Rome - Travel Journal by Lia Stavros

Things to Know Before Going to Rome

Going through Rome was a dream. Most of the places that we went to were very crowded because they are big tourist attractions! Those places are very touristy areas because they are very beautiful, have lots of history and are very famous. But as everyone probably knows, it is very crowded (I cannot imagine it during summertime!)

That leads to one of my first tips!

1. Arrive Early

Always arrive either earlier in the morning at tourist areas or later in the day to avoid the crowds! As a family, we wanted to get a good Rome experience and get treated like we were locals even though we don’t speak one bit of Italian. We want to know what it’s like to live in Rome and how life is like for the local people. What part of Rome do people usually live in? What do they do in their free time? Arriving early, allows us to beat the crowds, not feel like tourists and see the city like locals do.

2. Stay in an Apartment, not in a Hotel

The second step to getting the full experience is to stay in an apartment, not a hotel. I got to see some Italian people in the apartment building interacting with each other, and I got an idea of the size of each apartment for each potential Italian family living in that building. Once I woke up in our apartment, my family liked to go down to any local cafe or pastry shop behind the building in a quiet area with not lots of tourists. All the good pastry shops, cafes or restaurants are always hidden! My family would go down each morning to either try a new pastry from Rome or go to the cafe to get breakfast and coffee. What I noticed is that Italians usually order a coffee and stand at the counter to drink it. They love to talk with the waiters behind the counter or with their friends. It is funny to see how they chat with each other because it sometimes seems like they are mad or frustrated with each other but that’s just the way that they talk! Also, it is a super relaxing and chill way to observe Romes's food/breakfast and people.

Cafe behind our apartment

3. Book a Food Tour

Speaking of food, we love to book food tours when we travel. It is so much more fun to learn Rome’s history through food and the food tour guides also like to throw in some interesting historical facts while eating our food and walking to our next destination. She also recommended lots of stuff for us to do. For example, she said, only go to restaurants with all Italian menus because it gives you an experience of the type of food any Italian might eat, and it usually means that their stuff is more fresh and good. I went to a place like that, and it was one of my favorite restaurants in Rome. She also said to not go to any gelato places with mountains of gelato because those places usually use lots of preservatives or artificial food dyes that make it not real gelato. Only go to places that have a cover over the gelato, or it is just flat. That's how you know its made from scratch and homemade.

4. Explore a Local Market

Another activity to do while in Rome is to visit the local farmers' market! It is crowded but with Italians mostly, and less tourists. You can go there and watch the Italian people yell and laugh together and try some cheeses, meats or even have a quick lunch there! I got to see how the locals sell and buy things. It was a different but fun experience for sure!

Campo de Fiori Market

5. Take a Cooking Class

On our last day in Rome, we had to include a fun cooking class on how to make pasta and tiramisu. It was so easy to make and as you know, everything tastes better when you make it yourself and put your own hard work into it. I was obsessed with doing it and I might even try to make my own pasta or tiramisu in Arizona now too! But for now, I am going to lay off all of the pasta, pizza, tiramisu and gelato!

Now, a few places you should not miss on your Roman adventure...

The Vatican City

The Vatican was a very interesting and cool place to see. It is ruled by the Pope, and it gained independence from Italy in 1929. Vatican City is a very big touristy area with lots of history. There are lots of little details that are worth paying attention to. For example, there are paintings, sculptures, mosaics and more. One very famous painting in the museum along with the Sistine Chapel is one of two fingers touching between Adam and God, painted by Michaelangelo. It symbolizes God giving life to Adam, the first man created. Each painting or sculpture comes with its own piece of history. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I would spend hours there if I could, just to take pictures of every little detail in the museum and the Sistine Chapel. There are many beautiful sights in the Vatican City too but what people should really focus on is all the history and work in the background. It is not worth coming to the Vatican to just take pictures and not learn anything. To actually see the world, you need to learn about it too.

The Colosseum

Out of all the places we got a tour of in Rome, the Colosseum was one of my favorites. It has lots of history and it looks even better than in the pictures that anyone can find online. It is really big and beautiful at the same time. It is actually the largest amphitheater ever built and is still the biggest to this day. The outside is amazing, but the inside of the Colosseum is even better. Once I had gone through all the security with our tour guide, we finally stepped foot inside the Colosseum. The inside had lots of space, and I could definitely tell how it could hold about 80,000 people in the past because it was the largest stadium in the world. The Colosseum was used for many things in the past that surprised me. Somehow the people of Rome thought gladiator contests, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of battles, Roman mythology drama and theatrical sea battles was entertaining! It was so cool to see how they would sit in the Colosseum and what they would eat while the people were watching those types of things. For example, our tour guide showed us bones from chicken wings that the people would eat and throw on the ground and the seats they would sit on. The seats were made of stone so the people from the past would carve names or drawings into it, and it was cool to see all the things they would carve in it and to know that people from lots of years ago were in that exact spot, carving their own name into that stone we were right next to. There was also some dice leftover from people because they would play with dice whenever they got bored, or they had free time while in the Colosseum- since there wasn’t technology back then. Over time, the Colosseum started to be used less because of earthquakes and stone robbers that would steal the marble. But now it is the renowned symbol of Imperial Rome, and it is one of the 7 Wonders of the World! In that case, if anyone ever comes to visit Rome, I will definitely recommend going to the Colosseum.

The Pantheon

I walked up to the Pantheon with my family and tour guide trying to walk through the crowds of people. I didn’t know what the Pantheon was or what it looked like. We finally got through the crowd, and we were all at the front of the line trying to get into the Pantheon. When I went in, I was surprised. The outside looked old and a little bit dirty. I never saw the dome in the back until I walked in. It was the biggest dome I have ever seen! It was incredible! I immediately reached for my camera to take a picture, but it didn’t really capture how big and beautiful it was. It is a giant dome made from unreinforced concrete. It is the biggest in the world! I learned that the Pantheon can also be called a rotunda because it is a roofed building with a round floor plan. The Pantheon also has a big opening in the middle of the dome which is used as a source of light and is also called the oculus. Even though the Pantheon was pretty crowded, it was still a really cool place to see. There wasn’t much to see inside of the Pantheon except for the giant dome but anyone could tell from the little statues and details on the sides that it is a church. To my surprise, it is still a functioning catholic church to this day! I had a fun time seeing the Pantheon and taking some cool pictures in it. It was quick, easy and a nice thing to see. I would like to go back and learn a little more things about it!

Bye for now, but I will see you in Turkey next! Hopefully there is less gelato, pasta and pastries there!