Four days in Rome: pizza for breakfast, secret spots and far too many good restaurants

Arriving in Trastevere and an ice-cold start

And there we sit with a vino in hand, crisps, nuts and olives on the table, watching the colourful bustle of Trastevere. How I love Italian food culture.

The trip did start with a solid delay, though: it was around 2 a.m. before we reached our little place right in the middle of Trastevere. So our next morning begins straight away in one of Rome's trendiest neighbourhoods. Our accommodation may be more of a garage, but it sits in the heart of the quarter and is only a short walk from the centre. After getting up, we discover that we have no hot water, so first we have to recover from the shower shock.

Then we walk along the Fiume Tevere and simply let the city carry us along. At first glance I am already impressed by the markets and in every alley there is the entrance to a basilica hidden away, each one lovelier than the last. The Centro Storico alone has around 200 to 300 churches.

The Colosseum: gladiators, crowds and a secret spot

First we stroll past the impossible-to-miss Colosseum. It is impressive even from the outside, so we buy tickets for a later time slot. Rome is one huge museum, everywhere you go excavations and works of the ancient Romans cross your path. We ceremonially open breakfast with a pizza – you have to make the most of being in Rome!

Inside the Colosseum you cannot begin to imagine that gladiators once fought for their lives here or went up against wild animals. Good thing those days are over, but the architecture is impressive all the same. What fascinates me most is that the entire arena could be flooded with water to re-enact naval battles.

Because the whole Colosseum is very crowded and I famously love secret spots, we go looking for a lane with a wonderfully hidden view of the Colosseum at the end of it. I am a little proud of having found this spot myself. A small tip for anyone who still has Rome on their bucket list: Via del Cardello.

Christine had the better ravioli

Unfortunately I decide against the ravioli in the evening. My pasta tasted fantastic, but Christine probably ate the best homemade ravioli ever made. You will find this unbelievably good food in Trastevere at Pasta e Vino. Of course there is a red wine with the pasta and an equally fantastic tiramisu to finish. We leave the place completely stuffed.

By now it has started to rain, but somehow that has its own charm: we sit down for a wine under an awning and watch people trying not to get wet. Around 10 p.m. we go for a late-night walk through our neighbourhood. Already I am realising that we have far too many good restaurants for the few remaining evenings – and that we get full far too quickly.

Centro Storico: Navona, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps

The next day starts early. We enjoy exploring Rome without public transport, because otherwise you might miss something of this gorgeous city. And so our walk into the Centro Storico begins. Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps are all close together and my recommendation is: get up early! By half past nine the fountain is already unbelievably crowded, but at least you can see it.

Over a few hot chestnuts we enjoy the gorgeous view over Rome from the top of the Spanish Steps – and are already thinking about pizza again.

Across the Tiber to Prati and up to the Villa Doria Pamphilj

After saying goodbye to that lovely view, we set off on our 25-minute walk to a restaurant we had picked out in Prati. The way not only takes us past Castel Sant'Angelo, it also gives us our first glimpse of St Peter's Basilica, even though that is not on the plan for today. I thought the other churches had impressed me, but St Peter's with its long street in front of it looks impressive even from far away.

Prati lies on the west bank of the Tiber and is a rather upmarket quarter; the architecture here is not quite as impressive as in the older parts of the city. From here we take a bus for the first time, up to a park a little above the city. Escaping the noise of the city for once does a lot of good – especially the sirens of the ambulances, which, I tell you, follow you around at night as well. The view of the Villa Doria Pamphilj is absolutely worth it, so we stroll through the park past countless orange trees and enjoy the quiet away from the tourists.

For the way back we skip the bus and walk down the little hill instead, which lets us enjoy the great view over Rome once or twice more.

Street food and bar hopping in Trastevere

After a short break from all those steps, we follow the recommendation of the Italian man who sat next to me on the plane: Italian street food at Trapizzino. Served in a triangle of bread, it looks a lot like a kebab, but as much as I love Italian food, trapizzini clearly lose against a good German kebab. It was only a starter anyway, so we decide to test more street food. Arancini, filled and deep-fried rice balls that are more of a Sicilian tradition, are much more my thing. Sadly we get full far too quickly.

