Presenting, a review of Rome. One of the most fascinating cities I have ever visited. With almost 3000 years of history and gorgeous sights on every corner, You could spend weeks there and still not see it all!
But since most of us only have a limited time to spend in a city. This is a review of Rome. What it does well. What it does not so well. And why you should definitely have it on your list to visit!
Review of Rome: Summary
- Who: Solo adventure
- What: City break and Sightseeing
- Where: Roma Tempus Hostel, [near Termini Stazione]
- When: June, 6 days [4 in the City, 2 by the beach]
- Why: A last-minute spontaneous getaway. I booked this one 2 days before departure!
- How: Plane, Edinburgh- Rome Ciampino, Ryan air, £190 return
WHAT IT DOES WELL
1. The Food
Oh wow! I mean it goes without saying, but Italians know how to cook like no other.
As a vegetarian I found it pretty easy to eat here. Pizza, pasta, gelato, coffee… its a food lover’s paradise. Regardless of budget, appetite or time of day. Whether its grabbing a ‘slice on the go’, or sitting down for a 3 course meal. You’ll always have a happy tummy in Rome.
2. The History
Rome does history and culture like no other.
Nicknamed ‘The Eternal City’, it’s like stepping off the plane into a 3 kilometer wide open air museum. There’s almost 3000 years worth of ancient structures, statues and art collections.
To name a few:
- The Colosseum
- Circus Maximus
- Trevi Fountain
- Pantheon
- Roman Forum
- St Peter’s Basilica
- The Sistine Chapel
- Spanish Steps
These might be the most commonly known. But, its nearly impossible to travel down any street without stumbling upon something of serious historical significance.
Not to mention, The Vatican City, the world’s smallest country and home of the Pope, is within Rome’s city boundaries too.
3. Beautiful People!
Maybe there’s something in the water, I don’t know. But it’s not just the buildings and statues of Rome that are pleasing to the eye.
The streets are filled with gorgeous human beings, men and the women alike.
Fashion is taken seriously here and its perfectly normal to hit the supermarket in a maxi dress and designer shades. As someone who is seriously style-challenged, Romans are certainly my inspiration for how to look effortlessly good, all of the time. (Note; I say ‘inspiration’. It’s not something I can actually achieve!)
DOES NOT SO WELL
1. The Driving
After living in Vietnam I thought I’d handled the worst that drivers and traffic could be. But Rome was a different level of scary.
I rented a cycle bike for two days to get around as much as possible. This was great, but equally terrifying. It’s every man (and woman) for themselves. And crossing the road is quite a skill. Cars drive fast through narrow streets, and the one way systems sometimes felt like more of a suggestive guide than an actual rule.
The Piazza de Venezia is a roundabout of epic proportions. I tried to cross it once, then rerouted every future journey to avoid it whenever possible.
2. Time Keeping
It seems to me that the warmer a city is, the slower things move and the less time matters.
I quickly learned that eating dinner at 6pm was about 2-3 hours too early for the locals. And that my 9am bike tour that departed at 10:15 was pretty normal.
It was a quirk I found amusing, and I didn’t let it stress me out. When you’re travelling you just have to accept that not everything will go to schedule. And to be fair, the public bus and train systems were actually fairly reliable. Which is awesome.
3. Indoor Voices
Romans like to shout. At each other mainly.
It was a recurring theme throughout the city that conversations were held at around 10 decibels louder than your average indoor voice. Sometimes I couldn’t tell if people were angry, or just really passionate. It didn’t help that my Italian skills at pretty basic. So I was never really sure what was going on!
MY FAVOURITE SPOT
A review of Rome wouldn’t be complete without sharing my favourite spot.
As cliche as it may be, without a doubt my favourite spot in Rome was the Trevi Fountain.
For some reason, no matter where I go I am always drawn to water. And this time was no different.
I came back to see it again five times over the course of my trip. Including once at 11pm which was far more peaceful (yet still surprisingly busy!) No matter how long I sat and stared I would find something different to be in awe of.
This masterpiece is not to be missed, and please, don’t just look at it through your phone screen whilst taking 10,000 awkwardly angled selfie stick pictures. (It’s tall and difficult to fit in!) Actually remember to look at it in real life too.
There you have it. My review of Rome! It does some things great, others not so great. But overall – 10/10 recommend checking it out for yourself.
