3 Days in Rome
Since my mom and I took a cruise trip around the Mediterranean in 2016, I have been in love with Italy. The history, the architecture, the gelato… different varieties of beauty abound in every corner, from Venice’s canals to Positano’s flowery coast to the Vatican’s halls of treasures. When we decided to revisit Italy for Christmas this year, I was so excited that I started planning in July.
Of course, our trip would be incomplete without exploring the Eternal City: Rome. We decided to stay at the Waldorf Astoria Rome Cavalieri when we saw how discounted rooms were during low season (and likely due to construction that rendered their rooftop, ordinarily one of the best viewpoints of Rome, inaccessible). While the rooms are comfortable and the service is gold standard, it’s not very conveniently located for exploring most of Rome’s tourist attractions — they have a free shuttle that drops guests off at a stop walking-distance to the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps, and plenty of taxis available on-call, but even the closest attraction to the hotel (Vatican City) is a 10-minute taxi ride away. Next time, we’d choose a more centrally-located hotel as our base.
One thing to note about the historic center of Rome: taxis are extremely limited, as they can only pick passengers up from designated taxi stands, which aren’t readily identifiable via Google Maps but are usually available near major tourist attractions like the Colosseum and Pantheon. Rideshare apps are also typically more expensive than taxis; for example, only Uber Black is offered in Rome. When planning your Rome itinerary, spend some time investigating how you will get from point A to point B — walking is not always feasible, especially if you’re planning on visiting Rome’s wonderful museums (in which case, your feet will definitely be fatigued).
With these logistics out of the way, let’s get into our itinerary!
Day 1: Trevi Fountain, Victor Emmanuel II Monument, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, and Piazza Navona
We weren’t originally planning on starting with the Trevi Fountain, but that’s where the hotel shuttle dropped us off, so we rolled with it. Luckily, by the time we arrived, there wasn’t a hint of the morning gray sky: the majestic white travertine absolutely shone against the blue sky. One of our favorite gelato places from 2016 was a gelato shop by the Trevi Fountain — unfortunately for my mom and I, there were two, and we each remembered a different shop being ‘the one.’ After much debate, we ended up trying Il Melograno, which had a very decent pistachio and good coffee.
From there, we walked to the Victor Emmanuel II Monument, also known as the Altar of the Fatherland or Il Vittoriano, a massive marble structure dedicated to the first king of a unified Italy. While historically, it represented the country’s emergence as a nation-state, it now serves as a great free photo spot, with viewing platforms on each side. The elevator to the top of the monument requires a separate ticket — at 16€, it’s overpriced — to access an aerial view of the city and some of its monuments. Depending on the time of day and lighting, it may not be worth the extra ticket as there are plenty of high spots to look out upon Rome, including Palatine Hill, which is a must-visit typically included in any ticket/tour packages of the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. The monument is only a 5 minute walk from the entrance of the Forum.
We had 2:00pm tickets to enter the Colosseum, which included same-day entry to the Forum and Palatine Hill. By the time we clambered off the monument, we were a little pressed for time; admittedly, we positively sprinted through the Roman Forum. It is an incredible archaeological site which played a central role in the daily life of ancient Romans, who held elections and religious ceremonies, gave public speeches, and traded goods with one another in this space. These ruins showcase then-groundbreaking contributions to urban planning and governance — a history buff could spend an entire day there with no shortage of materials to study and admire. Our main goal, however, was to climb up Palatine Hill for its panoramic views (our photographic strategy in European cities: when in doubt, climb). Stories say that the hill was home to Lupa, the mythical wolf who nursed and cared for Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome.
Last time I visited Rome, we had less than a day for our cruise excursion, so this was my first time actually entering the Colosseum. If you’re just walking around, you could be in and out in half an hour. However, their audio guide is worth a listen, as it talks about the construction of the amphitheater, its historic significance (including how different emperors used it to burnish their reputations with the public — which reminded me of this Aeon article I’d just read about Rome’s public libraries as a performance of emperors’ goodwill), and the culture around the gladiatorial spectacles. The Colosseum is so complete compared to the ruins of the Forum that it’s chillingly easy to imagine crowds in the stands roaring as fighters face opponents, such as wild animals that would spring out of the ground via their complex elevator-and-trapdoor system.
At this point, we were parched and ready to refuel with more gelato. We happened to walk past the Pantheon, so we lined up to admire the dome (one of the largest unreinforced concrete domes in the world; the diameter of the dome is equal to the height of the building, so it’s perfectly proportioned). Inside, you can find the tombs of notable figures, including our aforementioned celebrated king Vittorio Emmanuel II and the artist Raphael. As a bonus, from the Pantheon you are a mere 4-minute walk away from Giolitti, which was our favorite gelato stop in Rome! They have an efficient ordering system — you order and pay at the front, then take your receipt to the back to pick flavors — so you won’t have to wait long for a treat. Our favorite flavors there were pistachio and rice.
