Hi friends! Welcome back for another recap of our trip to Italy. Today I am sharing our amazing trip to Rome; highlighting all of the gluten-free details you need to know. We took this trip at the end of 2019 with our best friends. It is so special that we can share these memories with them. One of our friends is also gluten-free/celiac {I call her my GFF; gluten-free-friend}, so together we found a lot of GF spots in Italy. In this post I am going to share where we stayed, the places we ate and how we filled our days. For my gluten-free readers, I am happy to report no gluten-tummy aches on this trip.
At the time of our trip, COVID-19 was not yet part of our everyday lives or being reported by the media. Little did we know that our world would enter a pandemic a few months after we returned home. I am so thankful we were able to go on this trip and I am looking forward to traveling again one day. By sharing this post today, I hope you can tuck it away for your future travel plans. Be sure to check out my How to Packing Guide for Italy in December (click here) and Italy Travel Guide: Gluten Free Florence (click here).
Rome
Where to Stay
During our time in Rome we stayed at TriviHo Hotel which is in the Trevi area. We were able walk to all major must-see sights on our list with the exception of the Vatican and Colosseum area (keep reading). When booking a hotel in Rome, our focus was on comfort of the room and its proximity to areas we wanted to visit. Unlike our stay in Florence and Tuscany, getting a good view from the room was not a priority. Although our room was tiny, it was clean, comfy and had all of the amenities we needed. The staff at the front desk was also very accommodating and helpful. I recommend booking directly through the TriviHo website to get the rate.
After we both booked our rooms, I emailed the hotel and asked for tour recommendations; they quickly responded and suggested Grayline Rome. Upon arrival, we asked the concierge at the front desk helped us coordinate a taxi pickup to take us to the airport on our last day. It gave us peace of mind having this squared away off the bat. At this time we also asked the concierge for general tips on navigating the city. He gave us notes on a map which we used throughout our time in Rome. As a side note, I also paid for mobile data on this trip. In a group of four, only one of us needed to have it so we could access maps a needed. Although its not totally necessary, it did come in handy. It is not a good idea to use public WiFi especially highly touristy areas, so I avoid it at all costs.
Where to Eat
The first place we stopped for food in Rome was at Pizza in Trevi. It is literally a few steps away from the Trevi Fountain. We all opted for pizza and of course, wine. Pizza in Trevi is where we learned about Associate of Italian Celiacs (AIC). My understanding of the AIC is that it is organization that advocates for the research, education and awareness of celiacs disease. Restaurants, such as Pizza in Trevi, can earn an AIC certification that is displayed in their window and on their menus. This means that the restaurant is certified gluten-free. At Pizza in Trevi, my plate was different and my utensils came in a sealed paper pouch. These precautionary measures were so comforting to me and my GFF.
We went to Enoteca Barberini twice while in Rome. Once for a late light lunch and again for dinner. Here we enjoyed delicious meats, cheeses, pizza and a good selection of wine. This was the only place we ate at on our trip that had live acoustic music.
After our tour of the Vatican we stopped for lunch at Mama Eat. Everything here is gluten-free. If you haven’t caught on by now, I was on a quest to try as much pizza as possible in Italy. Naturally, I ordered pizza for lunch at Mama Eat along with Mama Crocchè (fried potato croquettes) and a gluten-free Peroni. Yes, you read that correct. Gluten-free Peroni. I am usually more of a wine girl, but I could definitely make room for this beer in my life.
We had the most amazing gelato Fiocco di Neve which is also AIC certified. There were so many flavors, toppings and delicious cones. This gelato spot is fairly close to the Panteon. It was so nice, we stopped there twice.
Where to Play
When we were in Florence, we opted to not signup for any tours, but for our visit to Rome, we felt that tours would make the most of our short stay. At the recommendation of our hotel concierge, we signed up for through through Grayline Rome. Through the Grayline website we were also able to arrange to be picked up at our hotel and dropped off at the starting point of the tour. However, transportation back to our hotel once the tours ended was not available. We were in Rome for just less than 3 full days, so we had a lot to see in a short time.
The first day we quickly settled into our hotel then when sightseeing on our own. A few areas that we visited on our own were the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, the Panteon and Piazza Navona. All were a reasonable walk from our hotel. I would recommend stopping by the Trevi Fountain and the Panteon both early in the morning and at night. They’re equally as stunning at both times of the day. If you want to toss a coin into the Trevi, this is also the time to do it. It gets really crowded mid-morning through the dinner hour. Also keep in mind, that some mornings (possible every morning) the Trevi Fountain is cleaned out, so you won’t be able to get super close at during the cleaning. We also visited the Piazza Navona and the Spanish Steps very early. I suggest grabbing a cappuccino and walking around these areas before the crowds.
On day two after we spent the morning on our own were were picked-up for our Grayline walking tour of the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. I believe this tour ran about 2 hours which was a reasonable amount of time for us. Our group move along at a good pace and our tour guide was excellent. I loved the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Everything about this area looked as if I was looking at a painting; stoic and serene. From Palantine Hill, we ended up walking about to the Trevi Fountain area.
Our third day started with an early morning Grayline “skip-line” tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica. By the time we arrived at our tour group meeting point, there were already lines wrapping around the entrance to the Vatican. For the reason alone, I highly recommend utilizing a tour service to visit the Vatican. Vatican City is beautiful, but I still cannot fathom waiting outside for hours to get in when you can still the line with a tour service.
Similar to our first Grayline experience, our tour guide in Vatican City was fantastic. He shared so much history with us. This tour was a bit longer than the Colosseum; it ran about 2.5 hours. Both tours included audio sets (with new earphones), so we could clearly hear the guides throughout our tour. Once this tour was over, we stopped for lunch just outside of Vatican City then opted to take the subway home. Knowing that we wouldn’t have transportation back to our hotel, we asked the shuttle drive for recommendations. His tips coupled with what the concierge shared with us gave us enough info to take the subway. These tips were critical because one of the major subway lines was closed. It was really pretty easy to figure out and follow the signs. The hardest part was swiping our tickets, but luckily there were a lot of people around, so we watched what they did.
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