Glam Italia! 101 Fabulous Things to Do in Rome: Beyond the Colosseum, the Vatican, the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps

by Corinna Cooke

Tired of long lines and lame tours? Discover a superior Roman vacation with fewer crowds and way more culture. Does the idea of a tedious sightseeing tour make you want to stay in the hotel? Would you choose hunting down undiscovered gems over sweaty tour buses any day? After three decades traveling to the Eternal City, private tour guide Corinna Cooke knows how to make travel experiences fresh and unique. Now she'll show you how to avoid the lines and embrace the authentic Roman vacation. Glam Italia! 101 Fabulous Things to Do in Rome is your perfect guide for avoiding clichéd tours and discovering fascinating attractions within walking distance of the city's historic center. Packed with entertaining stories and historical facts, Cooke uses her expert knowledge to make your trip truly come to life. With tons of entries on little-known locations and suggestions of how to get the most out of each, this is the book you need to get an Italian experience you'll never forget. In Glam Italia! 101 Fabulous Things to Do in Rome, you’ll - Where to take the best Instagram photos that your friends and family will love - How to avoid overwhelming crowds and replace them with uncharted sights and sounds - The best markets for food, souvenirs, art, and fashion to help you shop like a local - How to find the subterranean city beneath the city for a truly unique Italian adventure - Where to find all of the Caravaggio's in Rome and the stories behind them - Which foods and wines are specific to Rome and are not to be missed - Hilarious and fascinating ghost stories, histories, travelogues, and much, much more! Glam Italia! 101 Fabulous Things to Do in Rome is your essential tour book for a trip you’ll treasure forever. If you like vacations as unique as you are, then you'll love Corinna Cooke's breezy and engaging guide to Italy's historic capital. Buy Glam Italia! 101 Fabulous Things To Do In Rome to experience the real Rome today!

Genres: Italy, Nonfiction, Travel, Reference

452 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 2, 2019

About the author

Hi! I’m Corinna.
I am an International Makeup Artist, Travel Blogger, former Magazine Beauty Director, and very proudly, a Best Selling Author.

I write books about my greatest passion in life, traveling in Italy. Every day that I’m not in Italy I am daydreaming about being there.

When I was growing up I wanted to be an archaeologist. I dreamed about digs in exotic locales around the world, discovering ancient ruins and celebrating lost cultures. That bubble burst when I realized I didn’t like getting dirty. So I became a Makeup Artist instead, traveling the world, studying history and art and learning languages along the way.

Like the masses before me I completely fell in love with Italy.
I love the culture, the history, the art, architecture and music, the food the wine and above all, the people.

Unlike most countries, with Italy the more new places you stumble upon the more you realize you’ve barely skimmed the tip of the iceberg. So I still have a lifetime of discovery ahead of me!
I spend as much time as possible in Italy each year. As well as my personal travel, every summer I take small groups of women on boutique, private Glam Italia tours .

I grew up in New Zealand and have lived around the globe on continents and islands and in some of the most exciting cities in the world. At this time I live in the wild beauty that is Arizona, where every sunset seems more spectacular than the one before and 9 months of the year the weather is perfect. (The other 3 months are a little toasty)

"Open my heart and you will see
Graved inside of it, “Italy”
– Robert Browning

Reviews

[Ellen Irion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Travel Book with Great Stories

I thoroughly enjoyed Corina's charming and personal stories of her adventures in Rome. I feel so close to the pulse of Rome and its fabulous history now. As I read the book, I looked up the sites on Google images, just in case I don't get a chance to see them when I go to Rome. I am now a fellow Caravaggio fan! Totally worth my time!

[Richard A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty Cool Book for a Rome Visit

Great book with many tips to make your trip fun and not being herded by a tour director. I will test it out this month.

[sajan sahili · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in love with rome because of this book

[Talia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Corinna's first book on experiencing Italy on a budget and wanted to do some digging through this one! Rome has much to take in, but if you were to go, wouldn't you want to see and experience some of the things that maybe only the locals know about? I would. Give me a map but let's get a little lost too.

The author gives some very interesting history on several unique spots in Rome as she describes the places she finds interesting. I liked the history bits — it gives meaning to what you are looking at. Sometimes I got a little lost as she listed off several places near the spots she was talking about, but I think if I referenced this book while standing in Rome, it would connect a little better.

I liked how this book wasn't all about the Vatican or the Colosseum. I know those are the big things people like to go to Rome for but neither of those things was calling to me

There is some history I'd rather not know but agh. That is the way history is lol

There is also section on ghost stories of Rome and I thought that section was pretty wild, honestly. I was going to skip over it because I'm not a big poltergeist fan, we'll just say, but some of the history was fascinating.

