My husband and I spent three beautiful days in Rome. You can actually see a lot in three days, just be prepared to wear your most comfortable shoes because you’re going to walk a lot :). We were there right after Christmas so everything was still festive and the streets and buildings were beautifully decorated. In this post I’ll tell you all about our three day itinerary to Rome.
Rome is also called an Eternal city. It’s a city of monumental buildings, where every square looks like an open museum. Rome is a place with amazing architecture and great history. It is also a city of good food, beautiful streets and hidden corners with cute restaurants and amazing coffee.
We arrived to Rome late in the afternoon. After checking in into the lovely Saint B boutique Hotel, we practically had time to eat dinner and walk around a bit. The hotel is located close to Piazza Barberini and a short walk from a metro station. Fontana di Trevi is 10 minutes by walk, Piazza Navona about 22 minutes by walk and and Piazza di Spagna is also about 12 minutes walk from here. I would say that the location of the hotel is perfect. When we arrived we asked for a recommendation for the restaurant and got the best one. It was a restaurant near our hotel and it’s called Pesceria Barberini. The food was so good that we came back for dinner the next day as well.
After dinner we walked to Fonatana di Trevi. It wasn’t my first time seeing it but – what a surprise! I forgot how big and impressive it was! Even on a rainy night, still full of tourists it looked absolutely stunning. After an espresso and a gelato near Fontana di Trevi we went to Piazza di Spagna. The rain stopped and we enjoyed seeing all kinds of Christmas trees and lights all over the square. We climbed the Spanish steps and took a few photos.
Surprisingly there weren’t many people there in the evening. I’m guessing rain had something to do with it. I know it can get very crowded since my last visit to Rome, which was in May one year, and you couldn’t get close to the steps to take a photo. After our time in Piazza di Spagna we had another coffee (you simply must when in Italy) and went to Piazza della Rotonda. That’s where we saw the famous Pantheon. After, we had a nice walk back to the hotel and went to sleep.
This wasn’t our first visit to Rome but on our last visits we weren’t able to see much. That’s why we took our three day itinerary to Rome very seriously and ended up seeing a lot.
I have to mention that it was raining almost all the time we were in Rome. But, that didn’t stop us from grabbing and umbrella and walking all day long!
On our actual first full day in Rome we decided to go to Vatican first. We took the metro from Piazza Barberini and we were close to the Vatican in about 10-15 minutes. Since we knew we had little time in Rome, we decided before the trip to skip the Vatican museums and instead to see as much of the city as possible in those three days.
We definitely have a reason to go back to Rome ;). So, our visit to Vatican consisted of walking around the beautiful St Peter’s square and taking photos of St Peter’s Basilica in the rain. When it started to rain heavily we couldn’t find a place to hide cos all the bars were completely full. Since we are both addicted to coffee we took two espresso to go and waited in front of some bar for the rain to calm down at least a bit.
Tip: If you’re planning to visit Vatican museums I suggest booking tickets online because the lines are unbelievable when you come there. There are people who are presenting themselves as Vatican guides (I don’t know if they actually are or not) who are offering to take you to museums with full guidance but at crazy prices. I would suggest avoiding that and instead rather waiting in line if you didn’t buy your tickets online.
Here are some interesting facts about Vatican that I bet you didn’t know!
- Vatican is the smallest country in the world by both area and population.
- 100% of the population is Catholic.
- Vatican is home to the biggest library in the world in terms of books collected with over 11 million texts in its collections and 6,000 added every year.
- Vatican city is one of the biggest consumers of wine per capita in the world.
- Of nearly 900 citizens, there are about 130 Swiss guard soldiers.
- The state prints its own Euro, has its own post office, telephone system, flag, national anthem and also issues passports and licence plates.
- Vatican has a football team of its own (National Vatican football team).
- In Vatican city there is an ATM which can be accessed in Latin.
After a rainy morning in Vatican we decided to go to the Colosseum. When we arrived there the rain actually stopped for a few hours. The sky over the Colosseum looked gorgeous after the rain.
I believe I don’t need to say much about one of the 7 wonders of the New World. As you know, it’s a major tourist attraction, so I suggest booking tickets online or coming in the morning if possible.
Photo tip: You can’t go wrong with photographing Colosseum. It’s simply magnificent from every angle. What I would suggest is a place behind the Colosseum, a small park where you can take photos of yourself with Colosseum in the background. I’m sure you’ve seen photos from this place before and they’re pretty awesome.
I hope our three day itinerary to Rome helps you plan your next visit to this wonderful city.
Between Colosseum and Piazza Venezia you will find Roman Forum, another stunning sight that you must see when in Rome. Roman Forum was a place where religious, political and social life took place in Ancient Rome. Just imagine – Julius Caesar walked here!
We walked some more and we arrived at Piazza del Campidoglio on Capitoline hill, one of the 7 hills of Rome. I think this is a must on a three day itinerary to Rome. The Piazza was designed by Michelangelo who came up with an original trapezoidal design with an oval shaped ground pattern. Another interesting thing you can see here is Cordonata – a slow rising staircase that leads from the bottom of the Capitoline hill to the Piazza.
Piazza del Campidoglio is bordered on three sides by three magnificent buildings – Palazzo Senatorio, Palazzo Dei Conservatori and Palazzo Nuovo.
