In February of 2015, in fact on valentine’s day, I took my one giant suitcase filled with my life, hopped on the train from Puglia and moved to Rome!

Rome turned into a beautiful, fun, young, artsy and party filled home. I made amazing friends, which was fairly easy as the city is full of expats and foreigners and they have a great and very inclusive community. The one big downside of Rome is that it is easy to always be a tourist; especially as a tall blue eyed blonde who speaks Italian with an unfortunately thick American accent, there was no mistaking me for a real Italian. Therefore, I never felt like a local and before knowing locals (or long term expats) I only stumble upon the very touristy restaurants and bars.

Rome is truly one of history’s greatest cities that is still surprising well preserved. If you have the chance to visit do not skip over any of the ancient Roman ruins, the palatine hill and Colosseum are incredible and should be admired by anyone who has the chance to visit and see what our ancestors left us from thousands of years ago. Truly mind blowing! Roman history is immense and I have been studying it for years and hardly scratched the surface.

One of the things I learned in Rome, is that no matter how long I spent exploring, I could always find something new. I have still not seen all I want to and the more I search travel blogs, and hear friends’ stories the more my list grows. From the trips and months I lived there, here are my top three favorite places to visit: 

(they are also great activities for budget travelers!)

1. Villa Borghese: by far my number one recommendation! It is the perfect place for everyone: budget travelers, romantic vaca, or a girls trip to Italy! It is the central park of Rome and absolutely giant! I’d often go with friends there to picnic and lay around in the sun sipping wine. It is not just a park however, there is also an art museum with an extraordinary collection, a zoo, a skate park, and several little bars/cafes. It is easy to spend an entire day wandering through Villa Borghese.
   
2. Trastevere: For the best night life you must go to Trastevere, one of Rome’s neighborhoods that is situated near the Tevere River. It is full of restaurants and bars, and the piazzas and streets are always full of people socializing, and drinking. One of my favorite bars is famous for making all chocolate drinks! It is called Cioccolata e Vino  and if you want a shot that tastes like the best chocolate cake you’ve ever eaten then you have to go there!
3. Take a walk from Piazza Del Popolo down Via del Babuino. This is one of my favorite activities. In Piazza del Popolo there is always street performers and you can go see a free concert while sitting near the lions. Then if you go down Via del Babuino (towards the Spanish steps) you will see an array of galleries and street artists. The street is lined with booths and many have artists sitting there continuing their work. It is the perfect lazy Sunday activity and amazing if you are on a budget!