Stephen and I attempted to have dinner at Ai Tre Scalini our first night in Rome, but seeing a queue outside paired with our growling stomachs we ended up across the street at Le Tavernelle instead that night. Being prepared for a wait, we tried again for our last meal in the city. This time, I was happy to wait outside the popular wine bar with a glass of wine munching on toasted bread until a table was available.

Atmosphere: Ai Tre Scalini had two sections, a casual bar area that was self seating and a slightly more formal dining area with tables. We opted to wait for a table, which took about 40 minutes. Diners were able to order from the wine menu while waiting and served a bowl of complimentary croutons. There were lots of signs posted by neighbours that sitting on their front steps was not allowed. Once seated, I really liked how lively and cozy the restaurant was. The restaurant doors were open to the street letting in the night air.

Service: Our server was friendly and knowledgeable when recommending a drinks for us based on our order and preferences. We had no issues ordering in English and understanding the menu. Each plate arrived quickly and we were checked on throughout our meal.

Food: To start, we ordered small bites of smoked olives home cured sausage. Both bowls came with a couple of chopsticks and were delicious snacks to go enjoy with my wine and Stephen’s beer. For more substantial fare, we tried the Pesto Gnocchi, Lasagna and a side of grilled artichoke, really my weakness while in Italy. Both pasta dishes were amazing, the gnocchi were pillowy soft with a great chew while the lasagna was meaty and cheesy. There was a generous topping of parm on both plates. I do wish the portions were a tad bigger, but they were appropriate for a tapas style meal. The one benefit of smaller pasta plates was that I actually had room for dessert, and the slice of lemon pie was sweet, tart, and the perfect way to end our meal.

After dinner, Stephen and I took one more stroll to The Colosseum to take in the night view. Next stop, Venice.

On our last day in Rome, Stephen and I set off bright and early from our AirBnb in order to make it to Vatican City early in the morning. We had planned to visit the Vatican Museums before lunch and then head over to St. Peter’s Basilica for the afternoon. When we arrived around 10am (the museum opens at 9am), there was already a line along one wall, but didn’t circle the block yet. Even then, we didn’t get past the gates until close to 11am.
Tip: If you’re not set on seeing The Pope avoid visiting on Wednesdays, which can be busier with the Papal Audience.

The Museums had a great collection of sculptures and artifacts but what I loved were the stunning frescos. There wasn’t much information about each of the artifacts posted and I found the audio guide we were using (Rick Steve’s) short on details. A Guided Tour may have made the experience more enriching for us. Navigating the rooms were easy and there was really only one path to follow. At some points, we felt like sardines swimming down the corridors packed with tourists. My favourite rooms were the last 3 galleries on the upper floor including the Tapestry and Map room. The only way to get to the Sistine Chapel is through the museum, which takes about 2-3 hours to walk through depending on your pace and the crowd. It’s 100% worth it.
Tip: Once you get to The Sistine Chapel, you’ll be asked to keep moving and keep voices down. Try to find a free spot on the benches along the wall to take in the seriously breathtaking ceiling. Note that photos aren’t allowed although some tourists will try to sneak in a shot. I found the quiet reflective moment quite a nice break from all the tourist activities.

At this point after hours of walking, I was ready for a break. Stephen and I grabbed a snack and coffee at the cafe and rested before heading over to St. Peter’s Square. Once we arrived, we saw another long queue. We were running a few hours behind schedule and were pretty hungry so decided it was time to go find food. We didn’t get the chance to go inside St. Peter’s Basilica or visit the Vatican Gardens, which I would’ve liked to see if we hadn’t run out of stamina.
Tip: The Vatican has its own postal office and issues their own postage stamps, sending a postcard from the city makes a great souvenir for family and friends.

Wandering down a side street just outside of the city, we found a area filled with small shops and cafes. Stephen and I picked up a delicious porchetta sandwich and a few scoops of gelato before heading home.

While planning our schedule for Rome, Stephen and I wanted to include a cooking class after our great experience in Bali. After a bit of research, I booked spots for us with Cooking Classes in Rome located in Trastevere. The entire experience was a lot of fun, hands on and informative. We learned about ingredients and cooking techniques that Stephen uses in our kitchen fairly often! I also loved the very detailed instructions that Chef Andrea emailed out after the class.

The Basics

Class was about 5 hours, starting at 10am, from start of cooking to end of enjoying our cooked meal. When we took the class, it was €65.00 per person. The cost has increased now to €75.00. We prepared 4 courses including dessert and were able to make requests when confirming our booking. Chef Andrea did a great job accommodating everyone’s requests and having all the components still prepared during the class. Wine pairings were available during the meal for an additional charge.

