Two Day Rome Itinerary

Many years ago I put together this two day itinerary for friends traveling to one of my favorite cities on earth. Today I finally got around to publishing it online.

Rome Day 1

The following items are arranged in order of proximity to one another. If you start at the Colosseum you can methodically walk to the Fori, then to the Vittorio Emanuele monument, and so on. You'll end at Via dei Condotti where some shopping will probably occur, at which point you can just jump on the subway at the end of the street (to the left of the Spanish Steps) and return to your hotel.

  • The Colosseum. Consider taking the tour, it's pretty neat. There is a subway stop named Colosseo which drops you off literally right in front of the Colosseum.
  • Fori Imperiali (within it you can also see the prison where the Romans held Peter and Paul - really amazing). Keep your eyes peeled for the stone maps mounted on the wall, they were placed there by Mussolini as a tribute to the Roman Empire.
  • Monumento di Vittorio Emanuele. Also known as the "birthday cake", it is derided by Italians as being Rome's ugliest monument. It's worth going to the top as the view is pretty nice. The piazza in front of the monument (Piazza Venezia) is somewhat infamous in recent history as both Hitler and Mussolini gave speeches on the monument steps facing this piazza.
  • Trevi fountain
  • The Pantheon. Keep your eyes peeled for Raffaele's tomb.
  • Piazza Navona. I spent New Year's Eve here once! The Fountain of Four Rivers statue was carved by none other than Bernini himself.
  • Chiesa San Luigi dei Francesi (a little known church near Piazza Navona, it is stupendous and a can't miss in my opinion)
  • Museo Doria Pamphili (amazing art museum with Botticelli sculptures among others)
  • Via dei Condotti (probably the most famous shopping street in the world)
  • Spanish steps (oddity: nearby you can visit the largest McDonalds in Italy, it seats 1,200). Walk up to the very top of the steps and you'll see the home where John Keats lived.

Rome Day 2

The Vatican Museum is one of the most extraordinary museums on the planet, and regardless of your religious proclivities is a required stop on the two day tour. The Vatican itself and museum are situated next to one another so I recommend visiting the former first and then going to the museum:

  • Vatican / St Peter's Square (you will spend around 90 minutes here). Be sure to visit the catacombs under the basilica. You cannot wear short shorts nor expose shoulders/midriff; they will not let you in.
  • Vatican Museum (you will spend at least 3 hours in here)

Rome Day 3

If you're feet aren't hurting by day 3, check out the Musei Capitolini and Museo Nazionale Romano, both of which house some pretty amazing Roman artifacts.

General Comments

  • Use the subway when traveling any considerable distance across the city (for instance from Termini to the Vatican). The subway can get pretty hot depending on the time of year, but is generally easy to get around unless there is a strike.
  • Italians drive on the same side of the street as Americans, however the similarities pretty much end there. I do not recommend driving unless you have an Indiana Jones-like thirst for adventure. You could take the train to various stops along the water, and although the train isn't without its own problems it is going to be far more relaxing than driving in the south. If you ignore this advice and plan on driving in Naples, addio.
  • English is spoken by most shop / restaurant workers within central Rome, your luck will vary if you venture outside of the city. English proficiency will drop as you travel further south.