21 must do’s in Rome
The highlight of my Italy Itinerary: Rome. I’ve been in Rome 2 times for a total of 10 days. Here are my must do’s when in Rome.
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1) Colosseum
The Colosseum, an amphitheater in the center of the city, is the symbol of Rome and one of the seven wonders. This is certainly a must-do when in Rome! The Colosseo dates from the 1st century AD and was the largest amphitheater in the Roman Empire (and still the largest ancient ever built)!
Fun Fact: The movie Gladiator was not filmed here but in the amphitheater in Tunisia!
Tip: Visit it in the morning to avoid the masses and long queues and buy a skip-the-line ticket.
Sad Fact: I’ve visited the Colosseum in 2013 and 2023. When I was here in 2023 I saw they had built these container-gift shops inside the Colosseum. Really did not like this.
Price: €72,5 with a guide to visit the Colosseum and Forum Romanum including skip the line with GetYourGuide.
2) Roman Forum
Forum Romanum used to be the center of Rome. The plaza is surrounded by the ruins of important ancient government buildings. It was a place of day-to-day life activities such as processions, elections, public speeches, criminal trials, gladiatorial matches, and commercial affairs. Now it is an area where you discover the many ruins of temples. Forum Romanum is located in the small valley between the Palatine and Capitoline Hills.
Price: €72,5 with a guide to visit the Colosseum and Forum Romanum including skip the line with GetYourGuide.
View from Palatine hill:
3) The Spanish Steps
The Spanish Steps date from the 18th century and connect a church with the square where the Spanish Embassy is located. Take the stairway of 135 steps but don’t sit down as you can get a fine. The Piazza di Spagna is at the bottom. Search for the house of English Poet John Keats.
4) Trevi fountain
The Trevi Fountain is one of the most famous fountains in the world. The white-marble fountain is on the backside of the Palazzo Poli. The fountain marks the terminal point of one of the aqueducts that supplied water to ancient Rome. I personally find this the most beautiful site to behold in Rome.
Warning: A lot of tourists are here, go early in the morning to avoid the masses.
Tip: Throw a coin in the fountain using your right hand over the left shoulder to ensure a return to Rome.
5) The Pantheon
The Pantheon (temple of all the gods) was ordered by Emperor Hadrian and is one of the best-preserved Ancient Roman buildings. It’s famous for its central opening (oculus) to the sky. The Pantheon’s dome is still the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome. Researchers today still don’t know the secret recipe of this ancient but vast concrete they used
Price: €5
6) Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona was originally the Stadium of Domitian (you can still see the oval shape). The Fountain Of Four Rivers stands in front of the Church of Sant’Agnese in Agone. Don’t forget to take a look inside the church!
7) Victor Emmanuel II Monument – Vittoriano
The monument to Victor Emmanuel II at Piazza Venezia is a large national monument to honor the first king of Italy. Piazza Venezia is notorious for the public speeches of Italian dictator Mussolini to his supporters in the 1920s-1940s.
Go on top to have a beautiful panoramic view of Rome (try to spot the Pantheon, colosseum, forum Romanum, and more!)
8) Vatican City
Vatican City is the smallest state in the world. Governed by the Holy See, Vatican City State is a state ruled by the Pope. Enter the city and discover the small state! You can visit the Sistine Chapel, the Apostolic Palace, St. Peter’s Basilica, and St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City.
9) Castel Sant’Angelo
Castel Sant’Angelo was initially a mausoleum for Emperor Hadrian and his family. The popes later used the building as a fortress and castle and is now a museum. The structure was once the tallest building in Rome. It is said that Archangel Michael arrived at the site to end the plague. Walk on the Ponte Sant’Angelo for a scenic view.
Price: €24 including audioguide with GetYourGuide.
10) St. Peter’s Basilica
Visit the St. Peter’s Basilica but there will be a long queue. Prepare for this.
Fun Fact: The basilica is the burial site of Saint Peter, chief among Jesus’s apostles and also the first Bishop of Rome (Pope). Saint Peter’s tomb is directly below the high altar of the basilica.
