Where to Make Love In Rome
Who doesn’t yearn to be as charming as Audrey Hepburn as she zips through the streets of Rome on a Vespa scooter behind dashing Gregory Peck in the classic film Roman Holiday?
And who doesn’t want to be as sultry and tempestuous as Anita Ekberg as she splashes in Trevi Fountain in Felini’s famous 8 and ½?
Rome is the ultimate romantic getaway, after all, the city’s name is the root of the word romance! Carpe diem with me and Michel and plan your own Roman holiday.
They say if you throw a coin in Trevi Fountain, you will return one day. This was Michel’s first visit to Rome, but for me this saying came true.
Thirty years ago, I tossed in a handful of coins and wished for true love, success as a songwriter, and a life full of gusto, where I could live in the moment and feel joy every day. Back then the love I sought was Lieutenant Felice de Rosa. He was the 23 year-old Italian NATO pilot who I met during my junior year abroad in Florence. Felice was my Room with a View romance. He picked me up as I was crossing Ponte Vecchio.
“Senorina, dove via?” he asked, chasing me down the crowded bridge. I was feeling delighted with life because at 19, I felt very bold to have just taken myself out to dinner alone. Plus, I just discovered that in Italy after the primi piati of pasta came a bountiful secondi course of fish or meat. How could life in Italy get better? Enter Felice.
He was the opposite of the suave Italian portrayed in the movies. In fact, he wore a terrible scratchy wool blazer and leather monk strap shoes that fastened with velcro. But he was funny and helpful and I felt it would be good to have a conversation partner to practice Italian with. Of course he bought me a rose from a sidewalk vendor and tried to give me a kiss, but on the condition of just being friends, I agreed to meet him for dinner the following night. After a month of making me laugh as we explored Sienna, Luca and Pisa (as we drove in his nondescript Fiat, he bragged that his other car was a Lamborghini.) Gazing from Fiesole as Florence sparkled in the distance, all his quirks melted into his charms.
As we embraced goodbye in December, he promised he would come for me. I had visions of him landing his plane on the Brown University college green, but instead his letters said since we lived in separate countries, our love was impossible and I must move on. But he was the one who said “Ti amo est per sempre.” I love you is forever!
I would reclaim our love! So one year after college graduation, I went back to Italy to surprise him. But first I had to be thinner, more glamorous and discovered so I could become a successful singer/songwriter. I spent six months singing by the fountains of Prague, Berlin, Budapest, Barcelona and Lisbon to transform into a swan and singing sensation. But by spring I accepted, it was now or never. I was only getting lonely and tired.
I arrived in Rome and went straight to a pay phone. (This was 1993.) But what I never anticipated is that the surprise was on me! In the three years since we saw each other, he moved and changed jobs. The two numbers I had for him no longer worked! I dialed information and pleaded with the operator, but there was no Felice de Rosa listed. Today I could have Googled him, but back then there was nothing more I could do. I had to accept that the man I crossed the ocean for was gone.
I stayed in Rome for another three weeks singing for my supper in front of the monuments. I boldly played guitar where the gladiators once stood so I could say “I played the Colosseum!” Quickly the Carabinieri Italian police escorted me away, but I enjoyed my few moments of glory. Briefly I became a duo with Enzo, the Keith Richards look-alike who played guitar in front of cafes in Piazza Navona. He felt I was a fresh face who would bring in more tips and pass the hat after singing beside him. But Enzo’s friends, the folk singing mafia, felt threatened and gave me the squeeze. So alone I sang in front of the Pantheon, slipping in some original songs between Beatles hits. An American woman thought my songs were so clever that she invited me to join her for a drink. She invited me to live in her swanky apartment guest room for a luxurious week. Then her Italian banker boyfriend came home unexpectedly and tossed me into the streets! It was Easter and impossible to find even a 2 star pensione so I slept in the train station for the night.
