There’s something about Roma. It’s constantly drawing me back. I don’t know if it’s the people, the culture, the food or some sixth sense telling me I’m secretly Italian, but I love it. I love missing Roma almost as much as I love actually being in Roma, because if I miss it, that just means I’m planning my next adventure back.

This past summer Roma was my third stop on my list, after Israel and Paris. I flew into Fiumicino, as always, and was surprised to see that the airport is under construction. Fiumicino and I go way back, (we’re best bros). I’ve gotten lost in the airport. I’ve run through the airport (twice). I’ve had some half decent cappuccinos and slightly better cornetti. That being said, I’m excited to see how the expansion turns out. The plans look simply amazing. Anyways, where was I? Right, so I went running towards the bus ticketing to catch a bus into town. An hour and a half or so later and I found myself checking into my favorite hostel in Roma – the Four Seasons Hostel. It may not be the best place in town, but it certainly fits all of my needs. The beds are clean, the staff is great, the company always seems to be amazing and I’ve never felt unsafe. If you’re ever in Roma, I highly suggest staying there.

Afterwards, I took the bus into the center of the city. I had to go exploring and see my old haunts. My self-guided tour started with my favorite place in Roma, the Trevi Fountain. Some will tell you that you’ll find some of the worst gelato near the Trevi, because it’s so touristy. However, my favorite gelato place happens to be right smack dab in the middle of it all. The only flavor of gelato I like is lampone (raspberry) and it’s not super common. But guess what? This gelateria sells just that. I’ve always loved coming to the Trevi, enjoying the view and chowing down on some amazing gelato. The name of the place is Caffe Roma Gelateria, in case you’re interested.

Next stop on the tour was the Pantheon, but I ended up catching dinner along the way. Normally I don’t like stopping at to-go pizza places in Roma (simply because I prefer sit down Roman pizza instead), but I happened to wander into one because my stomach couldn’t wait any longer. I’m so glad I did. I ended up chit chatting with another solo female traveler – Mary**. Turns out that we’re both from the states and she’s never been to Roma before. One thing leads to another and she asked to tag along with me, at the same time that I was about to offer to show her around. We spent the rest of the night getting a little lost, seeing some of Rome’s gorgeous attractions at night, and drinking some Italian wine on the streets of Trastevere (a neighborhood in Roma). We had such a good time together that we agreed to meet up the next day to explore the city more.

Also, as a side note, timing is everything. If I hadn’t been hungry and stopped for food, I never would have met this woman. If I hadn’t met her, then I also wouldn’t have met the next character in my Italian tale. When I got home from my night out with Mary, I had the delightful surprise of realizing that someone was in my bed. She was still awake and I unhappily asked what was going on. Apparently someone had told her that the bed I had claimed (by putting my stuff on it) was free. I was a bit grumpy about it that night, but I grabbed my stuff off the floor and claimed a different bed. In the morning, I decided to be the bigger person and apologize to this woman for being so unpleasant. I found out that her name is Jessica** and we ended up talking for a few hours.

After puling myself away from our amazing conversation, I then headed out to meet up with Mary. We started our day in Piazza Navona, which I just love. There’s something about the fountain that’s absolutely spectacular, especially if you go early in the morning before all of the tourists arrive. From there we headed to the Pantheon, which is just awe-inspiring (if you haven’t figured it out I just love all of the major sites in Rome). Afterwards we were off to the Trevi Fountain. I was so happy that the restoration of the Trevi was finished. The last time I was in Roma it closed right before I left. I, of course, got my favorite gelato, yet again. I can’t go to the Trevi without getting gelato; it’s simply become tradition. From there we headed to one of my favorite spots in Roma – Villa Borghese. We didn’t have a lot of time in the park since it was Mary’s last day in Roma. We enjoyed Pinco (a viewpoint of Roma in Villa Borghese) and then headed off to the Colosseo. We quickly took some pictures before heading through Campo di Fiori to go to Trastevere. By this point we were ravishing and just wanted to find a place to eat. Unfortunately the restaurant I had in mind went out of business, so we found another place selling cacio e pepe (the roman version of mac and cheese) and took a seat. Mary and I ended up splitting a delicious margherita pizza and tagliatelle cacio e pepe. I was in heaven. To say I love Italian food is an understatement. Afterwards I walked Mary back to the metro so she could catch her train and I headed back to Trastevere. I ended up walking around for a bit and trying a new toast chain before heading home for the night.

