10 Unexpected Things That Surprised Me in Rome

Rome was my first-ever experience of Europe. I had always dreamed of visiting, and when I finally did, there were quite a few things that shocked me! Here are 10 surprising discoveries I made in Rome that every traveler should know before they go.

10 Unexpected Things That Surprised Me in Rome

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1. How Walkable It Is

During my entire trip to Rome, we never took a taxi, or public transportation (only a shuttle for airport transport). Instead we walked everywhere or used motorized bikes and scooters on the side of the road.

Walking allows you to explore all the beautiful alleys of Rome. We used Google Maps to navigate our entire trip, and no matter what route we took, we always found something cool along the way. I remember being at an intersection, saw a pretty congested street, followed the crowd, and walked up on the Trevi Fountain!

2. There Are So Many Hidden Gems

To my previous point, we would wander the streets and decide which direction to turn on a whim. Of course, I carefully crafted my itinerary for my four days there, yet we still stumbled upon sites we were meant to see on other days.

One day, we saw a handful of people (and really, I mean 5 or 6) walk in or out of a random building. We decided to take a peek at what was going on…

This is what we walked into…

With the power of social media, this may have changed and could be much more well-known now. But stumbling upon something as beautiful as this was the most pleasant surprise. Definitely better than anything I’ve ever planned.

3. The Size of the Historical Sites

I knew the Colosseum was big, but I never expected it to be as big as it actually is! The moment I first saw it was at night, when taking a shuttle to our hotel. When passing it, it took up the entire view of the bus windows! It was overwhelming, to say the least.

The same goes for pretty much every site we went to. The Vatican Musuem, the Pantheon, and the Victor Emmanuel Monument (the birthday cake) were much bigger than they seem on pictures, it really made me stop and think about the time and labor it took to build!

4. The Food Was… Okay…

Hot take, I know.

Don’t get me wrong, the food wasn’t bad, per se. People raved about it so much, my expectations may have been too high. We ate lots of pasta, pizza, arancini, so much gelato, and none of it seemed to leave a mark the way other travel destinations have for me.

I did, however, fall in love with tiramisu while I was there. That, was my foodie highlight of Rome.

5. How Congested It Was With Tourists

Peak season to travel to Rome is typically the summer months, from June to August. Despite going in early April, there were crowds everywhere we went. It seemed like anywhere we went, we stood in a queue.

I highly encourage everyone to buy skip-the-line tickets to the main attractions!

6. Getting Scammed

Even after all my research and reading about scams and pickpockets in Rome, I still fell victim to it.

On the day we planned to visit the Vatican Museum, the line to get in was ridiculously long. It wrapped around the block and stretched all the way to St. Peter’s Basilica. We couldn’t even see the Vatican Museum from where we were standing.

That’s when people started approaching us with “skip-the-line” offers. In a moment of desperation, we gave in. We followed him around for two hours, and finally, we got our tickets… for $90 each.

While on the tour, we chatted with another couple who had bought the same tickets online for much cheaper. Ouch.

Read the entire story here: The Scam I Can’t Believe I Fell For

7. Pizza is Served Unsliced (and Eaten with a Fork and Knife)

The American in me froze when I was given an unsliced pizza on my first night in Rome. I began to tear it with my hands, but when I looked around, others were cutting bite-sized pieces with their knife and eating it with a fork. Instant culture shock.

8. Rome is Somewhat Hilly

Something I didn’t learn during my travel prep was that Rome is actually quite hilly. The city was actually built upon 7 hills! They aren’t overwhelmingly steep, but you’ll definitely feel it after a long day of walking, especially around areas like Trastevere or near the Spanish Steps.

This is worth noting in case you plan to bring a stroller (which I wouldn’t recommend because of the cobblestone) or have any mobility concerns.

9. There’s Graffiti Everywhere

This is definitely a part of Rome that influencers won’t show. At first, it was a bit jarring, but it turns out graffiti is deeply embedded in Roman culture. If you take a tour of the Colosseum, you will see original graffiti carved into marble by the ancient Romans themselves.

10. You Can’t Escape the Smell of Cigarettes

While smoking is generally prohibited in indoor public places and historic sites, I was completely caught off guard by the smell of cigarettes seemingly everywhere we went. This is worth noting if you are sensitive to smoke or even have little ones with you.