Hey, welcome to Rome! Now what are you gonna do here? You’ve had a long day on your feet, you’re hungry, and consider yourself a fun person. What are you going to do tonight? My friend Lauren and I just had one of the craziest fun nights we’ve ever had in Rome and like everything else that I write about here, it’s easy for you to do it too.

Tram Tracks is a tour dreamed up by my buddy Domenico and his beautiful girlfriend Simona. Domenico and I met a couple of years ago when we were the STARS of an English Theater of Rome production of The Great Gatsby (he was the butler and I was a flapper). He was the first person I met during rehearsals, made me feel so welcome, and is one of the friendliest and interesting people I know in Rome. He’s secretly American (don’t tell him I told you) although you’d never know it if you heard him speak Italian and he’s been immersed here for about 15 years. He is also a greatly talented rock singer and entrepreneur.

Here’s the deal with Tram Tracks. You show up at the meeting point in a convenient piazza not far from Termini Station, and hop aboard an actual, real old school city tram. The outside looks like an old street car from the 1920s, but the inside has been converted to a cross between a 1960s diner and a hippy bus. There are tables set out for dinner along the windows, and in the middle of the tram, there are Domenico, Simona, and the whole live band. We’ve got several guitars, a full drum set, and a couple of singers that are totally into it. No luggage or inhibitions allowed on this tram – Domenico and his band make sure you let lose and sing along. The free-flowing wine helps with this as well.

As fun and tasty as it looks.

A detail not to be overlooked: The food is good. Real good. I was wondering how it would be given that there’s not exactly a full restaurant kitchen on the tram. The problem is solved with really tasty cold pasta dishes (penne with pesto), mini sandwiches, perfect buffalo mozzarella, and grilled veggies. The glasses were plastic, but the wine was more than decent, and Simona kept coming around with a generous pour as soon as you were getting low.

You get to see a good swath of Rome as well – the Colosseum, San Giovanni, the Circus Maximus, and Rome’s Pyramid, for example – stopping in front of the Colosseum for a photo and dance break.

Okay, you get it. The food, wine, and sights are great, but is that what you’re really paying for? No – what’s such a treat is the live music, covering all the songs you like to sing in the shower. From Brown Eyed Girl to Satisfaction – Domenico and his band know them all and sound uncannily similar. No one is too young, too old, or too cool to get up and dance right there in the tram, and everyone sings along.

Your cheeks will hurt too by the end of the evening.

I personally and sincerely recommend you add this to your Roman itinerary. All the museums and monuments are closed in the evening anyway, so this is the best way I know to get fed while seeing Rome with an ear-to-ear grin. I kept saying to my friend that my cheeks were hurting from all that smiling.

TO BOOK: CLICK HERE.

Note: This event isn’t nightly but is pretty frequent. Upcoming dates are only listed for the next 6 weeks or so, so if your trip is farther away than that, just email them and they can give you a general idea of when there will be a show.

ALSO: Domenico and the band also run River Tracks – just like Tram Tracks, but floating down the Tiber. I haven’t done this one yet but am dying to. To book this, CLICK HERE.

Here’s a short video of what you’ll experience – and where!

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I am one hundred million percent obsessed with having insanely fun travel experiences – in Italy and everywhere. Oh, you too? Consider liking my Facebook page for DAILY pics, jokes, and travel ideas! I’d love to hear yours, too. You can also follow me on Instagram and Twitter. And why not get this blog in your email? Use the handy link below.