Picture this:
You just landed in Rome. The sun warms up your skin, while you’re sitting at the terrace of a cafe, tucked in a narrow street, and the air smells like fresh leather and shots of espresso. It’s alive, but it’s quiet at the same time, unless you’re near the Trevi Fountain. The Eternal City. It feels like a memory.
When writing those lines, nearly 10 months have passed, and I am now living in Edinburgh. But I still remember everything. Italy isn’t just a country — it’s a lifestyle: the food, the culture, the history, the fashion. I could talk about it for hours, because I have loved that country my entire life (half italian here). The truth is a little bit different: Rome is my first Italian holiday on my own. I have been there before, on a school trip, or on holiday with my family, but I never had the chance to walk those narrow streets with my camera as my only company. I also had the BEST food for five days in a row. I cried a lot, and fell deeply madly in love with the city. Rome now has my heart. Each corner brings something magical to the city and when you think you’ve seen it all, chances are you haven’t.
So this is my love letter for the eternal city — or it’s just my 5 days itinerary article. Here’s everything I did, see and ate when in Rome. And of course, sharing the breakdown of what 5 days in Rome costed me (way more than I thought):
Flight: £172,19Airbnb: £392,24Transportation: £17Eating out: £180,35Activities: £56Total: about £826,78(Please note the transportation and food were originally in euros, and I converted. It's also an approximated amount, as I bought more things and I didn’t count all the bottles of peach iced tea)
BEFORE YOU GO
Here's a couple of tips from me:
1. Please, plan! Between us, I am not a planner. Though I am good at planning, when travelling, I go where my foot are taking me. However, Rome being a city with a monument at the corner of every single street, plan accordingly. Exceptionally, and only because I was Rome, I did a planning. And my sister's boyfriend helped me (he seems to know Rome inside out).
2. Book your activities in advance! I am not talking like two weeks in advance, but months in advance. I will link the activities I have done, in this article!
3. Save money, choosing walking over public transport! Though extremely impressive, everything is easily doable by foot, meaning you can save money if you skip on the transportation. Believe me, I am the laziest person out there.
4. Book restaurant! If there are any restaurants you would like to try, please book in advance as well. It will avoid the hassle of trying to find a place and ending up in a terrible restaurant!
DAY ONE | Saturday
After checking into my Airbnb — which, funnily enough, mirrors the start of my Vienna trip (except this time, I actually had a plan), I grabbed my camera and headed out. I was staying near Campo de' Fiori, right in the heart of Rome, where everything feels just a few steps away.
And spoiler alert: I never once took the subway or the bus. I did Rome by foot only. A bold choice? Maybe. Worth it? Absolutely, yes. And since I had landed late morning, my first day was more of a warm-up, rather than a full sightseeing marathon. I'm so proud of myself, I still managed to see a lot of things on the first night. I walked straight to Piazza Navona, which, unfortunately, was almost entirely under renovation (thanks to the upcoming 2025 Jubilee). Still, scaffolding or not, the city’s charm didn’t fade. I took a thousand photos, ate ridiculously good food, and soaked up every corner I could find.
From there, I wandered to the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain, and they're both absolutely stunning, both overcrowded, but equally worth it. For a short first day, I like to believe that I did quite well.
However, I gotta say that the Trevi Fountain disappointed me a little bit. Not the fountain itself but the fact that I was imagining it would be on a bigger place, not tucked between a couple of narrow streets!
DAY TWO | Sunday
When booking Rome for late-September, I wasn't expecting the days to be as warm (I'm talking 25° and more). And if you know me, you know I dread the sun and the heat.
Regardless of that, I walked all the way to the Colosseum and took so many pictures on the way, though it wasn't that long to be honest. I had booked the attraction for 1.30pm, and decided to stop in a random restaurant to get some food, with a view on the Colosseum was absolutely amazing. I normally wouldn't recommend anyone to do that, as most of the time, these places are tourist traps, but I couldn't find any decent place are such a big and famous place.
I had booked the Colosseum and the Roman Forum for the Sunday, months in advance through Get Your Guide and downloaded the app, it made the Colosseum and Roman Forum so much easier to navigate and less overwhelming! Those places are full of secrets and history. Having a guide was really useful, otherwise I would have just looked like rocks and destroyed places for me. I highly recommend anyone to do that. It was surreal to see those places after dreaming of moments like that for a decade, if not more.
DAY THREE | Monday
Monday was just a sightseeing day, something like go with the flow, but I have a list of things I want to see. I walked over to La Piazza di Spagna and made a quick stop by the Trevi Fountain (yes again) and the McDonald’s there, and trust me, there are two reasons for that. First, I have this quirky personal mission to try McDonald’s in every country I visit. Second, it was the first McDonald’s in Italy, and honestly, you have to see it to believe it. It doesn’t look like a typical McDonald’s at all. The interior is stunning, with even a statue greeting you as you walk in. Oh, and by the way, I found it ridiculously expensive at the time!