Content info for this book mostly stems from the history provided on certain people or places. There are some mentions and references to prostitution, sexual abuse (of all sorts), murder/death/violence — not usually overly detailed, some curse words in the book. Some of the history is a bit raunchy and/or distasteful, and some may find it a bit much (I skimmed a couple parts because some things I just don't want to know — just not my cup of tea).

I returned from a trip to Italy yesterday and I feel like these books helped me get the most of my time in Rome/Italy. While I didn't have enough time to run through everything I highlighted in the book, it did make my short time in Rome a bit more interesting. We visited Castel Sant Angelo as we walked around Rome at dark and visited the Bridge connected to that area and I was actually able to enjoy it a bit more because I knew some of the history behind the architecture. There was actually a violinist playing on the bridge when we went through and it was beautiful! We visited St. Peter's at night as well — when Corinna says these areas are beautiful and lovely at night in a whole other way, she's not kidding. The crowds were gone and things were quiet and the heat had toned down.

We didn't end up visiting any of the churches mentioned in the book but I did get a kick out of explaining the rivalry between artists who created masterpieces in a few of the churches in Rome.

Also! Corinna was the reason I brought my Birkenstocks — I thought I'm not going to bring them because they aren't the most fashionable shoe and it didn't feel like "Italy," but it saved my feet so many times. We bought the cool Sorrento/Capri sandals while we were in Italy of course but for all that walking, she was right. We walked almost everywhere and that is part of experiencing Italy, and especially the smaller towns like Sorrento where so much of the cool stuff is walking only down narrow alleyways and small roads.

I would love if Corinna did a book on Capri/Amalfi Coast area. You can tell she loves Italy and the way she described things made the trip even more exciting for me! Definitely one of the best travel resources I found prior to my trip.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In gathering ideas and setting priorities for my first trip to Italy, I found a podcast called Untold Italy that featured Corinna Cooke as a guest. I love her practical tips, and the perspective that differentiates a “traveler” from a “tourist.” So I picked up her first book, closely followed by the remaining 3.
(“Glam” in the titles comes from prioritizing comfort and doing beautiful things, by saving where you can. She has excellent strategies, and in less than 2 months I now have enough travel points for my flight.)

She is all about having an immersive experience, getting off the beaten path, finding hidden gems, but still seeing, feeling, and tasting what you’re going to Italy for. Her top travel planning question is “what do you want to experience?” and we go from there.

Along the way, she tells fabulous tales behind the artists, churches, patrons, and ruins—
definitely enough to see sights on your own, but also enough to help you decide if something is worth it to you to get a guided tour.

The books have a few line drawings at chapter headers, maybe a map or two particular to a discussion, and no photographs at all. They are not
visual planners but storytelling ones, with the added bonus of “what’s nearby,” so you can easily figure out walks that group sites together. Almost a do-it-yourself tour guide builder, that fits nicely with her understanding that most of us travel on a budget.

After my trip I’ll know whether to boost the ratings to 5 stars!

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I brought this book to Rome with me....and I have to say, I didn’t find it very helpful in terms of figuring out what to do! So many facts, so many personal vignettes and so so overwhelming. Maybe because it was my first trip but I felt like I barely got to do anything in this book because of how much was listed here. This is really for a person who has like...6 months to spend. Maybe someone doing a semester abroad. Or someone better at picking and choosing. I felt lost.

But! There is so much good history in here that I really started getting more of a comprehensive understanding of ancient Roman history. This was my favorite part!

I have to say, I did love the first book in the glam italia book, which I read as I was planning my trip, and wish I had a way to take trips with the knowledge that this author has. I am rounding this rating up because I think the author is so lovely to read. I would’ve appreciated something a little bit more simple and supportive, but I think other people might like the amount of ideas in here! I’m being critical only because it didn’t function how I hoped it would, but really this is a unique kind of travel book.

[Hollie Pavlica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and full of fun things to do!

Before going to Italy for 8 days, I bought Corinna's Glam Italia series on Kindle and read most of the Rome and Florence books before our departure. While on the trip, they were very helpful to pull out and refer to. We weren't there long enough to do much outside of the big tourist attractions but reading about the "behind the scenes" things to do in the cities has inspired us to return soon to focus on those excursions. I've traveled all over the world (35+ countries) and lived in 4 countries but still learned good travel tips from Corrina. I will admit that I almost set the first book aside shortly in because I felt she's quite derisive toward Christianity and the United States but I'm glad I didn't. Travel books can be quite dry but Corrina is a good author and adds little tidbits and stories that make for more interesting reading but if you are an American Christian who loves their country, her disdain can detract from the enjoyment of an otherwise great book series.

