I always recommend that people visit my blog at the end of my YouTube videos and then life gets in the way and I have no time to actually post on here. Not this time! I recently returned from Italy after a 10 day trip there and I wanted to share some of my experiences. My dad’s girlfriend recently turned 60 and she and a few of her close friends met up in Rome to celebrate. She told me that I could tag along and you don’t need to tell me twice to go on a good trip. So I booked me a flight and got to planning.
I had previously planned to go to Italy as part of a Euro trip including London and Barcelona back in 2020. Of course, the world had other plans in 2020 so that didn’t end up working out. But I like to think that things happen for a reason. In 2020, I was only going to get a week in Italy. With this new itinerary, I got 10 whole days. Here’s to finding the bright side of things. I flew into Rome, took trains between there, Florence, Venice and Milan, and flew home from Milan. I stayed in hotels the whole way. 2020 Devani was open to hostels but 2022 Devani is a little too bougie for that 😅.
So I’m going to split this trip into 4 parts: one for each stop. I did a video on the shopping experience so I won’t get into that as much. But I will try to be as specific as possible. I stayed at the same hotel as my dad and his girlfriend in Rome. But for the rest of the trip, I was on my own. This was my first time traveling solo and it was an interesting experience. I found that it was like a muscle, the more I worked on it, the better I got. I was less shy about asking strangers for help or for suggestions. I found that most people were open to it (although there were some exceptions). So let’s get into it, here was my day by day experience in Rome!
Day 1: Rome (hotel check-in, Spanish Steps, Via Condotti)
I arrived at the international airport and took a shuttle to the Rome Termini train station. The shuttle was about 30 minutes and cost about 7 euros. There was a savings to book a round trip shuttle but since I wasn’t flying back out of Rome, I only booked one way. Once I arrived at Termini, I walked from there to the hotel. It was only about a 10 minute walk. Note that I kept my phone in airplane mode the whole trip. Before leaving I downloaded maps of the cities I would be visiting onto my phone. Even in airplane mode, the Google maps app can place you on the map and you can used that to get around. That’s how I was able to find my way from Termini to the hotel. I stayed at the Hotel Napoleon in Rome. It was really clean and the staff were super helpful. They also have breakfast for an up charge if you’re interested in that. I didn’t pay for that so I can’t tell you how it was. I would recommend booking through the site rather than a third party because it was a little cheaper. This hotel was right by the Vittorio Emanuele train station and had restaurants on either side of it. Super convenient.
After arriving and freshening up, I took the train to the Spagna stop to see the Spanish steps. The trains were pretty easy to figure out and the stations have directional maps so you know which way you are heading. It was a little annoying getting the card to pay for the train but that might have been because my credit card is from a different country. I got off at the Spagna stop and was exceedingly underwhelmed by the Spanish steps. I’m not sure why they even have their own name. They are very regular.
However, the saving grace of this neighborhood is that it is right next to Via Condotti, a long street dotted with fancy designer stores. After a break for lunch, I spent most of the day perusing the shops in this area. I had dinner with the group at a restaurant in this same neighborhood called Ristorante Pietro Valentini. I had a shrimp, pesto pasta. I can’t say it was a life-changing meal but the service was pretty good. It was a super small restaurant but they accommodated the 11-person group and others in the group seemed to really like their meal.
Day 2: Trevi Fountain
I didn’t do too much on the second day. The rest of the group did a pasta making class which seemed great from what I heard. But I was in need of some R&R. Later in the day, I headed out to the Trevi fountain to see what all the hype was about. I took the train to the Barberini stop and it was about a 10 minute walk away. The walk is pretty cool, I passed by a department store called Rinascente, which was basically the Saks of Italy. There were also a bunch of cool looking local shops, bars and restaurants on that street. The actual fountain is definitely worth the hype. There are SO MANY people standing around it trying to get the perfect picture. I heard that you need to go early to get a good picture but I wasn’t too concerned about that. I believe I grabbed a pizza for dinner that night but it was nothing too special.
Day 3: The Colosseum, Palatine Hill
I spent most of my third day roasting in the sun as I checked out the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. It must have been 100 degrees that day so I’m just glad I didn’t faint. I got tickets ahead of time on getyourguide.com. I chose a regular timed entry ticket rather than a guided tour. If I was to do it again, I would consider a guided tour because I’ve noticed Italian monuments don’t offer much in the way of information. There’s a few placards giving you historical information but for the most part, you’re on your own. The website tells you where to meet. When you get there, you’ll see the people from the company who give you your ticket.
