Colosseum | Rome

The Colosseum, hooray! 

Listen up. Here's my insider tip and probably the most important piece of advice I will give about Rome: buy your Colosseum tickets at Palatine Hill. You can buy tickets online, yes, that's a great idea, too. When I went online to do so about a week in advance, maybe two, all the time slots were booked for all of the days we were here. No big deal because I had the insider scoop. Palatine Hill. 

The Colosseum was easily the busiest attraction (much longer lines than The Vatican) and we breezed right through. This took a little initiative on my part. Picture a mass of people and lines forming out of nowhere. If you can, walk up to an attendant, flash them your ticket (and your baby if you have one) and politely ask them for assistance. Chances are they will direct you to somewhere important (an actual line) past the thrones of folks who have formed a nonsensical line, the line to the line if you will. I know, madness.

Take a step back and assess what is going on to avoid the chaos. 

Having a stroller was an automatic jump in line no matter where we were (airline check-in, airport security, Customs, St. Peters Basilica). You name it, that stroller time and time again was our golden ticket. At the Colosseum it also seemed like our actual ticket time mattered. Since we had a ticket for the exact time it was aka 2:15 pm we bypassed those with ticket times slotted an hour later. They were directed to wait in a different/longer line. 

With our tickets in hand purchased just a few minutes ago in no line at Palatine Hill, we literally felt like the smartest European travelers since Rick Steves. 

No schedule on vacation is the best schedule. Additionally, The Roman Forum entrance had a separate lengthy line, so we headed back to the Palatine Hill entrance and would see the Roman Forum that way since they are connected.

Captioning this photo: "It's ruined!!" This was our family joke starting with these photos; whenever it appeared Camden was upset, it was actually about "the state of the ruins". ;)

He wasn't enjoying the sun in his eyes when we'd lifted the visor for a picture. Promise we are not torturing our son and that he actually did have a good time here at the Colosseum!

See!

I loved touring the Colosseum. It was lovingly restored in one spot, ancient and crumbling in the next, and under construction in the frame after that. 

The stroller was obviously key since we skipped so much of the line with it. But in Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum it was a burden. In the Forum we put him in the Ergobaby so he wouldn't get jostled. I was very glad we brought the Ergo along! We couldn't really leave the stroller anywhere because we were covering a great deal of ground on foot and not backtracking.... (There is nowhere to check them at any entrance.) It was a long, hot afternoon and we were exhausted afterwards!

It was all fine in the end, 100% worth it. 

We had a late lunch nearby at Trattoria Luzzi. It was simple and lively with classic wood oven pizza and draft Peronis for the win! 

In a tale of small worlds the couple sitting next to us had just flown in from Boston, turns out we had mutual friends and they were attending said mutual friends brothers wedding in Tuscany! What are the chances at the most random side street Trattoria in Rome that we'd make this connection?!

Glass Hostaria | Trastevere

When there is a Michelin-starred restaurant run by a notable chef at the top of your street, you go! Chef Cristina Bowerman's gastronomic cuisine stands out in a sea of trattorias. It is always preferable to make a reservation at a Michelin star but you wouldn't necessarily need one at Glass far in advance. Contemporary Italian fine dining is not what the crowd in Trastevere leans towards so the sleek glass and gold-accented dining room was not busy. Because we were in town so many nights dining here was a welcome change of pace, the meal certainly noteworthy. Camden slept until dessert, the little angel! 

Dueling amuse bouche to prelude meal were crisp pickled vegetable tacos and mojito globes. Yes, it is liquid inside those balancing spheres! Then, a refreshing tomato and raspberry gazpacho. The Beef Filet Tartare appetizer with celery, nashi pear, smoked Sardinan sauce and quail egg was outstanding!

Our Massolino Barolo was an elegant, savory, refined bottle of red wine. The pasta courses were small but exquisite - Tortelli stuffed with rabbit, coconut sauce, green curry and pine nuts. Gnocci with sea urchin, black garlic bagancauda, salted lemon and truffle.

Dessert + Petit Fours were on another level. The first featured condensed milk, espresso jelly and Baileys ice cream! The second amazed with passion fruit, popcorn ice cream and caramelized popcorn.

I wrote a note with our reservation request so they knew we had a baby in a stroller and to actually make sure it was OK to dine with him. They were more than welcoming and by the end of the night I think every waitress had held and got to know Camden. It was really, really sweet!!! When we were outside at Bar Del Cinque the following evening, our waitress spotted Camden and came over to see him.

Proving you can go all out Michelin Star dining with an infant, Glass Hostaria 10/10

Glass Hostaria 

Vicolo de' Cinque, 58

00153, Rome

T r a s t e v e r e | R o m a

Trastevere is the COOLEST. (Not sure if the 30 photos I posted above gave it away!) I loved staying in this charming and quintessentially Roman neighborhood just across the Tiber River, where the graffiti covered and draped in green ivy buildings date back centuries and the enchanting cobblestone streets encourage leisurely strolling. Located close to the historic center and south of the Vatican, we were able to walk to all the sites from here.