Getting to class was easy from our AirBnB via public transit and we found the address with no issues. While we waited for everyone to arrive (our class had the max of 12 people), Chef Andrea offered us cups of fresh coffee to start the day.

The Chef

Chef Andrea was super personable, fun and a great host and instructor. He led the class, made jokes, gave thorough directions and taught us about the ingredients we used in addition to the cooking techniques. The day of our class was actually his wife’s due date for their second child. He mentioned it to apologize for checking his phone throughout the class. We all understood.

The Cooking

During our class, we made 4 dishes including fresh made pasta, dessert and pizza. Chef Andrea gave an introduction to each dish before we started cooking and divided up the tasks. Everyone had the chance to chop, stir and knead as much or as little as they wanted to. The class was 100% hands on but there was also no pressure to take on anything you weren’t comfortable with (ie. depp frying pizza dough). I loved using the chitarra pasta maker and wish we had room in our luggage to bring one home.

The 4 hours passed quickly and each course came together from prep to cook. Once each dish was at about 90% completion, Chef Andrea took over to finish up and plate each dish, while the guests settled down at the table ready to enjoy.

The Meal

Our meal that day started with a mini deep fried pizza appetizer, meatballs in a tomato sauce, spaghetti carbonara and tiramisu. I loved the tiramisu (and grabbed the biggest slice), which was the best slice I had in Italy. The pasta was creamy and flavouful, also one of the best pastas we had on our trip. With all the different cooks in the kitchen, the thickness of the spaghetti was inconsistent leading to some strands being more cooked than others, but overall still delicious.

After a morning in the kitchen, sitting down to eat was incredibly satisfying and every bite was truly delicious.

Trattoria Vecchia Roma was our first big miss in Rome. Despite thousands of 4 star reviews from multiple sources online and a queue outside before doors opened, I found our meal incredibly disappointing. There wasn’t any dish that I truly enjoyed and none redeemed the meal. Stephen and I walked out of the restaurant confused and wondering what went wrong.

Atmosphere: The restaurant was located in the basement of a building with traditional decor, wooden tables and some exposed stone details. There were lots of tables and large parties could be easily accommodated. The majority of diners were tourists and the menu was written in Italian and English.

Service: We had no issues with service, which was professional and quick. Drinks, including water, was 2-4 Euros per bottle, but clearly priced on the menu. There was also a bread charge, again clearly marked.

Food: Perhaps I just didn’t enjoy what we ordered, but out of 5 dishes, I didn’t enjoy any of them. They couldn’t have all been duds or translation misunderstandings. To start, we ordered an appetizer of fried vegetables, verdure fritte that was served on a plate with a piece of parchment. The assorted vegetables were all shapes and sizes, which turned out to be mostly mushrooms. All of the pieces were pretty oily without much flavour.

Looking at reviews online, pretty much all I saw were plates of Cacio e Pepe. Since we had that the night before, we wanted to try something new. The pasta dish we ended up choosing was the Spaghetti with Guanciale, Zucchini and Truffle. This was the best dish of the night but not even close to the best pasta of our trip. The spaghetti was a good texture, but I felt the plate was under seasoned again. Maybe we should’ve stuck to a classic. For our protein, Stephen and I decided to try the Lamb Skewers and signature Oxtail dish. Continuing the theme of the night, I felt both dishes were bland and the oxtail quite oily. Our last plate was an attempt at getting another serving of vegetables, grilled vegetables, which included eggplant, peppers and zucchini. A pretty underwhelming side and again, underseasoned. Maybe my taste buds weren’t working that night.

Overall, Trattoria Vecchia Roma was fine. The restaurant was cozy and the service excellent. I’m not sure the food warranted lining up for a table or any of the rave reviews.

Roscioli was a restaurant that Stephen and I stumbled on by chance. After an afternoon of exploring Rome, we were ready for dinner but also ready for home. So we ducked into a cafe to rest our feet and wi-fi access to look for a restaurant on the way back to our Airbnb. Roscioli was just a few blocks away and well rated, but reviews warned about how hard it might be to get a table. We decided to take a chance and luckily managed to get a table (right by the door).

Atmosphere: Roscioli was half deli half restaurant with one wall lined with wine bottles. The counter displayed gorgeous legs of ham at all different price points and shelves behind the counter was lined with a large variety of other meats. The restaurant was bustling and filled to capacity the entire night. We saw many people turned away at the door.

Service: Our server was very friendly and especially helpful with suggesting a bottle of wine to pair with what we had ordered. We didn’t have any issues with a language barrier and she answered all of our questions about the menu. When we ordered the artichoke, she made sure that we knew how to eat the dish dish and walked us through how much to peel off. I appreciated that the price for a basket of bread was clearly listed on their menu.

