ROME CITY GUIDE / THREE DAYS IN ROME

Last October me and my friend went to visit the beautiful city of Rome all by ourselves and since no one planned the trip for us, we had to do all the things ourselves, it was a very interesting experience, so I decided to share my tips about visiting Rome, maybe it will be interesting to people who decide to visit this gorgeous city in the heart of Italy.

WHERE TO STAY.

Hotels are pretty expensive there, hostels sadly as well, differently like in other cities. We decided to go with Airbnb which is a very good thing I've recently discovered. There are locals renting their apartments in many parts of the city, so you can choose to rent the whole apartment, the single room or a shared room, it depends on your choice and the money you can spend. You pay directly through the site after you've talked with the person you've decided to rent the property from. The rooms or apartments mostly come with everything you need - kitchen utensils, toiletries and sometimes even food. It's all listed as well when you're choosing your apartment.

You have to communicate directly with the renter of the place, so if something is not going smooth, better choose a different one. Also, I strongly advice choosing one which has more comments written about them, this way you can make sure a person is a good choice.

One big, important tip: write down the address of the place you're staying at. Phones can stop working, the renters can forget to pick up the phone (a real story) and you can find yourself standing in the middle of the world you've never been to without any idea what to do anymore. So it's better to have address, this way you can find the place on your own. 

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Public transportation in Rome is pretty good. There are tramways, buses, metro, night buses and loads and loads of cars. It's very crazy there, so beware of the cars when you are out and about the city because these drivers drive by their own rules.

You can see the numbers of the buses that drive there on the bus stops in the streets. If you see a little letter N by the number of the bus, that means it's a night bus. Night buses are free there, but that means everyone and anyone car be found in there, so save yourself and your things when you're in them.

Buses are mostly very crowded, so I would recommend the metro as it's incredibly easy to navigate. There are two different lines the (blue and red one) that go beneath the city center. Where metro doesn't reach the city, you can take the tram which is also a good way to travel.

Standard ticket is valid for 75 minutes on all buses or for one Metro ride and costs €1,5, daily one costs €6 and three days one costs €16,50. 

ROME CITY PASS. 

BUY THIS THING. It is not cheap, but it's very convenient. You can buy this online, in the airport and at some places in the city once you arrive. You can choose between two different ones – one is valid for 3 full days (€ 36 ), the other is for 48 hours (€ 28 ). With the city card, you get a city map and a booklet about the city and map is a very convenient thing when you're wandering around the city on your own. With the card, you can travel with every possible public transport for the amount of hours you paid for from the moment you check it. Cabs and shuttle buses to the airports are not included into this.

Also, with the card you are allowed to two sights like Colosseum, Roman Forum or museums of your choice, so you save a bit of money this way. And also, people with the pass in most places have a different queue, so you save loads of time this way.

Don't ever jump into the car thinking it is a cab if it is not the white one with the taxi sign on top and a the Rome crest on the doors. Everything that is not this, it's not a cab, so you shouldn't really board it for your safety.

WHAT TO SEE

Coloseum – Roman Forum / Palatino Hill – Altar of the Fatherland – Spanish Steps

Take the Blue line at Termini (the main station of the city) and hop off at the Colosseo station. You will be greeted with the view of the Colosseum once you step out off the Metro and you can take a little tour around it or even better go visit it from the inside. It is really worth it, even if there are a lot of tourists, it's just one of these things you have to visit once you're in Rome.

After that you can walk towards Roman Forum / Palatino Hill. It is really close nearby and you will probably start your tour from the Palatino Hill if you walk directly from the Coloseum. This is a beautiful and serene place in the middle of the city without the noise, without crowds of people and it just breathes history. Be sure to visit Roman Forum as well while you're there, we almost missed this part and left without seeing this beauty. It is a place with all the monuments from the ancient times and it is gorgeous if you're a history geek like I am. Even if you're not, the fact that these things have been built so many years ago and they are still standing there with the city buzzing just right there to them should amaze you. 

From there you can take a short walk until you see the big white building which is seen pretty much from every higher point of the city. Altare della Patria or The Altar of the Fatherland. I found this part of the city to be very busy, with many many cars, buses and people there, but since the place is just right there where you're walking, it's worth visiting it as well.

