Glow Guide to ROME

Roma... so much beauty in this ancient city. From the best pastas, pizza, gelato, places to stay, and the perfect espresso, here's what you can't miss when visitng the Eternal City.

Roma wasn't built in a day, but you really can fit in a lot in just a few days in this timeless city. You'll be hard pressed to miss a picturesque moment in Rome, every vista is more beautiful than the next. From the window sills, to doors, and floor tiles, you'll be blown away by the city's ancient beauty.

Studded with piazzas, open-air markets, and astonishing historic sites-- from the Colosseum, to the Pantheon, to the Vatican, to the Trevi Fountain-- Rome is filled with stunning historic and important sites that must be seen at least once in your life! Because there's so much ground to cover, you'll have a chance to get in tons of walking, just enough to burn off all of the pizza, pasta, and gelato you'll be eating. Rome is all about cacio e pepe, amatriciana, and carbonara pastas, so don't leave without trying one of each.

Every season has something new to offer in Rome. September/October is wine, truffle, olive harvest season, and April/May is when flowers, star jasmine, wisteria and rose arises. Get ready to have some of the best meals of your life in Rome. From ripe fruit & ricotta at Campo dei Fiori, to a fresh pasta sampler for breakfast, to perfect artichokes, to three gelatos per day... ROMA is purely magica.

xx Tara

WHERE TO STAY:

Hotel de Russie // This is where to stay if you're looking for a luxe experience in Roma. Their garden patio is also a great spot to get a drink

Air bnb // The move in Roma is to get a great air bnb, so you feel the local experience. We stayed in Monti, at the apartment accommodation at Salotto Monti, which was wonderful and in a great location

Villa Spalletti Trivelli // The suites here are worth a splurge, beautifully set in a palazzo/villa converted into a hotel right in Monti and five minutes from the Trevi Fountain. Super unique and represents the old in the best way-- their lobby has a mosaic floor that uses pieces of ceramics from 2,000 years ago.

FOOD:

Dal Bolognese // This spot in Propoli is where it's at. Get a seat on the patio, order some crisp white wine, as well as the Pasta Sampler, which comes with the best slice of lasagna on the planet, melts in your mouth, spinach tortellini, and chewy carbonara. Mmmm.

Pizza Rustiche // This little hole in the wall  on Via Ezio is a definite locals spot, with the friendliest guys who own it. Get whatever slices that have just come out of the oven. Thin, crispy crust but still doughey... it's perfection. Ask them to cut it in half and eat it like a sandwich the way the locals do.

Campo dei Fiori // This square is a special place in Rome. In the morning it's bustling with fruit and vegetable stands, and at night becomes a destination for people to go out to restaurants and bars. The glowy thing to do here is buy fresh figs & fresh ricotta from the market and create some of the best bites of your life!

Flavio de Velavevodetto // This is a great dinner spot that many locals frequent. They understand what aldente means in Roma, and if you're into that this is the spot for you. The proscuitto, artichokes, and coponata are musts to start, and finish off with their rigatoni carbonara, amatriciana, and/or cacio e pepe.

Beppo Cheese Shop // This cheese shop in the Jewish Ghetto is oh so legit. With tons of incredible cheese to sample from, to their cafe in the back, you can't go wrong here. The move is to ask for some fresh ricotta, warm toast, pesto, and honey, and have yourself a special picnic on the streets!

Da Felice // This trattoria in Testaccio is a local favorite for a reason. It's a bit higher end, and their famous cacio e pepe is life changing. Chewy wavy bucatini-like noodles that are hand-mixed with tons of parmigeano right at your table. Don't miss their Amatriciana or meatballs either... and the best tiramisu ever. Life-changing!

Taverna Trilussa // This lovely spot in Trestevere is a must. Sit on the outdoor patio and order some wine, artichokes, the ravioli with shaved egg, bucatini amatriciana, cacio pepe and get ready to be wowed. Their pastas come straight from the kitchen in their cooking pans, which keeps the pasta perfctly warmed all throughou the meal. End on some chocolate mouse, Napoleon, and Italian cookies and you'll have to be rolled home. Or just walk around Trestevere for some fun.

Perilli // The cacio e pepe, carbona, and scotta ditta (little lamb chops) are the things to get here

Piperno // If you're a Vongole lover, aka clam spaghetti, this is your spot. A night for a nice dining experience

Da Giggeto // Fried artichokes are the best here, especially when they're in season! Cacio e pepe, bucatini, puntarella and are fantastic as well

Sorpasso // fun and traditional food and all hours service, go for breakfast with fresh pastries and coffee or aperitivo with delicious snacks and an awesome wine menu. In Prati. 

