Rome - greatness of an empire

Once a great empire, Rome captivates visitors from all over the world thanks to the inheritance of one of the greatest empire of all time, which in turn made this city the center of the Roman Catholic Church.


High Level Itinerary

I would suggest a minimum of 3 days, though I did all the main attractions in a relatively packed schedule in 2 days:

Day 1:

  • Historic Center (Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Spanish Steps)
  • Roman Forum and Colosseum 

Day 2:

  • De Fiori Fields
  • Vatican City Museum and St Peter's Basilica

Tips

  • English language is sufficient in most touristic places.
  • When your order a "cafe" is usually an expresso, small but powerful. Macchiato is a great option if you want an expresso with little bit of milk.
  • Safety is ok, normal caution from pickpockets. 
    • Various immigrants from Africa are there as street hawkers. They are friendly but they might "give you" something for free to lure you and then they ask you to give them something back, so better to say "no thank you" or "no grazie".
  • People are blunt, so they might not seem nice, but that's part of their culture.
  • Tip on restaurant is not required. Most restaurants already charge you a "servizio" (service) per person.
  • Coop groceries is a good place to buy water and fruits at a cheap price.
  • "Roma pass" offers either a 48 or 72 hour pass for transportation and entrance to various museums. It is only worth it if you plan to go to these musems.
  • Get a SIM card at Termini train station at a company called "Tim". I paid 22 euros for 3-4GB.

Transportation

  • Within the city: metro system and bus provides a good coverage
    • could consider buying 24 or 48 hour passes
  • From/to airport: "Leonardo Express" train (~14 euros one way) takes you from FCO airport to Roma Termini station in about 30 min. 
    • the ticket can be bought on kiosk before boarding
    • From Roma Termini, you can take metro to go to your hotel/airbnb.
  • To other cities: Trenitalia provides conformable high speed trains
    • buy tickets online ahead of time, the economy seats are pretty comfortable, and buy them early to get cheaper seats.

Where to stay

  • Near Historic Center ("old" part of Rome, area near Trevi Fountain): this is a good choice if you want to explore Rome as many touristic attractions are within walking distance.
    • I stayed near the Barberini metro station (which is 2 stations away from Roma Termini) and I was 5 min walk from Trevi Fountain.
  • Near Roma Termini station: this is a good choice if you plan to take various day trips to other cities that are within 1-2 hours from Rome (e.g. Naples or Florence... but arguably you could spend more than one day in those cities!)

Things to do

Important Attractions

Colosseum

Are you not entertained? This is a marvelous amphitheater that tells of the greatness of the Roman Empire. 
  • This is part of a historical site that also includes the Roman Forum, which is a site of ruins for an important political, commercial, and religious center. It costs 12 euros to enter to both the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.
    • Buy tickets online (costs 2 extra euros) to save on lining up, though you will still have to line up for security check. There is no set time for the tickets, so you have flexibility to choose when to go.
  • Recommend going to Roman Forum first (~1.5-2 hours), and then go to Colosseum (~1-1.5 hour) near the sunset for pictures. Please check the closing time, and make sure you arrive before it closes!




Vatican City's Museum

This museum has a very complete collection of art from ancient civilization of Egypt, from Babylonians... all the way to the Christian art of the Renaissance. It is beautiful, but also overwhelming.
  • This museum is huge, so you can easily spent 3-5 hours there (depending on how much you appreciate art)
  • Contains various galleries with famous paintings and sculptures, but the climax is the breathtaking Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel
  • You have to buy tickets online and decide on the date and time you are visiting. 
    • I was very interested so I paid for the audio guide. 

St Peter's Basilica

This is 5 minutes walk from Vatican City's Museum, and it is gorgeous You can take pictures outside to admire the great architecture from the outside, and then appreciate the even greater interior. One of Michelangelo's famous sculpture "La Pieta" is displayed there.
  • Easily spend 1 hour there.
  • Entrance is free, but there is a lineup for security check. I think you can climb to the top of the dome, but there is a fee for that.




Historical Center of Rome

You can easily visit all these places within walking distance of each other. You probably need to spend 30 min for each of these:
  • Trevi Fountain
  • Pantheon
  • Piazza Navona
  • Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps)

Optional Attractions

  • Campo de Fiori: open market that sells Italian goods like pasta, spices, kitchen appliances.

What to eat

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