Rome Recommendations: 4 Days in Roma

Alas, my Italian adventure had to come to an end. It began as an impromptu trip suggested by Debleena at the end of July, and became a last chance to live it up this summer, with four days in Rome and three days in Florence to really live #ladolcevita.

Our trip was three days in Rome, 3 days in Florence and then another day in Rome. I’d never been to Roma, so we did a lot of sight-seeing in our time there. Thankfully, Debleena is a planner (who also studied abroad in Florence and therefore was pretty familiar with Italy) because I did almost zero work before leaving. My one contribution was obviously restaurant recommendations, and we found a few really great ones on our trip. My best of:

Salumeria Roscioli
This was the one reservation we made prior to leaving NYC — Roscioli is a Roman institution (there’s a restaurant, a wine bar and a bakery scattered throughout the city, in addition to the Salumeria), known for their excellent bread, and spectacular array of meats and cheese. We ordered the Italian meat and cheese plate, which featured proscuitto, mortadella and soppressata, plus Parmigiano-Reggiano, tallegio and spicy provolone. We also had the caponata and cacio e pepe, as well as a delicious regional white wine recommended by our waiter (they have a great wine list and very knowledgeable waiters). Would highly recommend making a reservation online, since we noticed a very long wait while we were happily savoring our delicious food … (haha suckas!)

Another plus: Salumeria Roscioli is located around the corner from Campo de’ Fiore, a fun square near the center of the city to drink and people-watch for a few hours after dinner. We had a great time here, and finished off our night with fresh prosciutto and mozzarella sandwiches at 2 a.m.

Al Moro
Al Moro is a traditional Roman trattoria near the Trevi Fountain — very old-school, with a handwritten 2-inch-thick wine list and a pretty small menu of dishes made extremely, extremely well. I had the bucatini all’amatriciana (guanciale, tomato sauce, pecorino) and Debleena had the tagliatelle con crema di tartufo (truffle cream), and both were perfect plates of pasta. We also tried the carciofi alla romana, where artichokes are stuffed with parsley, mint and garlic, then braised in white wine until they’re so soft they’re practically spreadable. It made me instantly regret that artichoke season in NYC is so very very far away.

Dar Poeta
This pizzeria in Trastevere* was our favorite place in Rome, so amazing that we went back there on our last day because we loved it so much. Their crust is in between the cracker-thin traditional Roman style and the thicker crusts of Sicily, and it’s basically a crisp, chewy canvas on which the restaurant’s chefs pile on interesting combinations of toppings. Our absolute favorite was the “Dar Poeta”: mozzarella, garlic, zucchini, red chili flakes and fresh sausage. I will dream about that pizza for the rest of my life.

*Trastevere is on the other side of the Tiber River (the ‘hood’s name literally means “across the Tevere,” which is what the Italians call the Tiber) and was easily my favorite part of Rome. All those complaints about Rome’s crazy crowds disappears in Trastevere, which is instead saturated with cute cobblestone-lined alleyways, delicious food and quiet piazzas where one can drink wine and people-watch for hours on end. It’s a short bridge-crossing from the Colosseum/Forum, so when you need a break from the hordes of tourists, cross over to this lovely area for some peace and delicious pizza.

Antico Caffe Dell’isola
On your way back from Trastevere to central Rome, I’d recommend you cross via Isola Tiberina, a teeny-tiny island in the middle of the Tiber. It’s a) cute, and b) home to one of the best gelaterias in the city (even better, in my humble opinion, than San Crispino’s, which is in all the guidebooks). I got the Mexican chocolate, which was their creamy dark chocolate gelato with a serious spicy kick. There’s also a little cafe, in case you need a quick jolt before you head back to tourist central.

(Isola Tiberina reminded me a lot of Ile Saint-Louis in Paris, which is also tiny and cute and randomly home to delicious ice cream … )

Armando al Pantheon
Most of the food near tourist sites in Rome (or any other major city) should be avoided, with the exception of Armando al Pantheon. It’s right next to the Pantheon (surprise, surprise) and has been an institution since the 1960s, serving up classic Roman dishes. We had the spaghetti a la carbonara, grilled lamb chops and grilled sausages with sauteed greens, which were all delicious. But the real showstopper was their tarta antica roma, a barely-sweet crumbly butter cake with a filling of strawberry jam and fresh ricotta that I need to make ASAP. It’s a specialty of Armando’s, so you should definitely save room for it if you visit.

And one sight-seeing recommendation: I cannot say this strongly enough — get to the Colosseum EARLY. We visited on the first Sunday of the month, when many of the museums and monuments in Rome are free, so we planned to get there even before the Colosseum opened, to avoid having to wait in an interminable line. There was already a line when we showed up at 8 a.m. (doors open at 8:30), but we waited less than 15 minutes, and got to walk around the Colosseum with relative freedom (we even had space to Dubsmash!)

Even if you’re not visiting on a “will be insanely busy” day, I’d recommend going early since there’s no shade when you’re walking around the Colosseum (or Forum or Palatine Hill — entry into one gets you entry into all three), and it’s still pretty cool in the morning. I’d hate to walk around the ruins in peak sun, even with my cool sun hat.