48 Hours in Italy's most BEAUTIFUL city 🇮🇹 Rome is unreal!

Welcome to Rome, a city of history, beauty, and of course, the best food on earth. In this episode, I am seeing the classics, but I'm also doing Rome my way. We'll explore its iconic streets and eat as much food as humanly possible. Let's get started. We are starting our day off in the coolest way possible, on the back of a Vespa whizzing past the Colosseum in Rome. This is not my first time in Rome. I've been a couple of times before on independent travels. So this time, I wanted to do things a little bit differently. So here's the cool thing about this tour. It's not just a tour. They also do some professional photo shooting, which is perfect for me because I'm traveling solo again. So this is our amazing local guide, Leo. He's also an incredible photographer, and he's taking us to some of the best spots. We started at the Colosseum. We got some really cute photos there. Oh, stop it. You're too modest. And then now we're at the Orange Garden. This is a place I've never been to before. Let me show you actually the purpose of this garden, why I built it here. It's amazing view, the Vatican in the middle, and it is not the ordinary view. At the same time, it is optical illusion. So right now, your eyes tell lies to your brain, and you see Vatican bigger than it seems. So you don't need to carry a water bottle in Rome. You can if you want to, but you don't need to. You'll see these water fountains everywhere, and they have a cool little trick to them. If you block this, it becomes a spout. This is going to go everywhere. Was that so coordinated? Just learned my first real Italian word, andiamo. Let's go. So they brought us up to the highest point in Rome. I have never been up here before, and we have some incredible views, including an epic one of the Vatican. Hi, Pope. Absolutely loved this tour. I got to see the city in a way I have never seen it before. It's incredibly fun. You come away with it with some awesome photos, and you go to some really cool spots as well, and having a local guide like this is just awesome. I highly recommend it. If you're lucky, you'll get Leo as your guide, and I'll have a link in the video description for you, or you can use the QR code you see on screen right now to scan and book. But you guys, here's the problem. I booked this tour at 8 a.m., so I did not have time to get a coffee beforehand, and we need to fix that. And luckily for us, the Italians take their coffee very seriously. Now, before you head off on any trip, especially somewhere like Rome, do yourself a favor and get your eSIM sorted with Aerolo. I have popped a link in the video description for you. I've been using Aerolo for years now, and it is honestly one of my favorite travel apps. Aerolo is the world's first eSIM store trusted by over 20 million travelers, and it works in over 200 countries and regions, so you'll always stay connected wherever you go. The second I land in a new country, I've got data ready to go for maps, translating menus, hailing a ride share, or even just finding the best spot for gelato, all without stressing about airport Wi-Fi or trying to find a SIM card shop. It couldn't be easier. Download the Aerolo app, pick your destination and data package, install the eSIM, and you are connected straight away. They've got affordable plans in over 200 countries and regions, and it just makes travel so much smoother. You can grab the app through the link below and use my code PHOEBE3 to get $3 off your first eSIM, so you are ready to stay connected on your next adventure. There was a big queue outside this place yesterday, which is what made me stop, but it looks like there's no queue today, which is good news for us. The reason I came back to this place wasn't just because the food and coffee were good. It was also because the people who work here are so lovely. The girls who work here were so nice to me yesterday. The service was just next level. I'm a little nervous. I've just got my camera set up on the table here. I don't know if this is Paris rules, and I need to be worried about that getting snatched. Let me move you guys closer because I'm paranoid. There we go. Okay, two things we're going to have here. Coffee with the oat milk. Not always easy to find when you're traveling, but I've managed to find it. Okay, that coffee is the perfect temperature, and it's a really good cup of coffee. For something to eat, I want to try something I have never had before. I have seen these things all over the internet. They look delicious, but I've never had one. I can never remember it. I'll put it on screen. Oh, that chocolate's just gone right in my coffee. It is just a really big soft bun full of some kind of cream. I've gotten one with Nutella on it because I'm me, and I'm obsessed with Nutella. I have a feeling this is about to be so messy, so just don't judge me for what you're about to see here, okay? I'm stocked up on napkins in preparation. Whoa. It is as appetized. That is just a big old bun stuffed with cream and topped with Nutella. It tastes exactly how you think it would taste. It is unbelievably sweet. There's no way I'm going to be able to eat the whole thing. It's very intense. I'm going to let you guys in on a little secret. What you've just witnessed on this vlog this morning is the full extent of my