The Colosseum is definitely worth a visit. There’s really something about seeing a structure that old still standing and being able to go inside. It seems too ancient to still be around in modern times and yet there I was. The Roman Forum and Palatine Hill was also interesting but it’s hard to know exactly what you’re looking at without a guide. You can also get a good view of the city from there.
For dinner that night, I went to a place recommended in the Fodor’s travel guidebook: VyTA Enoteca Regionale del Lazio. I had the Carbonara and it was pretty good. I’m not sure the service was all that great but it was one of my better meals in Italy. Dining out alone was one of the things I was kinda nervous about on this trip. But a big advantage of doing so is that you can almost always get a table without a reservation. Try to push past those nerves if you can because the rewards are awesome.
While I was in Italy, the metro was under construction so it closed at 9pm. I tried taking a bus home that night from the restaurant but that ended up getting me lost. So I hopped off the bus and trekked home on foot. Probably not the best idea but for most of the walk, the streets were full of people so it wasn’t too bad. Either way, I survived the walk.
Day 4: , The Pantheon, The Vatican, Sistine Chapel
For my last full day in Rome, I had alot of stuff to squeeze in. I got up early and headed to the Pantheon. I had heard of this monument and wanted to see it in person. I walked from the Barberini station to the Pantheon. Entry is free but keep in mind that the Pantheon is a church. They’ll expect you to be dressed kind of modestly. So no shoulders out and no short shorts. I didn’t get any kind of ticket ahead of time and just waited in the line. It was long but it moved pretty quickly. The Pantheon is definitely worth a look even if you don’t go inside. It’s huge and it’s amazing that it was built so long ago and still in such immaculate condition.
I also got a timed ticket for the Vatican from GetYourGuide. To enter, you basically just walk in and there’s a counter for GYG customers to collect their tickets. They make it really simple. The Vatican is also a little strict about dress code but if your shoulders are covered, you should be okay. Don’t be like me and miss the Sistine Chapel on your first go round. I guess I went the wrong way through the Vatican and completely missed it. Thank goodness the guards at the front let me back in. The Vatican was cool, although I was confused to see all of the Egyptian art there. Give them people back their things please! The best part was the Sistine Chapel though. Even before you get to the Chapel, there are beautifully painted ceilings and sculptures. We weren’t supposed to take pictures in the actual Chapel so I don’t have actual pictures of that part. But as you can see in the picture here, there were other beautiful things to see.
I ended my trip to Vatican City by stopping by St. Peter’s Basilica. I didn’t go inside so I can’t tell you about that but it was worth taking a walk to see where the Pope comes out from time to time. It was another hot day so I didn’t hang out there too long.
For my last dinner in Rome, I ate with the group at a restaurant in a neighborhood called Trastevere. I wish I would have spent more time in this area actually because it seemed like a good place to hang out. It was also easy to get here from my hotel. I just took the bus and then had a little walk to get there. We went to a restaurant called Ai Bozzi which was absolutely delicious. I ordered the duck with seared onions. I had never eaten duck before that but it was one of my favorite meals in Italy.
Day 5: Check-out and Heading to Florence
Early on day 5, I left a tip for housekeeping (I read about 1 euro for each day you stay is standard), checked out of the hotel and walked back over to Termini to catch the train to Florence. My train was for a little after 12pm so I got there about an hour ahead of time. Tip: there are multiple entrances to Termini. Make sure you are at the correct entrance or you will be running for your train at the last minute. The main entrance is huge and has a bunch of stores and restaurants. If you’re not by that entrance, make your way there. Other than that, traveling by train in Italy is super easy and convenient.
Impressions of Rome
Overall, I think Rome is definitely worth a visit. It’s definitely not my favorite city in Italy. It didn’t really mesh with me for some reason. I also didn’t always feel that safe there, not sure if that’s because it was my first time traveling alone or not. However, the historical monuments make it a must-visit. There’s also good food to be found, especially the gelato. Alright, this post is already way too long so I’m ending it here. Any questions, just let me know!