Meeting the Colosseum

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There are no amount of books or pictures in the world that can get you ready to see some things in person. The Colosseum is one of those places. I remember looking through books about ancient Rome when I was in middle school and saying to myself, “someday, I’m going to go there.” Seeing this architectural marvel up close and personal was one of the most lasting memories from our entire trip to Italy.

My biggest piece of advice is this. Get there as early as possible. When we arrived at the Colosseum for pictures at around 6:30 in the morning, there was hardly anyone else there. We were able to walk around at our pace, finding all of the magical angles for some great shots. I’ve said once and I’ll say it again, Roman sights take on a whole new life when you can see them before the hustle and bustle from the tourists.

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To get into the Colosseum, you’ll need to buy tickets. There are so many tour options to choose from, but I recommend grabbing tickets straight from the Colosseum’s official website. They are a fraction of the cost and you can still get access to Audio and Tour Guides. We even bought our tickets just the day before and had no issues. Because we bought our tickets straight from their official website, we are able to practically skip the entire line and got into the Colosseum in under 10 minutes. I honestly think it was the biggest secret we learned on our entire trip.

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Your ticket to the Colosseum also includes a ticket to the Roman Forum right next door. Do not skip this! It is acres upon acres of ancient Roman ruins that are just dying to be explored. We spent hours wandering and admiring all of the details of the many buildings that are still perfectly intact. Be warned though, because the space is so big, it’s pretty easy to get lost. It’s good thing there are maps everywhere to help you find your way. As we were exploring, we even walked by the occasional dig where archeological students were working.

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The neighborhood around the Colosseum is just rich for visiting. Unfortunately, we didn’t make the time to do this and we sincerely regret it. From the outside looking in, it looks as quaint and picturesque as you could hope for.

Love from NYC,
Katie

As always, thanks for stopping by! To keep up with all things about the Sunshine State, be sure to visit my exclusive Florida page, here.

Eating in Trastevere, Rome

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Trastevere is an ancient neighborhood with narrow, cobblestoned streets that wind in and out. We loved calling it home while in Rome because there was no shortage of places to eat. It also served a pretty great base to see all of the sights. Since Rome is very spread out, we still ended up walking almost twenty miles every day. We would come back to our apartment hungry and ready to eat Italian cuisine. Here’s a quick round up of our favorite dining spots during our stay.

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Grazia e Graziella

This restaurant came highly recommend from multiple friends who recently had traveled to Rome. We stopped for what we thought was going to be a quick lunch, but loved the atmosphere so much, it turned to a mini feast. We started with bruschetta, caprese, and I washed it down with a refreshing glass of moscato.

Morenitas

If you are in Italy for an extended period of time, you may get a little tired of Italian food after awhile. Shocking, I know, but that’s what happened to David and I after nearly two weeks in Italia. That’s what made this restaurant at Vicolo del Bologna 19 so amazing. Eva is the owner and gave us one of the most delicious lunches we’ve ever had. The cuisine is Peruvian, but all comfort. She’s also the sweetest person to chat with and give you her background story.

Trattoria Da Enzo al 29

This restaurant also came highly recommended and normally needs a reservation. It’s a tiny, little restaurant, but we were able to snag a table on a rainy afternoon for lunch. Probably being the best pasta I had in Rome, I highly recommend the Gricia. Imagine perfectly cooked rigatoni pasta, the world’s tastiest bacon, a decadent cheese sauce, and a healthy sprinkling of black pepper. Hungry yet?

Checco Er Carettiere

There’s a lot of talk about where the best gelato in Rome is, but this little shop has my very confident vote. While other stores have bright lights, colorful signs, or unlimited flavors, this gelataria gets back to the basics with about a dozen expertly made flavors. By day, this shop can serve up the perfect Italian breakfast with nutella croissant and the only iced coffee I bothered asking for in Italy.

Frenzie e Firzioni

After a full day of traveling from Lake Como, this was the perfect place to say buonasera (or good evening) to Trastevere. This is definitely the place to hang out and meet some locals and ex-pats. Each drink is named after a famous movie character and is constantly changing.

As far as what to do in Trastevere, it’s really simple. Just take a walk. Getting lost in the neighborhood was one of the most rewarding experiences of the trip. The architecture is stunning and every corner looks as though it has a great story to tell.

Love from NYC,
Katie

As always, thanks for stopping by! To keep up with all things about the Sunshine State, be sure to visit my exclusive Florida page, here.