Please see the bottom of the post for a day-by-day itinerary.
All roads lead to Rome! Rome is a place everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime. Yes, it is “touristy” as some would say and yes there are unbelievable crowds everywhere you go, but it should be and must be on everyone’s list. There is a reason why there are so many people who come to see this city. As I sit here and try to decide where to start, I begin to realize that I am overwhelmed with the amount of things and more importantly the historical significance of the things I have seen. I don’t think I still fully comprehend it. Rome, a beautiful historic city that takes you back hundreds of years ago. If you listen quietly and tone out the noise of its loud life, you can hear it whisper to you with its power, beauty and grace as you imagine the life in the times of the Roman Empire. Everything begins to fall away and the story begins.
For some, like me, the story began with the Colosseum. We have all heard of it and seen it in movies, but walking inside those walls and seeing the underground world of lifts and prisoner cells and the stage, where once upon a time hundreds of people lost their lives for the entertainment of others, was what made me stop and think. I looked and realized that this structure, which allowed sixty thousand people to fill the place in a matter of minutes, was hundreds of years old and I was walking inside it, that one day, long ago, this place was no stranger to death. Looking onto the stage, you could just imagine it all; the cheering and the chanting, the sounds of the animals as they were being lifted for a fight. The screams of the gladiators falling. I was in awe. A place of such magnificent engineering and for such a sad purpose.
On a lighter note, Rome is a place to get lost in. I found myself following little streets, getting lost in the shops, the cafes and restaurants until I realized I’m way off course. Every street calls for you to go and explore. Rome is filled with piazzas and every piazza has fountains, statues and trattorias that you can explore for hours. It was difficult to decide between a sea of restaurants. Every restaurant beckons you with its charm. The tiniest streets have tables, with the traditional table cloths, candlelight and music, that just look so romantic, it’s difficult to pass up.
What shocks most in Rome is the scale. The scale of the buildings, the scale of the statues, the scale of the fountains, the lavishness of the churches and the art. The Vatican City, a city within a city, is definitely yet another significant place to see. St. Peter’s Church not only stuns from the outside, but more so from the inside. As you walk in, you are surrounded by art, sculptures of incredible dimensions and you just can’t help but notice how tiny you feel compared to the height and the scale of this place. You can explore and observe for hours. The view from the top of the dome is not to be missed as you can get an unobstructed view of the St. Peter’s Square. Rome is full of art, on the streets and in museums. A tour of the Vatican Museums will astound you with the famous Sistine Chapel and works of art that were hung in the Vatican when Columbus asked for ships for his trip that lead to his discovering America. Just think of that!
Villa Borghese - Yes, Yes and Yes!
This paragraph needed to have its own title. You can probably already gauge my excitement. Those of you who know me, know I am not a fan of museums. However, this museum was the single most memorable 2 hours I have spent in all of Europe. Villa Borghese houses several of Bernini’s sculptures and these were sculptures like I have never seen before. They were lifelike. Bernini has such incredible detail in his work that it is unbelievable to think that it was all created from one big block of marble and all by hand. The two hours we spent at this museum seemed like two minutes. Absolutely incredible and a must see!
My favourite area in Rome was the Spanish Steps - located in Italy and designed and funded by the French (Europe can get confusing). This area is FILLED with tourists, so if you’re one of those who doesn't like “touristy places”, don’t go here. I spent several hours sitting on the steps, and simply observing. I found this to be one of the most entertaining areas of Rome. There is great shopping from high-end stores to small boutiques where you can continue to get lost in Rome’s magic.
Finally, before we get to the itinerary, let me take a moment and talk about food. You can’t go to Italy and not talk about food. The variety of pizzas and the pastas available, the gelatos and cappuccinos, the cute tiny restaurants with tables on narrow streets, the delicious salami, prosciutto and variety of cheeses, the custom bread basket with olive oil, the vegetables and fruits, desserts (tiramisu of course), juices, wines and prosecco. Simply heaven.
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Day 1
- Flight arrives.
- To get from the airport to Rome’s centre, there are two main options that I would recommend: (1) Take a taxi. Not only will it take you directly to your hotel, but it is a much faster way of transportation as well. There is a flat rate of 48 euros. (2) Take the Leonardo Express Train (14 euros per person). The train will take you to Termini Station in the centre of Rome and you can transfer to the subway (1.50 euros per person) to get you to the subway station closest to your hotel.
- Note: Leonardo Express with a transfer to the subway will take approximately 2 hours.
- For more information check out this website.
- Depending on where you are staying (I stayed on the southern side of the Vatican, any area close to Ottaviano Subway Station is also great, check out this B&B, go explore the St. Peter’s Basilica / Vatican area.
- Have dinner and get some good sleep because the next three days will be busy!
