Visiting Rome in 2025 (Part 2): Where to Stay, Eat & How to Navigate the Eternal City

Foreign.

So we are back for our second episode this week, digging into things to see and do on a first trip to Rome.

Tim has been there.

What were you saying?

Six, seven times now that you, you have traveled to Rome?

At least six or seven times, maybe more.

Yeah.

And when was the most recent?

Was just.

Was fairly recently.

You were, you were there, wasn't it?

Yeah, I was there within, within the month.

I was there about three days at the end of a cruise about a month ago.

So, yeah, a lot of.

Very fresh.

Yeah.

So I mean, one of the things that we haven't had a chance to talk about and I'm curious about is that that kind of arrival experience when you first get into Rome.

What, what that's like, how do you get around the city?

Have they got Ubers?

Have they got Lyft?

Have they got.

What's public transportation like?

What's that arrival experience like as you get into the city at any, any tips that people should be thinking about when they, when they first get in?

For sure, for sure.

One thing to be aware of is that the, the, the main airport in Rome is west of the city.

It's not one of these airports.

And we're going to be at some point talking about Lisbon.

Lisbon has an airport that is like, you could almost ride your bicycle there.

You know, it's like so close.

That is not the case in Rome.

It is out of the city and so you have to be prepared for a longish drive in a taxi or an Uber or by taking the train is actually quite a good option as well.

There's a good train link in terms of getting around the city.

Public transit is good where it's good.

And by that I mean there are, there are buses, there are, there's a good metro system, but it just doesn't go everywhere.

You know, the trams and all that kind of stuff.

It just, I think when they were building it, and this may be slightly apocryphal, but I think it's true when they were building it, they ended up running into a lot of like underground ruins and things like that that they couldn't build through.

And so it's not a city like Paris or London where you can basically get on the metro and go anywhere and you're there.

There are parts of the city that can be a bit difficult to reach by public transit.

So I would say, you know, have your Google Maps ready if you're going to a place.

We're going to talk about Trastevere later, Trastaire later.

And that is a part of the city is not well connected by public transit.

So.

So you're going to have to maybe make some hard decisions on.

Okay, it's really worth the.

Oh, public transit, 20 minutes.

Great.

But, oh, is it worth 55 minutes to.

And three changes on the bus to get there?

Taxis are everywhere and they're pretty good.

Uber, they, I believe the only Uber that they have there.

And I might be wrong, but my experience was that it's like an Uber taxi.

So it's like, it's a me, it's a taxi that you get through Uber.

So that's.

And it worked well for me.

I used it a number of times.

So the, the one big recommendation overall that I have for Rome is in terms of transportation is don't let it ruin your day.

Like, don't, don't try so hard to get there on foot or on public transit to save a few bucks that you're going to show up sweaty and hot and tired and frustrated.

Because that, that can happen very easily.

I would say if you look at the Uber and okay, it's a little more than I want to pay for the Uber.

Pay for the Uber.

Do it.

Because when you get there, wherever you're going, if you're going to the Coliseum, if you're going to, you know, whatever, the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, it's going to be busy and there's going to be a lot of people there.

And so I would say like, like get there as, as, as quickly and efficiently as possible and, and then worry about your future Visa bill next month, you know, so.

Yeah, that's always good advice.

Really?

Yeah, it is.

Anywhere in the world, really.

Right.

So.

And how, like, how long we stand there, I mean, how many days do you think you really need to, to immerse yourself in Rome?

And is there any time from your experience, it's kind of a bit better to, to go to avoid some of the crush of crowds, but still, still catch a lot of the best of the city as well.

Yeah, for sure.

I was just there.

What are we now?

I was there middle of May, I would say.

And that was perfect because it was, it was warm without being hot.

So, like, it was warm enough that you could.

I walked around with shorts on and, and, and felt perfectly comfortable.

Yes, it was busy.

I think Rome's gonna be busy no matter when you visit.

But the big summer crowds hadn't arrived yet.

And so I would say, like, May and September are probably really good times to visit.

With the caveat that people should always Check when the Italian holidays are, because the Italians get, you know, a block of two weeks of holidays and generally actually they get out of the cities during the holidays.

So you'd think it's a good thing.

But, you know, but not everyone gets out of the cities and maybe people from the small towns come into the cities.