Michel asked me to take only carry-on luggage, but these memories were heavy baggage. It was good to face them and see how I’ve grown. As Maurice Chevalier sang in Gigi, “I’m glad I’m not young anymore.” More than anything, I am thrilled to now love Michel. I am grateful that he adores me in return. Felice enchanted me with the romance of Europeans, but I am so much better suited to Michel. He is my French American needle in a haystack. Michel is my true amour. Now let us help you plan your getaway for a romantic Roman Holiday!
THE KETUBA
Michel and I have been together for four years, but we agreed on our roles at the start. He excels in fine print, reading the maps and timetables and checking out all reviews. I am the broad strokes bon vivant who loves chatting with colorful locals, coming up with fun ideas, being the catalyst for lively adventures. Together we provide you with gusto and minutiae to help you make the most of your vacation.
Boun voyaggo!
MELISSA’S BOLD STROKES
When in Rome, do as the Romans and enjoy la dolce vita.
Allow yourself to be in Italy instead of trying to ‘do’ Italy.
Do not cram back to back tours, you’ll be frazzled and cranky and tired.
If you don’t know your Tiberius from Trajin, Michelangelo from Raphael and Saint Peter from Paul to Pope Pius, appreciate the new things you can learn.Don’t get overwhelmed by all of the details. Rome wasn’t built in a day and you can’t see it all in one visit.
The first italian phrase I learned was piano, piano. The means slowly slowly. So sit in a cafe, have an aperol spritz and enjoy!
MICHEL’S FINE PRINT
How to get from the airport to town?
Taxis are 50 euros. It’s easy to take the bus from the airport to Termini station in the center of Rome. Download 6 euro tickets online. They charge 2 euros more in person.
How to get from the station to your hotel?
Very good question. Michel liked to walk so he could get a feel for the city, but Melissa got cranky carrying her bags up and down through the seven hills of Rome. Our recommendation is to purchase a Hop on Hop Off Bus ticket at Termini and let it drop you off close to your hotel. Once you are settled and have something to eat, get back on the open air bus to get an overview of the city. Melissa likes the pink I love Rome bus, but the Big Bus tour upstairs seats are better for selfies!
How do you not get ripped off?
Impossible, but you can minimize it. We were amazed to see how universal it was in Rome to pad bills. Restaurants add a service fee of 2 euros for the bread basket whether you eat it or not. This is standard. However an upscale restaurant listed 20 euros for an entre in the menu, and the waiter’s check charged 2 euros more. When a taxi driver gave me 10 euros change for a fare that was only 8 euros, he said taxis have a 10 euro minimum. This is blatantly not true! Another waitress told us a total amount due without showing us the bill. When we asked her to write it out, she scribbled her handwriting so we couldn’t figure out what she charged. Even Italian toll booth operators give the wrong change out on purpose. You just have to check every bill and advocate when you catch mistakes. Always ask for a menu before ordering and ask for an itemized bill before paying.
How is the public transportation
Unfortunately there are not too many city bikes available like there are in New York and Paris. The subway is also not very broad, so you need to either walk or take costly taxis.
Give yourself a lot of time to traverse the city. It’s beautiful to walk, but the streets are made of cobblestones, so ladies, wear practical shoes.
TOP 10 ROMANTIC RECOMMENDATIONS
Cafe Culture
Slow down and have a cappuccino, vino, or an apparel spritz at a cafe. There are wonderful cafes everywhere! There are touristy, more expensive ones around the big piazzas and monuments like Piazza Navona, The Pantheon, Campo Di Fiori, The Spanish Steps, but there are also charming small cafes around every block.. Sit outside and let the sun warm your face as you take in the beautiful soft amber or ochre colored buildings around you.
