Repeating Rome: a city to return to as often as possible
Rome takes a little while to fall in love with. At least it did for me. But once you do, it’s going to be a long term affair. Having now returned to Rome twice in the last two years, I know this trip won’t be my last to the Eternal City.
Rome is a city to be walked. I say that about most places. But the wonder of Rome for me is getting lost in its backstreets. Turning a corner and finding yourself standing in front of a 2000 year old building or walking on streets where the men and women who built society (as we understand it in developed Western worlds) also walked.
Rather than cover the basics (because of course you must go to the Vatican and its museums and the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon and so it goes on) here are a few suggestions for those of you Repeating Rome.
Stay
- Trastevere: Stay here if you can. Along with Monti, these are old Roman neighbourhoods where people actually live, work, study and it still feels like it. Yes, they both attract a lot of tourists too. The same can be said of most districts in central Rome, but these manage to retain a sense of authentic charm. Spend some time just wandering the streets, having an aperol spritz at aperitvio hour (or anytime really), ducking into the multiple churches, taking photos of the vine-covered buildings and old Fiats and Vespas. Head up to Gianicolo hill, just behind Trastevere for a wonderful view over the entire city; every day at noon, a cannon goes off and has done every single day for the past 165 years.
Eat
- You will walk a lot in Rome, which means you really can justify eating more than you normally would and you should give into that completely! Or at least that’s the story I tell myself! Start your walk at Campo di Fiore in the morning, the old flower market that now houses fruit, vegetables, cheese, flowers and normal market rubbish. It’s always buzzing in the mornings and a great spot for colourful market photos!
- Rosciolo has been around since 1824 when it started life as a grocer. You can pick up delicious bread and cured meats and cheese or head into the little back room for something a bit more substantial. This article by Katie Parla in Gourmet Traveller was my guide to finding the most incredible bowl of Cacio e Pepe, a classic Roman dish of pasta, cheese and black pepper. This one is a little different, with three types of cheese!
- I’m not going to lie to you. The best pasta carbonara I’ve ever eaten was in Orvieto at Meza Luna (great find Trish Grady), but the rigatoni carbonara at Trattoria da Teo in Trastevere came a pretty close second! Trattoria da Teo was first recommended to me by my Airbnb host when I stayed in Rome last year but I couldn’t get a table that time. I was delighted to get there this time around – bookings highly recommended! It’s a busy, traditional trattotia on a pretty piazza. Carbonara, along with Cacio e Pepe, are pasta dishes local to the Roman area. I will use any excuse possible to eat carbonara (hungover; need a quick dinner and there is pasta, eggs and bacon in the house; I’m in Rome; I’m at an Italian restaurant in France so let’s do a comparison). Whatever. I just love it. It’s a very strong contender for my final meal choice.
- Osteria da Fortunata just off Campo di Fiore does fantastic homemade pasta. Your menu will be handwritten according to the produce of the day (but you can count on the classics being available) and you can sit at a table outside and watch the bustle of people coming and going from the market as you eat your fresh pasta, rolled by the lady in the window next to you.
Drink
- Navigating the enormous breadth of Italian wines is not easy. I was very keen to learn a little bit more and had been recommended to try Vino Roma. I spent two very entertaining and educational hours in their tasting room in Monti with Maurizio on a tour of Italian wine regions. He taught us (me and the one other attendee, a lovely man from China – the joys of travelling in October!) about the DOCG/DOC/IGT classification system and also about how to actually taste wine. It was a gentle, but encouragingly insistent approach. Maurizio was not scared to push you a little to really try and identify what you were smelling, feeling and tasting which helped to embed the knowledge. I would love to go back and try the Dinner or Food Tours one day.
- My new found confidence about Italian wine led me to La Barrique in Monti, a wine bar and restaurant. I had an early, delicious dinner there with a glass of natural Abruzzo white wine. I tend to be a little careful not to get beyond a tiny bit buzzy when I’m travelling alone and I know I have to get across a city to get home. After trying six wines at Vino Roma and another glass here it was time to head home (!), but it would have been a great spot to settle in and try several different wines by the glass and really put the new knowledge to the test.
- The trend of an Aperol Spritz during apertivo hour started in the North of Italy, but is a thing most places in Italy now and right around the world! Aperol Spritz is only a fairly recent addition to the aperitivo scene, becoming popular in the 1990s. It’s a lovely, light drink, traditionally made of prosecco, aperol and soda water served over ice in a big wine glass, but each bar will put its own spin on it. I love aperitivo time! It runs from around 6pm in the evening to about 8.30pm. You always get a little snack with your drink – such a civilised way to stave off the hunger pangs when generally speaking 9pm is the earliest you will eat dinner! Not much beats sitting out on a terrace on a warm night in Rome watching the world go by, with an Aperol Spritz to sip on.
There is a never ending list of attractions and sights and things to do in Rome. If you are that way inclined, you can easily fill up your days and trip after trip with these. For me, Rome is about the little moments of awe. Getting totally lost and rounding a corner to find the Pantheon. Filling your water bottle up at a fountain that is 1500 years old. Walking around the Forum and seeing the literal layers of history (some of the excavated buildings have doors half way up them because that’s the elevation the city was at when the building was erected). It’s also a big, busy, loud and frankly intimidating city sometimes. That’s partly why I get such joy from taking it slowly there. For me, it’s in the slow moments, with the bustle fading into the background, that I find the Rome I love and will continue to return to.
