is also crowded with tourists, so just be sure to stay vigilant – but on the plus side, there are great places to get a granita here, and in the summertime… it hits the spot.

Want one without dairy? No problem, just say sanza crema.

View from the outside of the Pantheon; July 2018.

Then, we were off to fulfill our Lizze McGuire dreams… the Trevi Fountain. It’s beautiful, don’t get me wrong… it’s just that it’s so touristy, with endless gift shops, crowds, and not enough space to take pictures – that you can’t fully enjoy it.

The Lizzie McGuire movie is deceitful.

I want to try and visually depict how small this area is through photography.

The space surrounded the Trevi Fountain is small. — The space surrounded the Trevi Fountain is *small.*

See that rail?

I was standing right behind it. There are only two walkways where you can take pictures. Thus, taking a picture of you against all of the fountain while sitting is next to impossible.

The Spanish Steps are the same way. The actual sights were beautiful… it’s just that they’re so swarmed with other human beings, that it’s hard to soak it up.

I will say, that the area around the Spanish Steps is nice, and adorable.

The area surrounding the Spanish Steps is so sweet.

There are a lot of good places to eat around here; I would choose to eat here over Trastevere.

After a lunch break, we were off to the Vatican City. Like I mentioned in Milan, you need to make sure your legs and shoulders are covered. If you’re touring Rome in the summer, be sure to bring a shawl or cover up of some sort.

Even though this was also jam-packed with people, this was one of my favorite parts of Rome. Whether you’re a spiritual person or just a fan of jaw-dropping artwork, I really think you’re going to enjoy it.

The Sistine Chapel was worth walking in the slow-moving-crowds.

St. Peter’s Basilica was, just… crazy.

St. Peter’s Square, well… my mom and I took a few moments just to admire the clouds. They looked, and more importantly felt… heavenly.

St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City; July 2018.

Once our Vatican City tour was over, my mom and I were determined to inside the Colosseum. We bought tickets online the night before, and I highly recommend you do the same – because if you go up to the counter with the intent of getting two tickets without a hell of a wait, (especially in the middle of July)… you’re going to be disappointed.

The audio tour they provide you with isn’t all that great, but going inside is a true pinch me moment.

Did you know that they still have concerts in there? I think that’s amazing… to integrate ancient and modern culture.

The massive disappointment with the Colosseum, is that while it’s beautiful and an architectural phenomenon… it’s dirty. There’s trash everywhere, and unfortunately – our initial impression of the city didn’t fade.

Now, people are always telling me how dirty Paris is. I’m the daughter of a New Yorker, so it’s hard for me to call a city dirty (sorry Manhattan!), but Rome… Rome is dirty. Especially around all of the major sites; I suppose there is just so much tourism that they can’t keep up with keeping it clean.

Rome wasn’t my favorite in terms of food in Italy, either. However, on the last night near our hotel (which was far out from the city center), we walked into a independently owned butcher shop, where the store owner didn’t speak a lick of English. My mother, who speaks Spanish fluently, attempted to converse with him that way – though it wasn’t much help.

We ended up pointing out to the things we wanted, and went for something different: eggplant and sundried tomatoes.

Oh. My. Lord…

In all of my travels, those sundried tomatoes and slow-cooked slices of eggplant smothered in Italian olive oil are some of the best things I have ever eaten abroad.

Long story short: when traveling, always go into the hole in the wall place – because that’s where you’re going to find the good food… not in a neighborhood-gone-touristy like Trastevere.

All in all? Rome’s sights aren’t disappointing, but for me – the city itself was. Had I known the metro system wasn’t like other European cities, maybe I would’ve tried to plan it better… but the truth is, I wouldn’t have.

Rome’s chaos is its charm. It’s just not a charm that does it for everybody.

That being said, I think it’s still, absolutely a place that everyone should see because of its sights….

… because they’re talked about around the world for a good reason.

If you’re looking for other things to do in Italy, click here.