It’s only natural. Everybody does it, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Yes, you know what I’m talking about: everybody falls in love with Rome.
The city has a warm seductive pull that melts the coldest of visitors. Hearts of stone stand no chance against Rome’s gorgeous stone buildings. And as night falls, the ancient streets come to life with music and shadows.
Unless you’re going to fret about not seeing everything it offers – and you won’t in a short stay, for you can’t, not even in months – you’re almost certain to have a good time here and see most of the most popular tourist attractions in just one day.
Rome’s historical and religious sites are stupendous, its character charmingly off-the-wall, its crooked and ancient layout seductive, the shopping excellent and stylish (and mostly still independent), and the food and drink – the hospitality – at countless pavement cafés and restaurants second to none.
Let me introduce you to some of the city’s loveliest locations and how to experience the highlights in just one day.
Get a good night’s sleep, start early on day one, and make the most of your time in Rome.
Morning
Grab breakfast out somewhere (much quicker than your hotel), standing (which is cheaper) at a counter with the Romans and their newspapers, for a coffee and a pastry.
If you’re going to do the Vatican, do it now, as early as possible. Walk or get a cab across the Tiber (a surprisingly narrow, deep-set river in this great metropolis) and walk up the Via del Conciliazione to the massive space of Piazza San Pietro, facing St Peter’s Basilica. Get into the queue and get straight to the top of the colossal Dome, walking the 300-plus steps up weird, bent-over staircases: the view from this highest point is superb. Then, as the crowds build, you can go down and drift through the amazing cathedral itself, and the Vatican museums, at the far end of which is the incomparable Sistine Chapel (of Michelangelo’s ceiling and Last Judgment fame; remember?), with its officious guards reminding you to be quiet.
From here, grab a cab to the stirring slaughter circus of the Colosseum, the massive amphitheatre that, long before St Peter’s was built, would have held up to 50,000 Roman spectators, watching elaborate scenes of choreographed carnage unfolding for their entertainment. This is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Europe, the structure combines original building with reconstruction, interpretation and just enough imagination to create a memorable impression. Get your picture taken with one of the authentic-looking legionnaires touting their muscles outside. If the queues look long to get in, opt for a guided tour – often the best plan anyway (Rome is no place to waste time).
The Colosseum is at the eastern end of the ancient Forum, the heart of the old Roman city, and you can march or dawdle through the park of lawns and ruins at whatever speed suits you. You emerge at the natural centre point of Rome, Piazza Venezia, in front of Il Vittoriano, the monument to Italian unification, a great hulk of a building from the 19th century, with huge statuary and soaring flights of steps everywhere.
Afternoon
By now you’ll be hungry, so head down towards the extraordinary Pantheon and dive into the first pizzeria you see (choose from the counter, and buy your squares by weight: easy). The Pantheon, a Roman temple and later church, is shaped like a massive cylinder, with a nine-metre hole in its dome through which the sunlight shines like a great lens onto the interior, creating bizarre shapes on the plasterwork. The building, over 2000 years old, is virtually intact.
It’s an easy walk from here across the Tiber, and immediately you’re out of the bustle and noise and in a more suburban environment, near a university where you may bump into American summer school students. Ahead, is Monte del Gianicolo, the Janiculum Hill, the heights that overlook Rome from the west. It’s an easy, fifteen-minute climb up the alley and steps to the tree-shaded viewpoints at the top, where you’re rewarded with great views. Back down again, stop in a pavement café to recharge your batteries or start the evening.
Evening
This area is Trastevere (“Across the Tiber”), the funkiest part of Rome close to the centre, with a nice, small-town feel and crammed with places to eat, cobbled squares, street entertainers and pavement traders. It’s worth dropping by the place where you fancy eating to reserve a table for an hour or two later. Dinner menus make few concessions to non-Italians or fussy foreigners – you eat local-style in Rome, with large portions and robust flavours – so it’s a good idea to have a phrasebook or someone to translate. Braised octopus stew, for example, is seriously tasty, but you need a sharp knife and a good appetite. If in doubt, pasta dishes are always excellent, washed down with a few large beers or a bottle of chianti.
Night
Nightlife tends to be more drinks and people-watching, especially in the hot summer months, but there’s no shortage of clubs and music bars if you want to up the tempo a little.
For a start, you’ve got to go to the Spanish Steps and hang out like scooter kids from the sixties. Equally, and with a similar vibe, you mustn’t miss the famous coin-toss spot, the magnificent Trevi Fountain. Then you’ve got to go to Piazza Navona and check out the talent before choosing a street artist to sketch your features (going rate €30).
If you have time, visit the Capuchin Monks’ Crypt in the church of Santa Maria della Concezione, furnished and decorated with monks’ bones – on the walls, in the ceilings and in the altars, not forgetting the leg bone chandeliers… Their motto: “What you are, we once were; what we are now, you will be.”
Rome really is one of the best cities to visit and my action packed itinerary will allow you to see the best locations in a short period of time. I love Rome and I really think you will too. Check out my Italy travel tips for more recommendations in this beautiful country.