And so, you know, just keep an eye on that because that will have an impact on room rates, that'll have an impact on, you know, pretty much everything in terms of crowdedness.

And, and so I would say.

But I would say, as with a lot of destinations, you're going to get almost perfect weather, especially in the first half of May and maybe the second half of September, and that those would be the times that I would go.

I'm curious.

I mean, I've been to Italy a couple times during August and one of the things that kind of surprised me a bit.

I mean, in North America, August is peak tourist time.

Peak tourist season.

Everything is up and running and going.

I tended to find in Italy.

I mean, it's.

There's definite.

No shortage of tourists there then.

But a lot of the Italians are.

That's when they're taking some time off.

That's.

They're.

They're heading off to more remote places.

So a lot of businesses were closed down, a lot of restaurants were closing early.

Is it the same in Rome or is Rome just such a massive, you know, global tourist destination that if you go there in August you're still going to find, you know, everything still going full speed?

Honestly, I would say most things because it's Rome are going to be open and operating.

I have run into similar experiences in other places around Italy and around the world where that is the case.

I would say just that.

That is, that's a good point.

I think that's something to be aware of because if, you know, if, oh, say you follow somebody who does.

I'm just making it up.

Paper mache puppets on TikTok and they have a tiny little shop in Rome.

Like if you go there, the paper mache puppet lady, she might be on vacation in the store.

It might be boarded up for the month.

Yeah, it might be.

Yeah, exactly.

You may not find her.

If it's like a pasta restaurant you really like and it's like a normal pasta restaurant, it's probably going to be open all through the summer.

But that's a good point.

That small boutique ish specialty places.

Yeah.

You might find that they're closed down during those.

And so, yeah, just being aware because even transit schedules can change during those months, months or those weeks when, when Italians are taking their vacations.

So it's just a good, it's a good provision to make a good thing to have in mind before your visit to plan for it.

Yeah.

Okay, so you talked a little bit about.

Well, you've referenced this a few times.

A few areas of the city that you found great for food and Rome is very much a foodie capital.

What are a couple of your favorites?

A few campuses when it comes to places to eat.

Travis Terry I think it's Travis Dairy, but it is a former.

I believe the name means beyond the river.

It was a working class, blue collar neighborhood.

And so the story I've heard is that the laneways there, it's this wonderful little labyrinth of laneways.

The laneways were so narrow because they didn't need to provide enough room for horses and carriages because anyone who went there was going on foot because they were walking to their blue collar job and they were walking home.

And so there was none of the wealth, none of the need for that kind of transportation.

Anyway, what it's become today is it's not blue collar, but it still has this kind of bohemian feel.

And so many fantastic restaurants and cafes.

It's got record shops.

It's the cool place to be in Rome.

The downside is that also has made it extremely popular.

It's been well covered in other places as well.

But I'd say even with the crowds, I was there.

I went on a Friday night when I was there a few weeks ago, tons of people.

But the, but the good thing is that it seemed to be, you know, 80, 90% Romans, local people.

And then, you know, the tourists are going to come as well.

But this is where the Romans were going also on their Friday night to grab a quick bite.

And I went to a pasta place.

I don't have it written down here, but if you.

It's the most famous pasta in, in the neighborhood.

And it's one of these places where no reservations, you just line up.

And I got there early, fortunately early by Italian standards.

6, 6, 30.

And I was first in line.

So I still had to wait about 20, 30 minutes.

But by the time I was seated, I think the line, you know, there were probably, I don't know, 20, 25, 30 people in line.

But just even if you're going for a drink, even if you're just going for a little bit, Trastevere is really, really a fantastic neighborhood in terms of my favorite restaurant I want to talk about.

And then I mean Rome, it's tough, I'm going to mention too quickly because I mean Rome, we could do, you know, we could do a hundred episodes on Roman food and we would never finish.

Right.

I mean, there's just so many great restaurants.

So I'm, I've kind of heavily edited my list.

But if you're into pizza, you know, I don't first time visitors will know Rome's not particularly well known for its pizza.

They make pizza, it's Italy.

But Naples is the city really for the pizza.

But there is, and I'm sure this is not the Italian pronunciation, but it's 50.

I'm going to say it like a English speaker that I am 50 Calo de Ciro salvo.

