Why not? It was always hard for me to find a good deal for the train ticket, and be able at the same time to take 4 days off during the year (besides the ones in summer).

But on Dec.2022, my bf and I made a pact and decided to plan most of the vacations of the year within end of Jan. 2023, in order to be able to find good deals on plane and train tickets.

And here we go!

SPOILER: as far as I know, we are the only ones on earth who got lucky enough to be visiting Rome during a VERY  rainy weekend 🌂

Day 1

The first place we visited during our day 1 in Rome was the Trastevere neighborhood. As we met a friend and had breakfast at Pasticceria Andreotti located in Ostiense, we took the bus number 23 from there and stopped at "Emporio" so that we could have a walk along the river and cross the bridge. This neighborhood is very characteristic as per its bohemian atmosphere, and well known for its traditional and innovative diners, craft breweries and craft shops.

Indeed you can find some of the most known restaurants where you can have the best traditional dishes, such as carbonara and amatriciana.

Our choice was  Otello, and of course we could not wait to order their carbonara. 😋

After lunch we walked from the Trastevere to  Giardini del Gianicolo where you can get a great view over the city. As previously mentioned, we were not that lucky with the weather and as we got to the viewpoint, the sky got really cloudy. Anyways, I really enjoyed the walk. The whole path is very nice.

The next stop was Piazza San Pietro  in the Vaticano area. When we got there it was super crowded and it started raining so bad that we were not able to stay there for so much time.

For next time we will try to reserve the visits in advance, and visit the church and the get to the terrace of Cupola di San Pietro

Price:

- By elevator to the terrace level +  320 stairs € 10.00

- By foot 551 stairs € 8.00

Free access to the church Basilica di San Pietro.

At around 18 the sun came out so we finally went to the Colosseum to take some pictures with the best lights.

From there we walked to Trevi Fountain, taking "Via Fori Imperiali" which allows you to enjoy a great view over the forums and see Altare della Patria. It's a 20 min walk, and the whole area looks like an open air musuem. Soo beautiful.

For dinner we chose a restaurant Sphaeristerium  located a few min walking from the fountain, and had an hamburger of chianina meat and their Magnum appetizer (a piece of fried meat on a stick, served with their homemade bbq sauce, very delicious), which was very simple but great at the same time.

 Day 2 

I started day 2 with the visit of the Colosseum.

Since Romeo was not allowed inside (not even in the carrier), my bf and I decided to reserve all the visits at different times, as we did not feel like leaving Romeo alone in the hotel room.

Anyways, even if in the morning of my visit it was raining (not the whole time but lot of it) and it was full of groups, I was able to enjoy it. Actually found it fascinating. It's crazy if you think about all the history it holds.

The ticket I had purchased included also the visit of the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, but unlike the Colosseum, the Forums could be visited within 24 hrs from the time of the Colosseum visit, and since it was raining, I decided to leave it for the next day, hoping the weather would have been better (spoiler: it worked). The tickets of the Colosseum can be purchased only on the following website (unless you purchase a ticket with an itinerary which includes the visit).

Website: https://www.coopculture.it/it/ 

Price: from 18 to 24 eur (depending on what's included)

FYI: As per my personal experience, at least during weekends, I would suggest to visit the Colosseum in the afternoon, as most of the groups have their visits in the morning.

After the visit, I came back to the hotel and we went to the Fountain Trevi area for lunch.

We chose the restaurant Le Grondici and I had the best carbonara EVER.

SOO GOOD (it had truffle 😋).

We spent a few hours there enjoying the good food so we could avoid the rain.

When it finally stopped, we went out for a walk.

Since my bf had planned the visit of the Colosseum in the late afternoon, I decided to rest a little with Romeo, who by the way was totally dead and could not walk anymore.

Once my bf was done with its visit, me and Romeo reached him at the Colosseum and went all together to have an aperitivo at Art Royal Café, located in front of the Colosseum.  We chose an Aperitivo offer which included 2 drinks and 4 different appetizers chosen by the chef, and I have to say the food was veeery good. The drink more or less, quite small and lot of ice, but fair enough, 30 eur per pair and great view on the Colosseum.

For dinner, since it was raining a lot, we ordered a pizza from "Tonnarello"and enjoyed it in the hotel room.

Day 3

Day 3 was finally sunny (well, most of it) so we went back to all of the above places, to get the best of it with the sun.

But first of all, we had breakfast at 081 Café, located only 2 min walking from Velvet Suite.

We had the best pistacho croissant ever. Indeed, in the end we had at least 3 of them.

No picture, because it was too good.

After that we visited the Roman forum and big surprise, Romeo was allowed too!

From the beginning of March it is in fact possible to access the open areas of the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill with your dog, as long as it is small and weighing between 5 and 10 kg. Admission for dogs is free however it has to be carried in a pet carrier.

I highly suggest to purchase a ticket which includes the Roman Forum and Palatine as the visit is very overwhelming. I could walk through those ruins for hours, reading about the lives of those who have anticipated us.

Once done with the visit, we had an aperitivo in the rooftop Oro Bistrot Roma of NH Collection Roma Fori Hotel (about 10 min walking from the forums).

Since they offer different kinds of Sprits, I tried the one with prosecco, mint, sambuca liqueur and lime, which was served with some snacks. The view is great and Romeo could enjoy a little sun too.

After that, we had a quick lunch at Aromi Bistrot, where we opted for a salmon tartare, a fish burger and a piece of cake.

The restaurant is located about 2 min walking from the NH hotel/15 min from the Pantheon.

Since it is very intimate and has not a lot of seats but very worth to try, I would suggest to reserve it in advance.

The last stop of the day and of our trip was the Pantheon and the nearby. Another incredible building. The architecture is very impressive.

Price: Free during the week, without reservation / 8.50 eur on weekends, reservation needed (audio guide included)

Address:  Piazza della Rotonda, 00186 Roma RM

Website: https://www.pantheonroma.com/ 

Last things I wanna say about this trip:

• As you can see, there are a lot of places we have missed as Rome is huge and we were only there for 3 days, plus it was raining a lot. (We will need to go back asap to make it right). 
• All of the restaurants and bars we have been to accepted Romeo, however I recommend to always give them a call or leave a note in the reservation, in case for some reason they cannot accept your dog.

Hope you have enjoyed this post, and see you on the next journey.

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