I think so, yes. Let me explain.
The City Center
We began our trip to Rome with walking tour where we saw many of the landmarks in the city center of Rome. We were descending some stairs when the tour guide was like oh by the way these are the Spanish Steps. I just turned around, looked at the steps and thought “oh”. Then we stopped at the Trevi Fountain and it was crawling with people. It looked like an ant infestation surrounding the fountain. I took the classic picture here and threw a coin in the fountain in a rush because people were pushing to get to the front. Lastly, our tour took us to the Pantheon. It was honestly very underwhelming. Maybe that is because we didn’t get to see the inside.
I don’t think Rome is the problem, that was obviously a bad tour guide. However, I did expect to be more in awe of the monuments we passed, I think they have been really over hyped in my mind. On top of that, Rome is a very big city and it looks like it. The streets are covered in trash and the city just feels dirty and unsafe.
Vatican City
That evening, we went to Vatican City. It was nothing like Rome, absolutely stunning and pristine. It looked unreal.
We had pre-bought skip the line passes for the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel through a program on TripAdvisor. Don’t do this. There is a student discount on the Vatican website but if you book it through a partner it is so much more expensive. The reason we didn’t do this was because they were sold out when we tried to buy direct. You don’t really need a skip the line pass either because there is no line at 7pm on a Friday night. When it comes to Vatican tickets, you just have to plan ahead.
I do recommend going in the evenings because it is unique to June and July when they have extended hours. It is so pretty to be there during golden hour and sunset. The museum has over 50 galleries of paintings, sculptures, and anything you can think of. You have to walk through all of them to reach the Sistine Chapel which irritated me because that was the one thing I really cared about seeing. When we finally reached the chapel, my jaw dropped. How was Michelangelo capable of all of this?!
If you are planning on going to the Sistine Chapel, make sure that you completely cover your knees and shoulders. A normal dress won’t count, it must be a maxi dress or pants. Don’t bother packing a camera either, no pictures are allowed inside the chapel.
Quite Possibly The Best Pasta I’ve Ever Had
Did the headline intrigue you? It is not even a hook, it is absolutely true. Someone had recommended this restaurant where Italian Nonnas (grandmothers) make fresh pasta in front of you and we knew we had to go. We waited in line for 45 minutes with starving bellies and hurting feet, yet it was still so worth it. I ordered the Rome’s traditional dish, the Carbonara since I’ve never had it before. This was a huge mistake because it was so amazing I will never be able to eat Carbonara ever again in my life. It won’t even compare. The pork was so flavorful I couldn’t believe it. I was wowed to say the least. Safe to say, you must go to Osteria da Fortunata.
Ancient Rome
I actually loved the tour we had of the Roman Forum and Colosseum. I didn’t know what the Roman Forum was prior to the tour which allowed me listen and be in awe rather than measuring against my expectations. The Colosseum was so intricate and well thought out while being such a large infrastructure! This was my favorite monument we saw.
Trastevere
My friend Reid is studying abroad in Rome this month and his apartment happened to be only a two minute walk from our hotel in Trastevere! He showed me around the neighborhood and took me to his favorite restaurants where we ordered drinks and caught up. I tried Suppli for the first time and it was HEAVENLY. It is kind of like a fried mozzarella stick but with rice and marinara sauce in it.
The suburb of Trastevere was cute and quiet with not too much to do but great food. We had dinner at La Canonica Ristorante with the most beautiful fairy lights environment in a quiet alley. Some of the dishes were decent, but my pasta with creamy sauce, peas and mushrooms was wonderful.
The Night Life
We started our night at a small bar called On The Rocks which had fun music and super strong drinks. Almost too strong. Then, we walked almost thirty minutes from there to a Latin club called Alibi.
To enter there is a $15 cover charge that includes a free drink which is more expensive than the covers in Florence. The club primarily played latin music which was fun to dance to, but I definitely felt like I was the only one who wasn’t singing along because I didn’t know it. The club had really fun professional dancers on the stage who were doing some amazing hip hop moves that were so entertaining to watch. It definitely kept the crowd energy up.
I didn’t have the best time here because the energy was very off. Reid had warned me that the men in Rome were borderline creepy with their proximity in dancing, unsolicited flirting and touching. I was super aware and kept to myself but it did make me uncomfortable. We didn’t stay too long because of that. I’m not sure if that was just this club, or bars in Rome in general. I have never experienced that in Florence, but many of the places we have been out to are full of American students.
The Pope’s Blessing
I am not Catholic so the Pope isn’t super important to me, but it is cool to see a public figure, so we went to Vatican City to listen to the Pope’s Blessing. Every week on Sunday at noon, the Pope stands in the window and reads aloud the blessing in Italian. I didn’t understand a thing and could barely see him. Even taking a picture with my 50mm zoom lens was difficult. Not necessarily a special moment for me, but a cool thing to say I’ve experienced!
Final Verdict:
I think that Rome is overhyped. I wouldn’t go back for a while, and even then it would be just a day trip. I thought that Ancient Rome was jaw dropping and a must see. But that was just a few hours. The cuisine there really elevated my experience and made the trip worth it. Nevertheless, I found the city center of Rome to be dirty, underwhelming and the nightlife was kind of unsafe for females.
I did love Vatican City, but that is not Rome.
Did you have a similar experience in Rome or completely disagree? I would love to know.
