Heading south from Florence our next stop was Rome, the capital city of Italy. Obviously the history in Rome dates back thousands of years, but the city also has a fascinating ‘modern’ history, plus art, architecture and the Vatican City.

Where We Stayed

The neighbourhood of Trastevere is across the Tiber River from the historical centre and is an old residential area with a number of bars and restaurants. It is apparently becoming increasingly more popular with tourists who want to avoid staying right amongst the famous sites, which has resulted in prices increasing, but it still gives you a feel of what Rome is (or was) really like for residents.

Where We Ate

Rome is home to some famous pasta sauces, namely Carbonara and Amatriciana. These two dishes are served in most Roman restaurants and should be eaten to see how they SHOULD be cooked (there is NO cream in carbonara, and both are made with guanciale and not ‘regular’ bacon). After eating our fair share of these, we stumbled across a Sicilian restaurant in Trastevere, which name we cannot remember. The food here was delicious (especially the Cotoletta Palermitana and the desserts) and the staff were friendly. Needless to say, we are super excited about going to Sicily in a few weeks if this is an indication of what to expect, food-wise.

What We Did

Trevi Fountain

Spanish Steps

Pantheon

Colosseum

Vatican City

Favourite Things about Rome

Todd: The history

Brodie: The Vatican