You can definitely see an extensive amount of Rome in one day but be ready for A LOT of walking. We put in well over 20,000 steps which included a mass amount of stair climbing. We also learned to use Rome’s metro system to get around. It takes a few minutes to figure it out, but once you do, you will truly appreciate this public metro system from both a ease of use and a cost factor. Though you can see a lot, I definitely recommend being able to see some of the sights during both day and evening time since the transformation is incredible.

THE BIG PICTURE:

• Wear comfortable shoes as there is a lot of uneven cobblestone everywhere
• Carry refillable water bottles. There are drinking water fountains called Nasoni. They are readily available.
• Learn some basic Italian.
• Download the Rome Travel Guide Offline app
  • Covers general information, tours, hotels, etc.
  • Has a great maps, including a map of the metro system
• Use Rome’s metro system and give yourself a little time to learn the ropes.
  • Spend 7 Euros for a 24 hour pass
  • Ticket machines are located near the metro and take cash or credit
  • If you are starting out from termini station, these tickets machines are downstairs. Don’t try using the ones upstairs, as they are only for purchasing tickets for the regional trains and for trains between cities.
  • Download the Trenitalia app if you are planning on traveling on either the regional trains or between cities. Super easy to purchase tickets online. It provides you with a QR code that is scanned by the train conductor when checking tickets.
• Must See:
  • Vatican City including the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica.
  • Trevi Fountain
  • Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palentine Hill
  • The Pantheon
• Do your research before heading to Rome. It will make your trip so much less confusing.

THE VATICAN…Our day started at 7:30am with a prime tour visit of the Vatican museums purchased directly through the Vatican website. Definitely worth getting up for the first tour of the day because by 9:00 am the place was packed with people and enjoying the serenity of the museums was no longer possible.

The tour included many of the different museums within the Vatican. Our tour guide, Maria, was amazing. Her extensive knowledge of the Vatican and the works of art was impressive. The museum of tapestries and the museum of maps was so incredibly fascinating and some of my favorites, though nothing compares to the final room, the Sistine Chapel. To walk into such an amazing work of art just blows your mind. To sit and stare at the ceiling in silence, wondering how Michelangelo did it beginning at the age of seventeen. Words cannot express the admiration and fascination this room can have on a person. The tour ended with breakfast served on the Vatican gardens. Though the food was just ok by Italian standards, the setting was unbelievable.

After finishing walking through some of the addition museums, we headed back out the entrance and walked around the Vatican City boundary and back to St. Peter’s Square. To stand before St. Peter’s Basilica is astonishing. Unfortunately, by this time, the line to enter the Basilica was unbelievably long. As there was so much to see, we decided to pass on the long line and instead sit in the middle of St. Peter’s Square for a few minutes and admire the works of art all around us.

TREVI FOUNTAIN… Our next stop was Trevi Fountain. This striking work of art should not be missed, but go early if you can. As the day wears on, the crowds grow larger. It was one of my favorites. The details and intricacies were mind blowing. This 18th century work of art took 30 years to build and is mostly made of travertine stone. Be ready for a lot of people. And if you want to take a picture with the fountain in the background without including all of the people, be ready to be creative and learn some camera tricks either in the way the photo is taken or in editing. The shops around Trevi also have a great authentic Italian feel to them. We stopped at a small Italian deli to pick up some of our favorites, prosciutto, salami, and some fresh bread. Nothing in the states comes close to the taste of what we experienced. Our final stop was for gelato. There are plenty of gelato shops around Trevi but we were in search of the best, most authentic Italian gelato. I had done my research and we searched out Il Gelato San Crispino. We were not disappointed. If you stop here, the crème limone is delicious. There were also articles all over the wall showing off this award winning gelato shop.

If you have some extra time, around the corner from Trevi station, follow the signs to the Area Archeoligica, “La citta’ dell’acqua” to Vicus Caprarius, meaning the city of water. Here you can actually go underneath Trevi Fountain and see the ancient water aqueduct systems. If its a busy time of year, you may have to stop in and make a reservation for later in the day. They limit the amount of people allowed in so it is definitely less crowded.

COLOSSEUM, ROMAN FORUM, AND PALENTINE HILL… After leaving the Trevi area, we walked down to the Colosseum for our Ultimate Colosseum tour with Explore Italy Tours. It was raining for period of time but that did not stop us from taking in the view. Again, we had an amazing tour guide with an extensive knowledge of the Colosseum and its history. We were surprised to hear it only took 8 years to build this massive piece of architecture until we learned that they had over 40,000 slaves doing the work. Absolutely amazing!! After leaving the Colosseum, we walked through the arch towards the Roman Forum and Palentine Hill. This portion was on our own to wander as we desired. We did a lot of walking but every step was worth it. We wanted to see it all, and that we did.

We did go back to the Colosseum after dark and were able to take in the outstanding transformation. We were tired, but so glad we did.