The great thing about Rome is that there seems to be endless places to explore. The history, the archaeological remains from ancient Rome, the museums, the Vatican, the magnificent historical sites. Oh, lets not forget the cosy cafès in the narrow streets. Yes, Rome is indeed a beautiful city. Depending on what your interests are, you can get through quite a bit in a weekend, but it would take many more visits to fully explore this city.

What we spent our few days there on was the major sites – and like it or not, in Rome you will become a hardcore tourist when it comes to chasing attractions. Truth be told you will be one of VERY many tourists. So brace yourself for that.

We knew very well that seeing all the “must-see” sights would be exhausting, especially considering the very hot weather during the day that limited our energy and pace. It was very easy to get carried away and wanting to do and see everything, but we figured there was no way we could cover everything in just one visit anyway. Once you’ve got that realisation, it is so much easier to just be in the moment and ….chill out!

TIP! When the weather is at it’s hottest, find a café and chill for some time or visit a museum or gallery.

Day 1 – arriving in the afternoon, we stayed at Domus Liberius and strolled to the city center. First sight, the Piazza di Spagna (Spanish steps), in this area you will find the well known shopping street Via dei Condotti. We saw the masterpiece Trevi fountain and witnessed the tourist chaos behind all the lovely and seemingly effortless couple pictures/selfies we see online.

Strolled to the Piazza Navona, a popular public space with loads of restaurants and cafès. Majority of people here are tourists, you can’t escape this, but you can possibly find little less touristy restaurants, in the side streets. We had dinner at this cosy laid back restaurant Osteria del Pegno Roma. Prices and food was good, and there were locals here too.

We loved just strolling the city in the evening, it is more calm, less people and the sights are beautiful at night. The restaurants and bars are filled with happy people, enjoying themselves.

Day 2 – started early, before the weather got really hot. Visited the Colosseum in daylight, beautiful, but immensely crowded with tourists and annoying sales people. It was simply a hell of a hassle. We left after some pictures and went on to see the architectural magnificence – the Pantheon. Inside the building is StunninG! From there went on for a gelato at our favorite chain –Venchi and had a (heat escape) coffee break at the Galleria Alberto Sordi.

In the evening we had a great dinner at a local laid back restaurant called Hosteria La Vacca M’bracia, it’s at a street with many local restaurants and worth checking out if you want an escape from tourist traps.

Our last the day we spent at a café by the Santa Maria Maggiore cathedral and just enjoyed some peace and calm and mingling with locals.

To sum up, there is so much more to explore in Rome, however the magnitude of tourists is quite overwhelming. All in all, we wouldn’t mind heading back and experiencing more of the city’s history and architectural splendors.