I'll Take You There: Rome

When I booked my flight to Italy a couple of weeks ago, half of me was ecstatic to visit by best friend who grew up there, while the other half dreaded the feeling of Julia Roberts' character in Eat, Pray, Love breathing down my neck. Luckily, my trip was super enjoyable. This may have had something to do with the fact that I had done the harried bucketlist-style tour of Rome a few years back, and this time around, I wanted to get to know the city in a different way. This meant avoiding the tourist mobs and human statues like the plague, and allowing other things to guide me (mainly my friend and her fellow Roman pals, my instict, and any sign that said "gelato"). Here are some places I discovered along the way.

EAT
Caffe Eustacio - Piazza di Sant'Eustachio - MAP
Cliché, but tried and true. Famously the best espresso in Rome.

Caffe Tazza d'Oro - Via degli Orfani, 84 (Pantheon) - MAP
A super-famous, bustling café that's been around since 1946. At this point, we'd had so many espressos across the city that we decided to switch it up and order marrocchinos, espressos with foamed milk and a dash of cocoa.

"Boccione" - Via del Portico d'Ottavia 1 - MAP
I put this in quotations because, according to my friend, "No one calls it that. It's just known as the bakery in the [Jewish] quarter." I was a little grossed out by the look of the burnt-around-the-edges dried fruit pastry, but my friend forced me to try it and I wouldn't shut up about it for at least a day. The ricotta cake is also absurdly delicious.

Gelateria del Teatro - Via di San Simone, 70 - MAP
Everyone I asked about the best gelato in the city answered this place (more often than not accompanied with a 'duhhhh').

Panattoni Pizzeria - 53 Viale di Trastevere - MAP
Fine crust pizza, considered one o