Food: Since Stephen and I spent the entire afternoon snacking, we weren’t super hungry. To start though, we opted to try an order each of Italian and Spanish ham. I liked the Spanish ham we choose more, as it was slightly more fatty, but both were flavorful and delicious. With a glass of wine, the plate of ham with fresh toasted bread was the perfect meal.

For mains, we ordered grilled Lamb Chops and a bowl of Cacio e Pepe. The lamb chops were so tender and just fell off the bone. I loved how cheesy the pasta was, which was cooked perfectly al dente. To round out our dinner, we had a side of artichoke hearts in olive oil as our vegetable. I would’ve loved to also try Roscioli’s carbonara and some more salumi, but we were stuffed with our few dishes (and a second bread basket).

One aspect I loved about Rome was how we could see so many historic sites and plazas from just walking from one attraction to the next. Many historical sites were free of charge to visit and part of experiencing the city was wandering through the heart of it. After our morning at the Colosseum and a quick bite, Stephen and I set off for The Pantheon. Along the way, we stopped by shops, took lots of photos on cobblestoned streets and of course, ate a lot more gelato.

This was one of our afternoons where we had no set plans, just a list of landmarks we wanted to see in a geographical area and time to explore.

Tip: This area of Rome was super walkable and filled with shops, cafes and gelato! Washrooms however, were hard to find. Most cafes only allow customers to use the in-store facilities so gelato breaks were much welcomed.

Entrance to The Pantheon was free of charge and open to visitors from 9am to 5:30pm Monday to Saturday, closing earlier on Sundays. Street performers entertained crowds in the square just outside and there were a few horse drawn cart vendors. Like in any crowded tourist area, I would recommend carrying backups at the front and making sure any valuables are stored in zippered inside pockets.

Tip: If you’re using Google maps, scenic sites are marked with a camera icon. Stephen and I stopped by a few on our walk (like the Fontana delle Tartarughe and Palazzo Cipolla) and really enjoyed each one.

Our next stop was the Trevi Fountain, which was beautiful and definitely worth a stop. Even with the large crowd of tourists we were able to enjoy the view, throw in a coin and get close enough to feel the fountain splash. There was room around the fountain to sit and enjoy an afternoon snack. From here we headed towards the Spanish Steps (with a few shopping stops along the way). Unfortunately, the steps were under renovation and mostly fenced off.

Tip: The area near the Spanish steps is known for a plethora of high end designer boutiques, similar to Bloor St. and 5th Ave. We popped into Prada to browse and Salvatore Ferragamo for some more serious shoe shopping.

The afternoon of walking was the perfect way to work up an appetite for dinner (even with two gelato stops).

After a morning of exploring The Colosseum, Stephen and I were ready for lunch. I’m usually weary of eating near tourist attractions as the restaurants tend to be overpriced and mediocre in quality but my stomach growls were growing louder. We walked by Angelino ai Fori, located right across the street from The Forum and stopped to glance at their menu. The dishes were priced fairly and the large outdoor patio convinced us to give Angelino ai Fori a shot.

Atmosphere: Stephen and I settled in at a table on the covered patio, which spanned the entire street corner. White tables cloths covered the tables and the cover was a combination of umbrellas and foliage. The majority of diners were seated outside enjoying the warm weather and summer breeze. They were also mainly tourists.

Service: Menus were available in English and we had no issues ordering. The servers didn’t check in on us but were attentive when we needed anything. Our dishes arrived at a good pace and I felt like we could linger for us long as we wanted.

Food: To start, we ordered a classic tomato bruschetta with olive oil and garlic. The toasted bread was crunchy, the tomato sweet and ripe, and the olive oil fragrant. For mains, we opted to share a Smoked Salmon Salad and Spaghetti Carbonara. At this point we were a week into our vacation and I was sorely missing vegetables in my diet. The big bowl of fresh greens were lightly dressed with a good variety of textures and flavours. There were pine nuts, raisins, sesame seeds and fennel.

Our plate of pasta was creamy with a generous amount of bacon and parmesan cheese. The pasta itself was cooked al dente with a great chew. Stephen and I were both actually surprised with how much we liked the pasta. Lunch ended with a serving of Tiramisu that was creamy, full of coffee flavour and topped with cocoa powder. I enjoyed every bite and the sweet treat was just what I needed to fuel for the afternoon (plus another gelato stop of course).

Overall, lunch at Angelino was a pleasant surprise. Nothing was extraordinary but definitely exceeded our expectations. For a quick bite near The Colosseum and Forum, it was a pretty good meal.

