Christina's Cucina

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Home » Non Sequitur » A Quick Trip to Rome and Some Do’s and Don’ts for the Eternal City

A Quick Trip to Rome and Some Do’s and Don’ts for the Eternal City

July 27th, 2016 | 25 Comments

Taking a trip to Rome? Want to know some do’s and don’ts and tips for visiting one of the most incredible cities on earth? I’ve been visiting for years, so read on.

Cappuccino in front of Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome

My daughter had just arrived in Rome at the Fiumicino airport to meet my mother and me, when I left off on my previous post.

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It was Mothers Day in Italy as it was in the US, so the three of us were happy to be spending it in Rome. We usually take the Leonardo Express (train) to and from the airport to the main train station of Termini, but I noticed the price had gone up to 14 euros (about $17 at the time).

It was a silly price for a such a short ride, that I looked into bus options. It didn’t take much to convince us the bus was our answer, and we hopped onto the Terravision bus for only FOUR euros, saving us 30 euros in total.

We checked into our hotel directly across from the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore which is walking distance from the train station. Although the location is fantastic, I cannot recommend the Mecenate Palace Hotel for several reasons which I won’t list here. However, the view from the top of the hotel (see the cappuccino photo above) is marvelous, and you don’t have to be a guest to go to the bar or restaurant there). Here is a B & B I highly recommend: Biancoreroma. The hosts were wonderful!

 

Having been to Rome countless times, the following is a list of some of my own

~ DO’S* and DON’TS for your trip to Rome ~

DO have antipasto, bread and wine with your meal. Or even as your meal!

Antipasto, bread and wine in Rome.

DO walk the city at night.

Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore at night, Rome.

DO take multi-generational selfies in front of landmarks.

Family selfie at the Colosseum

DON’T miss the opportunity to pose in front of the Colosseum if it happens to be lit up in your favorite color!

Christina of Christina's Cucina in front of the Colosseum

DO try a hot chocolate (but DON’T order a cappuccino in the afternoon or evening).

Hot chocolate in Rome.

DO make sure you know the back of a building from the front so that you can actually go inside. Because–what you thought was the front for years and years, was actually the back (!) And you always thought it wasn’t open to the public, so you were never able to go inside to admire the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. (Not that I’d know anything about this 🙄)

Spring Banner 480X320
I love my Priority Pass membership!

DON’T wear shorts or tank tops to churches. If you do, most times you won’t be allowed to enter. For many of us, it’s a long way to travel on a trip to Rome, only to be denied entry at the last second for something that’s easily avoidable.

Front of Basilica of Santa Maria in Rome.
This is the front.
Santa Maria Maggiore
This is the back. Who knew? Apparently, not me.
Inside Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome
This is the interior that you can see if you actually enter from the front!

DO look for typical Italian scenes, which offer great photo opportunities, in mundane places.

Roman street scene in a trip to Rome

DON’T miss walking into any and/or all churches in Rome. Each one is more awe-inspiring than the last.

Church in Rome

DO still visit the touristy places and sights, especially if you’ve never seen them before.

Roman Forum
The Roman Forum

DON’T forget your sunglasses!

Pantheon in Rome on a trip to Rome

DO look for a different perspective at popular landmarks.

Looking out of the Pantheon.
Looking out of the Pantheon.

DO stay hydrated in summer and drink from the public fountains (refill a water bottle). The water is fresh and cool!

Filling an empty water bottle on a trip to Rome

DON’T miss stopping by Antica Salumeria in front of the Pantheon, even if you don’t want to buy anything, it’s an experience just popping into this shop.

Antica Salumeria in a trip to Rome

When I walked in, it was like cheese and salumi heaven. I floated towards the back of the shop while my mother was magnetized by packages of dehydrated porcini mushrooms (I think she bought all they had). I entered another room with more cheese and prosciutti hanging from the ceiling, and bottles and bottles of wine on a nearby wall.

In Italian, I confessed to the adorable man behind the counter, “I don’t ever want to leave! Close the door, lock it up, and throw away the key!” To which he erupted into laughter, and replied, “Ha ha ha! There is no door!”

I learned his name was Cosimo and he invited me behind the counter for a photo. Who could resist this?

Cosimo from Antica Salumeria

I’d be this happy if I worked here, too!

Cosimo from Antica Salumeria in Rome

Oh, they also have bread and pizza! Everyone in this shop was lovely; DON’T miss it!

Antica Salumeria in Rome

Speaking of pizza, DO pop into Pizzeria Via Florida, located between Campo dei Fiori and the Roman Forum, for a slice (or three) of incredibly tasty pizza!

Pizza from Pizzeria Via Florida in Rome

DO stop by Campo dei Fiori for a fresh fruit snack.

fruit at Campo dei Fiori in Rome

DO stop by Ricami Veronica, right next to Campo dei Fiori, for the cutest personalized and useful gifts such as bathrobes, children’s clothing, aprons, and kitchen linens.

Ricami Veronica in a trip to Rome

Sabrina is very talented and has a great sense of humor! Click her photo below to see her in action.

Ricami Veronica in Rome

DO stroll along the Tiber River (Il Tevere, in Italian).

Tiber River in Rome

DON’T forget to eat gelato! When searching for a gelateria, avoid any that are near to any tourist attraction, public transportation depot, or monuments. DO look for shops which serve gelati from closed containers versus ones which “show off” their rainbow colored gelati in high mounds in the windows, including bright blue Smurf gelato. Ugh.

Gelato on a trip to rome

DO walk as much as possible in Rome (if you are able) as you will see much more, but DON’T wear uncomfortable shoes.

