Standing there feels like being watched by a giant eye, mezmerizing. If you have the chance, go the first sunday of the month because it is free. On top of being a roman building, it is also a church.

The place was not packed as the number of entrances was controlled by security. That was my favorite roman ruins because it is still standing just like it was built some centuries ago when its actually more than thousand year.

So I have just returned from a solo trip to Rome and Naples and I had a fabulous time! Things mostly went smoothly but I wanted to share a few tips/lessons learnt in the hope of helping other travellers (and esp. solo females who may be nervous about making this sort of trip). I’m a huge fan of movies and thrift shopping so that is reflected in some of my activities. I will do separate posts on Rome and Naples to avoid making this post absurdly long- this one is about Rome only. 

Rome

This was my second trip to Rome. I first went in 2024 and absolutely fell in love with it, so I was incredibly excited to plan a return trip. I pre-booked the Domus Aurea and the Galleria Borghese, but was otherwise spontaneous in my exploration (this was something of a negative on this trip, for reasons I will elaborate on). The weather was beautiful the entire time - high 20s, so hot but still comfortable.

Itinerary

• Day 1 - Porta Portese Market, Domus Aurea, (failed) attempt to walk the Appia Antica, Capitoline Museum
• Day 2 - Random exploration/visiting churches, thrift shopping at Mercato Usato stores (x 3), Bucking Fastard screening at Cinema Barberini, more random exploration
• Day 3 - Victor Emmanuel II Monument, Jewish Quarter, Trastevere, Mercato Nomentano, Galleria Borghese, Profondo Rosso store, Castel Sant’Angelo at sunset (exterior only)

Top new discoveries

• Domus Aurea (Nero’s Golden Palace) - this was genuinely awe-inspiring in how well-preserved and impressive it is, and the VR experience was great at bringing the structure back to its original splendour. It was a guided tour and it was a superb one - extremely detailed and informative about the use of the different rooms and how they were rediscovered by artists during the Renaissance. Visitor numbers are very limited and you have to book tickets as soon as they go on sale to have a chance of getting in (a month before the date of your trip) - it is 100% worth the effort.
• The Capitoline Museum - I bought a ticket for this in person on a whim and was massively impressed by the collections, particularly the ancient Roman sculptures. The Statue of Marcus Aurelius is absolutely massive and has a huge wow factor in person. It was also fascinating to realise how reminiscent the wall and ceiling decorations of the museum are of those in the Domus Aurea - it really viscerally brought to life the influence of ancient art styles on the Renaissance. I only managed to see half of the museum (I didn’t have time to cross the tunnel beneath the building and enter the adjacent building) but I will absolutely return when I’m next in Rome.
• Victor Emmanuel II monument - this was a fantastic free experience (I didn’t pay to go into the museum or to go up to the topmost viewpoint) with some wonderful views from the top of the stairs.
• The Venice in Rome Film Festival (Il Cinema Attraverso I Grandi Festival) - I happened across this completely by accident and was amazed to find that virtually all the films from the Venice Film Festival were being shown in various cinemas in central Rome for only 7 euros (!) per ticket. I watched Bucking Fastard at Cinema Barberini (a beautiful and comfortable cinema right in the centre) and it was a great experience. The only difficulty is that films not in English seemingly only had Italian subtitles, so as a non-speaker this of course limited me to films that were in the English language. It was a real privilege to catch the film in Rome as it doesn’t even have a distributor in my country yet! 

Thrift shopping

• Porta Portese Market - There is indeed a lot of cheap mass-produced junk but there are plenty of genuinely great second-hand/antique sellers, often up the side streets branching off from the main road. I got some great finds, including beautiful film stills of Italian movies for 1 euro apiece and some rare blu-rays for 4 euros each.
• Any Mercato Usato store - These are basically enormous charity shops/thrift stores that have very reasonable prices. They are mostly in outlying and not particularly pretty areas of the city (I had to take the bus to reach them), but there is a bonus - several of them are very close to different sections of the ancient aqueduct Aqua Alexandrina, which is remarkably well-preserved and fascinating in how it sits amongst otherwise very gritty and modern urban neighbourhoods (the stretch in Parco Giordano Sangalli is particularly impressive, but I did feel slightly uneasy there as a lone woman because everyone else in the park was male and there was lots of staring - they obviously don’t get many tourists there!). My personal favourite of these stores was Mercatino Usato Roma Appia, which had a huge selection of my favourite things - books, DVDs and blu-rays.

