Top 5 Things To Do in Rome to Feel Like a Local

During my time in Rome, I was able to assimilate to the local life of a Roman. Nowadays, I feel pretty confident talking about my recommendations on what to do in Rome as a local. Here are my top 5 things to do in Rome to experience it as the locals do.

1. Sunday Market

If you do a semester in Rome, I highly recommend adding their weekly Sunday market to your routine. Every Sunday, Rome has a Sunday market in the neighborhood of Trastevere (as well as other markets in the city, but Trastevere is the best one) spanning several neighborhoods in Trastevere with several people selling all the things you love. From clothes, fabrics, kitchen ware, vintage stuff, artisanal clothes, jewelry, and even food, you can find just about anything at the market. It's beautiful, it's large, and lots of Romans make it their weekly routine to show up to the market for their wants and needs.

2. Caffe Trastevere

Caffe Trastevere was my favorite coffee shop in the city. It was local, the coffee was authentic, their Nutella croissants were to die for, and the people are sweet. If you want to experience the local life in Rome, you must try Nutella croissants. Many Romans eat Nutella croissants and a cappuccino for breakfast, and it is absolutely delicious. My friends and I would go for breakfast here sometimes get a crosssant and cappucino for just 5 euros each.

3. Villa Borghese Gardens

The Villa Borghese gardens are a must in Rome. The garden isn't your typical garden. It's huge, there's lots of walking, horses, animals, and even the famous Villa Borghese museum is there. I highly recommend visiting this museum as well, but you don't have to visit it every time you go to the gardens.

4. Supplí Roma

If you didn't already know, street food in Rome is actually super common, and it's something they take pride in. One of their most famous street foods is called Suppli, and it is truly amazing. It's a fried rice ball that has cheese inside. It's truly amazing and it's one of the foods I miss most from Rome. A very authentic place to get Suppli in Rome is called "Suppli," located in the neighborhood of Trastevere, not too far from AUR's campus.

5. Vatican + Museums

If I were to do my Rome experience again, I would spend a lot more time at the Vatican. I know this is touristy, but the Vatican museums hold truly the most beautiful works of art I've ever seen in my life. The Vatican is beautiful, and it's completely free to enter the church. However, I wouldn't advise eating close to the Vatican. The food isn't good and it's overpriced given that lots of tourists go there.

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Blog by Valentina Remis, University of North Carolina - Charlotte
Semester in Rome - American University of Rome