On our first day we also went to Altare della Patria in Piazza Venezia. The view from this place is simply stunning. Some moments later it started to rain again.
After a long day of walking we needed to eat. We went to lunch at Rossopomodoro and went to the hotel to rest a bit.
After our rest we decided to see some more of Rome and to simply enjoy its atmosphere.
Since we didn’t have a plan for the evening we somehow ended up again at Piazza Venezia. It was already evening but it was absolutely beautiful seeing all the Christmas trees and lights. Wandering the streets of Rome or any city for that matter is something I have to include in our three day itinerary to Rome. How else to feel the atmosphere of the city? Even with the little time you have while on a trip it’s pretty important to feel the vibe of a place, to simply relax and walk the streets without any plan.
On our second out of three days in Rome we woke up at 7am.
We usually wake up later when on holiday but we had a reason for waking up this early. After we had breakfast in a bar just near our hotel we walked to Fontana di Trevi. There were only about twenty people and it was simply stunning to see it in all its beauty. We practically had the place to ourselves. Sometimes waking up early is worth it even when on a holiday.
Interesting facts about Fontana di Trevi:
- Trevi Fountain is one of the oldest water sources in Rome. It dates back toto ancient Roman times, since the construction of the Aqueduct in 19 B.C. The Aqueduct provided water to the Roman baths and the fountains of central Rome.
- The sea God represented in the fountain is not Neptune.The centre piece in the Trevi Fountain is the Greek sea God Oceanus. Neptune would have a trifork and a dolphin and Oceanus is accompanied by sea-horses and Tritons who are half men and half mermen.
- Around 3,000 Euros are thrown into the Trevi Fountain each day. The coins are collected every night and given to charity, an Italian organization known as Caritas.
Tradition has it that you will return to Rome if you throw a coin into the fountain. It worked the first time I did it! So, it’s like this – you should toss it with your right hand over your left shoulder (or left hand over your right shoulder) with your back to the fountain. You’re not allowed to look behind you while you’re tossing the coin. Let’s see if it works again. Who knows, after all – All roads lead to Rome!
After some time we were ready to leave Fontana di Trevi and we headed to see the Spanish steps. As well as Fontana di Trevi, the place was practically empty. It wasn’t raining that morning and everything was so peaceful and quiet. We truly enjoyed it.
When everything is within walking distance you can’t just stop at one place. The next stop in our three day Rome itinerary was the Pantheon. We arrived before it opened and we were two of about twenty people that got in first thing in the morning. The interior of the Pantheon is absolutely spectacular.
Next, we headed to Piazza Navona. This is one of the most beautiful squares in Rome with three impressive fountains – Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, Fontana del Moro and Fontana di Nettuno. Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi or The Fountain of Four Rivers has a large obelisk at its centre. The rivers represented in the fountain are: Ganges, Nile, Danube and Rio de la Plata.
Piazza Navona is surrounded with cafes and restaurants. Here you’ll see street artists and painters. The square had kind of a relaxing vibe. It’s perfect for a meal or a cup of coffee and something sweet.
Beside the fountains at Piazza Navona you will see an imposing building – Church of Saint Agnese in Agone.
Since it was Christmas time there was a carousel near the church and yes, we took a ride on it. Feeling like a kid again is priceless (I need to do these kind of things more often!).
Piazza Navona is close to Tiber river and taking a stroll near the river is something I highly recommend. You’ll see the impressive Castel Aragonese and Vatican from another point of view.
On the other side you’ll see beautiful Roman buildings with old facades. Besides, here are some great spots for photographs! We walked to the Castel Aragonese, spent some time there and came back to Piazza Navona to have a break.
We didn’t have wifi or mobile internet at that time so we weren’t able to look up where we want to eat. So, the best thing was to just walk and pick a restaurant on our way. When we were coming to Piazza Navona I saw a couple of cute, almost hidden restaurants. I said to my husband that we should eat there. It was not easy to find that little alley (I might even say a corner) but we did it. And it was worth it – we had a great meal.
Restaurant tip: If you’re not really into eating in a restaurant that’s located in the middle of some Piazza in Rome, do what we did. Wander the streets, explore them and find a nice little tucked in place. You can’t really go wrong with the food in Italy. You may even pay less for a meal if the restaurant is not in the center of tourist happenings. The other thing is you’ll be away from the crowd, enjoying a quiet meal.
A magical part of Rome is Trastevere where you can enjoy the beauty of old architecture, colourful facades and the prettiest little restaurants.
One of my favourite squares in Rome is Campo dei Fiori. I have beautiful memories from this place from my first visit to Rome. It’s not as big as other squares, but it’s gorgeous. If you have time please do visit it.
On the third day we woke up early, packed our things and went out of the hotel, leaving our bags in the hotel. We decided to spend the half day just enjoying this wonderful city and of course, we went to see some places again. In the afternoon we headed to Termini because we were leaving to Salerno to spend New Year with our friends. But, that’s another story for another blog post 😉
Some of the things we didn’t manage to see and we wanted to (beside the Vatican museums) are Galleria Borghese and Villa Borghese and the gardens. If you have time I hope you’ll put it in your three day itinerary to Rome.
If you want to see more photos of Rome follow me on Instagram.
And if you’re interested in south Italy like I am, you may like my blog posts about Napoli which you can read HERE and HERE.
Thank you for reading!