From there, you can take a walk on the tiny streets of Rome which are just gorgeous, remember to buy some Gelato and after a little while you will find yourself in the Spanish square with the famous Spanish Steps. I think this place would feel even nicer if visited at evening or night time when there are not THAT many people there. But it is a beautiful place to sit for a while and chill out while looking at gorgeous Italian people. 

From there you can go to Metro stop called Spagna (the red line) and go back where you're staying. 

Vatican City – Piazza Nevona – Pantheon – Trevi Fountain

Vatican City is very worth visiting as it is really really beautiful and if you're a Christian, that is probably one place on your bucket list. 

Metro stop is called Ottaviano "San Pietro" and it is not directly by the Basilica, but the way towards it is very nice. The Basilica is free to enter, you just have to stand in a line which is pretty long but moves quickly and you will get inside that amazingly beautiful place. I think this was the most breathtaking Church I have ever been to, it is definitely worth to wait that line. 

If you want to get to the very top in the cupola of this gorgeous place, this costs €5 or €7, it depends if you want to take the elevator or not. But even if you take the elevator, the most difficult part has to be walked by your own feet. There are many steps until you reach the very top but it is oh so worth doing it, I'm pretty sure you won't regret that once you see the view from up there. And getting down is way easier!

After that you could go to the same Metro stop and take it where you want. You can hop off at Barberini stop and you'll quickly find your way to the famous Trevi fountain. It was closed when we were visiting, so we sadly didn't get to see this beauty, but maybe you will have more luck! After visiting Trevi, you could wander the streets for a while and you will reach the Pantheon which is really really beautiful and free to get inside. After seeing the Basilica San Pietro it might not seem that impressive, but it actually is very beautiful! 

It is also worth to see Villa Borghese Gardens, Trastavere (this is a very nice neighbourhood), Campo De Fiori. 

RANDOM TIPS. 

• Save your things. There are so many people who are very willing to steal from you and they do it with some magic, so you could not even see it after it happens.

• If people don't speak English in a restaurant, food is going to be amazing there. There is also a rule in Italy that if the table is with a white table cloth on it, the food is going to be very expensive, because it's a restaurant. Look before you go in.

• Bring comfortable shoes. You can do loads of walking in Rome because all the sights are very close each to the other, so you don't have to take public transport so much, rely on your feet and save them from the trouble by bringing comfortable shoes with you.

• Don't take pictures with gladiators standing by the Colosseum, don't try something that someone is proposing you whether that's a selfie stick (you will see loads of them there) or some food, it will definitely cost money.

• When you ask "do you speak English?" in the street, the majority of people will answer with a very confident "no", just try to ask you question also in English, some people will try their hardest to explain you what you need. Sometimes in Italian or with their hands, but it can also help you.

• Coffee is good everywhere in that city.

P.S. You might like to check my post about my trip to Rome. 

 

MANCHESTER THROUGH MY PHONE

I just love how random ideas that come up in the conversations unexpectedly can turn out to be the things that really happen. The real, great things which make you smile from ear to ear. 

Last Summer, on a very hot day at the end of the Summer me and two amazing girls who I know from the age we all were 7 years old were walking through the woods and had a conversation and Manchester, where one of the girls is studying, came up into our conversation. After that one thing led to another and we bough the tickets to go and see her in the city far away from home. 

Even though we bought the tickets a long time ago, the waiting wasn't really difficult, there were times I honestly forgot about this trip, other times I was so busy that my head was filled with completely different things than the plane I would have to board in couple of months to go to a different country.

I was in Rome just couple of months ago, but I was already pretty excited to fly on the plane. I love planes, they have always fascinated me even long before I got to be on one and every time I get to fly, I am very excited. I don't particularly love the turbulence because I am an anxious person anyway and being on a plane which is shaking quite a bit is not the thing I enjoy the most. But I can spend hours just looking through the window and imagining myself walking on these clouds which look like candyfloss. Wouldn't that be cool?

