Colosseum. Vatican City. Trevi Fountain… As I’ve mentioned before, there is so much more to Rome than we think. More than I even know! Still with the eyes of a tourist, I believe the following Roman sites are underrated: Ponte Milvio, Piazza Navona, and Piazza Cavour.

1. Ponte Milvio

When I was an au pair, my host family lived in Ponte Milvio, just past the arc and up the hill. Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better location to live in. Not only did I feel safe, but my friends didn’t live too far either, so we met in this square a lot of the time or on the other side of this bridge.

From Ponte Milvio, it can take you 15 minutes to get to the city center as opposed to almost 30-45 minutes. Before I met my gal pal Nida, I would take a 15-20 minute bus ride from Ponte Milvio to Lepanto (Line A) metro station. I would take the metro to either Colosseo, Spagna, or Flaminio depending where we would meet up, which would take an additional 20 minutes contingent upon changing from the Line A to Line B. Shoutout to Nida because she enlightened me of a more efficient route as it was taking me way too long. If you’re coming from the city, you can catch a tram or streetcar from Flaminio (Line A) metro stop. This will take you toward the Mancini tram/bus transfer station. Before arriving at Mancini, you can exit at Pinturicchio and then walk across the bridge.

Many Italians hangout at the many cafes, restaurants, and gelaterias in Ponte Milvio. It’s lively at night with string lights and outside seating. It definitely has a comfortable vibe perfect before or after a night out. For a snack or even dinner, check out Trapizzino, an Italian pizza pocket stuffed with either meatballs, chicken, eggplant, etc. Chicken is the best one, it’s my favorite! Trapizzino is a chain restaurant that actually has a location in New York City! One last thing to note, the olympic stadium is a five minute walk down the road from Ponte Milvio.

2. Piazza Navona

For the longest time, I did not know where Piazza Navona was. My friends would mention it, however, it’s not a high profile place in movies etc. like the Colosseum or Trevi Fountain. And if Piazza Navona was presented, no one obsessed over it like many of the other well-known sites in Rome.

Piazza Navona is my favorite plaza, hands down. When I would stroll through, I felt very relaxed and aware of what was going on around me. You have restaurants lined up on either side with camerieres (waiters/hosts) trying to lure you in if you give one glimpse at them or their menu. Then you have this magical fountain in the middle… Again the architecture is mind blowing–the detail in the palm tree to the veins and muscles in the legs and arms of these men. There have been times where I would go there to get gelato and sit on a bench to simply do nothing, but people-watch. It’s very relaxing as not much went on in the early afternoons. Every once in a while, you can see a small carnival with a merry-go-round and free-standing game booths for families to enjoy all day into the evening.

3. Piazza Cavour

Piazza Cavour is a large open park-like square with plenty of picnic benches. My friend, Jena, and I could spend hours sitting and talking here. It’s comfortable to get a snack to sit either on the lawn or on the benches and simply relax. Time flies; we could chit chat until sunset.

Although it is a beautiful building, I heard that many Italians aren’t too keen about Piazza Cavour in which the circumstances the Palace of Justice was built. However, it is rather nice to look at. Two things to note: Piazza Cavour is located a few blocks from Lepanto metro station. The Cavour (Line B) metro stop does not actually take you to Piazza Cavour. It’s weird. The Cavour stop instead takes you not too far from the main station, Termini.