The next day I decided to go looking for the Giardiono degli Aranci (The garden of Oranges). Out of curiosity, I had googled ‘hidden spots in Roma,’ and this garden was one of the top hits. Along with the garden came the concept of finding a specific keyhole. At some point in time, someone discovered that there is something special about the keyhole for the door to the Military Order of the Knights of Malta. When you look through the keyhole, you look over three countries (Malta, Italy and Vatican City). You see the dome of St. Peters Basilica perfectly framed by the hedges in the Knights of Malta garden. It took me a while to walk to the garden and keyhole, but it was more than worth it. I would be really curious to know if someone had actually planned this or if it is just happenstance. I enjoyed the view from the keyhole for a few minutes before realize that I was going to be really late.

See, there’s something you must know about me. I’m fantastic with directions. Take me to any place in the world once and I normally can make it back there again without any help. Tell me I have to be someone at a certain time? Don’t fret if I’m late. I’m absolutely horrible at time management when traveling and I’m even worse at remembering what time I’m supposed to be somewhere. Hence why at this point, I was going to be almost an hour late to meeting up with a new friend, Mirko.

I did eventually meet up with Mirko (thankfully he waited for me) and we went adventuring through the Castel Sant’Angelo. It was a unique experience to venture through this piece of history with an Italian. It’s one thing when you can walk through a place and read its story off of some plaques. It’s a whole other experience when you can read and listen to what a local has to say. He made the story of his city and his country jump off the walls.

On my way home I stopped at a restaurant to enjoy some salmon pizza. Once I got back to the hostel I ended up running into Jessica. We talked for a while and decided to go out for the evening. Any guesses on where we went? We spent my last night in Roma enjoying some wine on the steps of Trastevere – my favorite place to go out, remember? Jessica and I ended up meeting up with another friend of mine, Marko. The three of us went to the Trevi fountain for a few minutes before calling it a night. At the Trevi we had the pleasure of watching a police officer taking a picture of a seagull before it tried to fly away. Sometimes, I just don’t understand human beings. It was hilarious though and we were all trying not to die as laughing.

The next morning, which also happened to my last day in Roma, Jessica and I decided to spend it together. We shopped for a while (Jessica was on the hunt for a specific pair of shoes) before meeting up with Marko for lunch. Marko and I were going to spend lunch just the two of us, but he asked the two of us if we were ready for the best pasta we’ve ever had. Jessica couldn’t say no to that. First, we went to a eatery near the Spanish steps called Pastificio.

Do not pass GO.

Do not skip this.

If there’s a line, it’s worth it. They open at 1pm for lunch. You’ll pay 4 euros and be able to pick between two different kinds of pasta. It’ll be packaged into a small plastic container. You can either eat it on the counter or outside. If you need water, just ask at the counter. Next Marko took us to Pompi, which is basically across the way. Again, do not skip this. Do it, just trust me. I’m not a fan of tiramisu, but this just melted in your mouth in all the right ways. Once again, a box of tiramisu is 4 euros. Currently this is an 8 euro lunch and you’re already full. Now if you’re in the mood for coffee and have some time, take yourself on the last stop of Marko’s lunch tour – La Casa Del Caffé Tazza D’oro. We went for the granite. I’m not a huge coffee fan, but this is something that you need to get. It takes iced coffee to a whole other level, but be warned, your sugar levels are going to spike. After saying our goodbyes to Marko, Jessica and I explored the area of Monti for a bit before I too had to say goodbye. Yet again, it was a dopa Roma, but I knew I’d be back again.

**Names have been changed to protect fellow travelers privacy for one reason or another.