If You Go: Rome Details

As I mentioned in my itinerary post, we managed to fit a lot into our trip to Rome.  We did this largely by booking tickets ahead of time and planning based on the city.  A few general tips:

• Book Guided Tour for the Vatican: This helps you skip all the long lines and is actually quite interesting.  We were only standing in line for about 10 minutes for a security check (instead of what appeared to be hours for others!) 
• Book Restaurant Reservations: We had plans for two of the nights, but on our first night we had to stop into 2-3 restaurants to get a seat.  We ended up at a top rated restaurant, but it'll be easier if you plan ahead 
• Organize Your Trip with a Map: The attractions in Rome are quite spread out and require lots of walking, so better to plan your trip with a map.  Our itinerary was relatively well planned...and we were happy for that 

...and our recommendations for Rome...

Hotel 

• Campo del Fiori: We LOVED this hotel.  Very cute boutique hotel, it was a quick walk to the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain and just about a half hour walk from the Vatican and the Roman Forum.  The hotel overlooks a nice daily market and has 3 gelato shops within sight line from the front door. The rooms are small, but ornately decorated - very boutique-y and there is a beautiful rooftoop terrace.  Highly recommend. 

Restaurants 

• Hostaria Costanza: The atmosphere of this restaurant is really neat, it is built inside an old Roman Theatre. The food was also delicious and the service was attentive.  We shared a large lobster pasta intended for two and a vegetable antipasto platter.  Delicious. 
• Pane & Vino: This is a sandwich shop around the corner from the Colosseum.  Everything was totally fresh and the meals were huge.  It was very filling --- I had a meatball panini and P had a roasted pork panini.  Good stop to re-fuel, but quick to make sure to take advantage of the sites. 
• Taverna & Vineria: This was a restaurant we stumbled upon, but very highly reviewed on Trip Advisor (#43 of 10,000).   Great food and service was attentive.  They offered some fantastic bread and a hummus-like starter on the house.  Excellent. 
•  Pizza Ciro: Best pizza I have had in my life...right near the Spanish Steps.  The Margherita Pizza was amazing as was the bruschetta. Highly recommend! 

Sites 

A lot of sites in Rome are so famous it's not worth writing blog posts because they are known to be amazing...a few others... 

• Roman Food Tour: A friend recommended this and it was well worth it.  We have been on several and this was one of the best... amazing cheeses, pizza, pasta, gelato. Great guide and well organized.  Best value. 
• Vatican - Tour: The Vatican is amazing - as a kid I remember a lot of religious artwork from the Vatican, but as an adult, I realize that it's just filled with incredible works from masters as well as Greek / Roman antiquities. Book a tour so you get the full scoop and skip the lines. 
• Borghese Gallery: The statues here were unbelievable as was the atmosphere.  One of the oldest museums in the world, the place was mind blowing.  They are strict about a two hour time limit for your visit, so arrive on time and make sure to manage your schedule (we barely got to see anything on the second floor!)