This city is home to massive 2000-year-old buildings that are still standing, pickpockets, great pasta, and crazy drivers. It is hard for our modern brains to comprehend how the thousands of slaves, without machinery, built these enormous structures that have become icons to the city of Rome, today. Photos do not do it justice.
The main three I recommend seeing in person are The Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, and The Pantheon. We did not have time this trip, but when I was around 13, my family traveled to Italy and I remember thinking the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican were also incredible to see in person.
How to get around:
We rented Lime scooters and zipped through the streets, always slightly confused as to where we were going. If you have time to get lost, give this a try! It was so fun to ride on a scooter around the Colosseum and zip back home after dinner. The mix of modern world technologies and thousand-year-old buildings was a one-of-a-kind experience.
If you do not want to opt for the danger of scooters, you can rent a cab or take public transportation. The only area I would avoid if you can is Roma Termini, it’s not horrible, but there were numerous moments I would not have felt okay walking through without Chase with me.
Gym:
While you will walk miles while exploring Rome, it doesn’t hurt to squeeze in a workout if you need it! We found one gym our whole time in Italy, and it was Icon Fitness (Palestre) in Rome. They offer day passes for $15 and it is worth it!
o Food
The best meal we had in Rome was next to the Trevi fountain at Mangia e Trevi. Just a couple steps from the Trevi fountain, find wonderful ravioli, pizzas, and plates of pasta!
Across from the Colosseum is Royal Art Café. From the outside, this restaurant seems fancy and uptight, however, the prices do not reflect this! It’s fairly cheap, with an unbeatable view of the Colosseum. Visit here at night for a romantic dinner with an iconic view. (Photo from Royal Art Cafe)
o Experiences
Go explore the Colosseum, it’s magnificent and breathtaking. It is so unique because you are marveling at this structural masterpiece, yet pained a bit knowing what used to occur inside those walls many years ago. There is an area all around the Colosseum worth exploring on foot as well featuring the Arch of Constantine (built in 315AD), Basilica di Santa Francesca Romana, and more.
One structure that blew me away was the Pantheon. We were going to skip this because it didn’t seem like much from photos, but in person, I have never seen anything like it. It’s HUGE. We did not wait in the long line to go inside, it didn’t seem necessary to us. You can walk up to the front and look inside without having to wait in an hour+ line.
The Trevi Fountain was also a lot bigger than it looks in pictures. It’s a gorgeous piece of art and something you should plan on visiting.
MUST DO’S
Pantheon
Colosseum
Trevi Fountain
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