We spent our final 3 days of our Europe trip in Rome. For such a big city and historical landmark for much of Western Civilization, there probably isn’t a limit to how much time one could take to properly explore it. But, like many North American tourists trying to get most out of their European summer vacation, we only have about 72 hours to explore the city before we were on a plane back to Canada. Also check out my top tips and tricks for a successful and enjoyable trip to Rome.
Rome Day 1 – Trevi Fountain to Pantheon
Our one hour train ride arrived in Rome from Naples at 9:25 in the morning. This gave us some time to kill before our check-in. From Rome Termini station we walked about 10 minutes to Vimì Cafè Roma where we had our morning coffee. We looped passed Piazza della Repubblica and then walked to our Airbnb in the Esquilino neighbourhood.
After checking in to the apartment, we began our first tour through some of Rome’s most famous sites. We hopped on the metro at Manzoni station and took Line A to the Barberini station. From Barberini, it is a 9-minute walk to the Trevi Fountain, our first stop.
Many sources will tell you to visit the Trevi Fountain early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid crowds, but unless you try visiting around 2-3am, there will be people. It is nearly impossible to avoid the crowds in the popular tourist sites in Rome, so it is better to embrace the bustle and prepare for it. I would also recommend visiting Rome outside the peak months of July and August. We visited in mid-May and it was already very busy.
After admiring the Trevi Fountain and weaving our way through the crowded streets surrounding it, we made our way to the Spanish Steps and the Piazza di Spagna. The steps were also very busy. Fun fact: there is a metro stop for Line A right below the steps. There is also an elevator that takes you from the bottom of the steps to the top, you just need to go around the corner and down Vicolo del Bottino. This would be great for accessibility or to avoid climbing the stairs in the heat.
After leaving the Steps, we continued down Via del Babuino to the Piazza del Popolo. At this point we were starting to get hungry, so we decided to get something to eat before heading south to the Piazza Navona.
We planned to eat at Pastasciutta, but there was a line out the door, so we rounded the corner and stopped at Ristorante Pizzeria Popolo Caffè. It has 4.3 stars on Google, but we found it to be our lowest ranking meal in the city. I got cacio e pepe and my partner got a Roman-style flatbread. I didn’t like the cacio e pepe to be honest – but I tried it again the next day and loved it, so I guess it was a restaurant error not the recipe!
After lunch, we made our way to Piazza Navona. We wandered the square and the surrounding narrow streets nearby. Following the square, we toured the Basilica of Sant’Andrea della Valle and admired the intricate artwork across the walls and ceilings of the church.
Our final stops in the day’s tour were the Pantheon (which had an incredibly long line) and the Temple of Hadrian which allows free entry to the building. It is a great spot to get out of the heat and sit for a minute during a full day of sightseeing.
We made our way home via metro around 4 pm to shower and rest before dinner. We ate at Ristorante Pizzeria Galilei that evening. I ordered penne arrabbiata and my partner ordered a margherita pizza (he was rating all the pizzas in Italy). The waiter didn’t speak English, so we got to test out our limited Italian. We had a great meal here and would definitely recommend it.
Rome Day 2 – Colosseum, Roman Forum and Trastevere
Our second day in Rome was focused around the more southern sights. We started with an early 20-minute morning walk to the Colosseum. We arrived at the amphitheatre at 8 am. There was a line at the entry already, through the gates weren’t open yet. However, we didn’t want to tour the Colosseum, and were more interested in finding the best view of the landmark from the outside. There are many third party ticket vendors and tour guides, but I would definitely recommend booking your ticket in advance on the official website to ensure you don’t get scammed.
After the Colosseum we continued walking down Via dei Fori Imperiali to the Roman Forum. The Colosseum, the Forum, and Capitoline Hill surprised me because they were so close together and I hadn’t got that impression from the map. This is definitely an area to visit all together to save time and get a more comprehensive view of the layers of history that exist here.
Around 9 am we started to get hungry and looked for somewhere to eat. We ended up wandering near the Pantheon and stopped at ZerOttoNove Cafe which had reasonable prices for the area. Here we had cappuccinos and pastries before getting back on our feet to tour the Jewish Quarter.
The Jewish Quarter holds a lot of history from its establishment in 1555. It was used as a way to control where Jewish people could live and work by the Christian majority, and had more recent tragedy during the Second World War when around 1000-2000 people were deported by the Nazi occupation. There are commemorative plaques around the neighbourhood with the names, birth years, death years and location of deportation of the people taken by the Nazis. This was a reflective moment, as we thought about the suffering that had been brought here less than a century ago – and the suffering still occurring worldwide.
At the edge of the neighbourhood stand the Portico of Octavia and the Teatro di Marcello. These ruins were quiet and allowed us to get some close up pictures without worrying about crowds or pickpockets while we were distracted. Rome is full of smaller pieces of history like this that get overlooked by tourists in favour of more famous sites like the Colosseum. I recommend saving time in your itinerary to just wander a few neighbourhoods, as this could be the best way stumble across a hidden gem.