plans. Rather than showing up to Rome with a full itinerary and knowing what every minute of every day was going to be like, I wanted to do this a little bit differently this time. I suppose we should start by seeing something iconic. Why not, right? Seems like a good decision. Completed in 1762, the Trevi Fountain is the largest fountain in Rome. Now, it features Oceanus at the center of it, and he is the god of water, flanked either side by tritons who are guiding sea forces. This place is pretty cool. It's steeped in legend. Apparently, if you throw a coin over your left shoulder using your right hand, you are guaranteed to come back to Rome. That is such a tantalizing prospect that some 3,000 in coins are fished out of that fountain and donated to charity every single day. Here's what I love about Rome. One, the men walking past will just tell you you're beautiful like that guy. Two, you can just be walking around down the regular street, turn a corner, and then bang. Out of nowhere is one of the most beautiful buildings you've ever seen in your life, and it's probably incredibly historical and an important piece of our culture and all that kind of stuff. Number three, food rules don't apply. You want to have three big old scoops of gelato for breakfast? Do it. You want to have a sickly sweet cream bun topped with an obscene amount of Nutella? Get it. You want to eat a massive bowl of pasta at like 10, 30 p.m. right before you go to bed? Go for it. The Roman Forum was the heart of public life here in Rome, and it is staggering. It is absolutely huge. I mean, imagine this place crawling with senators, arguing politics, merchants trading goods, public trials, triumphant processions, all those kinds of things. This is where they happened, and if like me, you're going to make your way up to the top, be prepared for a few stairs, but it's absolutely worth it. This place is seriously stunning. Now, the crazy thing about it to me is that over these years, this place descended into ruin, and they had to excavate and restore it, which is wild because she's huge. The views from up here at the top of the Roman Forum are spectacular, and it's free. Totally free. I think they have some ticketed areas, but absolutely free to climb your butt up those stairs and come up here and enjoy them. And behind me, you can just see the last little bits of a cafe restaurant that they have up here too. There are some really gorgeous terrace spots there where you could sit, have an Aperol spritz, maybe a snack, maybe a coffee with views of the Colosseum. Come on. You know that's good. Guys, I think I made a big mistake today having that gigantic creamy bun for breakfast. I feel so sick. I feel so queasy and nauseous. It's so sweet and so much dairy. I don't know what I was thinking or who I think I am. I can't have that. I can't have that. My solution to that problem is to eat more. Where's the logic in that? Nobody knows. This is Italy. As I said, there are no food rules. You do whatever you want, whenever you want. To do that, I was kind of walking back to my accommodation, past the Trevi Fountain, and I saw this place. Il Chianti Osteria Toscana. I stopped for two reasons. One, it has a really lovely courtyard area that's all leafy and green. And two, it's got some good people watching. I'm kind of, I'm such a creep. I'm like hidden in these bushes, but I can still see people when they can't see me. Creepy. Super creepy. I know. I live for it. We might be onto something here, team. We might just be onto something. The food has come out and it looks so good. Now, the menu said homemade pasta. We love that. The noodles are big and thick and I just got a really simple tomato sauce on that. I mean, I think that's really good. The noodles are so chewy. Big and thick, almost like udon. The sauce is lovely. Nice fresh tomato, good amount of olive oil in there. Lovely and flavoursome. Nice and rich, but not too intense. It's just perfection. Summer in Italy is all kinds of incredible. The sun stays up nice and late, so you get these really long days. You can go back to your accommodation and have a couple of hours rest like I just did. Then when you come back outside, everybody's still out. All these really cool restaurants lining either side of the streets. Everyone's got such a vibe on. Everyone's getting stuck into the alcohol spritz, plates of pasta everywhere. You and I are on our way to meet a friend for dinner. I just have to find the place we're meant to meet. Tell me, do you think we're ever going to make it? All right, I have to introduce you to my friends. This is Chester. Hello, vlog. Where might people recognize you from, Chester? From my Seashot's Instagram profile. Instagram. I'll have him linked below. Especially if you live in Sydney, you will know Chester. His food content is unreal, so you should check him out for travel and great Sydney food recommendations anyway, which is why Chester is about to solve the problem we're having, which is that the place he chose was closed, so now we're on the hump somewhere else. Where are we going? Well, there is a place, but it's a little bit of a walk or a bit of a cab ride. Are you up for that? I mean, I'm up for whatever if there's good food at the end of it. Yeah, it's recommended. All right, all right, let's do it. Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no, guys, surprise. The internet, the whole internet saw the 4.9 rating. Keep walking? Leave? We're not eating there? OK, this is a true disaster. Yeah, let's go literally anywhere else. I'm not queuing up for an hour for that food. This is chaotic. Every now and then I make a real chaotic vlog. It's happening. It's happening. All right, we've ended up at a place called La Nuovo Piazzetta. I said that so accurately, it's not even funny. Let me back you guys up a little bit. This place was recommended by Chester's friend. He went here and loved it. He went here and loved it. So look, somebody else. Is he a food creator? He's just a guy that likes food. No, the guy that likes food. He's just a guy that likes food. Shout out Chester's friend. Because Chester's here, I don't have to eat as much by myself. We are going to share. And my body is screaming out for an uncooked vegetable. So we've got a bruschetta. Bruschetta pomo? I think the guy said. Let's just try it straight as it's come out. No added salt or oil or anything. It's good. I like that. Nice and simple. The toast is really crunchy on the outside, but soft on the inside. Bread seems to be homemade to me. Really fresh tomatoes and the basil is beautiful. Oh my God. Oh, that pasta is huge. That's huge. You know when you're coming to Italy that you're in for this. And yet when you're here, the reality is it's harsh. It's so much carbs. All right, let's start with a mussel. Was this the pasta of the day? Like seafood of the day? Whatever catch of the day is. Let's try that. Nicely cooked, not overcooked. Nice and chewy. Has a good fresh seafood flavor. You know if you eat seafood too much, or it's not the freshest and it has that real seafoody flavor to it. This doesn't have that. This is lovely and gentle. And my body is screaming out, don't do it. But I'm going in for some noodles against my better judgment. I'm going to have to eat a salad tomorrow, guys. That's really good. I had a good pasta for lunch today. It was near the Trevi Fountain, so I thought it was going to be really juicy. But it was actually pretty good. That's better. They claimed at the other place that it was freshly made, but this to me just seems better quality freshly made. Like it's not as like, um, it's cleaner. It's cleaner is the best way I can describe it. The pasta is gorgeous. I really like that. And I can actually eat some of those noodles, which is saying something. Buongiorno, you guys. I've gone full Italian. So I'm up nice and early this morning. I'm on my way to meet Chester at this cafe that he found. Apparently, it's meant to be one of the best in the city. And if there's one thing you guys know about me, it's that I love coffee. Yes, I heard you say it at the same time as me. I really like walking around the city, so I'm just making my way there on foot. It should be about a 24 minute walk. And that's the awesome location of my Airbnb. Was a little unsure if I was kind of choosing a time squarish location, but you know what? Trevi has been awesome. So central, really easy to get around everywhere. And honestly, I love walking around the city. It's just so walkable. Last few days have been really fun for me, you know, just taking off and exploring without losing any time on public transport. It's so beautiful. I mean, I love Paris very much and I love these cities, but there's something different about Rome. It's just so magical. And I feel very comfortable being here by myself, walking around camera out, obviously taking my usual solo travel girl safety precautions with wrist wraps on all of my electronics and being mindful of pickpockets. But I don't know what it is. The energy of Rome to me, it's just so relaxing. We pulled up to Sensorio Coffee Lab. Now, this recommendation comes straight from Chester's barista friend. I just wanted to start with a coffee and a cute little sweet. Now, I want to treat myself this morning with coffee. So I've got a flat white that's single origin and it's from Rwanda. And yes, they have oat milk. That's a mighty fine cup of coffee. That's really good. I did order that extra hot because I've learned my lesson. It's still like room temperature to me. I want it scorching. I want it straight from the face of the sun. But it's absolutely delicious. That's a really good cup of coffee. All right, we've arrived at the spot. Are you ready for me to butcher your language, Italy? And this is another pick from Chester's fruity friend. So it should be a good one. Wow, it's so cute in here. Oh my God, look at all this food. You know what? I came to Italy to eat, so we are going to eat. Now, I've got three things for us to try. We've got Chester's fruity friend's recommended pizza slice with just marinara on it or just a tomato sauce on it. And then because I'm me and I love a sweet and I love an apple pie, we have to try the apple strudel. And then I asked the lady in there what she recommends and she said the little cherry pie bite thing. So we're going to try all three things and see what's best. Let's start with the savory option. That seems responsible. This smells so good. You would not believe how good this thing smells. The tomato sauce has the best scent coming off it. The bread smells incredible. One bite, everybody knows the rules. That's a way better start to the day than that big cream bun thing. The base is