How to Do Rome Like a Local

If you’ve read a few of my blog posts about my travels, you’ve probably realized I’m not much of a touristy type person. I like to experience the true, authenticity of the places I visit and not just the Pinterest-worthy hot spots. I actually prefer to stay very far from those places. I think every destination has so much charm and authenticity to offer, we just have to put a little effort into finding it.

Here are some of my tips of how to experience the magical city of Rome in a slightly different way than the other 100,000 people who are also visiting the city that day!

Stay with the locals

Who knows how to avoid touristy spots better than the locals? Or better yet, who knows the best parts of town that tourists don’t know about? The magical spots that have been untouched by Pinterest eyes and the beautiful secret places that they are so proud to call their own of their amazing city.

I stay almost every single night of my travels either with WorkAway or CouchSurfing. WorkAway is a work exchange program where you basically earn your stay with a host family by doing various types of work. I have done everything from nannying, to gardening, to restoring an ancient Italian stone community in my stays with WorkAway.

CouchSurfing is basically a collection of friendly, open-minded people who generously offer you a free place to stay in their house while you are traveling. They ask for nothing in return, just to simply hang out and spend time together during your stay. Sounds too good to be true? Nope, it’s just a community of people who genuinely want to help out other travelers and make great connections with people from all over the world!

I could honestly go on and on and on and on and on and on (okay you get the picture!) about how much more incredible my travels have been by just staying with locals. They have taught me so much about the history of all of the cities and countries that I’m traveling in. They have all given me incredible tours and we have had some of the greatest experiences together! Locals will know better than anyone else how to have an incredible experience in the beautiful city they call home.

My first night in Rome, my host took me and another CouchSurfer on a night tour of the ancient city. He took us to the Pantheon, showed us all the best nighttime views of the city, brought us to the famous Trevi Fountain, and bought us dinner at his favorite Mediterranean restaurant! The next night, we cooked dinner together and then salsa danced the night away at Pala Cavicci!

The next host I stayed with cooked me a delicious Italian meal, helped me with my Italian, and took me all around town and showed me all his favorite spots on his vespa! The two things on my Rome bucket list were throwing a coin in the Trevi Fountain, and riding around town with a local on a moped, and I got both! Talk about living the dream! I would have never had these experiences if I just stayed in a hotel or Air BnB.

Have Your Own Tours

When walking through Rome, there is absolutely no doubt you will see hundreds or even thousands of tourists in groups of about 10-20 all with bright colored headphones occupying their ears, being herded around the city with their tour guide shepherd.

The first reason I don’t particularly care for these types of tours is that they require this little thing called money. And if you can tell from any of my blog posts, I do not like spending money. At all. I will find any and every way I possibly can to not spend money during my travels without compromising the excitement of the trip.

The second reason I don’t really like these tours is because it’s just large groups of people who are going to places with even larger groups of people and as much as I genuinely love people, I honestly just prefer to venture away from the crowds and experience the quieter, more peaceful spots of the city.

However, I do genuinely want to know about the history and culture of the city. So, how can you get both? Download free walking tour podcasts/apps. There are many options out there, but my favorite one is Rick Steve’s Audio Europe. He gives very entertaining and informative tours of almost anywhere you will find yourself in Europe. On the app, he has both podcasts on just general history and information about the city of Rome, and he also has guided walking tours that come with clearly labeled and marked maps.

I absolutely love learning about the history of the different churches or buildings I’m visiting, so it is very nice to have a guide telling me all about everything that I’m looking at. But what’s so great about this personal tour is that you can pause it at any point and just have your own personal exploration and marveling time. I cannot even count how many places in this beautiful city that have completely taken my breath away, and there have been many times where I have just needed to pause my tour to stand in awe of the art that I am in the midst of. While guided tours do give you time to stand in awe, there is always the pressure of making sure you are back with the group on time. I prefer to not have time constraints on my exploration time, so these audio tours are perfect for me!

Talk to People, Make Friends!

I have had some of the most amazing experiences just from being an open person and talking to locals around the city. One morning, I was sitting at Giardino Deli Aranci (which is probably my favorite spot in Rome) looking out at the incredible view of the city. Then a guitarist showed up and started playing some beautiful music. I just sat there and enjoyed the sights and sounds and after a few songs, the guitarist, Roberto came up to me and asked if there were any songs I wanted him to play. From there, we started talking about songs and music and guitars and just as he was about to start playing again, a news program showed up to film a segment, so he wasn’t able to play anymore. I didn’t really have plans for the day, just going wherever the wind was going to take me, so he asked if he could show me some of his favorite spots in Rome.