That ciro might be a chiro and it's a Neapolitan style pizza.

So if you go to Italy looking for a pizza, this is probably the place that you should go.

The New York Times named it one of the best pizzas in Italy.

I think it's the best pizza in Rome.

And I've been to Naples just for the pizza a couple times and I would say they've got all those things, the buffalo mozzarella and the beautiful tomato sauce and that light, light crust.

Everything that makes a Neapolitan pizza special, they've got that there.

And I'm going to give one more recommendation.

As I said, I've heavily edited this list.

But there's this fantastic restaurant called Trattoria della Stempa.

And it is a small space.

It's a place that I stumbled across.

I was on a couple years in Rome on a trip with my sister's family and we were just looking, I think, I'm not sure if my memory is right that it was raining this time.

It was raining when I was there because I went back.

But we were just looking for a great little hole in the wall, out of the way place.

And that's exactly what this is.

It's on a back lane.

It's not in Trasteveria.

It's in a, it's in a different area, not too far from the Spanish steps.

But the chef there once, I'm not sure if he still does, had a Michelin star.

A very, very small space, kind of almost a windowless space.

They used to have a printing press and that's why it's called Trattoria della Stampa.

And they, when, when I, when we went a couple years ago, you could still get a table.

We actually walked in, we said, know three or how many?

Five.

Five Please.

And got a table right away.

This time.

I went on a rainy Tuesday, just sort of discovering that it was close to my hotel.

And people said, no, we booked our reservations.

The lineup out the door.

People said, we booked our reservations two weeks, a month, two months, three months in advance.

Fortunately, it was a rainy Tuesday.

They had a couple cancellations.

I had to wait maybe half an hour to get in.

But they have.

If my rec.

If I have one recommendation on what to order, they have the three Roman pastas, which are carbonara, cacio, Pepe, and, and I always say this one wrong as well, amatriciana, which are the three typical Roman pastas.

And you can order any one of them.

And I believe it's €12, and you get this big steaming bowl of beautiful pasta.

And it tastes like homemade.

And all the ingredients are local.

And the pasta was handmade.

And so that is a place.

And since going the first time, talking to the staff this time, they said, actually the idea is taken off.

And there's like eight of these Trattoria della Stampa around Italy now.

When I went the first time, this was the only one.

So.

So if you want, like, small place, tons of atmosphere, place where Romans go and eat real Roman food for not that much money, definitely put that one on your list.

Yeah, that sounds incredible.

And I know they're a great resource, a show.

Both me and you are big fans of Stanley Tucci's Italy.

He's done a few great episodes.

I mean, you talked about that we could do multiple episodes just on the restaurants of Rome.

And he's done, I think, at least two focusing in on different neighborhoods and restaurants there.

And a great resource as well.

But when it comes to.

It comes to where to stay and where to base yourself in the city, I've got to think from what you're describing, it sounds like that's got to be a pretty important part of your stay, is really figuring out the right part of the city to base yourself out of, to be able to see some of those iconic attractions and get a little bit more into the character of the city.

What are a couple of your favorites?

I'm definitely going to mention I just stayed at a place called Hotel Hassler that was on my most recent trip.

It's literally, if you.

If our listeners go in and they Google, like Spanish Steps and there's a picture of the Spanish Steps, there's a building that's just on the right that looks like a hotel, and that is Hotel Hassler, and it is right at the top of the Spanish Steps.

From my room, from the window in my room, I could look out the window, see the Spanish Steps.

And then behind I could see the dome of St.

Peter's in the Vatican without even moving my head.

I mean, two of the most iconic sites in Rome.

So really interesting hotel, family owned, run by two, by twins, twin brother and sister.

Amazing location right at the top of the Spanish Steps.

And it has that, it's, you know, it's pure five star old world luxury.

And you still see the owners around the hotel there.

You can go up and chat with them about their family and their life.

You know, in hotels.

They grew up in hotels and then they have this rooftop restaurant that I, I was up there for lunch, actually I went up for lunch and then did go up in the evening once as well.

And again, Rome is at your feet.

So you, you've got the Vatican, you've got The Knights of St.

John, the Spanish Steps, the typewriter, the Victor Emmanuel.

Over on the left, across you've got the cannon.

They fire this cannon every day at 12 o' clock.