To end our perfect first day in Rome, we strolled through the Piazza Navona. The centerpiece of the plaza, the Fountain of the Four Rivers, gave us our first peek of Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s exquisite sculptural designs. In December, you’ll also find a Christmas market, where tourists and locals alike enjoy the music and lively spirit.
If you know me, you know that one of my priorities when planning any trip is picking the right restaurants, and my strategy is to read 1* reviews to see if I can tolerate people’s worst impressions of a place. When researching for this trip, I realized that 1* reviews generally represented two categories: ‘tourist traps’ and ‘pretentious’ (overpriced, small portions). Entering Osteria da Fortunata, I hoped to find a tourist trap that is popular for a reason, but sadly found little justification for its hype. While we appreciated the handmade pasta, all of their dishes were too salty for our taste.
Day 2: Villa Farnesina, St. Peter’s Basilica (+ dome), Vatican Museums
We knew Day 2 was going to be our most walking-intensive, with our main event of the day secured: 3:30pm tickets to the Vatican Museums. Our plan was to climb the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica right before heading to the museum to try and catch a bit of early golden hour lighting.
In the morning, we headed to Villa Farnesina, a small Renaissance villa known for its frescoes painted by Raphael. Every room was covered in gorgeous, colorful frescoes which positively gleamed under sunlight streaming through the windows. When we visited, the villa was also showcasing a restoration of La Gioconda Nuda (The Nude Gioconda) by the workshop of Leonardo da Vinci. While this copy is considered the closest derivation of the piece, the description talked about how paints used in prior restorations had oxidized and yellowed, and how the use of smalt to paint the sky had resulted in the background’s irreversible fade to gray. I’m reminded that many artworks I’ve seen in my life are the product of incredible conservation efforts; while creating art is often described as an act of immortalization, it still requires generations of people to prioritize (and deem the piece worthy of) periodic maintenance and care.
From the villa, we enjoyed a leisurely stroll along the Tiber River to St. Peter’s Basilica. Visiting the Basilica for the first time was one of my most memorable moments in our 2016 trip. At the time, I went to a Lutheran Christian high school but honestly hadn’t ever thought seriously about my faith; being there simply filled me with awe. I remember comparing the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona to St. Peter’s, quipping ‘the Sagrada Familia makes you respect Gaudí, St. Peter’s makes you respect God.’ In the years since, I’ve developed a more genuine and intentional relationship with God. In fact, I feel heard on a daily basis. I manifest the weather (on this trip, the forecast was full of rainclouds, but the weather could not have been better), I see things falling into place with lucky timing, and so on — it may just be optimistic interpretation, but that’s a kind of faith too.
I digress. I felt quite emotional revisiting St. Peter’s. I was mostly struck by how I felt so small under its cavernous gilded ceiling seven years ago. I’ve experienced so much since then, but this giant monument of a basilica, standing tall and holding space for believers and nonbelievers alike for the past four centuries, is the same as ever. Even if you aren’t religious or spiritual, it’s hard to remain unmoved by the beauty that different religions inspired people to create and leave behind across the world.
The Basilica itself is free to visit, but if you feel like climbing 333 steps to the top of its dome (‘cupola’), you can purchase a ticket inside. On the way up, you’ll get to walk around the central dome/ceiling inside as well and appreciate some mosaics that you can’t see from the ground level. At the top, you can see 360 degree views of the Vatican City and Rome.
Because we can never get enough of beautiful things, we headed to the Vatican Museums to gaze upon even more art and artifacts. We snagged tickets for one of the last entry slots of the day, which meant that there wasn’t an overwhelming flood of tourists like we had seen in the summer, but we also only had three hours to see everything. While at first, we tried to listen to each room’s audio guide and spend time reading the descriptions for each object, we quickly abandoned this effort upon realizing that there were dozens of detailed audio guides for each room. It’s truly an overwhelming museum in terms of sheer volume: treasures are piled floor-to-ceiling, and statues and artifacts that would be absolutely babied and spotlighted at other museums are stacked along the walls and given half a second’s attention by most tourists. By the time we were shuffled out of the Sistine Chapel at closing time, my mom and I joked that we could only recall categories of things we saw: maps, jugs, statues, paintings, tapestries… we’d seen things!
That being said, the Vatican Museums are absolutely my #1 recommendation to anyone visiting Rome for the first time. Every room is stunning to behold, and of course the Sistine Chapel is breathtaking. Though it only occupies a tiny part of the ceiling, I could never consider The Creation of Adam overrated. Mankind reaching out to God… even if you aren’t religious, what is life if not constantly reaching towards something more than yourself?
We stumbled out of the museum, eyes swimming with images of ancient trinkets and Raphael’s frescoes and whatnot, and headed back to our hotel for dinner. The Uliveto Restaurant offers a nice environment and fairly varied menu, but this was one of our less memorable meals of the trip, so I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to dine here. The only standout dish was their tiramisu, which was more like a mousse with a delicious crunchy shell (rather than having traditional ladyfinger layers).
