A Photograph of the roundabout near our hostel in Rome at the top of Via Nazionale.

After reflecting on my trip to Rome, I thought I’d compile a unique list of things that  I learned or wished I’d known before touring around Rome. So here they are . . .

1. Ahhh Choo!-Always have some allergy medication on hand. When it’s nice outside, the pollen in the air is crazy in Rome (at least when we visited) and you don’t want to be sneezing so much that you can’t enjoy what the city has to offer. I wish I would have thought about this before traveling here because my hay fever was off the charts!

2. Sizzling in the Sun-Suncreen is really expensive in Rome! Maybe it’s because people skip the SPF or maybe it’s because it’s so sunny that the shops are sure people will come to purchase some I don’t know, but this stuff will cost you a pretty penny compared to what you’d pay in the States. I’d recommend packing some if you don’t wanna look like a tomato by the end of your trip.

3. Be Careful Where You Look-Whatever you do, don’t even glance at the vendors wandering throughout the city, and it will be difficult because they can be quite persistent when trying to make a sale. It’s like they have a radar or something that thinks you always want to buy something, even if you already have it. When I visited the Colosseum they must have come around about 5 times to ask if I wanted to buy sunglasses when I already was wearing a pair. Gentleman BEWARE-if you are traveling with Ladies, keep away from the rose sellers, they will try and put them in your hand and then afterwards make you purchase them.

4. Bring on the Bubbly-No I’m not talking about Prosecco, although that’s nice too…I’m talking about the San Pellegrino. A whole big bottle of the Aranciata will cost you a little over a Euro. If you’re like me and like a refreshing beverage every once in a while, you’ll know that a can of these in the States is nearly 4 dollars! Make good use of your money and invest in some local treats!

5. Dining in Despar-A trip to the local supermarket will save you some money and get you out of the sun for a little while to cool off. I know Despar isn’t unique to Rome or Italy for that matter, but it’s a great place to pop in for a fresh made salad if you need a little pick me up throughout the day of touring the city. (The Despar right by the Pantheon is our favorite!)

* Bonus! Sight Seeing-The colosseum alone is quite a magnificent sight, but it’s even better with an audio guide. There are lots of free audio guides available through apps if you have a smartphone. Our personal guide of choice on this trip was the Rick Steves’ Europe audio tour which offers tours of lots of popular destinations around Europe for free!

I hope some of these were helpful, if they weren’t at least it only took a few minutes out of your day right? Let me know some of your travel tips for the city in the comments!

Until next time,