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Part 1 of my Italy trip is done – I’m writing this on a train headed to Naples, happy to have a few moments to remember Rome as my aching feet get a much deserved rest – I think we walked 10+ km (mostly on bumpy cobblestone) every day were were in Rome.

As a first timer to Rome, wow – an incredible place and Italians are SO welcoming.

With only 4 days in Rome, the focus was on getting to the big sites. While it was important we ate well, we weren’t looking for a  Michelin restaurant experience (i.e. No La Pergola this trip). What we were looking for, was locally run Italian eateries, and we found lots. Here are some Rome Highlights:

The base
Roman Residence (via Cavour, 47 – third floor). I highly recommend this place. It’s a 4-room hotel run by Massimo, who is a great host offering tips on transportation, sites, and restaurants. Roman Residence is clean with good sized rooms and bathrooms. Nothing fancy, but everything you need. It also has an excellent breakfast. You are given a voucher to the nearby Caffetteria dell’Orologio (Via Cavour, 77/79), which hooks you up with a morning cappuccino, freshly squeezed orange juice, a croissant drizzled with honey or nutella, and a delicious ham and cheese panini. For breakfast! We didn’t need to eat until 3pm each day. The service from Massimo made the experience extra welcoming.

The only slight drawback would be the location. You’re close to the train station, which is handy for getting in/out of Rome, but you’re a 20-30 minute walk from the city’s centre area, where many of the sites and restaurants are. There’s a bus that takes you to the area pretty fast, so it’s definitely do-able. You’ll pay more for hotel rooms in the more central areas, but you’ll possibly walk less.

The shopping
The Spanish Steps area is best known in Rome for shopping, with every high-end Italian retailer you can think of. We walked around this area, but spent so much time in the Belstaff store that everything was closed when we came out. Oops.

Also, walk through the nearby streets around the lovely Campo Dei Fiori and you’ll find lots of excellent boutiques, mostly locally owned.

And…a quick walk from St. Peters Church is via Cola Di Rienzo, a great shopping street with a local flavour.

The coffee
Sant’Eustachio (Piazza di Sant’Eustachio, 81). It took us forever to find, but the coffee was excellent. Sant’Eustachio makes a “Gran Caffe,” espresso a sugary kick. I’m not big on sugar with coffee, but this was excellent.

Tazza d’Oro (Via degli Orfani 84). Depending on who you ask, Tazza d’Oro is arguably the best coffee in Rome. I didn’t get to try it as everytime I was in the area they were closed. But, if it’s better than Sand’Eustachio, it must be good.

Both coffee places are located near the Pantheon. Italians generally don’t sit down for coffee. They order at the bar, drink their espresso, and go on their way. People who take table service and sit down for coffee typically are paying double the price for the same coffee. Sitting down costs a premium!

The gelato
Il Gelato di San Crispino (Via della Panetteria, 42) – close to the Trevi Fountain and Pantheon.
You read about this place in a lot of magazines and TV shows and the gelato is excellent. The chocolate gelato was delicious, full of Valrhona chocolate. Dan’s pistachio gelato was nutty and sweet with great texture.

Giolotti (via Uffici del Vicaro, 40) – this was the best Gelato we ate in Rome. The strawberry gelato fresh and sweet, and Dan didn’t share any of his chocolate gelato with me, a good sign of how good it was.

Dan ate gelato at some other places, and they were not always good. There is a difference in gelato. Go to the good places for the best experience. It might take longer to find, but it’s worth it.

The food
Italians are my kind of people – they don’t eat dinner until 9pm, a practice I have down to a tee at home! Walk by any Italian eatery frequented by locals at 8pm and it will be empty. Walk by again at 9pm and it’s packed. Generally, if you want more authentic food and better prices, eat away from the main tourist areas. People will say you can go anywhere in Rome and have good food – this is true, but the restaurants away from the main tourist areas will be better, cheaper, and more authentic. Where we went:

Pizzeria Da Baffetto,  Via del Governo Vecchio 114. The menu here is simple. Super thin crust pizzas and that’s about it. My pizza was topped with sweet tomato sauce and zucchini flowers. Dan’s was topped with anchovies and mozzarella. The pizza crusts were razor thing, crispy and slightly blackened from the hot oven. Yummy and cheap eats. One drawback: service was surly and they wouldn’t serve parties of 1.

Antico Forno Roscioli, 34 Via dei Chiavari, 39. I’m chewing on a pizza bianca from Antico right now and it’s so simple, but so good. Pizza dough topped with sea salt and olive oil, with a crispy crust and chewy texture. Mmmm. It’s located very close to Campo Dei Fiori, but not in the actual Piazza. Look for it, it’ll be better than the ones in the square.

Da Tonino, via del Governo Vecchio, 18. I was looking for simple Roman food and found it here. Pasta alla Carbonara, artichokes all Romana, grilled steak topped with lemon. All well prepared and tasty.

Spinosi Alberto - Via del Mascherino, 60. We ate here after the Vatican museum. The owner came out and said you’re having spaghetti vongole and insalata. We said okay. The insalata came with two huge buffalo mozzarella balls, which were incredible.

Trattoria da Enzo, via dei Vascellari, 29 – We headed to the Traverstere neighbourhood of Rome intending to go to another restaurant. However, when we arrived that restaurant look a little too fancy for us, so we decided to walk around and found Trattoria da Enzo – this was our best meal in Rome. We arrived at 8:45pm and before we knew it the place was packed with a long queue out front. The kitchen and restaurant were tiny, but productive, making their own bread and gelato in addition to the full menu. We started with fried artichokes and fried zucchini flowers stuffed with mozzarella and anchovy. Next, cacio e pepe pasta for me (carbonara for Dan), and then fresh grilled salt cod  with a side of rapini. And our wine? 1.50 Euros per half litre. We left stuffed and out 50 Euros. Incredible.

The Traverstere neighbourhood has a real local feel to it and I think it showed in the restaurants.

My list of shops and restaurant to visit in Rome is SO long….we hit about 5% of the list. I see many trips back to Rome in the future.

Next up: Naples and Capri.