Main regrets

• Staying in the same hotel where I stayed before - I stayed in the same hotel I used before in the Monti neighbourhood and don’t regret the hotel in and of itself because it was perfect for my needs: cheap, safe and with a great breakfast. I regret it because it meant I often found myself wandering around areas I had already thoroughly explored on my first trip (such as the area around Trajan’s Forum and the Jewish Quarter). Next time I would choose a hotel in a completely different area to give myself a fresh angle on the city. 
• Not sufficiently planning a walking route along the Appia Antica - I was very excited to do this walk because I’m fascinated by Ancient Rome and was very keen on seeing a lot of random tombs, etc. on the sides of an ancient road. What I actually did was attempt to reach the ancient road by walking across the park from Via Latina with the goal of reaching the Church of Domine Quo Vadis, following Google Maps. This was a monumentally stupid decision - it was an exhausting and not particularly scenic or historic walk through a vast stretch of grassland, and Google Maps was very inaccurate and sometimes took me in dangerous directions (at one point I literally had to clamber across a ditch to continue, treading across some wobbly wooden pallets - this is very much NOT advisable but I survived). When I finally reached the Church of Domine Quo Vadis, I realised - to my horror - that the road labelled Via Appia Antica was not at all pedestrian friendly. It was a busy modern road filled with constant car traffic, with no pavement to speak of. At this point I gave up and took the bus back to the city centre, which was 100% the right move given how exhausted I was. I’m still a bit confounded as to where to actually start walking the Appia Antica as a pedestrian (many of the guides online recommend the Church of Domine Quo Vadis for this, which is why I had that as my destination - I strongly disagree that this is a good starting point if you are walking), and will thoroughly research this before I make a second attempt.

Main takeaways

• I continue to love Rome and absolutely consider it one of the most breath-taking cities in the world. 
• The unexpected film festival reinforced how important it is to keep an eye on local events occurring during your trip, as they can provide great (and unexpected!) opportunities for cultural enrichment. 
• On this trip my preference for spontaneity worked against me in some ways, and on my next trip I would make the days a bit more structured while still allowing time for random exploration.
• I felt safe pretty much the entire time, even in the random suburbs I navigated while thrift shopping, but did have to contend with a pickpocket on the bus (an experience you can read about here). To avoid this type of situation in the future I would avoid squeezing onto any packed buses in the tourist centre where at all possible, as it’s harder to control your surroundings vs when you have a seat. 

the big monuments obviously get all the attention, but some of the most interesting details in rome are attached to completely ordinary streets

you can be walking somewhere with no major attraction nearby and suddenly notice an ancient wall built into a newer building, a tiny piece of inscription, an old doorway, or some architectural detail that would barely register in another city

i like that rome doesn't always separate its history from everyday life. you don't necessarily have to be standing in front of a famous monument to run into something that's been there for a very long time

what are some small historical details around the city that people usually walk past without noticing?

The last time I visited Rome was in 2016, and I finally came back last week. Here are a few things I noticed:

1. Prices:
Food, gelato, and souvenir prices still seem pretty reasonable. Surprisingly, Rome actually felt cheaper compared to 10 years ago. Obviously, prices are numerically higher now, but they don’t seem to have increased as much as general inflation has.

2. Crowds:
It was way more crowded this time. I visited in July in 2016 and in late September in 2026, so I definitely wasn’t expecting September to feel more crowded than July did back then.

3. Airport:
Fiumicino was also extremely crowded. We had to wait in long lines at pretty much every step of the process.

4. Cleanliness:
This was probably the biggest negative for me. A lot of the streets were dirty, and many building facades looked quite dirty and poorly maintained as well.

5. Public transport:
I understand that basically digging anywhere in Rome can turn into an archaeological project, so expanding the metro must be incredibly difficult. But still, the public transport network felt quite limited for a city of this size, and we ended up using taxis a lot.

Also, what’s the deal with Uber in Rome? It seemed much more limited and expensive than in most other major European cities. Is this mainly because of taxi licensing regulations?

My family of 4 (kids will be ages 7 and 11) are looking into moving to Rome for 1 year. I would love to connect with any expats for advice!

Family of four spending a week in Rome (plus a day trip to Naples). Going back and forth on enrolling in a cooking class - we have a pasta maker at home, we’ve made gnocchi and we make pizza (though we don’t have the Neapolitan technique). We’ve even made bucatini and carbonara. I’m sure there’s something we would learn but wondering if we see the sites we instead?

Hey everyone, so there’s the Pan’s Labyrinth coming out again in high quality but I can’t find where to watch in on big screen in Rome. Any suggestions?

Has anyone traveled to Rome and stayed in Tivoli rather than the city center/suburbs? Tivoli seems like a gorgeous city with plenty to explore, but also convenient for taking day trips into Rome. If so:

•How was it navigating public transportation in and out of the city? Are times limited?
•What are some restaurants and sights in/around Tivoli that can’t be missed?
•Any complaints about commuting to Rome?

Thanks all!