We didn't stay there for long but it was a very very nice trip. Spending time with two amazing friends was amazing and Manchester was also city that I didn't expect to be that beautiful. We visited amazing, gorgeous and ancient libraries, walked the big and small streets, ate the best burgers I have ever tried, laughed very loudly, took a crazy amount of selfies, ate a lot of not so healthy food, talked for hours, admired English men and their accents and just enjoyed as much as we could. 

My little inner architect was very very happy seeing these buildings and almost all of the pictures I have are from the buildings as you can see here. It's mostly always the case when I travel, to be perfectly honest.

 

BIRTHDAY TRIP TO ROME

 Visiting Rome was a dream of mine for the longest time because Italy is definitely one of my favorite countries ever, I love the food, the culture, people there, the language, so visiting the heart of it was essential to me. Oh, and I am a huge lover of history and architecture, so this was also a place for me to go. This was a very special trip not only because I went there on my 21st birthday but also because this was the first trip where I and my friend had to do everything ourselves, there were no guides, nothing was really planned for us and we were the only ones who decided everything. This freedom to do anything you want and go anywhere you want was very liberating, it was really cool to think that in the middle of the school year you ran away to a beautiful city far away from home and you can wander the streets for hours without any plans at all. It also adds a little bit more stress but when everything turns out fine, you feel this sense of accomplishment which is great.
We had to use our map skills and that turned out quite interesting. I was pretty sure I don't understand maps at all and my friend though she understands maps very well but turns out we both are not that good at it. Thankfully people there are really friendly so we didn't get lost and it was even more fun trying to speak with people who don't speak any languages we do.
We got to see the main sights, we ate amazing food (seriously, I could eat Italian food every day of my life) and stared at the gorgeous Italian men in the streets and they are seriously gooooorgeous there, I think every girl would agree with me. This is definitely a city I would come back to if I'll ever have a chance and I would recommend to everyone hop on a plane and go experience Italy to the fullest.

THE BEST BIRTHDAY SO FAR

You know, I am not the biggest fan of my birthdays, not only because I've already reached the age when it's pretty scary to see how quick you're getting older and older but mainly because it is a day in a year which you expect to be amazing and most of the time it really doesn't live up to your expectations. And since I am the biggest crier ever, there hasn't been a birthday in many years that I didn't cry at. I don't even know why exactly do I cry, but I always shed a tear and not necessarily a happy one, to me there is always something.. sad about it, even though I can't really explain it. So that is why this year I decided it would be an amazing idea to get away for my birthday, to leave all behind and just go to a very nice place. I am very happy that my dream actually came true and I got to celebrate my 21st birthday in the gorgeous city of Rome. If you know me, you know just how much I love Italy and visiting the heart of it has been a dream of mine for the longest time.
It was a gorgeous and windy day on October 7th, just like the day I was born 21 years ago and in the morning I met my Mom to have a very nice birthday breakfast and it was so nice to have couple of hours with her while eating cake and drinking coffee. After that, I met my best friend and we got straight to the airport where our adventure began. It really was an adventure in every possible way. It was the first trip for both of us when we were only two of us and there was no one else to count on in that city far away from home. The adventure started the moment when we got off in the neighbourhood where we were staying at and our host didn't pick up the phone. Thankfully, we managed to find the place somehow but it was just the beginning. We did get lost a bit, we've met some people that weren't that nice but everything worked out just fine and these little things just showed us that we can actually be independent and can handle the situation pretty good.
But despite everything that went wrong, there were so so many things which went just fine. We spent amazing time there, really. Rome is the city where every corner of it is worth a shot, it's so gorgeous and mind blowing at the same time. It's crowded, sometimes a little too noisy but so full of history that you fall in love with it immediately. I really did have the best birthday there and it was like no other I've had before. There we were only two of us in the city far away from home and everyone we know where we got to do everything ourselves, from figuring out the transport system, to discovering everything this city has to offer. So that is how I celebrated the age where I don't have any more limits, in a nice apartment, with a glass of wine and a cupcake with some candles. And it was awesome, to say the least!