We stayed in an Airbnb on the most perfect and picturesque street, Vicolo del Bologna; a curvy and V-shaped cut through street, ever so slightly tucked away from the busy squares where everyone gathers in the street! 

The first photo in this post Camden is right outside our large wooden door and the family photo was also taken on our street. Above and below are looking out our living room windows. When the ultimate charm is right outside your door, there is nothing more exciting than stepping out each day and night ready to take on Rome. 

All of our dinners in Rome were right here in Trastevere. After busy days out it was much easier with a little bubba in tow to remain close to home. Mostly we'd take the stroller out and were able to do one of two things 1) wheel it right up to an outdoor table or 2) we'd lift out the car seat and put him on a chair, then fold up the stroller and place it out of the way. 

We took Camden out in the Ergobaby the first night and ended up holding him throughout dinner. Not all of these cozy trattorias have highchairs, so after night one we stuck with the stroller option.

Throughout our meals Camden would be doing all the things - eating (breastfeeding), wanting to be held and hang out (grabbing all the things), or he'd be sleeping. So actually having his seat where he could comfortably sleep made a lot of sense. 

In my planning efforts I read so many recommendations to make reservations when in busy Rome, but at the same time I make an effort not to OVER PLAN! I went with reservations for two nights and left the other three up to our whim. I do think the neighborhood is packed with tourist traps which all things considered we did our best to avoid. 

Trattoria Da Enzo (Via dei Vascellari, 29) is a cozy family-run trattoria on a charming backstreet. Da Enzo has become well-known and people will wait hours in line for a table. I had made a reservation and sure enough they had my name written on that nights list: "Cristan Luisi". HA! It felt like a huge win as the three of us bypassed that infamous line. 

A heaping plate of creamy burrata di Anoria, crispy light as air fried zucchini blossoms, perfectly al dente, seriously heavenly pasta amatriciana, a fantastic agnello alla scottadito con patae (grilled lamb shank + potatoes) and the best tiramisu! 100% call for a reservation if you'd like to eat here. This remained one of our favorite meals not only in Rome but throughout Italy.

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Ditta Trinchetti (Via della Lungaretta, 76) is a cozy and charming family run gem located on a main pedestrian street, the tucked away door front hidden in plain sight! This was a whim destination - they had a menu del giorno and so we by-passed larger neighboring restaurants with English menus in favor of this spot. We ordered the mozarella du bufala fritta antipasti and both the primi - a pesto linguini with squid and almonds and a cous cous with fish ragu. It is hard to describe how good these plates were. The simplest, most humble sounding ingredients and voila, a beautiful meal!

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Glass Hostaria (Vicolo de' Cinque, 58) - When there is a Michelin-starred restaurant run by a notable chef (Cristina Bowerman) at the top of your street, you go! 

This impeccable meal is in a separate post!

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Osteria der Belli (Piazza di Sant'Apollinia). Instead of Roman the family that runs this restaurant is from Sardinia.  From a seafood focused menu I chose the pasta alle vongole and it did not disappoint! There is plenty of outdoor seating and while it was fairly busy we were seated right away with no reservation. 

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Cajo y Gajo (Piazza San Callisto, 10). The food here is typical Roman casual in a bustling and popular square. The pasta carbonara and chicken scalopini were very good. Much to my delight they had fried artichokes! (Most restaurants do not as they are not in season.) For better or for worse, I was happy to finally have the famed Roman dish. Once again it was busy and once again we managed to be seated right away outdoors.

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Olateg! (Via di S. Cosimato, 14a). The only gelato pictured, yet I definitely had gelato once a day either after dinner or when we were out and about. (And not to worry, we are not teasing Cam in that photo, we gave him a bite or five!) The flavors are made fresh every day at g-e-l-a-t-o spelled backwards, proving a worthy choice when in Trastevere. 

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Dar Poeta - (Vicolo del Bologna, 45) the.best.roman.style.pizza. wood fired thin crust, exceptional toppings, cold draft beer  - this was a late lunch upon our arrival and I was in heaven. We had the cacio e pepe and the spicy calabrese salami. This unassuming but well known pizza spot is actually on our street on the other side of the "V" - we took a sharp left to find it from our Airbnb. 

Bar Calisto is fronted by the charming and popular Piazza San Calisto. The cobblestones and live music lulled Camden to a restful sleep while we had a Peroni after dinner.

Bar del Cinque might just be the best people watching + most photographed spot in all of Trastevere. This vine covered bar was at the top of our street! The espresso martini sign out front prompted our order - and they were a very good start to our last night in Trastevere.

Bar Toto - The photos where you can see Bar Toto behind us are across the river in the Jewish Ghetto, another charming neighborhood with a lot of history. We drank some Aperol Spritzes and wandered the historic streets. There is something so inherently unique and charming about a bar in Europe, am i right?

Also not to miss while in Trastevere:

Piazza di Santa Maria. The most central piazza where everyone is gathered at the fountain. The church is stunning so make sure to step inside.

I miss Trastevere and it is definitely one reason we loved Rome so much!!!