Rather than show you the three places I mentioned above, they really deserve their own section. In reality, I’d like to share with you what Rome is really like beyond the most popular spots.
If I had to compare it to another place in Italy, I’d say it’s a less visual (and attractive) Florence with more packs of people. The real treasure is the main attractions, but beyond those, Rome can quite honestly be conquered in a day.
If you’re planning to drive the rental car around, don’t. It’s just not worth it when you consider the streets were not designed to accommodate today’s modern traffic. Every city has crazy drivers, Rome is no exception, but it’s not even about that. Instead, it’s about the size of the streets, navigating through traffic, finding parking, and so on.
For us, it was easier just to park far away from our hotel, walk to our hotel, and then enjoy all of the attractions while we were making our way back to the rental car. If we could do it again, we would have started with this plan rather than attempt to drive into the heart of the city.
If you’re traveling across Italy, you’ll probably be a bit shocked when you compare the cleanliness of Rome to other places. You’ll find graffiti and trash filled streets plentiful; those two things are everywhere. As you get closer to the big sights, that all disappears but wander around Rome and you’re bound to feel a bit dirty.
With that said, go ahead and explore Rome below. If you’re looking for more of the main sights Rome has to offer, then look a bit deeper into our explore section, and you’ll find more specific content on places like the Colosseum and so on.