Snapshots of Rome, Italy

Having visited Rome plenty of times in the past, I decided not to go sightseeing this time, instead making my day all about the delicious Italian food! Unsurprisingly though I couldn’t help but see a few of the beautiful buildings and monuments Rome has to offer whilst on my walk through the city.

First up however was breakfast in the hotel to fuel up for a day of strolling through the cobbled streets in 36 degree heat. You can be sure I ate some of those pastries – the best one is the croissant filled with “crema”, a delicious creamy custard.

After breakfast I took the shuttle bus to the city (we stay at the airport so it’s around a 30 minute drive depending on traffic, and the bus only goes every 2 hours) which dropped us off just a short walk from the Vittorio Emmanuele Monument.

I took the bus with a couple of other girls from the flight, but all of us having visited Rome multiple times before, we all had a different plan and split up to go our own ways.

I strolled through the streets, stopping to browse in a couple of shops, but being a Saturday in summer it was insanely busy.

I continued walking with no aim except to find an ice cream to cool off, which wasn’t too difficult!

Being so close to the Trevi Fountain, I decided to stop by to make a wish. Of course it was jam-packed full of people – you couldn’t even get to the front as it was just so busy!

After a quick stop at the fountain, I slowly made my way through the city towards Trastevere, across the river.

You can find delicious food all over Rome, but lots of the more local and authentic restaurants are located in Trastevere. (Although let’s be honest, now that everyone has heard about them, many are just as touristy as around the main squares in the city.)

Of course I passed by so much more stunning architecture along the way.

It’s around a half hour walk from the Trevi Fountain to Trastevere, and once you’re there the streets get narrower and it’s so pretty you can just stroll through enjoying the moment.

I had a recommendation to eat at Da Enzo, a small local trattoria with a few tables inside and out. It opens at 12:30, and you really do have to be there right on time, or like me, you’ll end up waiting for a table.

Luckily I had a book with me, and a shady area to wait, and I could already see some of the delicious dishes coming out so had an idea of what I wanted to order! 

Some of the local specialties include pasta all’amatriciana, made with guanciale (pig cheeks, even tastier than pancetta), cacio e pepe (a super simple pasta dish made with cheese and pepper), and of course the classic that everyone knows, carbonara.

Once I got a table I ordered up some fried courgette flowers to start – stuffed with oozy mozzarella these were hot, salty and absolutely delicious. I was tempted by the burrata, another favourite, but I knew that was something fairly simple to make at home, whereas I most likely wouldn’t go to the effort of making stuffed courgette flowers just for myself!

For the main course it was a tough call between cacio e pepe or rigatoni all’amatriciana, but I went for the rigatoni. An excellent choice – perfectly cooked with a delicious tomato sauce, plenty of guanciale and of course topped off with a generous helping of parmesan.

Despite being absolutely full from the starter and main course, I had been dreaming about tiramisu since swapping onto this flight to Rome! 

Luckily Da Enzo’s homemade tiramisu didn’t disappoint, and since I couldn’t sample any of the local house wine (I had to fly back in the evening) I finished it off with an espresso macchiato. Delicious!

I left feeling very full but very satisfied, and slowly made my way back across the river towards the bus. I even had time for a quick stop at the supermarket to pick up some Italian pasta and burrata – a must!

I thoroughly enjoyed eating my way through Roma, and although I’m sure I came back a few kilos heavier, I did walk 10km through the city – pretty good going for a morning out. Until next time, Bella Italia!

P.s. Follow me on InstagramFacebook & Twitter for more day-to-day updates of where I am in the world! 🙂

Leave a Reply