Da Cesare al Casaletto // Similar to Flavio for best slow food farm-to-table, but it's similar style, simple flavors done so well

Trapizzino // The sandwich pockets here are like homemade hot pockets and have everything from tripe to meatball to eggplant parmesan to pumpkin and ricotta fillings. Delicious and in Testaccio, home of amazing food

Mercato di Campagna Amica // This is the farmer's market tons of locals frequent for the best produce and specialty food items. And on the downlow, they have awesome awesome gelato. Super creamy and simple flavors. Don't miss the dairy-free hazelnut flavor... it's amazing!

Urbana 47 //  This is a modern Italian food spot has more of a "cool" vibe, a break away from more traditional spots that you'll be visiting, which focuses on local, organic ingredients. Everything they make here is done from scratch and you can really taste the difference

Pizzeria Da Simone // Pizza by the slice, in a neighborhood above Trastevere.

Le Mani Pasta // This is where you need to go if you're a seafood lova. And they have the best swordfish carpaccio toast with butter, seafood pastas, and amazing desserts. Definitely recommend!

Ristorane Angelina // Glowiest restaurant / cafe in Roma, the decor is just darling and the food is lovely. With a spot in Trevi and Testaccio, you can get a fix of their amazing esperesso with complimentary whipped cream on the counter for your liking

GELATO + SWEETS:

Gelato de Gracchi // This is the perfect gelato place to come to after your pizza, just a block away from Pizza Rustiche. They do gelato so right here, perfect texture and consisntency, more artisinal and organic style gelato-- pistachio, melone, and fig were amazing-- and don't miss their whipped cream!

Fatamorgana // This hip gelato in spot in Roni Monti has more creative combinations than the traditional spots-- think rose flavor, lemon stratiaccella, and crispy hazelnut cone

Come Il Latte // Really really good gelato.

Regoli Pisticceria // Hold up. This spot is heaveon on earth. Your eyes and tummy will fall in love with everything here. Perfect Italian pastries, cream puffs, cannolis, cookies, and ice cream-- OMG it's just a sweet wonderland.

Magnum Ice Cream // Freshly made custom-picked flavor magnum bars right before your own eyes. Enough said.

Don Nino // This cute spot has tons of fancy pastries and amazing freshly filled canolies

Giolotti // This old-school gelato spot is a cult-favorite. Definitely get the gelato in a glass with the crispy wafer and whipped cream.

AREAS / SITES / SHOPS:

Pincio // This is where you will find one of the best top panoramic views of the city. Try to arrive around sunset, when the view is by far the most stunning.

Monti // One of Rome's old residential neighbourhoods, Monti retains a bohemian edge and is a great spot for an alfresco coffee, local street food, and alternative fashion shopping.

Trastevere // One of Rome's most charming areas, this on-the-river neighborhood bustles all day. With lovely cafes to visit during the day and bars to visit at night, this part of town is not to be missed.

Important sites to see:: Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Vatican City, Castes St. Angelo, The Colloseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore

Villa Borghese //  So stunning, beautiful and peaceful gardens, one of the best parts of Roma. The Galleria Borghese is a wonderful museum where you'll find Bernini sculptures including Apollo and Daphne and his take on young David preparing to take on Goliath.

Piazzo Navona // Piazza Navona is one of the most famous and arguably the most beautiful of Rome's many squares. The large and lively square features no less than three magnificent fountains.

il Papiro // At this shop you can find special hand decorated paper with techniques inspired by the tradition of Tuscany. They use their paper to cover notebooks, pens, cards, picture frames and more. A great spot to take some gifts home.

Podere Vecciano // Olive oil right from the source! They even have a olive treet in the store where you get some oil from.

Romana Store Profume // This perfume shop in Trastevere is where you can create custom scents in a lovely setting.

SPA / WORKOUT / YOGA:

Zem Yoga // Zuzanna grew up in Canada and has created the perfect relaxed and "LA-y" yoga space in the middle of Rome. Hot vinyasa and regular flow classes are dreamy escapes from busy Rome.

Acqua Madre // Hamam and spa, great treatments, the Hamam is beautiful, Women only days for the Hamamm are also available, on Wed and Fri. 

Benessere Argileto //  Spa in Monti. Great treatments, awesome location.

TOURS:

LivItaly Tours // You can't go to Rome without seeing the city highlights and what better way to learn a little history than with a guided tour? This is not just another tour company, they only offer small groups for maximum 6 people (guaranteed!). Whether you want a history lesson on Ancient Rome or a Vespa ride around the city this is the luxurious but reasonable experience for those who want a private or private feeling tour around the Eternal City. We even got a special look at the bottom and top floors of the Colloseum on the tour-- so cool! Make sure to ask for Rachel to be your tour guide, she is the best! Super knowledgable, enthusiastic, and makes the experience so memorable, and not to mention she's so sweet!!

Photography by: Tara Sowlaty