Rome in 4 days
After getting off the train from Florence, we dumped our bags at the hotel and decamped to Piazza Navona to soak up the Rome atmosphere and grab lunch. Your list of tourist sites not to be missed in Rome will include this Piazza, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Vatican. These are all crowded with tourists but still maintain their charm.
Lunch was great, as usual. We relaxed for a bit in the Piazza and then strolled to some nearby sites on our list: the Pantheon and Piazza della Minerva.
The Pantheon was originally built in 27 BC but burned down and was rebuilt under Emperor Hadrian in 125 AD. It houses tombs of Raphael and two Italian kings. It remains the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome.
Although it is not that pleasing to the eye from the exterior, it is very cool on the inside. A hole in the center of the roof, known as the oculus lets in light, creating a great atmosphere.
Right next to the Pantheon is Piazza della Minerva whose name is derived from a temple built on this site by Pompey dedicated to Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom. The Piazza is home to Bernini's Elephant, which he sculpted in 1667 and is carrying an Egyptian obelisk from the 6th century on his back. This mashup is one of many Bernini sculptures which give Rome much of its charm. There is a Michelangelo frescoe in the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva on this square. After a travel day and hitting a few of the greatest hits, we called it a day.
The next day was focused on a couple of classics: the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. We had walked around the Forum for a few minutes the day before. It's an open air history playground you can just stroll through in a few minutes, or spend hours soaking it up. Some will find the Forum a dull ruin but nobody is going to forget the Colosseum.
We took a few photos outside the Colosseum, which will be enough for some to check it off their list. It is worth going inside, however. The largest amphitheatre in the world was build in 80 AD. It could hold up to 80,000 people for gladiator fights, animal hunts, executions and even mock sea battles. You can buy timed entry tickets in advance online. Despite all the tourists, it does not feel overcrowded on the interior.
We booked skip the line tickets but did not opt for the arena floor access option. Everyone loved it, including the non history buffs and kids. After the Colosseum, we got lunch in the area and then the group broke into two. One of the adults had had enough so he watched the kids at the hotel and the rest of us hit the Palatine hill.
There are a number of guided tours that include the three sites, since the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Hill are all close together. I generally like having a guide for historical information but feel that it is also nice to be moving at your own speed and it worked out great on this day. The Palatine hill was worth it to me but if you are pressed for time, run through the forum quickly and hit the Colosseum. My wife's watch gave her credit for a record number of steps on this day and it was my favorite in Rome. Everyone was pretty wiped out so we called it a day. The next day we had a quick side trip that not enough people take advantage during a Rome holiday: Ostia.
Ostia Antica is often described like Pompeii in that its buildings have been preserved for centuries under sand dunes before being excavated for us to explore today. It was the Roman port city on the river Tiber.
Due to silting from the river the harbor became inaccessable and the city was abandoned with much of the buildings eventually being covered in sand from the river.
Unlike visiting Pompeii which has crowds of tourists, Ostia is pretty empty. You feel like you are time traveling by yourself with few other visitors about. The site is so large that we only saw half of it, at most. Getting there from Rome was easy. Take the metro line B to Piramide station where you can catch a train from San Paolo station to Lido di Ostia. After the half hour train, its a ten minute walk.
The next day was Vatican day. No audience with the pope, but it was still memorable. The Sistine Chapel is incredible but unfortunately no photography is allowed. The colors of Michelangelo's ceiling are vivid compared to photos of what it looked like before renovation. Beyond the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Museum has a lot more fantastic art to see.
St. Peter's is the largest church in the world and is the burial site of St. Peter. It is impressive on the exterior and massive inside. Marble everywhere and many great statues. Michelangelo's Pieta is not to be missed.
After a busy day in Vatican city we decided to have dinner in the nearby neighborhood of Trastevere. This was a working class district in medieval times but it has been discovered by the tourists.
We had a great dinner and found music and a great vibe in the squares of this neighborhood, known for its nightlife.
Our last half day in Rome (and Italy) was dedicated to Borghese Gardens and the Villa Borghese. The park is a large, peaceful green space very close to the main sites in Rome. It is a nice stroll away from Piazza del Popolo and provides shady paths and cool architectural buildings. It is free and can be a great break from typical Roman sites and as a result is the most popular park in Rome. Inside the park is the Villa Borghese.
The group was not in favor of long museum outings but Villa Borghese is one of those greatest hits collections that will not exhaust the art naive or kids. The collection was originally the collection of a cardinal before becoming a public gallery.
The Villa, unlike the park, is not free (except on the first Sunday of the month). It has timed entry tickets but most feel that skip the line tickets are not neccessary. It is closed Mondays.
Although the collection of paintings include famous works from Caravaggio, and Raphael, it felt like Bernini's sculptures dominate the collection. More Bernini felt like a fitting conclusion to our Italian holiday.
Having an Italian itinerary start with Venice, followed by Tuscan hill town touring and finishing in Rome seemed perfect for our group which was mostly first timers visiting Italy. Our family has already been back, because Italy is obviously the greatest country in the world to visit.
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