Your cartThe Eternal City of Rome surely changes a lot throughout the four seasons but luckily every period of the year offers different sides that make the city worth visiting!
Rome in winter is truly magical, especially because the city gets less crowded and the price tags get cheaper, making your experience more relaxing and enjoyable.
Also, if you don’t like sweating in the summer heat, the weather will be on your side! Winters in Rome are, in fact, quite optimal and way milder than in other European cities. It almost never gets too cold!
Let us give you some tips to visit Rome this winter!
1. What to pack for visiting Rome in winter
Packing the right clothes and accessories is essential to every trip but especially if you’re visiting a city during the winter. Even though the weather is rarely too cold in Rome, it’s important to plan ahead and bring warm clothes; you don’t want to get sick!
What we suggest is bringing many layers of clothes, or as Italians say: “vestirsi a cipolla”, so that you can be all wrapped up and warm when outside and can take some layers off when you walk into bars or shops where there’s heating. You want to make sure to prevent the “colpo d’aria”, caused by frequent drastic changes in temperature that may happen as you walk out of a heated place without putting your layers back on, that - as mothers and grandmas like to think in Italy - can lead you to get a sore throat or a cold!
We also suggest you bring a raincoat and an umbrella with you at all times and a reusable water bottle that you can fill up at the Nasoni, public fountains that dispense drinkable water for free. It’s a great way to save money and to avoid using too much plastic!
2. Strategize your days by planning ahead
As the days start getting shorter with the sun setting at around 5 PM during the winter, it’s important to strategize your days by planning ahead what you want to do.
Make the most out of the warmer hours (usually from 11 AM to 5 PM) to walk through the city but, at the same time, even though the weather gets colder, don’t forget that Rome at night gets insanely beautiful!
Don’t forget to check the weather forecast while planning your trip!
3. Indoor activities for rainy days in Rome
To avoid spending rainy days in your hotel room, we suggest you go visit Museums and indoor attractions; the lines will surely be shorter and you can easily get around with public transportation or by taxi.
Here are some places that truly make it worth it to get out of bed on rainy days:
- VATICAN MUSEUM: with the Sistine Chapel, Raphael’s transfiguration, the Spiral Staircase and much more, it will surely keep you entertained;
- GALLERIA BORGHESE: with magnificent pieces of art from painters and sculptors such as Antonio Canova, Bernini, Caravaggio, Raphael, and many more;
- CAPITOLINE MUSEUMS: with some of the most important pieces of Medieval and Renaissance art;
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Eat Roman Comfort Foods
Food is one of the core elements of Italian culture and it would be a crime to be in Rome and not try some comfort foods!
Here are some of the dishes that you can’t miss out on if you’re in Rome:
- CARBONARA, AMATRICIANA, GRICIA AND CACIO E PEPE: trying these different types of pasta dishes is one of the best ways to get to know the Eternal City. Every citizen of Rome has a favorite out of the four and what better way to find out yours than by trying all of them?
- MARITOZZO CON LA PANNA: a typical delicious Roman pastry garnished with whipped cream;
- CARCIOFI ALLA ROMANA: artichokes filled with different kinds of roman herbs to give them a delicious flavor.
IN CONCLUSION...
So, if you were worried the winter could badly affect your trip to Rome, we’re sure that by following these tips you will have a fantastic time!