To be honest, I had a hard time finding restaurants in Rome. Relying on online reviews turned out to be hit or miss. Stephen and I ate at quite a few restaurants that had thousands of 4 star reviews online only to be disappointed. Were our expectations too high? Were others’ too low? After a few more meals, Stephen noticed that we were having a much better time at restaurants with just a handful of excellent reviews compared to those with thousands. Le Tavernelle was one of the first restaurants we tried and our first data point.

Atmosphere: 10 minutes from our AirBnb was a cluster of well-rated restaurants. We didn’t have a reservation for any and planned to try our luck at one of them. My first choice was a tapas spot (Ai Tre Scalini) but the queue was long and we were hungry. Le Tavernelle drew our attention across the street. After reading through their posted menu and being drawn in by the cozy atmosphere, we were able to get a table right away. Tables were nestled close together and the restaurant walls were covered with photos of famous diners and old posters.

Service: While researching our trip to Italy, one of the main things I was warned about was ordering “water” in restaurants and being charged more than a glass of wine for sparkling water. Some nights, I did choose the sparkling but most nights we stuck to wine. At Le Tavernelle, we didn’t run into any communication issues with ordering but there was a bread charge included on the bill. Since tipping isn’t expected in Italy, I’m don’t have a problem with service charges, but really appreciate when they’re clearly communicated. Our server was professional and efficient and an English menu was available.

Food: To start, Stephen and I ordered the Proscuitto with Melon. The cantaloupe was ripe and sweet and the prosciutto delicious. Both of us were set on pasta for our entrees and the two plates turned out to be very similar in presentation, but tasted very different. Stephen chose the classic Fettuccine in a Bolognese sauce while I opted for the Fettuccine with Wild Boar. Both pastas were tasty but between the two, mine won. Stephen’s Bolognese had a rich tomato taste and was a touch sweet while my Wild Boar sauce was meaty, gamey, excellently seasoned and very flavourful. Both of us felt there was just more depth of flavour, but were very satisfied with each bite from either plate. The pasta itself was cooked al dente, chewy and had a great texture.

Overall, dinner at Le Tavernelle was delicious, comfortable and one of the best meals in Rome.

Stephen and I arrived in Rome just after lunch and checked into our AirBnb, which was within walking distance to The Colosseum. We dropped off our bags and set out to grab a snack and catch the sunset at the ancient ruins. Of course, snack meant gelato. Before heading out, I looked up spots on our walking route and loaded the address into my offline maps app. This was how we navigated through most of Italy. With just a bit of pre-planning, we didn’t really miss wi-fi as we were out and about. The first night, we only planned to walk around the exterior and we returned the next day to explore the inside and The Forum. In total, we spent about 5-6 hours at the site taking our time.

The Colosseum Exterior

It was fairly easy to navigate to the Colosseum by foot. Although, as always the case with large monuments, it was longer than it seemed. Many of the streets leading to the Colosseum made for great photo spots. If you’re coming from further, there was a subway station right across the street. I would recommend walking around the entire building to see the different angles and exposed interior walls. There were much fewer guests at the side and back of the arena. It really was a quite a impressive structure to take in. Stephen and I spent some time just admiring the arches and columns.

The Colosseum Interior

Our second day in Rome, we headed back to The Colosseum after sleeping in and grabbing a coffee and pastry. We arrived at the ticket office around 10am and there was already quite a line. The Colosseum was open daily at 8:30am and close between 4:30pm and 7pm depending on the time of year. After we bought our tickets, the line to enter moved at a quick pace. There were lots of tour guides upselling “skip the line” tickets to groups in the entrance queue.
Tip: Tickets for both The Colosseum and The Forum can be bought at The Forum, which often has a much shorter line.
Stephen and I picked up one audio guide to share (for €12.00), which had a few visuals as well. It was interesting but could have been had more content. We decided to skip touring the catacombs, which would have added another hour to our time inside.
Tip: Bring water and a UV umbrella as there is little shade.

Palantino Hill and Roman Forum

From The Colosseum, we headed to The Palantino Hill and Forum. The ruins were expansive and you could easily hours wandering the area. Stephen and I for the most part stuck to the main path, the Via Sacra. At this point, it was the middle of the afternoon and we were ready for lunch. We didn’t spend too long exploring the Palatino but made sure to stop by the main temple ruins. At one point, we did hit a dead end and had to double back to exit back to the main street.
Tip: Entrance to The Palantino Hill is included in the Fare for the Colosseum and the ticket is valid for 2 consecutive days, providing lots of time to take in all the sites at a leisurely pace.