The Best Things To Do In Rome In Winter
As I have pointed out before, winter is a great time of year to visit all the main tourist attractions in Rome. Other than those, you will have a bunch of other interesting things to do. Here are a few ideas.
Celebrate Christmas in Rome
Christmas celebrations in Rome are wonderful. For starters, if you go to the Vatican City on Christmas Day you can be there to receive the traditional blessing and the Christmas message from the Pope himself.
There’s also the chance to indulge in delicious Italian Christmas foods, such as lamb cooked with garlic and rosemary and hearty vegetables, pasta, and sweet treats like panettone.
And New Year’s Eve
You’ll never be stuck for things to do for New Year’s Eve in Rome, because there’s always a party happening somewhere – well, everywhere, actually. After eating a meal with friends or family, Romans take to the streets which are transformed into a city-wide festival.
This is particularly centered on the Circus Maximus – expect fireworks and concerts. For midnight, other Romans head to lookout points around the city to see firework displays taking place – the Pincio and the Gianicolo Hills, for example.
Go ice-skating
Ice skating – in Rome? This may not seem like the most Roman thing you could be doing, but what a dreamy way to spend a cold day in the Italian capital! There is actually a selection of different ice rinks that pop up around the city as the temperature drops. Choose from a handful of locations with iconic landmarks as the backdrop to your skating shenanigans, such as Castel Sant’Angelo.
Alternatively, opt for an indoor adventure at places like Ice Village Roma and the Auditorium Parco della Musica. Rinks pop up around the middle of December and run until February.
Celebrate Chinese New Year
Don’t forget Chinese New Year – Rome is home to a sizeable Chinese community, and during Chinese New Year, you can expect celebrations in the city. Usually in mid-to-late February, the celebrations include a parade with lion dances, floats, and music – it runs from Via del Corso and ends at Piazza del Popolo.
Sip coffee in cafes
What more Roman pastime could there be than bundling into a cafe for a quick espresso wrapped up in your coat, then tumbling back out into the chilly streets? It’s much more romantic than in summer, when the thought of an espresso can be a little daunting given the high temperatures.
Now, pepped up on caffeine, you’ll be well fueled to explore the city, find a charming street to wander down, or hit up a storied museum. While sipping a coffee over a long time isn’t really traditional, there are a growing number of coffeehouse-style cafes where you can while away the hours over a large coffee and a book.
Warm up with wine
Sometimes there’s just no better way to spend a wintry afternoon than with a couple of glasses of wine. The best place for this sort of thing is in one of Rome’s many charming and comfortable enotecas. These are the ideal places to sit down with some wine, contemplate the museum you just visited, and enjoy the buzz of the locals sitting around you.
Some of these include Il Vinaietto – a real traditional kind of place with an unspoiled atmosphere and affordable wines – or Chourmo, a local spot with a fantastic selection of wines and live jazz on weekends. One of my absolute favorites, however, is La Cuverie, in Trastevere.
Tuck into seasonal food
It’s not just about the Christmas food, but the seasonal food in Rome that makes winter an ideal time to visit the city for foodies. This time of year is all about the comfort eating – the hearty dishes, pizzas, and bowls of pasta.
Find yourself a family-run restaurant and tuck into a homely dish of oxtail stew, carbonara, cacio e pepe or even pasta e ceci (pasta with chickpeas). For the best carbonara, look no further than Da Renato e Luisa, close to Largo di Torre Argentina. The best Cacio e Pepe is at Felice a Testaccio. For an incredible food experience in Rome, go to Trattoria Vecchia Roma.
Winter is also artichoke (carciofi, in Italian) season, so that’s when you will be able to taste two of Rome’s most popular dishes – carciofi alla giudia, which are best eaten in the Jewish Ghetto; and carciofi alla romana.
Learn to cook Italian food
With the onset of the cold weather, it’s the perfect time to spend indoors learning how to whip up a Roman feast. You can get cozy inside as you pick up some serious skills, learning how to make some prime Italian cuisine from scratch. There are a number of different places to choose between, everything from a one-off cooking lesson to a more intensive course of learning the ropes of Roman gastronomy.
I can book your cooking class in Rome, it’s one of the options of I’m in Rome program!
Catch an opera performance
Winter in Rome means opera season. Make sure you book tickets to the Teatro dell’Opera for one of the many amazing classical concerts and operas that get shown here. But if you don’t make it there, don’t worry – this is also the time of year that concerts take place across the city, in palazzi and churches, and in the Parco della Musica. Chances are you’ll find somewhere to see some live music.