HAPPY 21ST BIRTHDAY

Good morning a 21 year old me. It feels really surreal even writing it, I don't know how long I will be saying that I'm still 20. I certainly still feel like a teenager and 20 was a strange number for me, what can I say about 21.. When I was significantly younger, 21 seemed like a very grown up age to be, I though people this age start thinking about their families (some of them actually do), some already have kids, some have already switched up among jobs and some even finished universities. And here I am, second time in a university and constantly thinking whether I actually picked a right path for myself, still living with my parents and actually really liking it, I have no clue how to pay bills, I don't have a driver's licence, I've worked in the same job three times and even though I've been to serious situations and know how to handle them, I can still be very childish but really love it. I still find sleepovers amazing, I love ice cream and jumping in the crashing waves, doing something on my own is still a challenge to me most of the time and I love overcoming it (I get better at it every time), I've been on a plane alone 6 times but I still love travelling with my parents. When I look at my parents, I see that no matter your age, you can still be childish sometimes and it's awesome. I love having this little me still in myself and don't want to ever be a serious grown up who finds jumping in a pile of leaves stupid.
So today I'm 21. What a year it's been for me. I just said that I don't want to grow up but this year I've definitely grown up quite a lot and it feels good. I mature a bit, I took some decisions for myself which made me a huge difference in my everyday life and it feels good saying this. So now, for my 21st birthday, I'm off to see the beautiful Rome and experience Italy one more time this year. Happy birthday me!

LET'S TAKE A WALK : SANTORINI

 A very long time ago, when I was only 14 years ago, my family and I, we went on a trip to the beautiful island called Crete. It was an amazing place to be itself, but one day we took a boat trip to a smaller and even prettier island called Santorini. To this day, that place is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in my entire life. We spent only couple of hours there and at that time it was very hot there, seriously boiling hot, the sun was burning our white faces, the concrete was melting and all these beautiful blue windows of these beautiful white houses were closed and protecting themselves from that heat. It was pretty tough then being a tourist and I'm pretty sure we didn't get to experience that island at its best only because it was that hot. I honestly remember that hot weather up until now.
However, that island is magical. All these white house so small and so pretty and cozy which are situated on that big hill and from the windows you can see the sea as blue as these windowsills of these beautiful white houses. The road is very steep and it takes time to climb this big hill to reach your own white house with blue windows. I can only imagine how beautiful this island looks once the sun starts to set down. I remember thinking back then that there will be a time in my life when I will come back to this magical island once again and I will get to experience the sunset there and will have the chance to wake up early in the morning and enjoy the cup of fresh coffee while looking at the sea blue as the sky. And I'm sure that one day this dream and promise will come true.

WHEN IN ITALY / PESCHIERA

 A month has passed since I was standing on Italian ground and this is my last post about my trip. These are the pictures from the loveliest city we were staying in and I'm going to end this by telling you why this trip has been truly one of the best trips I've ever had in my life so far.

✿ People in Italy are so so lovely. They are smiling pretty much all the time, they try to help you even if they don't speak English at all but somehow everyone understands everyone.

✿ Italian is a very beautiful language and due to the fact that I can speak French pretty good, I was able to understand Italian even if I had never studied this language. Now, of course, I'm planning to start learning Italian one day. 

✿ Italian food is the best kind of food in the world. Italian pizza is one of a kind and I enjoyed every single bite of it!

✿ Everything on this trip went surprisingly well considering the fact we drove more than 4000 km from our home with our own car. We only had a little accident with the petrol which was quite scary but everything worked out fine in the end.

✿ I got to eat a lot of Gelato and man, these are good.

✿ I've got to experience an amazing moment when I was standing on the roof of the Duomo Cathedral in Milan. I was the only one that went up there from the people I was with, so I was alone there and yet I felt so calm, so relaxed and so happy to be up there. I wasn't feeling anxious or anything like that, I just was in that moment with all my heart. That doesn't happen too often but it for sure was amazing.

✿ I realized once again that I am the happiest version of myself when I travel and that I truly love Italy with all my heart.

Sometimes this whole trip seems like a dream to me, we all came back straight to work or studies and exams so that amazing holiday atmosphere didn't had the chance to stay a bit longer with us. When I look through these pictures, I feel very lucky that I got to see these amazing places and Italy has even more special place in my heart than before.

You can find other posts about Italy here : Milan, Venice, Sirmione and my gratitude post.