Hello friends. Last year during our trip to Italy, we had the chance to explore Rome. We stayed in a place very close to the station, paying 150 euros per night. If you book a month or even a year in advance, you might find a place in the city center for around 100 euros. However, since our trip to Rome was spontaneous and we didn’t have much time, we chose this area because it had the most affordable accommodation. If you're looking for a place to stay in Rome, I can recommend the Termini station area. There’s a train station there, so you can take a train to wherever you want and there are buses to the airport. Plus all the major attractions are within walking distance.
We started our day by visiting our first café. For breakfast, we stopped at a wonderful and atmospheric place nearby. It was very close to our hotel, called Espresso Romano. Two cappuccinos cost 10 euros, bread was 4.50 euros and a cracker was 1.80 euro. The atmosphere was fantastic. I also got a closed-type pizza with sausage and cheese inside. Locals drink four to five cups of coffee a day. Of course, we don't drink that much, but we love it.
My impression of the city was that it was quite clean. Of course, some areas had trash and some places smelled bad, but overall, it’s clear that Italians care about cleanliness. There were lots of graffiti. Öany walls were covered in paintings. We tried to visit not only popular places but also lesser-known spots because they had a really nice atmosphere.
One of the most stunning places we visited was the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore,one of Rome’s four major papal basilicas. It is also one of the most significant and oldest churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary. According to legend, the decision to build the basilica was made after a miraculous snowfall in the summer at the site where the church now stands. This event is known as the Miracle of the Snow. I am not an expert in Renaissance and Baroque art, but I can say that everything was truly breathtaking. Entrance is free, so you don’t need to pay for a guided tour. You can simply walk around and enjoy the beauty of the basilica. It’s an incredible place with few tourists and some people even say that after visiting the Sistine chapel, this place is still just as astonishing. I highly recommend going inside, there are no lines and it’s unbelievably beautiful.
Next we visited one of Rome’s most magnificent landmarks: the Colosseum. It’s a massive structure, but you can walk around it and admire it for free. If you don’t feel like walking everywhere, like us you can take a horse-drawn carriage. However, if you want to enter, you need to wait in a long ticket line and then another even longer line to get inside. Naturally such places attract a lot of tourists, so it was very crowded, but we were prepared for that. At first, we were disappointed that we couldn’t get Colosseum tickets. But then we realized that we should just relax, wander around and enjoy the experience. You don’t necessarily have to go inside to appreciate the Colosseum. If you don’t get the chance to enter, you can still admire it from the outside. According to estimates, around 400000 people and over a million animals died here. As Christianity spread people began to see gladiator fights in a negative light. Moreover these events were incredibly expensive and eventually, gladiator battles were abolished.
Rome is an expensive city, but we found a way to save money on water. A large bottle of water costs 2 euros, but instead, you can use the many public fountains scattered around the city. Everyone refills their own bottles, so don’t forget to bring an empty one and fill it at the fountains. There are also USB charging stations where you can charge your devices. We filled up our water bottles with a view of the Colosseum and continued our journey.
Our next stop was the monument of Victor Emmanuel II, the unifier of Italy. It’s a stunning, massive white marble structure. This was our time to rest, sit down and admire the beauty of the surroundings. Of course, there is some restoration work going on in the city, likely to accommodate new visitors. The area in the middle of Rome is very expensive real estate and I assume they want to build a hotel or business center here, I’m not sure. This place takes up a large area and is very beautiful, so I don’t think it needs to be demolished. Entrance is free and we hadn’t planned to visit, but everything in Rome is so compact. You have to walk a lot, but the main attractions are concentrated in the city center. Because of this there’s no need for the metro, buses or taxis, you can visit everything on foot. Plus taxi fares are very expensive. Another great way to explore the city is by using tourist buses.
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Then we stumbled upon a small courtyard. You enter from a noisy street and find yourself in a peaceful paradise: palm trees, parrots flying around and a beautiful fountain. People come here to relax. Among all the grand landmarks, this was a hidden gem. On our way we saw a small place with a sign that read "Pizza & Mozzarella". At that moment, we were really hungry, so instead of searching for marked restaurants, we decided to eat here. We ordered two pizzas for 8 euros in total and a bottle of water. It was actually very affordable. These are the types of small cafés you should look for because restaurants have completely different prices. In these little places everything is budget-friendly. The owner even gave us a local dessert and told us to eat it before the pizza. It contained rice, cheese and tomato sauce. It was delicious! The owner told us the place had been around for 60 years, but he had recently bought it and was now making great pizza. He said most of his customers were locals. We discovered this place purely by chance.
