Ciao y'all!
NaturallyKenya here and welcome back to my channel.
In this video, I'm going to take you on a tour of Rome.
Not a physical tour, but basically, a visual tour of the coolest neighborhoods in Rome
or the neighborhoods in Rome I find interesting to live in.
If you are new here, my name is Kenya, yes like the country, and I'm an American girl
documenting my experiences while living abroad in Rome, Italy.
From food to travel to sharing some of my life abroad tips with you, this is what you
will find on my channel.
So, if you haven't already, make sure to subscribe.
Hit that notification bell, so you get notified every time I upload.
Moving on...
Let's talk cool neighborhoods in Rome, Italy.
This video goes a bit hand-in-hand with my previous "Looking for an Apartment in Rome"
video, so if you haven't already, make sure to check that out and I will link it below
in the description box for you guys and also link it here, so make sure you head over there
after you watch this video.
Let's just be clear, Rome is a large and sprawling city.
Ok.
There are different Italian administrative districts and those are called rioni.
So, let's start the tour.
I wanted to start with the 13th rione in Rome and that is Trastevere.
Trastevere literally means "on the other side of the Tiber River" and it has a live, local
atmosphere, it's a bit bohemian and for me personally, it is a bit too touristic for
my taste.
It is beautiful though, so wait.
Just following along with me here...
It is across the Tiber River from the Historical Center and it is filled with a variety of
restaurants and bars.
You can find traditional trattorias and pizzerias here, along with Michelin-starred restaurants
as well.
By night, it can be a bit crazy, so I do suggest that if you do want to stay in Trastevere,
you have more of a party vibe or just, like, you are a cocktail scene kind-of person.
There is no metro here, so it is best to walk from the Centro Storico.
Speaking of the Centro Storico, let's move on to that!
It is a group of many rioni and it is actually classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site
since 1980.
It has a variety of different marketplaces for shopping, you can socialize over a bit
of food and drink with your friends, basically, it is everything you need in your life and
more.
Many of the major and most important attractions are located in this rione, like the Trevi
Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon.
These are all hot ticket items you will find in this area.
Not only is it filled with cobblestoned streets, this is where the atmosphere of Rome is truly
felt.
It isn't a very cheap place to stay, but it is very comfortable and very Italian.
It is full of tourists though and I don't really recommend it if you do want to get
around by car.
A vespa or scooter, yes.
A car, no.
If you have not yet made your way to Rome, I definitely suggest that you stay in the
Centro Storico during your first trip to Rome.
Living though, it can be a bit expensive and not that comfortable if you do want to drive
around or park your car.
It is also not that convenient, to me personally, if you do want to take public transportation
like the metro.
You do have connections, but they are a bit outside of the historical center.
So, let's talk about the second rione located in the Centro Storico and that is Trevi.
Yes, like the Trevi Fountain.
It is touristic, but still elegant.
It is home to, of course, the Trevi Fountain, like the name suggests, and also nearby are
the Spanish Steps.
It is very busy during the day, and decently quiet at night.
It is home to Palazzo del Quirinale.
The only downside to this is that there is no metro in this area, but if you just want
to walk around, and you know, get your exercise in, it's perfect.
Moving on to the first rione in Rome and that is Monti.
It borders the Colosseum and Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore.
It is a very charming area of Rome and I actually recommend this area as well if it is your
first time visiting Rome.
The main square, Piazza Madonna dei Monti is a hot spot when people want to start their
night off right, with an aperitivo, you just pop open a bottle of wine in the local square,
share a few drinks, and laughs with your friends, it is really great and I can't wait for it
to re-open after this pandemic has concluded.
There are cobble-stone streets, ivy on the buildings for that extra element of charm,
and great small boutiques and wine bars.
Also, it has a major street running through the area and that is Via Nazionale.
Here, you can find a metro stop as well, Cavour, it is actually a part of the Blue Line or
Line B. Moving on to Prati, the 22nd rione of Rome, and Vatican City, which isn't a part
of Rome or Italy, but it does border Prati, so I wanted to mention it in this section
as well.
Of course, you haven't been to Rome unless you've seen Castel Sant'Angelo, Saint Peter's
Basilica, or the Vatican Museums.
It is a more traditional part of the city, but it is exclusive and upscale.
It is a quieter, more residential area of Rome with good restaurants, wine bars, cocktail
lounges, and still very well-connected to the city.
It is a very safe area as well, with a main street called Via Cola di Rienzo.
Here you can find the metro, the Red line or Line A with stops, Ottaviano and Lepanto.