Tip 2: I recommend 4 full days in Rome. This itinerary is for 3 full days and I found it rather busy and of course tiring but absolutely worth it. Also, Rome is a city to see by day and night. The itinerary below factors that in.
Day 2
- Spend this day on the east side of the Tiber river. I personally love to walk everywhere, but the subway system is simple and gets you right where you need to go.
- Walk through the Via della Conciliazione Castel Sant’ Angeloi. Pay attention to the details on the bridges and the statues. Continue to Piazza Mattei to see the Fontana delle Tartarughe (turtle fountain).
- Piazza Campo D. Fiori is close by. There was a farmer’s market during the day when I was there. However, you can always sit down for lunch, take a break with a cappuccino or just simply walk through this busy but charming place.
- If you continue further, the streets will take you to ancient Rome. Spend some time here absorbing the massiveness of the Capitoline Museums where there is a lookout area onto the ruins and the Colosseum.
- Capitoline Hill / Piazza d. Campidoglio are not to be missed
- Walk along the ruins. Take a tour if you are interested in the details.
- Continue towards the Colosseum and make sure to go inside. As impressive as it is on the outside, inside is where you’ll truly see its power. What I regretted most is not having booked a tour of the underground part of the Colosseum. While you can explore the top portion of the building on your own, the underground portion should be very interesting. I recommend booking a tour.
- Have lunch at La Bottega Del Caffe: Delicious caprese salad, pastas and wine. This restaurant was recommended by Frommer’s
- Walk to the Pantheon, a temple of all Gods, with a perfectly hemispherical dome.
- After the Pantheon, as you approach Piazza Navona, which was built on the site of an ancient stadium, take a look at the 3 main fountains. The fountain of the four rivers is the most impressive and has four figures representing each river.
- Here, as you’re approaching the end of the day, have a glass of wine, relax and listen to one of the many musicians in this piazza.
- There are many restaurants just outside this piazza if you choose to stay for dinner.
- Or you can go back to the hotel for a break and come back out to this area for dinner and see this glorious piazza at night
Day 3
- Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s Church Tour. The tours take 2-3 hours.
- To book a tour, go here or here.
- Climb to the top of the St. Peter’s Church
Tip 5: To go to the top of the St. Peter’s Church is a must. However, it is recommended to go as early as possible, in the morning, to avoid crowds. You can even use the Vatican Post Office to mail a postcard from the top. Also make sure it is a sunny day to get the full effect of the St. Peter’s square. If you can fit this event in the morning, do so!
- The tour is exhausting and overwhelming. Take it easy at lunch and take a break at the hotel.
- For dinner go to Trattoria Scopettaro: http://www.loscopettaroroma.com/. Take the path through Piazza de Fiori. It has a completely different feel at night. Further, you can walk through Trastevere, across the bridge, where you'll get a more local feel. According to the locals, all restaurants on this side of the river are worth visiting.
- On the way back from the restaurant, walk along the Circus Maximus where once, chariot races took place for 300,000 spectators, towards the Colosseum and the Roman Forum to see this area at night as everything is lit up.
Day 4
- Villa Borghese - 2 hour time slot, book here.
- There is a huge park that you can walk through or simply relax in after the museum.
- Have lunch.
- You can do some shopping and explore the area.
- Walk towards the Spanish Steps.
- When you are done with the Spanish Steps, go see the Trevi Fountain - it was under renovation, so we did not get the full effect. Hope you have better luck.
- Continue to Santa Maria Dellla Vittoria, which is a church that houses one of Bernini’s most controversial sculptures, the Ecstasy of St. Teresa.
- Close to the church, there is Piazza Barberini where you’ll see Bernini’s second most dramatic fountain, the Fontana del Tritone.
- As you are walking to Santa Maria Degli Angeli where hangs galileo’s pendulum, you’ll pass through the famous cross roads of Rome with four fountains (also under renovation during my trip).
- We loved the Spanish Steps area so much we went back and enjoyed the rest of the day. It is worth to see this area at night as everything lights up! The street straight ahead of the steps has many high-end stores for those of you who love to shop.
- When you book the tickets to Villa Borghese, make sure to book in advance as it gets booked fairly quickly. There is a certain time allotted to each ticket and from that time you will have 2 hours in the museum. Make sure to show up on time. If you are late, you will not be given extra time and if you show up any other time than what’s indicated on your ticket, you will not be let in.
- Get an audio guide (5 euros per guide) to hear the fascinating stories behind the sculptures and the works of art.
- The sculptures are on the first level and the art is on the second level. I recommend spending majority of the time on the first level.
Day 5
- I combined the trip to Rome with Positano and took this day to transfer. If you do the same, it will take majority of the day.
- See Positano and Pompeii itinerary for details.