I’m convinced I could spend a lifetime in Rome and still be in awe of it. How you turn a corner and suddenly see the Colosseum, pockmarked by two millenniums of history… How the pasta is so good it’s almost magical… Or how ancient relics and modern society intertwine so marvelously. But, alas, I only had five days to explore the tourist attractions in Rome — and the city itself — so I crammed in as much as I could and promised myself I’d be back.

Italy was a dream destination I’d waited my whole life to visit. I spent 10 days traveling alone through Rome, Venice, and Milan with three goals. Tour the Colosseum, explore the ruins of Pompeii, and see the opera. But of course my secondary focus was food. And oh my did I find a lot of it!

Rome is a city famous for its sights and, unfortunately, they bring throngs of tourists. I’ve always struggled with things that are famous for being famous (you know, like the Kardashians) and Rome has its fair share of that, too. So here’s the good, the bad, and the delicious about Rome… and a breakdown of the overrated vs. underrated tourist attractions in Rome.

Rome: The Good, The Bad & The Delicious

The Good :: Must See Tourist Attractions in Rome

The Colosseum is the icon of Rome, and some may even argue Italy. It’s a magical structure built in 80 A.D., which blows my mind that it’s still standing. The history of it is fascinating — how it was built, how it fell into decline, how it was pillaged in the Medieval period, how it became respected again. And of course the best way to learn about all this is a guided tour.

“Skip the line” is a big buzzword for Italian tourist sites because the lines to get in are outrageously long. So tourist sites offer “skip the line” tickets that essentially allow you to pay a higher price so you don’t have to wait in line for hours. But there are so many tourists, especially in Rome, that even the skip the line lines are incredibly long.

Luckily I went above and beyond, signing up for an all-encompassing Colosseum tour that included underneath the arena, the arena stage, the top tiers of the stadium, and the Roman Forum. Plus it was a small group (only five of us) and we got immediate access inside, skipping the skip the line line (that was actually paused because the Colosseum reached capacity at 11 am). It was expensive, but worth every single penny. (Also worth noting: these tours sells out way in advance, so book yours early!)

The Pantheon was another old relic that was awesome. Again, standing for nearly two thousand years, the temple-turned-church was built in 113 A.D. and is still the largest concrete dome in the world. It’s free to get in and the long line moved really quickly. It’s definitely worth a stop.

The Bad :: Overrated Tourist Attractions in Rome

But several tourist attractions in Rome are overrated at best. Yes, I might be a Scrooge for raining on the sightseeing parade. But honestly, the Spanish Steps are just a street of steps overrun by tourists and therefore people selling touristy crap like selfie sticks and roses. And now that it’s illegal to sit on the Steps it’s easily passable.

The Trevi Fountain edges pretty closely to the overrated territory, too. The massive fountain is indeed pretty, especially to see it when it’s empty like I did. (Hint: go really late at night and you’ll practically have it to yourself!) But I wasn’t about to succumb to the myth that throwing in a coin will ensure my return to Rome or meet a Roman lover. After all, nearly 3,000€ a day is thrown into the fountain!

By far the most overrated — or maybe just the most over-crowded — is Vatican City. It was an absolute nightmare. Unlike the Colosseum, there is no cap on the number of visitors allowed inside the Vatican Museums and between 40,000 – 45,000 people A DAY go inside. And it is a claustrophobic’s nightmare, even with the guided, skip the line tour I had. (Here’s more on why I hated Vatican City.)

The Delicious :: Food, Wine & Whiskey

Before you think I’m just a downer on everything, I admit I’m not a big fan of touristy spots or crowds in the first place. I prefer sipping on Prosecco in piazzas much more; and Piazza Navona was an easy favorite.

And so were the rest of my meals in Rome. From corner cafés serving pesto pasta to restaurants near the river serving cacio e pepe, the food was phenomenal. Taverna Trilussa Trastevere was the most memorable, for both the food and the service, but I almost can’t complain about a single meal. (Ironically, the Michelin-starred Moma was my least favorite meal.)

I arrived armed with a list of must eat dishes in Rome, like cacio e pepe and carbonara, and all of them were just as incredible as I hoped. But now I don’t think I can eat them in the States again because they just won’t be the same! (More on what to eat in Rome here.)

Whiskey in Rome

One thing I definitely didn’t expect to find was whiskey in Rome. Italy is a world-renowned wine region and my search for whiskey bars in Rome only produced one result: Gregory’s Jazz Bar. But as a fan of jazz and whiskey, I stopped by one night and was pleasantly surprised. The tiny bi-level bar has live jazz upstairs and a cozy bar downstairs with 180+ whiskeys. Majority of the whiskey list is single malt (swoon!) but there’s a small handful of American bottles too. And the bar manager, Sonny, was great to nerd out on whiskey with!

Another discovery was Whisky & Co., a whiskey shop in Rome near the Spanish Steps. They specialize in vintage and hard-to-find bottles, but the shop has a well-rounded selection of world whiskies too. They even have an exclusive single cask of Kilchoman bottled for the Rome Whisky Festival. I had fun talking whiskey with Andrea, who is well-versed in all things whiskey.

And the Underrated

Opera in Rome

The opera is hardly considered one of the main tourist attractions in Rome. But if you are a fan of music or architecture, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma is an underrated spot definitely worth checking out. Unfortunately there are no tours of the opera house, so to see inside you’ll have to get an opera ticket. But don’t worry, subtitles are projected in English and Italian, and the performances are bound to be good. After all, opera itself began in Italy!

And Italians are notoriously harsh critics. I saw a modern interpretation of Don Giovanni that had a few awkward scenes and the crowd hissed and booed when the curtain fell. I couldn’t believe it! (The singing was excellent but the staging… was not.)

Day Trips from Rome

And finally, Pompeii doesn’t make the list of tourist attractions in Rome because it’s 150 miles south. But it’s actually doable to take a day trip to Pompeii from Rome, which I did with a guided tour that included Naples. It was a long day but more than worth it! As amazing as Rome is, it’s close to plenty of other places doable in a day. You can also take a day trip from Rome to Florence, Tuscany, Capri and more. (More on Pompeii here.)

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Related :: Why Italy is the Perfect Place for a Solo Trip, What to Eat in Rome, Why I Hated Vatican City

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