nice and dim. It's cold. I like the crunch in the crust. And then the marinara on top is just delicious. Let's try the next one. I really want to try this cherry pie thing. I don't know what this is exactly. This is the shop lady's recommendation. It's like a biscuit. Sweet, a little bit tangy with the cherry. Pretty good. I don't mind that. This I'm really excited for. You just love apple stuff. An apple pie, like a warm apple pie with vanilla bean ice cream. That gets me going. That's my favorite. The strudel is unreal. Oh my god, the bottom's all nice. Like you can see how caramelized that is. The pastry is good. It's not too crazy. The apple filling is nice and sweet. Good little hints of cinnamon in there. Some raisins. A few other things I don't know. Some kind of nuts maybe. It's just good. We don't entirely know where we are. Isn't that great for a vlog? Aren't I so helpful right now? But that place we were just at, Forno, is right there. And then the square just outside it is this beautiful little market. It's just so gorgeous. They're selling all kinds of things, like fresh fruit and vegetables. Delicious food to try. They have clothes, homeware, all kinds of goodies for sale. I just want to spend a little bit of time digging through here right now. It's lovely. This is really random, but one of my favorite fruits in the world is the fig. The humble fig. I just go nuts for them. I absolutely love a fig. And there's this lovely nonna in there. Oh, come on. Yum, yum, yum. Oh my god. That's absolutely delicious. It's so nice and sweet. When you step inside Piazza Navona, you're kind of struck by how grand it is. It's absolutely stunning. Now, this place was built some 2,000 years ago. It was an ancient stadium for athletic competitions. But now it's kind of a cultural entertainment hub of sorts. If you come here in the evening, it's incredibly lively. So many places to grab something to eat on the perimeters. And they have live music and entertainment, street performers, all that kind of stuff. I'm here early in the day, and that's a good call. Because it is significantly less crowded than it was yesterday evening when I walked through. You cannot come to Italy without having a tiramisu. We both know this. And apparently this place, Pompi, is one of the best places to get tiramisu in this city. We're going to go in there. We're going to skewer it. We're going to try it. Buongiorno! Oh my gosh. Okay, they have so many different flavors. So they have the classic. It looks like they have strawberry, pina colada, mango and peach, pistachio, salt and caramel, and banana chocolate. I think this thing is pretty well priced, if it's good. It was five euros. And I just went with the classic because, I mean, I'm only going to be able to eat one. So you got to hit the classics. Am I right? Let's just get a big fat scoop of this thing. They put these like fresh chocolate niblets on the top. Okay, that's an obscene size bite. Don't judge me for what you're about to see. Yeah, that's really good. The sponge is nice and light. It just kind of disappears in your mouth. Really beautiful coffee flavor. The cream is lovely. Not too crazy and sweet, like yesterday's disaster of a bun. That thing really, like, I'm still recovering. But that is absolutely delicious. I really like that. We've made our way here to the Spanish Steps. And this is another of the most visited attractions in Rome. And it's another really good freebie if you're on a budget. These were built in the 1700s. There's something like 135 steps that connect the piazza down there to the church up there. And this area actually became famous because it was featured in movies. And the most famous of all is Roman Holiday featuring Audrey Hepburn. Oh my gosh, I'm here at just the right time. The bells are chiming. It is absolutely crawling with tourists here, but still really pretty. If you did want to try and get a shot or just experience it when it's a lot calmer, you would need to get up really early in the morning. But I have a feeling it would be worth it. I am feeling so relaxed. I did not expect that coming to Rome. I think the last few times I've been here, I've been on a really big group tour of Europe. And so you buzz through a city like Rome and you only have sometimes less than 24 hours. You know, you check into the hotel, dump your stuff, go out, do a little sightseeing the next morning, and then you're out of there. So to have a good few hearty, healthy days all off of having four nights here, it has been dreamy. And this city is so easy to explore. I haven't set foot on public transport. I've just been walking, eating, avoiding queuing for anything, and instead just doing all the free sightseeing stuff. And for me, it's just been exactly what I needed. I know Rome is a very expensive destination in so many ways, but I also think it's actually pretty affordable and accessible. And I felt very safe and comfortable here by myself. I've had a really lovely time and I feel like my batteries are so recharged. All right, you guys, and with that, that brings this week's episode and my time here in Rome to a close. I really hope you've enjoyed it. Now, if you don't already, be sure to subscribe right now and say hello in the comments below. I hope you have a great weekend and I will see you with a brand new episode next week. Love ya!