View from Castel Sant'Angelo

When we took our first taxi ride into Rome from FCO Airport, our taxi driver told us "Welcome to the Jungle". Exploring Rome is not for the faint-hearted, but it was an experience to remember and we had a wonderful time.

We stayed at the citizenM Hotel Rome Isola Tiberina right in the heart of Rome. Located in the Jewish Quarter, it was the perfect location to branch out and visit all the different neighborhoods. The hotel itself had modern and clean rooms, a big spacious bed, and an ipad to control the room lighting, temperature, TV & blinds. There were some minor bumps with the tech, but overall our stay was lovely. 

A 3-Day Itinerary in Rome:

Day ONE

AM: Visit the Pantheon. On Sunday's, the Pantheon opens at 12pm. We lined up at the cash-only line, which was significantly shorter than the mobile ticket line.

Front of the Pantheon

Inside the Pantheon

AFTERNOON: Walk to Castel Sant'Angelo. Most sites in Rome required an advanced reserved ticket but the castle was one of the places we didn't have to buy tickets in advance. It ended up being one of my favorite sites on the trip. 



Castel Sant'Angelo is a Rotunda initially commissioned by Emperor Hadrian as a Mausoleum for him and his family. Over the centuries, the castle was repurposed for many purposes. 


One of things I didn't see mentioned much in travel guides was that the Castle provided amazing views of Rome. It was relatively easy to walk around and up to the top of the castle. Since it's a Rotunda style building, you can get amazing 360 degree views of the Rome!



PM: Explored Trastevere for some good food. Our hotel was within walking distance of the Trastevere district. We ended up checking out Nannarella. Loved trying the Carciofo alla Giuda (fried artichoke).



Day TWO

AM: Visit the Colosseum. You must book a timed slot to visit the Colosseum. We got the Arena tickets which allows you to entrance to the arena area of the Colosseum. The perk is you could spend as much time as you wanted in this section and it was less crowded than the standard ticket. Ideally, I would have loved to get the Night Tour tickets but those are hard to get!






AFTERNOON: Visit the Roman Forum and Palantine Hill. This visit was included with the full-experience ticket. Everything is right next to each othe, so we followed the lines to enter the sites. I highly recommend using the bathrooms near the entrances before embarking on your exploration. I also recommend to wear good sturdy shoes. We did lots of walking and the uneven stone paths can be hard on the feet.



PM: Walk along Via dei Fori Imperali. This was the favorite part of my trip. On this walk, you can see the Roman Forum and many other sites lit up at night! It was a spectacular sight to see. Seeing the ancient sites and buildings at night felt like I was in another world.




DAY THREE

AM: Visit Vatican Museums. Reserved tickets are a must! We went in the AM hoping to beat the crowds but wished we had done an afternoon tour instead. It was completely packed with tour groups and tourists. I booked the guided tour from the Museum and once you're done with the tour, you're free to do as you wish. We ended up doing a second loop of the museum and were able to appreciate the art much more on the second go-around.





PM: St. Peter's Square & Basilica There was no shortcut to walk to Basilica from the Museums. We had to walk outside along the Vatican walls to reach the Square - a good 15-20 minute walk.




After exploring the Square, we took the metro back for our dinner reservation and explored the area around Piazza Navona. Found some cool shops such as Emporio Centrale and in Via del Governo Vecchio - Kolby. 

Gran Caffè Rione VIII - a lovely cafe!

We finished off our Roman Holiday with a great dining experience at Renato e Luisa. I recommend making reservations in advance for any restaurant you want to try in Rome. The highly-rated restaurants were often fully booked and have no room for walk-ins. 


BONUS: On our last night of our Italy trip, we went back to Rome to catch our flight home. We visited the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain at 1am and it was perfect. There was virtually no one at the Spanish Steps. The Trevi Fountain still had quite a bit of people but it wasn't packed like it would have been during the day. 


Ciao, 2024!