Synopsis: Stephanie and I decide last minute to take advantage of the 3-day weekend and do a 4-day trip to Rome. Weather will be nice so we will just walk around until we see something cool. She speaks a little Italian and I eat a lot of Italian, so we should have no problems.
Trip Overview:
Day 1: Land at Ciampino in the morning and head to the hotel to check-in. We are staying by Termini station so we have access to every kind of transportation available in the city. Stop for cappuccino. We decide on the 110 Open bus tour. We take the red one around for an hour and a half just to get an overview of the city. Stop for cappuccino. Republicca Fountain is nearby, waiting for a photo op. Head down to Altar of the Fatherland (Altare della Patria, aka The Wedding Cake), which just happens to be near a third of the tourist attractions in Rome: Trajan Forum, Roman Forum, Piazza Campidoglio, and the Flavian Amphitheater (Colosseum) in the near distance.
First day, full of energy, let's walk to Trevi Fountain. Wow, can there be any more people here? We gently blitzkrieg our way to the front for a photo. Alright, that took two minutes, let's go to the Spanish Steps. Oh, the other half of the entire world is here. Stephanie's friend recommended a restaurant near here but we can't seem to find it. Let's check google maps... yeah its on the other side of town. Let's head back to the hotel. Stop for cappuccino.
Night 1: In Italy, they don't eat dinner until very late, so we venture out around 9PM looking for food. Walk by the Pantheon, but it's closed this late. Continue on to Piazza Navona and check out the Fountain of the Four Rivers and eat at a restaurant.
Thoughts: After navigating Rome by foot and traversing the length of the city twice, we are completely familiar with the layout and quickly get to wherever we want.
Trip Overview:
Day 1: Land at Ciampino in the morning and head to the hotel to check-in. We are staying by Termini station so we have access to every kind of transportation available in the city. Stop for cappuccino. We decide on the 110 Open bus tour. We take the red one around for an hour and a half just to get an overview of the city. Stop for cappuccino. Republicca Fountain is nearby, waiting for a photo op. Head down to Altar of the Fatherland (Altare della Patria, aka The Wedding Cake), which just happens to be near a third of the tourist attractions in Rome: Trajan Forum, Roman Forum, Piazza Campidoglio, and the Flavian Amphitheater (Colosseum) in the near distance.
First day, full of energy, let's walk to Trevi Fountain. Wow, can there be any more people here? We gently blitzkrieg our way to the front for a photo. Alright, that took two minutes, let's go to the Spanish Steps. Oh, the other half of the entire world is here. Stephanie's friend recommended a restaurant near here but we can't seem to find it. Let's check google maps... yeah its on the other side of town. Let's head back to the hotel. Stop for cappuccino.
Night 1: In Italy, they don't eat dinner until very late, so we venture out around 9PM looking for food. Walk by the Pantheon, but it's closed this late. Continue on to Piazza Navona and check out the Fountain of the Four Rivers and eat at a restaurant.
Thoughts: After navigating Rome by foot and traversing the length of the city twice, we are completely familiar with the layout and quickly get to wherever we want.
Main train station in Rome |
The "Wedding Cake" aka Altar of the Fatherland |