09/13/2026
I agree with most of this-
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I’m From Rome — These Are the Things I Would Never Do
Rome is one of those cities where small decisions can completely change your experience. You can spend too much, waste an hour in the wrong queue, arrive at a monument with the wrong ticket, or walk yourself into exhaustion before dinner.
These are the things I would personally avoid.
1. I would never go to Trevi Fountain without checking what is happening there that day
Trevi is no longer a place where I would simply arrive whenever I feel like it and expect the same experience every time. Access around the fountain can be controlled, and there are periods when the basin is cleaned or the normal visitor flow changes. If seeing Trevi properly matters to you, check the current situation before going rather than discovering a restriction when you arrive.
I would also avoid the busiest middle part of the day whenever possible. Early morning and later in the evening can feel like completely different versions of the same place.
2. I would never buy a Colosseum ticket from the first website that appears in front of me
The Colosseum is one of the easiest places in Rome to overpay simply because visitors are afraid tickets will disappear. Before buying anything, I would check exactly what the ticket includes, what entrance it gives me and whether I am buying from a legitimate source.
There are different types of visits, and a cheap-looking ticket can become expensive once a reseller adds its own fees. At the same time, paying much more does not necessarily mean you are getting a dramatically better experience.
3. I would never arrive at the Colosseum without checking the name on my ticket and carrying ID
This is a detail I would take seriously. Some Colosseum tickets are nominative, so the name on the reservation matters. I would check everything before leaving the hotel and bring identification rather than discovering a problem at the entrance.
Rome is not the place where I would assume, “They probably won’t check.” When an attraction has timed and nominative tickets, I treat the ticket details as part of the visit.
4. I would never buy gelato beside a famous monument without looking at the price first
Being beside Trevi, the Pantheon or Piazza Navona does not automatically mean you are being charged a normal price. Before ordering, I want to see what the different sizes cost.
I also would not judge gelato by how enormous or colourful it looks. A beautiful mountain of gelato piled high above the container may photograph well, but appearance is not how I choose a good gelateria.
5. I would never spend 45 minutes in a gelato queue just because TikTok told me to
This is something I see more and more in Rome. One shop goes viral, suddenly there is a huge queue outside, and visitors spend part of their limited time waiting for something they could find elsewhere without the crowd.
If I have three days in Rome, I value my time too much for that. There are excellent gelaterias all over the city. I would rather walk ten minutes and discover somewhere quieter than spend nearly an hour standing in a line because everyone saw the same video.
6. I would never stand in a huge restaurant queue simply because the restaurant is famous on social media
Osteria da Fortunata is a perfect example of what I mean. It has become extremely popular with visitors, and people sometimes wait outside because they have seen it repeatedly online.
That does not mean there is anything wrong with going there. I simply would not sacrifice a large part of my evening because I believe one viral restaurant is the only place in Rome where I can eat good pasta.
Rome has thousands of places to eat. Carbonara, amatriciana, gricia and cacio e pepe did not suddenly appear when Instagram arrived.
7. I would never leave Rome without eating a maritozzo
Everybody arrives thinking about carbonara, pizza and gelato, but one of Rome’s simplest pleasures is a maritozzo.
It is a soft, slightly sweet Roman bun traditionally filled with a generous amount of whipped cream. Have one with coffee in the morning and you will understand why something so simple has survived as part of Roman food culture.
It is not a complicated gourmet experience. That is exactly the point.
8. I would never throw away my café receipt immediately
This sounds ridiculous until you need the bathroom.
Some cafés and other businesses use a code, barcode or QR system connected to your receipt for toilet access. I normally keep the receipt until I have finished completely and am ready to leave.
It is one of those tiny travel habits that means nothing until you are standing in front of a locked bathroom door looking for the piece of paper you threw away five minutes earlier.
9. I would never pay for every masterpiece I see in Rome
This is one of the biggest misunderstandings visitors have about the city.
Some extraordinary works of art are sitting inside churches that you can simply walk into. Michelangelo’s Moses is in San Pietro in Vincoli. His Risen Christ is in Santa Maria sopra Minerva. His Pietà is inside St. Peter’s Basilica.
You could build an extraordinary art day in Rome without spending the entire day moving between expensive museums.
10. I would never leave Rome without seeing Caravaggio inside a church
This deserves its own point because seeing Caravaggio in Rome is different from seeing him in a museum.
San Luigi dei Francesi holds three paintings connected with Saint Matthew. Sant’Agostino has the Madonna of the Pilgrims, while Santa Maria del Popolo contains two more extraordinary works.
You are seeing these paintings inside Roman churches, surrounded by chapels, altars and architecture rather than isolated on a white museum wall. For me, that context makes the experience even more powerful.
11. I would never drive a rental car into central Rome without understanding the ZTL
This is one mistake that can follow you home.
Rome has restricted traffic zones, and simply following your navigation system is not enough. Cameras can record vehicles entering areas where they are not authorised, and tourists sometimes discover the problem only later.
If I were staying in central Rome, I would think very carefully before bringing a rental car anywhere near my hotel. Rome is a city where a car can quickly become more trouble than freedom.
12. I would never try to walk everywhere
This is one of the biggest mistakes I see people make because Rome looks deceptively manageable on a map.
Yes, I walk a lot in Rome. Walking between the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps makes perfect sense. But I would not turn that into a rule that says every journey must be on foot.
The Vatican, Trastevere, Colosseum, Villa Borghese and other parts of the city can add enormous distances to your day. Then remember that you are also walking inside museums, archaeological sites and churches.
A day that looked like a pleasant sightseeing walk can quietly become 20,000 or 25,000 steps.
I would walk when walking makes the experience better, then use the Metro, bus, tram or taxi when it saves my legs and my time. Rome is too beautiful to spend the final three hours of every day exhausted.
That is probably the biggest lesson I would give anyone coming here for the first time: Rome rewards people who slow down.
You do not need to visit every famous restaurant, stand in every viral queue, walk from one side of the city to the other or pay for every beautiful thing you see.
Sometimes the best Rome experience is the church you walked into for free, the maritozzo you ate without planning it, the gelateria with nobody waiting outside, or simply having enough energy left to wander through Rome after sunset.
