Oh, Rome – thanks for the memories, the spritzers and soy cappuccinos. If you haven’t already been to the Italian capital, I recommend you put it on your ‘to do’ list, especially if you are as big a fan of pizza as I am. It really did live up to expectations.
I went to Rome primarily to visit my friend, Maya, who has been living there since last year. Being a local and fluent in Italian, she knows the city like the back of her hand and as a result, I saw far more of Rome than I would have done through the pages of my city map and poor sense of direction.
I arrived on the Thursday evening and we went straight to an Irish bar where her boyfriend was playing in his band. The next morning, we stopped off for breakfast in a local bakery. I might have had five biscuits to start the day – but hey, they were freshly made so almost healthy, right?
I was then treated to my very own walking tour to burn said biscuits off, where I ticked off attractions such as The Coliseum, The Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. We then headed over to Monti; if vegan cafes and vintage shops are your thing – you will be in heaven. I quickly became addicted to Arancini’s – stuffed rice balls coated in breadcrumbs, filled with mozzarella and tomato sauce. If healthy fast food is more your thing, then take a trip to Grezzo Raw Chocolate, also in Monti, where my vegan friend had a field day when she tried out the raw chocolate ice cream for the first time. I have to admit, it did look pretty good.
That evening, we headed out east to the Pigneto district. There is something about the east of a city where everything is slightly cooler, cheaper and the bars stay open a whole lot later. Pigneto is definitely the trendiest neighborhood for locals and is home to a lot of emerging artist. We drank spritzers in Yeah! bar for the reasonable price of 4 euros. There are plenty of cocktails, inspired by song titles and a great vibe with live bands and DJ’s playing each night.
Thanks to my friend, I managed to avoid being ripped off at an overpriced bar next to the coliseum and I hope that these snippets of my first few days in Rome will help you too!
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