So if you're up there at 12 o' clock, you can see them fire the cannon.

And again, the food is actually good.

I had some wonderful, wonderful Roman pasta up there.

And so that's, that's also a great place if you're not, even if you're not staying there, that's a great place to eat, but also, you know, wonderful and that kind of old world service where they remember your name, you know, and how was your day?

And you say how was your day?

You know, like everybody remembers when you, you, when you come back at night.

So I love Hassler.

I'm going to mention a couple others just quickly that we've got.

I, so I stayed at the Edition, which is, you know, kind of really super cool maybe, maybe a little too cool for me, I don't know.

But it was really a good hotel, great location.

The addition in Rome, I stay at the St.

Regis on a different trip.

Again, amazing suites and rooms, that kind of old Roman feeling, the history and also a great location.

And then one that's a little bit different is the Waldorf Astoria, which is a, which is also a beautiful property.

It's set apart, it's kind of up on a hill and it almost has a resort feel to it.

So it's kind of interesting there because you can, you know, again, Waldorf Astoria, beautiful rooms, but you can kind of spend your day in the hurly burly in the city visiting all the sites and then kind of Go back out there, sit by the pool, have a glass of champagne or whatever, have dinner out there and kind of feel like you're maybe off on a, on a little island and then, and then go back in.

In the day, you're not going to be able to walk to a ton of shops and restaurants.

But that was also a very, a very good hotel.

So those are, yeah, those are a few of my favorites.

Awesome.

Amazing suggestions.

Any, any final, can't miss or, or any, any final tips for the city as, as we wrap up our, our first trip to Rome?

Yeah, so I would just say for the camp Mrs.

Rome is the kind of city where, like, there's so much that you don't know and the things you don't know, you don't know, and I didn't say that very well.

For treasure, you know, where you can find something that other tourists don't know about.

And that might be the concierge at your hotel or that might be your tour guide with Access Italy or that might be one of the owners of the Hassler Hotel, which was the case for me, or it just might be somebody working in a shop who's lived their whole life in Rome.

And one of these places that I found was called Basilica Santa Maria del Popolo, and it is a small church, it's on a busy square, only open very limited hours because it still operates as a church and not a tourist attraction.

So people go there for Mass.

When I was there, people were celebrating Mass, so keep a close eye on the hours because it might only be open two or three hours a day, but in the artwork is absolutely beautiful.

And then in one corner there are two Caravaggios, two masterpieces.

If these were up in a gallery in New York or something, they would be the featured pieces and people would travel from all over the country to come and see these pieces.

And in this chapel, they're just kind of in the corner, but absolutely beautiful pieces.

One of the little quirks, and you see this in other places in Italy, is that to help fund the maintenance of the chapel and of these works, you have to drop a two euro coin into a little machine and then the lights come on and it gives you maybe like three minutes of light and the lights go out and somebody else has to put another two euros in to light it up.

And so I would say have a couple coins in your pocket.

I didn't.

Fortunately, some people around me did.

But you can go and you can, you know, there were maybe a dozen people or less around me and just appreciate these things, these massive, masterful works of Caravaggio in this chapel that nobody's ever heard of.

So that's, that's my personal camp mass, but there's a million of those in Rome.

Amazing.

Well, you have done a lot of the heavy lifting here today, Tim, so thank you for, for taking us through Rome.

And I know we're doing a bit of a, a tour of European capitals.

We did London last week, we're doing Rome this week.

Next week we are off to Portugal to, to look at the capital there at Lisbon.

And then following that, we're going of a special episode with Oliver G.

From the Earful Tower, one of my favorite podcasts on Paris.

And I had a chance to sit down with Oliver in Paris a couple months ago and talk a little bit about kind of a second trip to Paris and some of the best things to do there.

So that's going to be coming in a few weeks as well.

But as always, super useful task to hear from you.

So we would love to from all of our listeners if you've got any suggestions on places around the world that you want to see us cover or questions to send in.

We got some great questions from a listener last week on a trip to the Galapagos island that we shared some ideas with them.

We always love to hear where you're going and any questions that you might have and happy to share some suggestions and also would love if you check out our other podcasts on the Voyage podcast network@voyescape.com and looking forward to catching up on Lisbon next week, Tim.

Absolutely.

Always great to chat with you, David.

Thank you.