Moving on to Testaccio, the 20th rione of Rome, and it is located across from Trastevere
and has that very Roman feel.
Restaurants are deeply rooted in the "cucina romana" or the traditional Roman cuisine.
This area is actually built around Monte dei cocchi, which means "broken pot mountain'
and it is a waste artificial mound, built from old, broken, ancient Roman pottery from
the time of the Roman Empire.
Pretty interesting stuff, huh?
There are also discoteche and bars in this area as well, and it is home to the modern
art museum and architectural school called Mattatoio, which used to be an old slaughterhouse.
Yeah, that's for a turn of events.
It does have the metro running through this area as well as the regional train lines and
that is going to be the Blue line, Line B, with stop Piramide.
There are many areas outside of the Centro Storico that I thought would be great to mention
as well in this video.
So, let's move on to Municipality 5, called Pigneto.
Pigneto is an urban area and it's very trendy and transforms from caffè-sipping-on-the-terrace
to open-air bars and electronic music at night.
It's like the Brooklyn of Rome, with hipsters and markets and it's really not touristic
at all.
This is the area where you can find all the Romans with tattoos.
There are very traditional pizzerias and trattorias here, with really chill happy hour / aperitivo
bars and gelaterias.
It is more economical and still pretty close to the historic center.
The pedestrian area of Via del Pigneto can be seen as the nightlife strip.
Here you can find a metro line as well.
New and improved.
It's the Green line, or Line C with stops Pigneto and Malatesta.
So, let's move on to the 10th quarter of Rome called Ostiense.
I'm going to group Garbatella in this area as well.
It is close to the left bank of the Tiber River, near Via Ostiense and the home of Eataly.
That is definitely a wonderful grocery shopping experience.
It is definitely residential and home to Rome's street art scene, with work from many Roman
world-renown graffiti artists.
It is eclectic, vibrant, and actually home to Gasometro, which is the city's old gas
structure.
Here, you can actually find a metro line as well, that is the Blue line or B, called Piramide.
So, let's talk Garbatella in Municipio "Otto", eight.
It is a nice neighborhood, full of some of the most interesting architecture in Rome
and a lot of young, creative Romans.
It is a charming, eclectic, and very traditional area of Rome, with many yummy, yummy trattorias.
There is actually Line B or the Blue line here with stop Garbatella.
Let's move on to the 15th rione and that is called Esquilino.
It is actually named after Esquiline Hill which is one of the seven hills of Rome.
It is south of Termini and is probably home to the most diversity in Rome as well.
This area contains many immigrants from all over the world, especially Asia and North
Africa.
It's a bit run down, but you do have a lot of international and multicultural dining
options here.
Especially, if you want an Italian food break and even food markets are located in this
area as well.
If you want some diversity, you definitely come to this rione, and it is home to one
of the major basilicas in Rome as well, and that's Santa Maria Maggiore.
Here, you have the Metro line, Red or Line A, with the stop Vittorio Emanuele.
Let's move on to the Jewish Quarter or Jewish Ghetto, which is actually in the 11th rione
of Rome called Sant'Angelo.
This area is full of traditional restaurants, including places to try Roman-Jewish cuisine.
It is centrally located and contains many boutique stores and contains a large part
of the Jewish history in Rome.
I think this area is so beautiful and vibrant, with a medieval feel.
Moving on to Parioli and Trieste, these are the 2nd and 17th quarters of Rome, respectively.
It is one of the wealthier neighborhoods in Rome, it is very quiet and very residential.
Home to Villa Borghese Park, trendy restaurants, bars, and nightlife.
So, let's talk San Lorenzo.
So, this is an urban area with bohemian vibes and can be a bit grungy at times.
The nightlife is full of students and it's close to the largest university in Rome, Sapienza.
It is filled with young artists and bookshops, it is part of the young Roman scene.
The closest metro to this area is actually Termini with all of the lines intersecting,
particularly A and B. Let's go a bit south to EUR, yes.
E-U-R, which is so difficult to pronounce if you are not Italian.
it is a part of southern Rome and filled with fascist architecture from the times...
Guys, I mean, Rome is an old city, you have to have that...
You will likely stay in this area if you work for any international company.
This area is located closer to Ostia, which is where you usually go if you want to start
your journey to the sea.
I recommend this area for families or employees that have a job in the area.
The area can be a bit boring, in my opinion, for nightlife, but that's just my opinion...
Well, that's all for this video.
If you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to my channel and I will see you guys in the
next one.
Ciao y'all!