After exploring Barcelona a few months earlier, we decided to head back to Europe to check out a few other cities that were catching our attention at the time as we navigated a potential move abroad. We had been to Rome before but never spent enough time there. And while we had previously spent a whole week on the Amalfi Coast, we never visited Salerno. While we could see ourselves living in Rome, neither city struck us the way we had hoped for; that said, it was an absolute joy to be back in Italy enjoying some of its finest pleasures as a visitor.

We did not rent a car while visiting. We walked A LOT in Rome, used taxis/rideshares (mostly through the Free Now app) when walking wasn’t viable, took the train from Rome to Salerno, and walked/ferried in Salerno and the Amalfi Coast.
Being a pedestrian in Rome can be intimidating. Even when we had the right of way (like at a crosswalk), cars didn’t stop for us if we just stood there waiting for them to. We had to take a more aggressive approach: just walking out and forcing cars to stop. This took a few days to get used to.
There are LOTS (too many, really) of museums and cultural sights in Italy. We picked out the ones we really cared about and booked tickets ahead where possible.
We ran into large crowds of schoolchildren EVERYWHERE. It got tiring. Maybe May is field trip high season?

Breakfast at the hotel.
Walked through Trastevere. The northwest corner in particular is really fun to wander around.
Scenic view at Belvedere del Gianicolo.
Walked down to Ponte Sisto from Fontana dell'Acqua Paola.
Walked through Centro Storico. Peeked at the Pantheon.
Lunch at Le Segerete. Really tasty and great service.
Walked around Via dei Condotti.
Piazza di Spagna and the Spanish Steps.
Trevi Fountain.
Piazza del Quirinale. Nice views.
Dinner at Nannarella. The food was decent.

Breakfast at the hotel
Walked around Aventino: Giardino degli Aranci, Buco della serratura dell’Ordine di Malta.
Walked around Rione XI Sant’Angelo: Marcellus Theater, Erica Ravenna Gallery, Snack from Forno del Ghetto. This Jewish ghetto of Rome is really worth a visit.
Galleria Lorcan O’Neill Roma.
Market at Piazza Campo de’ Fiori.
Lunch at Hostaria Farnese. Pretty good.
Walked down Via Giulia.
Ponte Sant’Angelo. The view from this bridge is classic.
Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum. The hill is very serene, so we spent a lot of time there before descending into the crowds of people at the Forum.
Piazza del Campidoglio and streets to the south. Just stumbled on this spot. Nice square with cool streets nearby.
Dinner at Osteria Circo.

Breakfast from Bar MART.in. (picked up the day before).
Vatican City: VIP Guided Tour at the Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel, including lunch at Bistrot della Pigna. The VIP tour got us in before opening. It was worth it, especially for the Sistine Chapel. The included meal was terrible, but we didn’t expect better.
Walked around Prati.
Walked around Aventino: Roseto Comunale.
Dinner at Frontoni. Cheap and delicious pizza.
Gelato from Otaleg. Really good.
Dessert from Tiramisù. Not good.
Giardino Sant’Alessio.

Breakfast at the hotel.
Walked through Testaccio: Testaccio Market, lunch at Da Teo a Testaccio.
Galleria Borghese. Not our favorite kind of art, but we wanted to push ourselves. This is a good museum to do it: it’s a good size and is well set up.
Walked around Quartiere Coppedè. Super quirky villas.
Walked through Trastevere: Bilulu, where we met Lucrezia and learned more about their work.
Dinner at Il Tarallo. It was hit or miss.

Breakfast at the hotel.
MAXXI National Museum of 21st Century Art. Confusing layout and noisy construction, but it was still a worthwhile visit, especially for the building’s architecture.
Lunch at Piccolo Arancio.
Gagosian. Quick visit where we were completely alone.
Walked through Centro Historico.
Gelato from Geleteria ai Cerchi.
Dinner at La Gattabuia.
Gelato from Panna & Co.

Breakfast at the hotel.
Took the train from Rome to Salerno. Pleasant and easy.
Checked into our Airbnb after lugging our suitcases 25 minutes up cobblestone hills.
Walked around Salerno.
Gelato from Bar Nettuno.
Dinner from L’Angolo del Calzone.
Dessert from Landi Pasticceria e Caffetteria.

Breakfast from Pasticceria Diana.
Giardino della Minerva. Great views. We had it (and the intense lemon fragrance) to ourselves.
Walked out to the end of the breakwater. A longer walk than it first appears, but so fun.
Lunch at Don Antonio Pizzeria.
Villa Comunale Si Salerno.
Chocolates from Dolceria Pantaleone. Chaotic and unfriendly.
Dinner from Arepa’s Town. One can only eat so much pasta. This was a welcomed—and tasty —break!