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Like in other European cities, parking is a big problem in Rome. That’s why locals prefer to buy small cars. Smart cars are very popula, tiny two-seater vehicles. We arrived at the Pantheon, a massive structure. The entrance fee was only 5 euros. This is an ancient temple, known as the Temple of All Gods. It’s an incredibly old building. In my opinion there were even more people here than at the Colosseum. If you’re willing to wait in long lines, I recommend arriving at any major landmark by 7 am. Or you can just sit in a nearby café and enjoy the Pantheon’s view. Payment is only accepted by credit or debit card, cash is not accepted.
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Wherever you go, wherever you look, there are incredible beauties. People are walking around, eating pizza, eating pasta, drinking Aperol. There are more than 200 fountains in Rome and we came to the most popular one. You have to be careful here because there are so many people and a lot of thieves. Keep your bags, phones, wallets and cards close to your body. Of course, it is incredibly beautiful. Twice a week, this fountain is shut down and the coins are collected.
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We arrived at another magnificent tourist spot: the Spanish Steps. Did you know that sitting here is prohibited? Female police officers walk around, blow their whistles and tell people that sitting is not allowed. They allow you to take photos, you can take a few, but then they come up to you and say, "Get up, that's enough." There are so many people. Really, so many people. Imagine I haven't seen anything like this even while traveling in Asia.
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From the Spanish Steps a street full of luxury boutiques stretches ahead. If you love luxury shopping, you should definitely come here. And nearby, there is the oldest café: Antico Caffè Greco. You can go inside and take a look. You don’t necessarily have to order anything. Coffee here is about one euro. Probably, an espresso is 2-3 euros, but if you stand at the bar counter, coffee costs 7 euros. That means 5 euros just for the service. Italians usually drink a small espresso cup while standing at the bar counter, to get some energy and walk more in Rome. I usually drink cappuccino. I don’t really like espresso. But it has a strong, intense flavor. Definitely unusual.
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Coffee came to Italy from Muslim countries. Initially the Catholic Church had a negative view of coffee. It was called the drink of infidels. According to legend, Capuchin monks started adding hot milk to their black, bitter coffee to disguise it as something other than the devil’s drink. This way, they softened the taste of the coffee. The foundation of modern cappuccino and espresso, was invented much later.
And of course, you must try tiramisu in Italy. There is a famous place called Two. There, you can get a large portion of tiramisu for 3.5 euros. The people here really know how to cook.
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Our first day in Rome ended at the food court near Termini station. They have everything here: desserts, healthy eating options. You can get a salad for 10 euros. You can have a glass of wine with appetizers. We chose pizza. The price for this pleasure was 15 euros. They gave us something completely free. It was called Fritto Misto and was served with a spicy sauce. It was really delicious. I had never tried anything like this before. They told me the name of the pizza, but I forgot. I think it was Colosso or Colok.
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Our second day in Rome started with rain and foggy weather. Still we had to explore another part of Rome: the Vatican. We hopped on the metro and went to the Vatican. We bought a 24-hour Rome pass. It was valid for unlimited travel for 24 hours and cost 17 euros. It can be used on both the metro and buses.
In general the main problem in big European cities is pickpockets. They don’t just operate in crowded tourist places but also on the metro. Among them there are even young girls. So, be careful when entering metro stations. Keep your belongings close to you. Don't hold your phone in your hand because they usually enter the carriage, wait for the train to start moving, grab your phone and run. Seeing these things happen is really disturbing, but thankfully nothing like that happened to us.
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It is also said that metro staff and train operators recognize these thieves and warn passengers through megaphones: There are thieves in the carriage, be careful. But it’s interesting that they don’t actually do anything about it.
We arrived at the Vatican’s main square. Many people from all over the world come here, especially to see the Vatican museum and the Sistine chapel.
My advice: If you're going to Rome or the Vatican, book everything 3-4 weeks in advance or even earlier if possible. That way, you can get a ticket to the museum and the Sistine chapel for 20 euros. If you buy tickets online, you won’t have to wait in long queues.
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Another tip: To enter without waiting in line, wake up at 6 AM and arrive when it opens at 7 am. There will still be a line, but it won’t be too long. You have to wait in line to enter both St. Peter’s Basilica