Rome - best 1-day experience

Rome is an amazing place that I believe we all just have to see before we are gone. 

The best time would be mid April - mid May and then beginning of September and onwards. As of October you will be with jacket most of the time though. 

So for one day - so little time, so many things to see. Where do we start? 

Here is how we did it, bear in mind we managed to see only the Colosseum from the inside, everything else would take just too much time! 

Before anything else - you have to enter the St Peter's Basilica. If you have more time I'd recommend visiting the Vatican museums and Sistine chapel but as the tour is 4 hours, it's not suitable when only having one day in the eternal city. 

Step 1  - Piazza Navona. 

There are 3 great fountains there and amazing ice cream so don't miss it! Once you enter take your gelato from Grom or Tre Scalini and chill by the fountains. It's very relaxing and I've always loved how you can stroll down some random narrow street and all of sudden end up at some piazza with fountains and of course some stolen pieces of art from Egypt for example. This one is no different - I loved it! 

Step 2 - Castel S'Ant Angelo

It's a masterpiece and very famous. Related with the Vatican through tunnels underneath. In the front there is a bridge over a small river so gives you a very peaceful feeling. If you have more time, I would definitely recommend going in. 

Step 3 - Spanish Steps

This one will take more time since it's fantastic and there are more things to see. If you love taking pictures from your travels, there are more opportunities here. You can enjoy the fountain at the bottom of the steps, then slowly go up following the path filled with flowers and people who are chilling literally seated on the steps themselves. There are a couple of terraces and from there you can of course see St Peter's basilica. I loved it for the vivid atmosphere and how colorful and bright it was there. You have the feeling of youth all around you!

 

Pic by: https://www.instagram.com/nicolaygeorgiev/

Step 4 - Fontana di Trevi

You can't miss it! It is totally worth trying to handle all other tourists there just to observe the great beauty. Throw a coin and make a wish! This place has some magnetism that was really stunning and leaves everyone with a smile on their face. Besides the Italian masters made amazing sculptures for it!

By this time you're probably hungry. Of course there is a variety of options so you can select a restaurant close to any of the sights - there are plenty of those - and again spend some quality time enjoying the vivid culture of the city. What we did is get take-away pizza and sit on the steps of the fountain right in front of the Pantheon. Wanted to dive into the magic of being a local and what better place than this with all the noises, laughter and of course - different languages spoken. This is a city where you just can't escape the tourists. 

Step 5 – Pantheon

It’s in fact a church so remember to keep it quite once you enter. There are the tombs of famous and important Italians like Vittorio Emanuele II and Raffaello. Also – check the roof, a piece in the middle is missing so that when it rains, it literally pours inside.

Step 6 - Military museum of Rome

It's a magnificent building and you're allowed the enter the yard and see it from a smaller distance. You can take great shots there and it's a beautiful place in Venetian style. The best part is that you can take the elevator and go to the rooftop from where you can see the whole city. It's a stunning view but only if you have the time to wait in line for this and the cost is 8 Euro. This time we had to skip it but I would still recommend wandering around the yard - it's nice and should not take more than half an hour. 

Step 6 - Colosseum

If you're in Rome you can't skip it! It's on all magnets and for a reason - it's a great accomplishment to build something like that and it's amazing that we still have the opportunity to see it. We managed to enter - there was almost no queue and we got an audio guide which was a smart move since it makes the stones actually make sense. You can feel what it must have been like and for me personally it made me wonder how they lived the way they did.

Step7 - Forum Romano and Palatine Hill 

You can see there a number of remains from old temples and castles. There is also a great view of the Colosseum so totally recommend. You enter with the ticket from the Colosseum by the way so no need to spend more cash but do go – it’s worth the extra time you will spend there.

In between all our sights we had coffee at two different places. The Italian coffee is something you can’t miss besides it’s not bad to use the restroom from time to time and this is a good way to do it.

And to finish with something general for all tourist cities - be very careful with your personal belongings. Also - there are many people who will constantly try to sell you something - selfie sticks, roses, you name it. I've never bought anything - first I don't need it and second - could be an easy trick to see where exactly you keep your money. 

Pic by: https://www.instagram.com/nicolaygeorgiev/

For more detailed description (and literally the same pics lol) you can check the two previous publications again on the same topic but longer. 

So this is in short for a day in the eternal city. Definitely left me with the desire to come back and spend more time. More time for the basilica and definitely more for the Vatican museums. Let me know if this was useful for you and also if there are additional advices from your end.

Xoxo,

Elle