Day 3: Borghese Gallery, Spanish Steps, Doria Pamphilij Gallery, Churches, Castel Sant’Angelo
I spent most of my time planning the Tuscany/Florence segments of our trip because those places were newer to us; besides the Borghese, the jumble of places we visited on this day were spots I considered optional. Though all my hopes for Rome were already more than fulfilled on Day 2, Day 3 ended up being my favorite.
I hadn’t even looked up photos of the Borghese Gallery before visiting, so I had no expectations going in. To my surprise, I found myself teary-eyed upon entering the first room and immediately being confronted by Bernini’s The Rape of Proserpina. I had never been especially interested in sculpture as a category of art; it was impressive on a technical level, but I rarely found myself moved by a statue. However, Bernini’s works are so intricate and lifelike, with details such as the way Pluto’s hands press Proserpina’s skin, the veins in his hands, Cerberus’s fur — and in all of his statues, the sense of motion in the models’ stances — that they really feel like art. In particular, Bernini’s works showcase how sculpture as a medium can tell a story in a way that a two-dimensional format, like painting, cannot. In Apollo and Daphne, for example, the rough swath of leaves wrapping around her in combination with the already-detailed leaves in her hair and fingers give the sense that Daphne is being transformed into a laurel tree in the moment that we gaze upon the statue. We can feel Apollo’s hand on her waist and the wind rushing behind him as he runs towards her. While so many monumental statues feel rigid and weighty, Bernini’s designs have a lightness and fluidity that leaps out of the otherwise cold, inert marble.
Besides its impressive collection of Bernini’s masterpieces, the Borghese’s interiors are exquisite — my favorite of all the museums I’ve ever visited. Every ceiling and wall is a work of art in itself. Their collection also contains the works of Old Masters such as Caravaggio, Raphael, Titian, and Rubens (when we visited, there was actually a Rubens temporary exhibition, so we got to see even more of his paintings). If you have time to visit the Borghese, we all agreed it was a must. Our tickets were for 9:00am, right at opening time, which as a perfect arrangement as there weren’t any large crowds when we arrived. We had time to gawp at all angles of every statue and unhurriedly examine each detail, and the museum is small enough that 1.5-2 hours is sufficient for getting a good look around.
We walked around Villa Borghese, a public park, before heading to the Spanish Steps. As far as Rome’s tourist attractions go, this staircase is the least exciting to me as it’s always packed with people. We traipsed through the designer shopping streets, stopping by Trajan’s Column (giant carved column) and Venchi for gelato (one of our Shanghai favorites, but the service at this location was not good) before heading to the Doria Pamphilij Gallery, a large private art collection. What an underrated gem! There were several hallways with walls crammed full of beautiful paintings, and their free audio guide covered the family’s history and many of the pieces in depth. My favorite room put three Caravaggio paintings in conversation, including a delightful summary of his Rest on the Flight into Egypt that talked about details such as Joseph’s crossed feet showing his awkwardness in front of the angel, and the broken violin string alluding to how humans aren’t able to fully hear the music of heaven.
From there, we set off to explore a series of churches: the Chiesa di Sant’Ignazio di Loyola, a church that has gone viral on TikTok for offering a paid mirror selfie experience with its gorgeous ceiling (just look up, guys!); the Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli, which houses Michelangelo’s Moses (featuring a light system designed to mimic different natural light in three-minute cycles); and the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, which was just magnificent, covered in gold.
We were originally only planning to take pictures by the Castel Sant’Angelo at sunset, but spontaneously decided to climb to the top, which gave way to a splendid view of St. Peter’s and the surrounding city. Repeat after me: when in doubt, climb!
By the time we descended, it was thoroughly dark and our feet were thoroughly exhausted, so we wanted to find a good spot for a hearty Roman dinner. We left it up to the whims of Beli’s recommendations and found ourselves at Giulio Passami l’Olio. We had hope the moment we stepped inside and a) all of the patrons were speaking Italian and b) they had to double check that the kitchen was open at the early hour of 6:00pm. Their food was tasty, cheap (9€ for a hearty bowl of cacio e pepe, 15€ for a massive cheese plate), and they had a seriously impressive wine book, placing this at the golden mean of restaurants: neither a tourist trap nor pretentious. We couldn’t have picked a better way to end our time in Rome.
Rome is a city filled with gems you could visit again and again, and still not scratch the surface of their history and influence on art and culture. While that might make travel seem futile, there’s no substitute for being somewhere in person — gazing at the folds of a marble statue or at the ceiling of a basilica with your own eyes feels different from seeing the same details on a perfectly-shot, zoomed-in art book photograph. We may not consciously remember every single thing we see on a trip, but those experiences nevertheless become part of us, broadening our tastes and reminding us of the world beyond our own day-to-day.
