If you have your sights on a trip to Rome, then you’ve no doubt already researched the best time to visit the Colosseum. You’ve probably got your tickets for the Borghese Gallery well in advance. We assume you know why you shouldn’t rock up to the Vatican museums in the late afternoon. But what about a more alternative itinerary? One in which you can feel the pace and natural rhythm of the city and feel a whole lot more local? Well, we’re here to help with that. We’ve teamed up with Roma Experience to bring you our 5 alternative itinerary ideas for the IDEAL holiday to Rome.
Take a Food Tour
Italy’s capital plays host to a veritable feast of local delicacies, and the best way to swerve the tourist traps and experience genuine Roman cuisine is to take a food tour. If you plan on curating your own, be sure to include Cacio e Pepe, a seemingly basic pasta, pepper and cheese dish which is so much more than the sum of its parts. You’ll also find the finest gelato on the planet in the capital, with each place taking great pride in their product. We particularly like Gelato GROM, but options are almost endless, so just get out there and explore!
Go Shopping and Socialising Old-School Style in Campo De Fiori
This old market is often referred to as the alternative epicentre of Rome, and we can see why. In the morning, a daily market sells all manner of items, both traditional and not so. The evening sees a huge gathering of young, good-looking residents in the square’s bars, here to socialise and peacock. Visitors to the city are here to do much to same, leading to quite the spectacle. The organised chaos that makes Rome so intoxicating seems encapsulated in this market, a glorious focal point for the city’s charms.
Read: 5 Tips For A Stress Free Trip To Rome
Enjoy the Vistas from Gianicolo, Palatine and Aventino Hill
Rome plays host to some marvellous vistas, best enjoyed (and for free) from one of its many famous hills. The climb itself is a spectacle on each, with hawkers peddling wares, tourists clambering over one another, and steep, rugged steps presenting as many obstacles and they offer assistance. The views, though, are worth it and if you don’t want to pay the rather astronomical fees for the main sites, a vantage point of this calibre is surely the next best thing.
Experience Incredible Architecture in Quartiere Coppede
Rome is home to such a treasure trove of famous architecture, it can sometimes seem overwhelming. Trying to catch it all in one day requires a hell of a lot of taxi rides, and the subsequent bartering that entails, or a navigation through the city’s impenetrable public transport system.
A good way to circumnavigate much of this stress whilst still enjoying the buildings almost by osmosis, is to take a stroll in Quartiere Coppede. This district contains much whimsy and magic, and seems less traditional in aesthetics than its larger neighbours. If you fancy experiencing something a little more daring, a little less conventional, Quartiere Coppede is for you.
Read: Exploring Rome By Numbers: 7 Amazing Things To Add To Your Itinerary
Take in a Football Match at Stadio Olimpico
Rome is home to two hugely famous, fiercely proud football teams, Roma and Lazio. They share a stadium, the magnificent Stadio Olimpico, whose architecture is a reason to visit unto itself. If you have the chance the catch a match here during your stay, by all means take it. The atmosphere is unrivalled, and the history palpable. You just have one choice to make – will you be red or blue?