Rome

When you think of Italy, you think of Rome. Rome is a city full of history and culture. There’s a whole list of modern amenities that we can thank the ancient Romans for. Including Aquaducts, Arches, Concrete, Books, and most importantly of all, Public Toilets.

Founded by Romulus in 753 BC, Rome was the head of the Roman Empire until 476AD. Currently the city of Rome’s population sits around 2.8 million. Each year Rome attracts approximately 9 million international tourists. Making it the twelfth most visited city in the world, and the third in Europe.

Rome is a city that caters to everyone’s tastes. For the traveller who enjoys relaxing with good food then there are more great restaurants and patisseries than your heart could possibly desire. If you want to lace up your walking boots and explore, the city’s rich history and culture you will be spoilt for choice. However if you prefer to relax with a glass of Italian wine, then you can bar hop for as long as your stay.

I arrived in Rome to find beautiful weather, clear skies and sunshine. Getting the train into the city centre was easy. I had chosen a hotel that wasn’t far from the station so I decided to walk. I was here for a long weekend for some solo travel. There was a lot I was excited about in Rome, having wanted to visit the Colosseum. I took a couple of hours to orientate myself in the city. But tired from the flight, I headed back to my room to have a quick nap.

When I woke up I thought could hear the sound of the room next door showering. I headed over to the window to see torrential rain. I’d only been asleep for an hour, but Rome was already flooding. I got a text from a local friend asking me to meet them at the station. So reluctantly I had to go outside into the storm. I made the mistake of wearing Converse which started to shrink. The canvas rubbed causing massive blisters. Luckily Rome has a lot of pharmacies as I must have gone through half of the country’s supplies of Compeed. 

Stupidly, I didn’t buy new trainers. Convincing myself they were fine and it was just the existing blisters that hurt. But since then I have sworn off Converse trainers. I still had a fantastic time in Rome, although I did hobble about a bit. Public transport in Rome is great, with easily accessible and cheap trains. But it’s also so easy to walk around. Just don’t make the same mistake as me and pack good walking shoes.

For the best travel tips make sure you check out my article Know before you go: Rome Edition.

On each page, you will find affiliate widgets with Get Your Guide. So if you decide to book any excursions or tickets you can do so directly. It always makes sense to book ahead to avoid disappointment, especially if there’s something you’re really excited about. Its recommended you book for The Vatican as queues can go on for hours in my experience.