[Fall Italy Vacation] Day 08: Exploring the City of Rome - Santa Maria Maggiore + Trevi Fountain + Pantheon + Vatican Museum + Largo di Torre Argentina + Vatican City

My train journey to Rome from La Spezia was about 4-ish hours, and this is the longest train ride for me so far for this trip. We reached Roma Termini Airport at about 1810hrs local time. We booked the hotel which required us to walk for about 6-8 mins from the train station (depending on your walking speed!) We reached the City Centre of Rome where our hotel was located.

The Doria Palace Boutique Hotel is a 4⭐classic boutique hotel which is located directly opposite the Basilica of Santa Maria, one of Rome's most important churches. We enjoyed its excellent location as it is pretty near (within walking distance) to the famous attractions such as the Colosseum and Pantheon.

Once we checked in to the hotel and after settling down, we went straight out for dinner. We walked less than 5 mins to reach our dining venue - Trattoria Vecchia Roma. It is a charming and cozy place, but most importantly, the staff were approachable and friendly and the food prices were affordable. The restaurant was located in the basement of a building with traditional decor - wooden tables and chairs.

To start, we ordered an appetizer of Fried Vegetables (verdure fritte) literally served on a plate on something resembling a parchment.

For my main course, I had Aglio Olio Pasta which was pretty oily without much flavor. Perhaps, my taste buds weren’t working well that night.

For Baby, he enjoyed his main and we shared the Trippa alla Romana (Beef Tripe with Tomato Sauce in Roman Style). It tasted pretty decently good.

My dining experience in Trattoria Vecchia Roma was generally alright. The damage was €48.50 (about SGD68). We were lucky that we came early, as when we were leaving the restaurant, we saw a horrendous long line outside. I was pretty surprised and confused by the hype as I didn't really enjoy the meal.

We walked back to our hotel and we had a shower after resting for a while in the room. As it had been a long day of travelling, we went to bed early as we wanted to charge up our energy levels in order to explore the ancient city of Roma the very next day!

Good morning! Our room stay was inclusive of a daily breakfast, and the café was located at the top level of the hotel. We enjoyed the mini buffet spread! There was a pretty decent selection of bread, croissant, pastries, cereals, scrambled eggs and bacon.

After having our breakfast at the hotel, we made our way to Santa Maria Maggiore before heading to other sightseeing points

We took some random photos at Santa Maria Maggiore. It is one of the most beautiful churches in Rome, and it is a picture opportunity you won't regret taking.

The Trevi Fountain is the largest and most famous fountain in Rome, Italy and perhaps the entire world.

Unfortunately, the fountain's fame has resulted in crushing crowds, therefore getting a good photo without the crowd is difficult! Only Tourists like us visit the Trevi Fountain to take selfies and toss coins into the water, but the locals seem to avoid it like the plague. Honestly, the Trevi Fountain is truly beautiful and it is a must-stop sight for all first-time visitors, but if I do come back to Rome again, I might just give it a miss!

We continued our walking journey to The Pantheon. It is not just the best-preserved ancient Roman monument in the world, but a true architectural wonder. The Pantheon in Rome is often copied in creating monuments by many! 

The Pantheon is one of the most recognizable Roman buildings in Rome’s City Centre, and it is a must-see attraction during your visit to Rome, what’s more to know, it is free and open to everyone.

The Pantheon in Rome is the only ancient Roman building which has remained nearly intact throughout the centuries.

We stumbled upon Largo di Torre Argentina by chance, as it is nearby Piazza Navona. I took some random photos of this roman ruins in the historical centre of Rome, Italy.

The Piazza Navona Rome is one of the most charming and vibrant squares in Rome, Italy. I was impressed by the beautiful fountains at the premises.

Time for lunch, and Baby had pre-booked a table for us at Luciano - Cucina Italiana. It was opened by Luciano Monosilio, a Michelin starred chef who got his award in 2012. This place actually became my favorite Italian spot for roman fare and it is located in the heart of Rome.

Baby had Carbonara Pasta and he enjoyed his main very much! 

I loved the Fettuccella ajo ojo e Bottarga di Muggine - pasta topped with garlic, pepper, and olive paste and cured fish roe. Every taste of the ingredient’s component was well-balanced and It tasted awesomely good!

The damage was €80.50 (about SGD113), and yes it was pretty hefty but for the overall dining experience, it was all worth it! If you want good Italian, this eatery place is the perfect one, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is visiting Rome. 

Hello Vatican City! - The world's smallest independent country. It is encircled by a 2-mile border with Italy. The Vatican Museum is a must-do on most Rome lists.

We purchased our tickets to Vatican Museum via KLOOK online prior our departure. The Vatican Museum housed some of the famous arts from Michelangelo and also the Sistine Chapel.

There is a dress code for almost all the museums in Europe, whereby ladies have to be dressed modestly. Hence, no short skirts, shorts or bare shoulders are allowed. The Sistine Chapel holds a no-photo policy, and I was glad no photos were allowed because it gave us the opportunity to view the ceiling of the famous Sistine Chapel for a better experience.

We went to the famous gelato boutique - Venchi again, and this time in the ancient city of Rome. 

We really love the Pistachio gelato, as there were no additives at all! We enjoyed our gelato very much!

After a long day of sightseeing, we walked back to our hotel to get some rest before heading to dinner.

Before we ended our night, we had our dinner at Pizza in Trevi. It was not the best pizza I had ever eaten, but overall it was still acceptable, and the damage was pretty decent too.

Stay tuned for my next day’s itinerary in this lovely ancient city of Rome…