From the Teatro di Marcello, we made our way to Ponte Palatino where we could cross the Tiber to Trastevere. A neighbourhood known for its food and shopping, we came here with lunch in mind. We grabbed a couple crocchettas that we saw in a store window before taking a short break in the pews of the Basilica di Santa Maria. This church has a fascinating outer wall filled with ancient graffiti carved into a mosaic of stones preserved in the entryway.
For lunch, we went to the Osteria Nannarella, which I had read good things about prior to our trip. Here we ordered cacio e pepe and focaccia, and I truly loved the pasta this time. After our lunch, we went in search of dessert, and my partner tried tiramisu for the first time. We stopped at Tiramisu Merisu in Trastevere which has a mirror positioned so that customers can watch their tiramisu cup being prepared. We’d definitely recommend this spot if you’re in the area.
Our final stop on our walk home was the Pyramid of Caius Cestius back on the east side of the Tiber. We walked here and felt the heat of the city start to overwhelm us. The pyramid pops up almost out of nowhere, and is really stunning for the middle of Rome. We boarded the metro at Piramide station and made our way back to Esquilino (switching lines at Termini station). We spent the late afternoon hours relaxing in the room.
Around 5:30 pm we stopped at Gelateria Fassi, a historic gelateria in Esquilino that has been in Rome since 1880. We visited the gelateria on day one as well, so on day two I decided to try an affogato – a must-do for my personal Rome itinerary.
After our sweet treat, we walked to the Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore to tour the interior. Admission is free between 7:00 am to 7:00 pm with the last entry at 6:30 pm. As we entered close to the end of the day, there was not wait to enter the basilica. The Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore has stood in Rome for 16 centuries and is said to have been divinely inspired by visions of the Virgin Mary to an aristocrat, Giovanni, and Pope Liberius. The basilica also holds a rosary prayer in the evenings and there were many chairs set up in front of the basilica in preparation of the event.
Following the basilica, we went out to Bar allo Statuto for pizzas around 8 pm. We tried to have an early night because our final day in Rome would be our earliest yet!
Rome Day 3 – Vatican City and Castel Sant’Angelo
Our final day in Rome was a Friday, and our first stop was the world’s smallest fully independent nation-state. Vatican City is entirely surrounded by the city of Rome, but remains independent due to the long and stubborn history of the Roman Catholic Church and its popes which resisted the pressure to join the unified country of Italy from the 19th century until finally signing the Lateran Treaty in 1929 to assure its independence from Rome and Italy as a whole.
As the head of the Catholic Church, the home of the Pope in the Vatican makes it a popular destination for religious pilgrims. However, the ever-famous Sistine Chapel and the works of Michelangelo make it a must-see for art fanatics, historians, and tourists alike. Unfortunately, the official Vatican museum website sells out far in advance. We planned to book our tickets about 3 weeks before our arrival in Rome, and could only find expensive tours through third-party travel companies. We decided that we didn’t want to spend $250 on a walk through the crowded museums and opted to just see St. Peter’s Basilica, which is free to the public. While you can book a tour through the basilica, you can also enter on your own without a guide. Please remember to follow the dress code as it is possible to be turned away if you are dressed “immodestly”. This generally means everyone needs to cover shoulders and knees, though we noticed it more strictly enforced on women.
We arrived at Vatican City at 7:20 am. The line was starting, but was not yet significant as the basilica opens at 7:00. We waited for the bag check, and then entered the basilica and toured the enormous space. The size of the church is staggering, although my partner and I agreed that some of the other Roman basilicas had more visually appealing art/colours. After about an hour, we got in line for the dome, which charged a fee of 10 euros per person to take the elevator and 8 to take the stairs (551 steps). Even with the elevator, there are 320 steps to take up to the dome once you get to the roof of the church.
The dome of St. Peter’s includes steep, winding, and narrow sections of stairs. I would not recommend doing the trip up the dome if you have a fear of heights or claustrophobia. The view from the top is panoramic. You get an iconic view of St. Peter’s Square Obelisk. The other sides of the dome give a view overlooking parts of the Vatican gardens and the streets of Rome.
After we climbed down from the dome, we exited the Vatican City and noticed the line wrapped around the square. It was about 9:45 am, so we took this as a good sign that coming early is the best way to avoid the crowds. Also keep in mind that most of the line is in the sun, so you will be exposed to the heat or rain if you choose to come at a busier time throughout the day.
We made our way just south of the Vatican City walls and stopped at Feffo Caffe for breakfast. We got our customary cappuccinos and some food now that we had done a good amount of walking on our near empty stomachs. Following breakfast, we walked back towards the Tiber and crossed it to get the best view of Castel Sant-Angelo from across the Pont Sant-Angelo. This cylindrical castle has had many lives as a mausoleum, military fortress, Papal residence, and prison. Today it serves as a museum.
We made our way through Rome and stopped at some popular sites again. We ate lunch around 1 pm at Antica Trattoria Elettra on our way passed the Termini station towards our Airbnb.
That night we had my favourite meal of the trip at Taverna dei migliori. I had the gnocchi with five cheese which was to die for. We also enjoyed the house white and tiramisu for dessert. Then we walked back to the Trevi Fountain to see it lit up at night and ended up doing a 6 km loop to see the Pantheon and the Colosseum before making our way home for the night.
The next morning we packed up and headed to the airport by train from Termini. Our tickets were around 14 euros each.