20 things that will surprise first-time visitors to Rome

This is one of the world’s great cities – that should come as no surprise. Rome has a reputation as being one gigantic tourist attraction, an open-air museum, a living artifact, and that is not unfounded.

Still, there are a few surprises in store for first-time visitors to the Italian capital.

Everything is just … there

You don’t need to search for the big-ticket tourist attractions, the millennia-old historic sites, when you’re in Rome. These things won’t be hidden behind glass or protected by ropes. They’re just there. They’re part of the landscape, living with the city. Stroll around the Centro Storico, the historic centre, and there’s the Pantheon, there’s Piazza Navona, there’s the Trevi Fountain. They just appear around corners. You will inevitably stumble upon them. And there are so many more.

You should indulge in the cliches

Some of the cliches, like the iconic Sistine Chapel, are worth ticking off.Credit: Getty Images

This is not a city in which to shun the more popular attractions for the sake of being different. The Colosseum is incredible. The Pantheon, too. The Sistine Chapel and in fact the entire Vatican are amazing. Campo de’ Fiori is great. The Forum is stunning. All of these attractions are worth battling the crowds to see.

You’ve never even heard of some of the best attractions

Although you should see those big-ticket sites, there are many more amazing attractions you have never even heard of. The Baths of Caracalla are mind-boggling. Palatine Hill is the birthplace of Rome. The Galleria Borghese is filled with masterpieces. And Hadrian’s Villa is worth the effort to explore.

There’s plenty outside the Centro Storico

Rome’s most famous neighbourhood, its Old Town, is by far the most popular with tourists. Though just across the river you have charming Trastevere, a little further away there’s foodie heaven in Testaccio, hipster cool in Ostiense and San Giovanni, and buzzing nightlife in Pigneto.

Romans love Roman food

Cacio e pepe is a must in Rome.Credit: iStock

In some cities, it can be hard to find genuine local food in restaurants. All the best stuff is cooked in homes; when locals go out, they want something different. Not so in Rome. When Romans go out, they want Roman food. They want the four Roman pastas: cacio e pepe, gricia, carbonara and amatriciana. They want pizza. They want coda alla vaccinara (oxtail stew). Rome is filled with high-quality trattorias serving authentic cuisine.

There are some terrible restaurants

Be careful where you eat in Rome, particularly in the Centro Storico. Though there are a lot of great restaurants in the Italian capital, there are also a lot of terrible eateries slinging half-arsed food to naïve tourist hordes. Do plenty of research for your Roman dining.

Coffee is an obsession

Every day begins the same way: with a cappuccino and a “cornetto”, the Italian croissant filled with sweetened cream. A few hours later, an espresso. After lunch, an espresso. In the afternoon, an espresso. And so on. These coffees are usually drunk at pasticcerie (pastry shops) or bars, taken standing up, downed in a flash. And they’re very good.

Natural wine is a thing

Santo Palato is a casual dining favourite with natty drops.

The Eternal City isn’t immune to the swing of modern fashion. Rome has plenty of bars and restaurants specialising in natural wine, featuring legends of the local scene such as Radikon and Cantina Giardino. If this is your jam, head to the likes of Enoteca Mosto or Santo Palato. If it isn’t your jam, consider yourself warned.

It’s a little rough around the edges

Fair to say Rome has probably looked better. This might be one of the world’s great cities, but it still has issues when it comes to municipal functions. Garbage bins aren’t always emptied. Roads and pavements aren’t particularly well cared for. There’s beauty in Rome, but it’s juxtaposed with surprising shabbiness.

Locals can be pushy, but friendly

This is a large city filled with people with things to do (while also being filled with people with very little to do – that is, tourists). So, if Romans can seem a little pushy at times, don’t take offence. Beneath the gruff exterior tends to lie a friendly soul.

You need to dress well

It’s something of a cliche that Italians dress well, and if you spend a lot of time in, say, Naples or Bari you will question how accurate it is. Still, in Rome, people really do put a lot of effort into their appearance, whether that be formal or more relaxed. If you’re hoping to fit in, do the same.

You need to see the buskers on Ponte Sisto

The Ponte Sisto is a 550-year-old pedestrian bridge that links the Centro Storico with Trastevere. It’s a popular thoroughfare, and as such, it tends to attract some incredibly talented buskers. It’s well worth strolling across here in the evening to see who is playing.

Drinking water is free, and it’s everywhere

Pay attention when you’re walking around Rome and you will soon see some of the city’s 2500 “nasoni”, or drinking fountains. These cast-iron fountains, usually about a metre high with a nose-like tap protruding (“nasone” means large nose), are constantly running with water piped along an ancient Roman aqueduct from nearby mountains. They’re free and perfectly safe.

Roman pizza is thin

You might be used to the idea that real Italian pizza is thick and spongy on the outside, and a little soupy in the centre, but that’s Naples-style you’re thinking of. Traditional Roman pizzas have a thin, crisp base.

The Spanish Steps are a massive let-down

Skip it: The Spanish Steps.Credit: iStock

OK, you’ll think, I’m here. What’s the big deal? And if you find out, please let us know, because as far as we can tell, this is just a regular public stairway that, in Roman terms at least, isn’t even that old. Though it did feature in Roman Holiday, which helps explain the fascination.

Public transport looks rough, but it’s effective

No beauty prizes will be handed out for Rome’s buses, which tend to be graffiti-strewn and a little rattly. Same goes for its underground trains. However, get past the cosmetics and you will find a system that is ideal for visitors, affordable and effective. (Just be aware that buses don’t sell bus tickets – you need to go to a nearby tabacchi, or convenience store.)

There are cats everywhere

There are thought to be about 120,000 feral cats in Rome – and another 180,000 kept as pets. There’s even a cat sanctuary, where stray cats are fed and protected, at Largo di Torre Argentina.

Everyone leaves in summer

Good luck if you decide to visit Rome in late August, because all of the locals will have long since left. It’s tradition here to take summer holidays after Ferragosto, a holiday on August 15, and much of the city, including many of its best restaurants, shut up shop for a few weeks.

It’s easy to reach the rest of Italy

From Termini, Rome’s central train station, you can get to much of the country in a short space of time. Naples is an hour away. Florence is an hour and a half. Bologna is a bit over two hours. The Amalfi Coast is two hours. You can even take a train to Sicily (the whole thing crosses the water by ferry).

It’s truly magical

Here’s the key takeaway. Rome is truly and utterly magical. Even with the crowds and the heat and the grime. You are existing here in the world’s largest museum. Stand at a bus stop and realise you’re in the exact spot Julius Caesar was assassinated. Take a tour of the Colosseum and picture yourself as a gladiator. Drink a negroni outside a church built almost 2000 years ago. Listen to the buskers on Ponte Sisto and remember this bridge was built by the same guy who decided to employ a local painter to decorate his new church, the Sistine Chapel. There’s nowhere in the world that even comes close to Rome.