Fun Fact: Climb the dome in the early morning to avoid masses.
Price: €45 with GetYourGuide
11) The Vatican museum
Pope Julius II founded the Vatican Museums in the 16th century. They are the public museums of Vatican City, enclave of Rome. The Sistine Chapel, with its ceiling and altar wall decorated by Michelangelo, and the Stanze di Raffaello (decorated by Raphael) are one of the many highlights you have to see.
Fun Fact: The Vatican museums are the second most-visited art museum in the world after the Louvre.
Sad Fact: You can’t take photos in the Sistine Chapel.
Price: €59 skip the line with guide with GetYourGuide.
12) Sant’Ignazio Church
The paintings in the dome are just so beautiful!
13) Santa Maria Sopra Minerva
Enter the Santa Maria sopra Minerva for a stunning Gothic interior. The piazza in front of the Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, is home to the Bernini Elephant. It is the shortest of the eleven Egyptian obelisks in Rome
14) Campo de Fiori
Go to Campo de Fiori in the morning for its daily fresh market with flowers, fruit, herbs and vegetables (Monday to Saturday). I bought myself some pasta here.
15) Temple of Hadrian
This temple was previously known as the Basilica of Neptune and is dedicated to emperor Hadrian
16) Theatre of Marcellus
The Theatre of Marcellus is an ancient open-air theatre. It’s the small version of the colosseum!
17) Area Sacra del Largo Argentina
You can find in the largo di Torre Argentina four Roman Republican temples and the remains of Pompey’s Theatre.
Fact: Julius Caesar was assassinated in the Curia of Pompey, and the spot where he is believed to have been assassinated is in the square.
Fact: it’s also a cat shelter
18) Pincian Hill
Go have a stroll and have a look at Villa Medici, Villa Borghese, Porta Pinciana, Galleria Borghese, and Tempio di Esculapio.
19) Gelatto
No words needed, only a stomach 😉
20) Day trip Lake Albano: Castel Gandolfo
Do some kayaking on Lake Albano with a view of Castel Gandolfo (papal palace of the Pope). Lake Albano is a volcanic crater lake and used to be the location to replay naval battles for crowds.
Fun Fact: It hosted the 1960 Summer Olympic Games for canoeing and rowing.
Price: €45 with GetYourGuide.
21) Day trip: Ostia beach
Go to Ostia to have a beach day!
How to get there: Take the metro B to Piramide, and then change to the train going to Ostia (it’s the same ticket as the metro, so you don’t have to buy a new ticket.) Get off at Ostia Lido Centro. (30min) However, the train didn’t ride on our day so we had to take the bus (1hr drive).
22) The Aventine Keyhole
Further away from the city, this secret hole gives you the view of two nation-states and one country, with the dome of St. Peter’s in the center.
Where to stay?
We stayed at the Code Hotel near the Spanish steps (4 minutes walk) and Trevi fountain (10 minutes walk). The perfect starting point to discover Rome by foot or by metro.
Rome Itinerary
Day 1
Start at Trevi Fountain, Temple of Hadrian, Sant’Ignazio Church, Pantheon, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, Piazza Navona, Campo del Fiore (and have lunch), Area Sacra del Largo Argentina, Vittoriano
Day 2
In the morning: Vatican Museum, by noon: St. Peter’s Basilica, in the afternoon Castel San Angelo and the Spanish steps
Day 3
Forum Romanum in the morning, Colosseum by noon, have lunch, go do some shopping in the afternoon near the Spanish steps or visit Pincian Hill (Villa Medici, Villa Borghese, Porta Pinciana, Galleria Borghese, and Tempio di Esculapio).
Day 4
Day trip: Kayaking on Lake Albano near Castle Gandolfo and shopping in the afternoon or Pincian Hill (Villa Medici, Villa Borghese, Porta Pinciana, Galleria Borghese, and Tempio di Esculapio)
Day 5
Day trip: Ostia beach day
Life of a Passion