Walking to La Bocca della Verita in Rome

People in Rome
IMG_6363

Ruins in Rome
If you look at the statue of Caesar, it looks like he’s taking a selfie!!

DO make a reservation at La Carbonara (on Via Panisperna) for great pasta and wine. Of course, I had to try their Spaghetti alla Carbonara and it was marvelous!

La Carbonara Ristorante on a trip to Rome

Even Robert De Niro approves.

Robert De Niro's photo in La Carbonara in Rome

DON’T be impatient when taking photos. Wait for people to move and traffic to clear. It’s worth it.

Night shot of Santa Maria Maggiore
There were a lot of cars going past, but I waited for them to clear before snapping this picture.

Santa Maria Maggiore at Night

(PLEASE) DON’T eat at McDonald’s (or Subway, or Starbucks, or–you get my drift) when there is so many phenomenal options for really good food in Rome.

Fast food joint in Italy

DO rent a car and explore more of Italy on your trip to Rome.

Driving in the outskirts of Rome

However, DO NOT drive in Rome; I can attest to how nerve-racking it is! Besides other reasons, there is now a central zone where you will be ticketed without a proper pass.

 

NEXT POST ~ Driving in Lazio: Frascati, Sora and Gaeta


This is not a sponsored post. I paid for all of our accommodations, meals and purchases.

*FYI, if you are a punctuation “nazi”, then please note that I realize that DO’S should actually be written as DOS. However, as you can see, I think it’s too confusing not to have the apostrophe (it looks like the number two in Spanish). The Associated Press and others recommend using the apostrophe in this case, so that’s why it’s there.

Christina’s Cucina is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

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Country, ITALY, My Rants & Recommendations, Non Sequitur, Uncategorized · Italy, Rome, Travel

Reader Interactions

25 Responses

  1. Ischia Hotel Excelsior Belvedere: an Italian Island Dream Hotel and Spa - Christina's Cucina says:
    February 13, 2022 at 12:07 pm

    […] for me. In my head, I had a rough idea of going to see my family after leaving the tour group in Rome, then continuing south to Puglia, a region I have yet to visit in […]

    Reply
  2. Top Nine Handheld Snacks Not to Miss in Italy - Christina's Cucina says:
    June 29, 2020 at 2:22 pm

    […]    I don’t enjoy mortadella unless it’s sliced super thinly. Unfortunately, even in Rome we had to ask if they could slice it paper thin; so don’t take for granted that they’ll […]

    Reply
  3. My Top 12 Reasons to Visit Turin (Torino), Italy - Christina's Cucina says:
    April 5, 2018 at 11:37 am

    […] Each of the photos are missing throngs of tourists jamming the streets as they do in places like Rome, Florence and Venice. With the exception of the piazza when we were watching fireworks, […]

    Reply
  4. Cathy says:
    August 2, 2016 at 6:08 pm

    I want to hop on the first flight to Rome after seeing this!

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      August 2, 2016 at 7:49 pm

      I’ll join you, Cathy! :)

      Reply
  5. Kelly @ TastingPage says:
    July 30, 2016 at 11:08 pm

    Thanks for the afternoon visit to Rome. I missed some of those do’s on my last trip, so definitely time to return!

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      July 31, 2016 at 7:57 am

      Haha, Kelly! I’m sure everyone misses a couple of those “dos”! ;)

      Reply
  6. Driving in Lazio: Frascati, Cervaro, Sora and Gaeta says:
    July 30, 2016 at 7:22 pm

    […] course, there so much to see in Rome that you could stay for months and still not see a majority of what the Eternal City has to […]

    Reply
  7. Zürich, Switzerland, a Stay at the Superb Hotel Schweizerhof says:
    July 30, 2016 at 2:30 pm

    […] NEXT POST: Do’s and Don’t when Visiting Rome […]

    Reply
« Older Comments

Trackbacks

  1. Ischia Hotel Excelsior Belvedere: an Italian Island Dream Hotel and Spa - Christina's Cucina says:
    February 13, 2022 at 12:07 pm

    […] for me. In my head, I had a rough idea of going to see my family after leaving the tour group in Rome, then continuing south to Puglia, a region I have yet to visit in […]

    Reply
  2. Top Nine Handheld Snacks Not to Miss in Italy - Christina's Cucina says:
    June 29, 2020 at 2:22 pm

    […]    I don’t enjoy mortadella unless it’s sliced super thinly. Unfortunately, even in Rome we had to ask if they could slice it paper thin; so don’t take for granted that they’ll […]

    Reply
  3. My Top 12 Reasons to Visit Turin (Torino), Italy - Christina's Cucina says:
    April 5, 2018 at 11:37 am

    […] Each of the photos are missing throngs of tourists jamming the streets as they do in places like Rome, Florence and Venice. With the exception of the piazza when we were watching fireworks, […]

    Reply
  4. Driving in Lazio: Frascati, Cervaro, Sora and Gaeta says:
    July 30, 2016 at 7:22 pm

    […] course, there so much to see in Rome that you could stay for months and still not see a majority of what the Eternal City has to […]

    Reply
  5. Zürich, Switzerland, a Stay at the Superb Hotel Schweizerhof says:
    July 30, 2016 at 2:30 pm

    […] NEXT POST: Do’s and Don’t when Visiting Rome […]

    Reply

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Meet Christina

A Scottish Italian cook living in Los Angeles, Christina is usually cooking, baking or (cr)eating something scrumptious. When she isn't in the kitchen, she loves to travel, near and far, as long as good food is involved. Christina is on a mission to save authentic Italian dishes from extinction, and is constantly promoting Scottish (and British) food as some of the best cuisine the world has to offer—one steak pie and sticky toffee pudding at a time.



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