Rome holiday

The short version of our Rome holiday itinerary. Don’t worry, the detailed day-by-day Rome holiday itineraries are available a bit lower on this page, too!

Day 1 – Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill

• Early lunch at Mercato Centrale before checking in?
• Colosseum (pre-booked ticket, skipped the line)
• Roman Forum
• Palatine Hill
• Teatro Marcello
• Bocca della Verita (Santa Maria in Cosmedin)
• Passed by Circo Massimo
• Roseto Comunale ?
• Giardino degli Aranci ?
• Giardino Storico di Sant’Alessio
• Il Buco di Roma (Buco della Serratura di Roma) in Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta
• Dinner at Pizzeria da Remo ?
• Piazzale Ostiense with Porta Sao Paulo and Pyramid of Caius Cestius
• Colosseum by night

Day 2 – Walking from Vatican City to Trastevere

• Early in Vatican City, ate croissants for breakfast while waiting in the short line in St. Peter’s Square ?
• St. Peter’s Dome with the elevator
• St. Peter’s Cathedral when we came back down
• St. Peter’s Square (took our time to see everything now)
• Vatican Museums (pre-booked ticket, skipped the line)
• Mercato Trionfale (only if you want to see an Italian market)
• Quick lunch at Pizzarium Bonci ?
• Walk down Via della Conciliazione
• Seeing Castel Sant’Angelo on the outside
• Crossing the Tiber on Ponte Sant’Angelo, then crossing it back on Ponte Vittorio Emmanuelle II
• Passeggiata del Gianicolo (great views over Rome, shaded) with Piazzale Garibaldi
• Fontana del’Acqua Paola
• Chiesa di San Pietro in Montorio
• Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere
• Sangria break at Cave Canem ?
• Chiesa di San Francisco a Ripa Grande
• Chiesa Rettoria di Santa Cecilia in Trastevere
• Wandering on the streets of Trastevere: Villa Farnesina on the outside, Open Door Bookshop, Almost Corner Bookshop
• Crossed the Tiber over Pons Cestius and had coffee at Gitano ☕️
• Isola Tiberina, returned to Trastevere via Ponte Sisto
• Dinner at Pizzeria Dar Poeta ?(crazy crowded, but mostly big groups; as a couple, we got a table in 10 mins)
• Largo di Torre Argentina

Day 3 – Exploring more of Rome’s historical center

• Breakfast by Piazza della Rotonda, at Don Nino ?☕️
• Fontana di Trevi before 9 am
• The Pantheon
• Chiesa di Sant’Ignazio di Loyola (illusion painted dome & big mirror to easily see the ceiling)
• Piazza della Minerva with Bernini’s Elephant and Obelisk monument ( Basilica Santa Maria Sopra Minerva was under restoration when we visited)
• San Luigi dei Francesi
• Chiesa di Sant’Agostino
• Palazzo Altemps (4-in-1 ticket)
• Wandering on the streets of Rome’s historical center
• Campo de’Fiori
• Piazza Navona
• Pasta and tiramisu at Da Tonino ?
• Down Via del Governo Vecchio to Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne
• Sant’Andrea della Valle
• Back to take a nap ?
• Romantic dinner at Verso Sera, next to Campo de’Fiori. There were street performers playing rock music in the square, too.

Day 4 – The (remaining) piazzas of Rome

• Piazza del Popolo (made the mistake to have breakfast here; expensive and slow) ?☕️?
• Basilica Parrochialle Santa Maria del Popolo (under restoration when we got there)
• Twin basilicas Santa Maria in Montesanto and Santa Maria dei Miracoli
• Terrazza del Pincio (nice view)
• Via del Babuino
• Via Margutta, full of artists exposing their works
• Spanish Steps with Obelisco Sallustiano and Trinita dei Monti at the top, and Fontana della Barcaccia at the base (didn’t go up this time, too crowded)
• Avoided the crowded Via Condotti and chose the parallel, much nicer and less commercial Via Borgogna
• Mausoleo di Augusto
• Caught our breaths by Fontana del Pianto, then found a place to have a panini
• Piazza di San Silvestro and Chiesa di San Silvestro (with a nice lapidarium in its courtyard)
• Piazza Colonna with Palazzo Chigi, the home of the Prime Minister
• Piazza di Montecitorio, with Palazzo Montecitori, built by Bernini, now Chamber of Duty, and Obelisco di Montecitorio
•  Piazza di Pietra with the Temple of Hadrian
• Galleria Sciarra
• Vicus Caprarius – The Water City (by Fontana di Trevi)
• Passed by Palazzo del Quirinale (the Presidential Palace) on Via del Quirinale
• Le Quattro Fontane
• Glass of red wine at Gran Caffè del Passeggero
• Palazzo Massimo alle Terme (included in 4-in-1 ticket mentioned above)
• Piazza Venezia
• Pasta at Il Buco ?
• Piazza Foro Traiano

Day 5 – More things to do in Rome

• Vatican City to visit Museo Leonardo da Vinci Experience
• Piazza Cavour
• Corte Suprema di Cassazione in Piazza dei Tribunali
• Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore
• Via Urbana
• Lasagna & tiramisu lunch at Urbana 47
• Via degli Zingari
• Via del Boschetto
• Piazza Venezia
• Coffee at Le Lanterne ☕️ on Via della Pilotta
• Up the stairs to Basilica di Santa Maria in Ara Coeli
• Pizza for dinner at La Cuccuma ? in Rione Esquilino

Day 6 – Surprising places in Rome

• Diocletian’s Baths (included in 4-in-1 ticket mentioned above)
• Walking in Villa Borghese?
• Lunch at Cantina Cantarini?, a lovely restaurant born in 1903
• Walking in the romantic Quartiere Coppedè
• Dinner at Vecchia Roma with Bucatini Amatriciana Flambé and Spaghetti Parmigiana Flambé? ?

Day 7 – Arrividerci, Roma!

• Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano
• Last glass of wine and gnocchi for lunch at Le foodie Cafe Bistrot.