Right after that, I climbed the Spanish Steps and walked to the Villa Borghese. If you don't know what it is, it's just one of the most beautiful park I've ever seen. There are museums (that I didn't get the chance to see, as I didn't book earlier enough — here lies the evidence to why you should book months in advance!) or even a zoo. It takes hours to do, and you also can bicycle through it. I then made my way back to the Airbnb, as it started to rain, to rest a little bit as well as I was exhausted. And after a well needed nap, I walked to Trastevere, found a nice place to eat and ended up spending my evening dancing and singing with strangers on the Trilussa Square, like you can see on social media. That was one of the highlights of the whole trip, everything was just perfect. I don't really remember everything we sang that night, but the vibes were just immaculate.
DAY FOUR | Tuesday
Visiting The Vatican had been on my list for ages, by because of my poor planning, I almost didn't get it. Twice. First, I booked last minute (and by that, I mean: 2 months in advance), and almost didn't get any ticket — but Get Your Guide had my back, again. Second, even though I left earlier that day, it started showering, and that slowed me down a lot. To top it off, I had a fight with a very rude Portuguese lady right before entering the Vatican, I was already on edge. But gliding past her in the line, and entering before her? A very petty little win I will proudly carry forever.
Here's the truth: the Vatican is a lot, and it's overwhelming, in every way — a huge amount of art, the crowd, the endless rooms, but also the Museums. There are like 12 in total. It takes a long time (hours) to get through, but all the tapestry, the statues, all the relics of the past, I was fully immersed. I wish I could write that the Sistine Chapel took my breath away, but the truth is that I didn't even realise I was in, as I was being pushed all the way to the back. It took me a couple of minutes to realise I was there, and instantly, I was disappointed. Let me clarify something — the art is breathtaking, but being pushed and not being able to move freely ruined it. I couldn't really move freely around the place, which was disappointing. But suddenly, I spotted Michelangelo's fresco 'The Creation of Adam': absolutely stunning. The experience? I felt robbed.
The last step was the Vatican Gardens, where I just sat in disbelief for about half and hour. Brain? Dead. Legs? Gone. I think I barely saw them. Luckily for me, there were no queue at St Peter's Basilica, so I just went in. But it was just my luck: there were renovation!
DAY FIVE | Wednesday
Sadly, it was my last day in Rome. I think I cried for most it, not dramatically per se, but it felt like my soul was about to get dragged back home, I was so depressed to go back to London, where I have responsibilities — at at the time, the daunting tasks for finishing to pack my move to Scotland.
But this wasn't going to stop me from making most of it that day and just like I had done it every morning before: I went to grab a quick breakfast (nothing too fancy, just a cappuccino and a pastry), and then, decided to walk around. I wandered around la Isola Tiberina: that tiny island on the Tiber, where you can find an hospital, a church, and a couple of restaurant. You can see the whole place pretty quickly, but it still feels like you're discovering a whole new world. After that, I crossed the bridge back to Trastevere (again — god forbid a girl likes a charming Pinterest-perfect neighbourhood where people are hanging their clothes outside!) and took a few pictures. I couldn't leave without saying goodbye at least one last time.
But before I had the time to fully enjoy, it was time for me to go back to the airport, to catch my flight, with my luggage and an extremely heavy heart.
WHERE TO EAT?
Here's a few addresses, places I went to eat when in Rome. If there's one thing I extremely value is my food, especially italian food. The half-Italian in my would die if she was served carbonara with cream, so you can definitely trust me with these places!
Osteria da Fortunata
Via del Pellegrino, 11, 00186 Roma
This one had been on my life for ages. I was waiting for the moment I'd fly to Italy to go there. The name will most likely be familiar. The carbonara were amazing, it was a dream!
Il Vicolo Caruso
Vicolo del Cinque, 27, 00153 Roma
I discovered this restaurant while wandering around Trastevere. It's a nice restaurant, tucked in a narrow street, with the classic white and red checkered tablecloth. I had a lasagna and a glass of red wine (I usually hate red wine) — that Chianti though...
Amerina La Pizzetta
Largo dei Librari, 82, 00186 Roma
My sister's boyfriend actually advised me to go there. Lucky me, it was really close to my Airbnb. I stopped by on my way and had 2 tiny pizza: a red-sauce based one with anchovies and a white-sauce based one with potatoes, and oh my god.
Il Piccolo Vicolo
Vicolo dei Chiodaroli, 16, 00186 Roma
A few streets away from my Airbnb (again), I discovered it when desperately looking for a place to eat, late at night on a Tuesday. I had amatriciana pasta, absolutely delicious. And a pistachio tiramisu, I'll remember this one for the rest of my days.
Come 'na Vorta Pasta e Vino
Via di Torre Argentina, 46, 00186 Roma
This one has a few locations around Rome. I went to eat on the Wednesday, at midday, after crying my heart out cause I didn't want to leave. I had gnocchi alla gricia, simply said: it's a carbonara without the egg. The creamy cheese sauce is made when mixing pasta water and pecorino romano.
Now that you know everything, it shouldn't be too hard for you to start planning your roman vacation! I have loved this city with all my heart and I'm looking forward to visit again. Food? Amazing. City? Jaw dropping. Art? Perfect. I wonder which reason you'd have not to visit! Also, Italians are really lovely (not saying that cause I'm one of them, I promise!)