We first grabbed a cappuccino at a café near the park (because it’s basically a requirement in Europe to drink a coffee at least every two hours). After our coffee refuel, we walked over to the Aventine Keyhole, which is a lesser known spot at the top of Aventine Hill where you can peek through the keyhole and get a perfect telescoped view of St. Peter’s Basilica perfectly outlined by the shrubs in the garden of Villa del Priorato di Malta (you can read more about this magical keyhole here). After this, we grabbed lunch at Trapizzino, the most beloved Roman street food where they basically take pizza crust and stuff it with various, delicious Roman style cuisine. I got the doppia panna, which is just oozing out Stracciatella, the greatest cheese in the world! After lunch, Roberto showed me one of his favorite spots in Rome, the Cimitero Acattolico. I’m not usually one for cemeteries because honestly, dead things kinda creep me out, but this one was so beautiful. Also, it was kind of a gloomy afternoon, cloudy and drizzly, which is the perfect setting to visit a cemetery.

A different day exploring the city, I happily stumbled across a praise and worship session that was happening in Trinita dei Monti, which is the church at the top of the Spanish Steps. I stayed for the entire worship session, and the girl leading it came up to me at the end and just started a conversation with me, asking where I was from and what I was doing in Rome. We ended up talking for a while and she invited me to lunch at her university the next day. She and ten other students from all over the world are studying Catholic evangelization??? At the university connected to the church. Lunch was so nice to just hear all of these people’s stories of where they’re from and how they all ended up together at this university. After lunch, Natalia gave me a tour of the whole place and we just hung out and shared stories. It was such a cool experience.

Learn Some Italian

It honestly blows my mind how many people give me shocked looks when I say buongiorno instead of good morning. This is one of the most commonly used words in Italian and a really easy word to learn. I love the even more shocked looks on people’s face when I say “Posso avere un cornetto con la crema per favore?” which means “Can I have a croissant with cream please?”. So many shop owners and café workers will be pleasantly surprised when they hear you know a few words of Italian. Getting back on the subject of making friends and meeting people, this is a great conversation starter and you will most likely have some great conversations with them and they might even teach you some new words or phrases!

Learning a bit of Italian also just gives you a way to make genuine relationships with the people you encounter. I have honestly been pretty surprised by the lack of English that I’ve encountered in Italy so far. Yes, people speak it in all the tourist shops and the restaurants near all the hot spots, but outside of that, English is not spoken as much as I thought it would be. Being in different situations, staying with hosts from CouchSurfing, or just making friends around town, there have been so many situations where I am with a group of people and not a single word of English is being spoken. My Italian is very simple and very broken, but by knowing a bit of the language, when I’m in these situations, at least I am able to contribute a little. It’s also nice for when you meet those friends that also don’t know a word of your language and you’re able to have at least a small connection.

Step off the Beaten Path

I know when you visit Rome, there is that list of must-sees on your trip.  Of course, these are considered must-sees for a reasons, because they are incredible. But in your race to see all of these “can’t miss” spots, make sure you’re not missing seeing the authentic beauty of the city. This is found in the hidden alleyways, the quiet, serene spot by the lake, the lesser known piazzas and gardens you just happen to stumble across. When planning your trip, if you absolutely must see all of the hot spots, make sure you squeeze in some time to just get lost. To not have a destination in mind and to just wander through the never-ending maze of beautifully architectured streets. I feel that this is the time where you truly experience the magic of Rome. Find the hidden gems, the spots that got tucked under the rug, the undiscovered places that truly take your breath away.

Rome has so much more to offer than the overcrowded and overphotographed spots where you almost can’t even see the monuments because of all the selfie sticks in your way. I wouldn’t even be able to compile a list of all the beautiful hidden gems that I have stumbled across and a thousand more that I haven’t had the pleasure of discovering.

Well, there you have it, this is my guide for how to do Rome like a local! Rome is an incredible city and I think it should be on everyone’s list to visit at least once in their lives. Have any questions about ways that I experienced Rome? Have you been to Rome and have done some non-touristy things that I didn’t include? I would love to hear about them, so leave me a comment!

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Travelers never think that they are foreigners

-Mason Cooley