[Virginia Eanes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you ever wonder about the making of the Colosseum or the stories behind old Roman churches? Corinna Cooke’s book Glam Italia! 101 Fabulous Things to Do in Rome is packed with enjoyable stories and history of Rome, Italy. One appreciable thing about this book is that Cooke does a phenomenal job explaining the numerous settings. When discussing an area of Rome, she deeply describes the minor details of places like the Roman Forum, Domitian’s Palace, and many more. Another substantial quality of the book is how realistic it is. The author gives accurate information about the various background stories in Rome, like how different structures were built. The last element that is remarkable is the theme throughout the book. Along with having many facts, this book also proves that we need to stop and look around us because there are countless fascinating things around us. All in all, this book can be very beneficial to people who want to know more about the city of Rome, or people wanting to travel there.

[Emer Ní Fhoghlú · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good starting point to explore the wonders of Rome, but the “sound bite” presentation really eliminates the nuance of certain artworks, particularly in the Caravaggio section when presenting speculation as fact. Also the victim/carceral feminism in discussion of sex workers such as Anna and Lena (neither of whom can actually be confirmed as having 100% modelled for Caravaggio by the way) does not sit well with me, particularly the suggestion that their mothers should have been whipped… this is why those interested in historical sex workers should read some sw lead research on the topic such as Juno Mac… otherwise, as I say, a good starting point for exploring Rome.

[Jacquie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this book while planning a week in Rome, not really knowing what to expect and was immediately charmed by the friendly breezy style. There is something infectious about someone so in love with a location that she wants you to love it also. While there was some repetition , I found that helpful because it helped me to learn about the historic city and begin to understand how I could enjoy it without becoming overwhelmed. I absolutely loved the stories and descriptions, as well as recommendations for what to see when in certain parts of town. By the end I felt as if Corinna was a new friend, and I will look for her while I’m there!

[Amanda Pew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish there was a book like this for every city that I travel to. It is an absolute treasure! An excellent guide with so many good tips and recommendations. Several of the places mentioned in this book I got to enjoy nearly or completely to myself. A true miracle in a popular crowded city like Rome.
She includes some really good stories as well as a lot of interesting history. You can just tell that she has a true love for and knowledge of Rome.

[alora zigler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book to read even if you are not traveling anytime soon. The author brings everything to life. I was lucky enough to read before my first trip to Rome in May. Wonderful trip made even better with the knowledge and fun stuff that this book has to offer. I plan to read all 4 of her books and plan my next trips to the fabulous country of Italia!

[Melanie Storie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book for the fun title in anticipation of my family’s trip to Rome and was pleasantly surprised by the author’s inclusion of what I think of as “conversational history.” This is a great book to read to prepare for a Roman adventure if you want the feeling of a trustworthy friend telling you about places you might want to visit!

[Lisa Bene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great travel book if you are looking for stories behind the city and if you are looking for non touristy things to see / do. Also some recommendations for restaurants. Also provides practical travel information (getting there, packing, etc.)

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite of the 3 I’ve read in this story. I like hearing all the stories and backgrounds of the people and places. Sooo much to do and see. I wish that they were organized by location so it was easier to figure out how to fit some of them in to our schedule.

[Fadra Nally · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t read this book end to end but used it as a reference for my trip to Rome. I love the writing style and practical recommendations, many of which I took! Note that the book was written in 2029, though, and some of the restaurants mentioned are no longer in existence (thanks, Covid).

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories with a lot of useful information! Too bad the pandemic cancelled our plans for Italy.

[Brody Womer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bella

I love this book. So many nuggets of interest. I love the history and the cute pics. thank you for sharing your travels.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful in planning my trip to Rome!

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t love how the book was structured but I did love some of the ideas! I highlighted quite a few things to see/do on our trip.

[Nita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insider's guide to Rome. Some of the restaurants she recommends are no longer in business.

[Clairegatehouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

really great

I have got so many ideas now in planning my trip. Love laid back style but loads of quality info

[Dennis Patters · Rating 5 out of 5]

superb

Great detail on art and culture. Many tips to make your visit fabulous. High
YR recommended for any level of tourist

[Jennifer Cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great travel guide with all the brief blips of history review you need to go with the sites. I really enjoyed the author’s tidbits and recommendations as well.

[JakCab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lo

[Fatma · Rating 4 out of 5]

extremely appropriate read for my last night in roma. perfecto!