The first thing I did when we reached downtown Rome was to sit at an outdoor cafe in Piazza Navona facing the famous fountain of the four rivers. Michel as a french foodie was horrified that I would choose such an obviously overpriced mediocre tourist menu restaurant, but I wanted karmic payback to listen to the new version of me and Enzo singing in the cafe - and to tip them generously. We saw a trio of saxophone, upright bass and jazz guitar. They played Volare and That’s Amore and then passed the hat. Seems like old times…
The highlight for me and Michel was the man at the table next to ours who we named DG. He wore an enormous Dolce Gabbana necklace with the mega DG logo beneath his throat. He also wore opalescent blue/green Dolce Gabbana loafers with a large DG on them. He wore a snappy cream colored suit with DG buttons that looked like Humphry Bogart in Casablanca. And his sun glasses had Gucci logos and strippes in criss cross patterns - I really have no idea how he could even see out of them. As he got up to leave the cafe, I asked him if he would tell us more about his look. I even asked if we could put him on instagram, but he demurred. How strange. He said he was from Bologna - talk about phony bologna!
Sunset at The Spanish Steps and by Palazzo di Medici.
People play guitar and you can dance, take selfies enjoy the view. The light is so beautiful by the spanish steps. Climb all the way to the top of the stairs and you will be rewarded with a gorgeous view of the rooftops of rome stretching all the way to Saint Peter's basilica.The warm yellow light is so golden and beautiful. If it’s too crowded or you want another experience and vantage point you can continue up the mountain past the Palozzo di Medici into Villa Borgese gardens.
Stroll. Get a gelato and walk through the streets (careful not to twist your ankle or get run over by a car in the narrow winding streets
Have a meal in a rooftop cafe.
Take a guided tour -- it’s sexy to get smart together. Enrich yourselves and chose what to learn - Vatican Museum with Sistine chapel, Villa Borghese, WIthout a guide it’s really hard to know and appreciate what you are seeing.
Airbnb Photographers so you can have great memories. So much better than a selfie stick. If you chose to not use a professional, you can help other tourists take photos and then ask them to reciprocate and take photos of you.
Stroll across the tiber bridge
Browse for souvenirs in campo di fiori (We love the David extra extra long aprons)
Climb up the steps in palazzo venezia and look at the view
Shop for art supplies or italian florentine paper, leather
Take an open air bus tour hop on hop off. Note - they say it’s a two hour loop - but they spend so uch time with getting people on and off the bus it’s reaky like an hour of information.
Dress up as a gladiator and go to the colosseum. People want to take photos with you! So fun and sexy.
If you’re jewish, enjoy exploring the synagogue and Hebrew museum - and eating the delicious foods!
Naughty Rome
Have a confession in a church: Michel snuck into the main part and I confessed how much I love him…
Our Favorites
Best time to travel
We visited Rome in early November when the weather was warm and the crowds were gone. What a pleasure to zip into the Vatican Museum and leisurely linger in the Sistine Chapel. There were rows of red velvet ropes outside the Pantheon, but only ten people on line. Avoid going to Rome during religious holidays when it is packed to the gills. In summer, not only is it too crowded, Rome can be uncomfortably hot. We recommend traveling in the off season in early November and May.
Best People Watching
Piazza Navona
Best Mid Price Hotel:
Antique CIque Luna - goopity goop
No generic iIkea decor for us! We are staying in Rome! I loved the peacock wallpaper, the lute player paintings, the location near piazza navona.
Best Airbnb:
Amy’s in Trastevere
Best Espresso/Cappuccino
Bar Farnese - second generations father/daughter dup
Best Dinner
Il Desiderio preso per la Coda
The artsy Place
We liked the canine concierge - careful of some hidden charges.
Best Panini
Il Panini Ingegnoso By the Temple of Hadrian
Best Lunch
Where did we have saltimbuca
Hosteria Costanza
Cacio e Pepe signature dish
Pasta
Best Gelato
Cremi
Best Pasta
Fico
Best Roman Foods
Artichokes
Pasta Carbonara
Lasagna
Saltimbuca
Tiramisu
Best Movies to Watch Before Your Trip
Roman Holiday
8 ½
Eat Pray Love
Three Coins in the Fountain
Woody Allen’s
Best Souvenirs
The gladiator aprons with 6 pack abs. The colorful pastas. Anything leather - gloves, pocketbooks, belts. They will try to sell you Limoncello in every size and shape bottle.