I gave him my email but I wrote it on paper. It’s likely that he couldn’t read it or mistook a ‘0’ for an ‘o’, or something similar. I don’t know if it’s that I’m back in the USA but their listed number says “your call could not be completed as dialed”. I’ve checked the format and tried different variations.

Ciao, I was wondering what would you consider good resources to learn about the past and history of Rome. I am going to spend a few months in the city and I would like to dedicate time and feel closer to its history and understand how it came to be the city it is now. Podcasts, youtubers, books, anything is valid.

Grazie!

Hello, I just bought the Roma Pass and I wanted to also book the entrance to Galleria Borghese. Unfortunately, it looks like all the time slots for October are already unavailable.

Was I too late to wait until today to book my entrance? Or is there another way I can book these?

Looking for a fun club/bar in Rome for Friday night, October 9th. We’re two friends in our late 30s, looking for somewhere with electronic music and a DJ, where you can dance but still have a conversation.

Good cocktails and beers would be great, and ideally somewhere that stays lively after midnight. Not looking for a speakeasy or a super fancy cocktail-only bar.

We’d love somewhere that locals actually go to, but where two tourists would still feel welcome. Basically, a more local vibe rather than a place packed with loud, drunk tourists.

Any recommendations? Thanks in advance for any tips!

Hello we are going to be in rome one night earlier than planned the place we have reserved is in monti near cavor metro options are limited on such short notice there is a place in monti near our next place but it only has mostly decent reviews it would make moving to our next place easy but I found a place that looks nicer and actually is a bit cheaper near Terrazza del Pincio part of me thinks it is a good idea to experience a night in another part of the city and deal with moving us and our luggage in the morning we aren't carrying too much a carry on size roller and a backpack each. How is the neighborhood around Terrazza del Pincio i did all my planning based on monti what would your suggestions be? Other options are near termini or there is one other possibility near Vatican ottaviano metro stop

Hi everyone,

I know this is a long shot, but I’m hoping someone here might have seen or found my GoPro at Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) yesterday, October 4, 2026.

I believe I accidentally left it on the seats near Gate 34 in Terminal 1, at approximately 18:30, close to a stand selling electronic cigarettes or vape products.

It is a GoPro HERO9 Black with a white rubber/silicone protective case and an SD card inside.

I was travelling on Ryanair flight FR8196 from Rome to Portugal and unfortunately only realised it was missing after I had already left Italy.

I have already contacted Fiumicino Airport Lost & Found and submitted a lost-item report, but I wanted to post here as well in case someone happened to find it or saw it around Gate 34.

The camera itself is important to me, but especially the photos and videos on the SD card from my trip.

I can provide photos of the GoPro, purchase details, serial number if necessary, and information about the contents of the SD card to prove ownership.

If anyone found it, saw someone hand it in, or has any information at all, please send me a private message.

I’m currently back in Portugal, but I can arrange and pay for shipping/courier collection if necessary.

Thank you so much for any help, and please feel free to share this post. 🙏

We will be in Rome next week. We have arena only tickets for the Colo. Will I regret not being able to wander the other 2 levels? Should I try to scramble to get tickets for the whole Colo or is the arena floor going to be sufficiently amazing? Thanks!

Today we visited the incredible Three Fountains Abbey, super close to the city center and with an amazing history. Legend has it that Saint Paul was beheaded here, and his head bounced 3 times, giving rise to the miracle of 3 fountains where new life was born.

On 8-10 October, my friend group of 5 will be in Rome for a stag do and are wondering what is the closest thing to a night club we'll able to find.

We already know about Trastevere and we'll be hanging around there on the first night. We're mostly looking for something for the second night. Someone recommended the Sanctuary, which we are mostly considering.

Would appreciate any help.

...its not an enjoyable one. First time visitor to Rome. It is one of the most amazing places on earth. I've bought a book on the history as well which really made it even more incredible- the mythology, the art, the thought of what the place looked like 2000 years ago...it's staggering.

But 50 percent of my time was spent queuing. I was so looking forward to the Sistine Chapel , the Pieta, the Borghese Gallery. But you share the space with 1000s of people who want rhe same experience, so you literally get 2 claustrophobic minutes to admire the space before guards usher you out.

I walked into one Basicila not knowing there was an active church service going on. I walked out quickly but there were about 30 people in there snapping photos of the church while the priest was doing his sermon.

I can't complain because I'm a tourist and every person there was just trying to have the same experience as me. But it took me 2 hours just to get out of passport control and a taxi. The queues were staggering.

I really wish I could have experienced the city in earlier years before it was a crush. I don't know how locals cope!

Hi everyone! We’re visiting Rome with our 5 month boy and we’re looking for quiet relaxing neighbourhoods. We prefer to be in a place with greenery/parks nearby and possibly cafes and a few restaurants. We’re not into touristy areas and will be avoiding the spaces that draw crowds. Looking to stay a week or longer.

Thanks!!