So we do a little bar hopping in our beautiful neighbourhood – and here come my secret tips. Bar San Calisto simply has a vibe: very cheap drinks to go and there is always something going on outside. Everyone is holding an Aperol or a beer and is in a good mood. After strolling through the streets of Trastevere again with our cheap but delicious Aperol, we spend the rest of the evening at Bar Santa Maria. Looking out over Piazza di Sant'Apollonia, we enjoy a good red wine garnished with olives, crisps and peanuts. Both chairs face the piazza, so it is easy to settle in and watch. Afterwards there is an ice cream and we go to bed with stomach ache – but it was worth it.

A day of secret tips: tiramisu, a courtyard and a roof terrace

Our next day starts with a tiramisu from Two Sizes. Why spend the start of the day on a classic breakfast when you are in Italy? We enjoy the tiramisu in the sun at Piazza Navona.

Next up is a secret tip I found on TikTok: the Chiostro del Bramante is a kind of museum that looked fantastic, and from the café you are supposed to have a wonderful view of the colourful courtyard. After a long search we find the hidden building, and once again we are impressed by how many churches can be found in Rome's side streets too. Then the disappointment: the museum is supposed to cost about 25 euros per person – well, I am not that interested in art. We have a quick chat and decide not to go into the museum. But then the café comes to mind and I politely ask whether it might be possible to just have a coffee there. And once again I am rewarded for simply asking nicely: for only 2 euros we sip our espresso and enjoy the view of the beautiful courtyard.

Today really is the day of secret tips. Franzi had recommended a roof terrace with a wonderful view, which was supposed to be right nearby. We had the name: Terrazza Borromini. But even after walking past several times we cannot find it, until I finally spot a hotel that was also said to have a roof terrace – bingo. We take the lift up and Franzi had not promised too much. At first we are fobbed off with the "cheap" seats because the other tables were supposedly reserved. After asking again, we are sitting in the sun with a fantastic view straight onto the basilica in front of us – the reservation was more than an hour away. The Aperol costs a mere 25 euros per person, probably the most expensive Aperol I have ever had. But we agreed that we would both have paid 15 euros for the view alone, so we talked the overpriced drink up. You could look out over practically all of Rome. And the street food tasting goes into the next round: deep-fried artichoke is delicious too!

Our tired feet carry us up the Vittoriano, a huge national monument of white marble – very grand. There is a lovely view over Rome from up here as well, and above all you can see the Colosseum one more time. We enjoy the last rays of sun over a slice of pizza by the Tiber.

The last evening at Tonnarello

We did not want to eat too much, because tonight we want to have dinner at Tonnarello. Homemade pasta, garlic focaccia and a big bottle of house wine with it, what more could you want. Our German habits pay off: while we get a table spontaneously, we sit outside and watch the queue grow longer and longer as the evening goes on. That does not stop us from ordering a second bottle of wine – we had to enjoy our last evening, after all.

Up early for the dome of St Peter's

We did not have to head to the airport until around midday, so we decide to use the time and go up the dome of St Peter's Basilica. That means getting up early, really early. The basilica opens at 7 a.m., the alarm goes off at 5 and at 6 on the dot we are standing in the queue, hoping to avoid the usual four-hour wait and the huge crowds of tourists. Instead of seven it opens at twenty to eight – maybe not such a bad thing, because today of all days it is incredibly foggy and you cannot see the dome from below at all.

After a quick look at the grand interior, we climb a great many steps to the top. The view would certainly have been worth it – if there had been anything to see. But the clouds clear a little and somehow the view with the fog has something mystical about it.

At 9:30 the early start makes itself heard through our rumbling stomachs. So there is one last proper breakfast: the pizzeria we had picked out opens at 10. When we ask whether you can order pizza at 10 in the morning, we get the answer "of course" a little too quickly, and so the oven is fired up especially for us and we get a breakfast pizza.

And far too soon we are sitting on a plane back to Germany with a full stomach. Dear Rome, I will definitely be back.

What the trip cost

Over the four days we tracked all our expenses for the two of us: