I LOVE ROME

48 hours, 50,000 steps, 10 caffès, 2 maritozzi, 2 gelati, cocktails, some vino — and a whole lot of Rome

I LOVE ROME! This title was the first thing that popped into my mind when thinking about writing about Rome. The feeling of stepping out of Termini station and walking through the sun-drenched streets of Rome again was just so good.

I had a couple of hours to myself before meeting my friend, with whom I’d spend the next 48 hours in my favorite city.

So, I wandered the streets of Rome alone, like I did two years ago when I first moved there by myself. Out of sheer enthusiasm, I ended up walking almost the entire city center — I was so excited to see it all again that I just couldn’t stop.

The next 48 hours were more of the same: exploring, discovering, and exhausting myself completely — but it was absolutely worth it.

And now I have so many places to share with you! Old favorites and some new discoveries.

Coffee and breakfast

• Faro - for nice specialty coffee and brunch, this was the first time I visited it, a perfect place also or people who do prefereer savory breakfast (like my friend)

• Forno Conti and Co - used to be my go to spot and still visit it every time im in Rome.

• Regoli → for a maritozzo

• Forno Monforte → really nice bakery just behind Campo de' Fiori and close to my favorite shopping street. Also nice for a glass of wine in the afternoon, as you can catch some last rays of sunshine here!

• Tazza d’Oro or Sant’Eustachio, these two coffee bars located near the Pantheon compete for having the best coffee in Rome. Both are iconic Roman coffee bars near the Pantheon. They’re just a stone’s throw from each other, so you can easily try them both and decide for yourself!

• Roscioli caffè - this is the best bakery in town and an institute :)

Winebars (where you can also dine)

• Machiavelli 64 - this just opened when I lived in Rome and I loved it!

• Retrovino is the bar from the same owners as Retrobottega which is one of the coolest restaurants in Rome. Well the bar served excellent coffee but also really nice wines and some little dishes.

• La Barrique - very sympathique winebar.

• Latteria Trastevere I think this is one of the nicest winebars around.

• L’antidoto another very nice one in Trastevere

• Roscioli Salumeria con cucina - hyped but for a reason

Dinner

• Fiaschetteria Marini:

  Ok ok, I know I always mention this one first, but this place truly feels like family to me. (Yes, I used to work here, so maybe I’m a little biased—but I only started working here because I already loved it, and now I love it even more!)

  What can I say about it? It’s a four-generation family-run restaurant, and the 92-year-old nonna is still running around every day. The food is classic Roman, they serve really good and natural wines, and the staff is like family: warm, passionate, and genuinely excited about the food and the wines.

  So yes, it’s a must. I always make sure to go back on every trip, and it’s the first place I recommend to all my friends and family!

• Ristorante Abruzzi
  This was the favorite restaurant of my Roman friend Olympia Piccolo (check her out, because she makes stunning pictures). It feels like a typical classic chique Roman restaurant, with classic waiters running around. But it is less overhiped than other places.

These were the two places were we had dinner in our 48 hours, but a few other favorites of mine were these places:

• Al Pompiere together with the previous two, this is my top three!

• Da Enzo al 29 - also hyped, but the pasta is really really good and while you wait in line they serve you drinks, so the waiting isnt that bad ;)

• Sant’ Isidore Pizza & Bolle - the best pizza I had in Rome, I think i liked it more than Seu Illuminati (which is in the pizza top 5!!) although that pizza was also really good, but I just love the concept of the Pizza & Bolle (Pizza and bubbles, because i love drinking bubbles!)

• Osteria dei Colli Emiliani - This place is so Roman and off the radar, I used to lived next door, so I came here a couple of times a week.

Drinks

• Old Bar Pasticceria Mariani (loved this cool retro place)

• San Calisto (this place is pure cult) I was sitting here every Sunday afternoon after visiting the Porta Portese market.

• La Zanzara (also for wine and lunch but their cocktails are very good to)

Fancy spots to enjoy an (expensive) cocktail

• Terazza Borromini - This is just a perfect spot to have a cocktail during golden hour, very overpriced, but you pay for the whole experience and Roman golden hour skies are so magical, so if you ask me, it is so wort it!

• Orient express La Minerva - Okay, I have a bit of a thing for fancy, newly opened hotels — I just love seeing their interiors. I could never actually afford to stay there (maybe one day…), but I do love going for a drink. Sure, the drinks are expensive too, but it’s such a fun experience: dress up a little and enjoy a really good, fancy cocktail while soaking in the beautiful interior. We had a drink at the newly opened Orient Express Hotel, from the oriënt express (my ultimate goal is to get invited one day)

Favorite shops/ateliers

• Spazio Giallo interiors multiple Artist are featured here, really cool place.

• Le tre Sarte - their clothes, their table set ups, i want it all!!

• Gilbert Halaby - Loved this colourful work.

• Chez Dede - A long time favorite

To stay

• Casa Cau

• Casa tre Sartre

• Le Quattro Dame

Okay, I think I could go on listing things about Rome for a few more hours — favorite museums, neighborhoods, parks, markets… you name it! Let me know if there’s something specific you’d like to know more about. I’ve also made a list for Plinius with even more spots to check out: Ultimate guide to Rome

X Shari