What to do (and eat) in Rome
I won’t be as brazen as to call this a guide to Rome, because I absolutely am not as well acquainted with this beautiful city as I’d like to be, and frankly spent most of my time there walking around with my mouth agape— look at it! But I did think I’d throw together a post with some of the places we went, as after my social media onslaught of images, I figure that you might want a more permanent place to check for any recommendations.
As you might have spotted, we stayed at The Hoxton, which made for a fantastic base to explore. You aren’t right there in the centre of things, but there is plenty around to keep you busy and a walk into the heart of the city is definitely not an unpleasant one.
Rome is one of those places where you could just walk and eat, there isn’t a need for much else- before the trip, I had optimistically mapped out every vintage shop I could find in the city, but I quickly realised I wasn’t going to have any kind of time for shopping. That time being taken up by simply wandering and seeing what I’d spot around each corner was more than entertaining enough for a few days, there is something impressive at every turn.
But the absolute best way to see what Rome has to offer? A Vespa tour with Scooteroma Tours. This is hands down one of the best things you can do in Rome on a sunny day- hopping on the back of a vintage Vespa and riding with the wind in your hair (or the portion that sticks out from under your helmet, anyway) as your driver tells you the history of the monuments you pass. Scooteroma offers different tours depending on your interests, but each will have relevant stops along the way to sample pizza or gelato, or even for the best photo spot with your Vespa. It feels like such an authentically Roman way to see the city.
Talking of sampling pizza, one of our stops on the tour was the Testaccio market, where you can find locals buying produce or grabbing lunch. Stop by Casa Manco for some absolutely excellent pizza. Their pillowy slices are covered in the best ingredients- I went for stracciatella and lemon zest, it was perfect.
Just walking in this city is enough to keep anyone entertained. The Hoxton was just a short walk from Villa Borghese and the beautiful gardens that surround it- we didn’t go inside, but just grabbing some snacks from one of the stands in the park or a pizza shop on a corner and finding a wall to sit on was enough. It looked like the ideal picnic spot on a sunny day. Even better would be to hire one of the boats on the lake- it was a brief consideration, but we decided to stay on dry land.
So, how about that gelato, then? Surprisingly I only sampled one cone-full on this particular trip, but it was a good’un. We ummed and ahhed at the menu at Otaleg in Travestere for a while- it has all the favourite flavours as well as more creative (and perhaps a bit too daring for me) savoury options. I chose classic Crema (custard) and wasn’t disappointed.
Onto the best bit- where we sat down to eat. As if the sights and sounds of Rome aren’t enough, the food is also spectacular. My taste for all things beige was well and truly satiated in Rome. Cacio e pepe is the way to go on almost any menu in Rome (as far as I’m concerned) but the spaghetti alla gricia I had at Taverna Trilussa was also pretty special. I also ordered mozzarella in carrozza anytime I saw it on a menu, because I’m not a girl that can pass up fried cheese.
On our last day, we got to Osteria da Fortunata just as it opened- this is the time to go, because no more than 15 minutes later there was a queue around the block. It’s clearly made its way into lots of guides to Rome! I decided to order something without cheese for a change- there was lots of chat at our table about it being the best pasta we’d had so far. I couldn’t call it, but it was certainly a great plate of food.
I can’t not dedicate an entire section of this post to a cream bun. I’d seen pictures of the famous Roman Maritozzi before, but never tried one- now was my chance! Whilst Pasticceria Regoli sells one of the most well-known Maritozzi in Rome, we unfortunately didn’t have time to make it there. Instead, we were recommended a coffee shop called Faro just a short walk from the hotel- here they served up ideal sized buns, we grabbed a couple (plus a Bignè for good measure) to eat just before leaving for the airport. The simple brioche-like bun filled with sweet cream is very much my kind of dessert. Rome really could be my ideal foodie destination.
I hope it’s not the last time I get to eat all my favourite beige delights in this city- until next time, Roma! x
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