Rome in Two Days
Last weekend I decided to go to Rome for two days, arrived on Saturday at 9:30ish AM and left on Monday at 10:15 AM. So basically I had 2 days to have a little taste of it. Now I am saying a little taste because I saw that I will have to go back again and again. One because there is so much to see and two because the city is simply amazing.
Rome is one big open-air museum, I had a GPS watch that was telling me that I was walking around 18/20km a day, and it is completely true. There is no reason to get a cab anywhere, because at any time you may be walking in an unknown street and bump into a thousand-year-old church or something like it. So Rule #1 when going to Rome, especially for the ladies that like to look good on high heels, leave them at the hotel, or better yet, don't even bother bringing them to Rome, Rome is all about comfortable shoes.
First of all, where to stay:
Well, like I said it before, since you are probably going to be walking everywhere in the city I would recommend staying somewhere near the city center, preferably left of the Roma Termini Train Station, right of the Vatican City, not South of Trastevere and South of Villa Borghese, or basically near or inside where the circle is marked in the map. This will make your life a lot easier when visiting the main sites and Neighbourhoods.
I stayed at the NTB Roma, a really nice and comfortable Bed & Breakfast with an excellent service and really nice location. And the price wasn't bad at all.

Getting to the city from the airport:
This is easy! There is Train Station inside the Fiumicino Airport that you can take a train that goes straight, non-stop to the Roma Termini Station, right in the city center.
I took the Leonardo Express and it cost 14 euros. You can buy the ticket right at the machine with most major credit cards or cash.
After getting to the Roma Termini I just took a taxi no my hotel which cost me about 10 euros, maybe.
Historic places:
- Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica
There are so many websites selling all kinds of packages to the Vatican that it can get confusing and almost impossible to know for sure what you are getting yourself into. So after doing some research and talking to an Italian friend of mine, I got the Official Vatican Website: http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/visita-i-musei/tariffe-e-biglietti.html
There you can buy your ticket at a scheduled time, an audio guide and everything you need.
One important thing to know is, the St. Peter's Basilica is FREE, you only need a ticket to get into the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel, which are pretty much connected to each other.
My Experience:

I bought the normal ticket with the SKIP THE LINE thing but with no guide, but as you start to get close to the Vatican entrance you start to get basically harassed by dozens of people selling their Guides Tours. I ended up paying 20 euros for one that turned out to be really good. That was Maya Tours, if you want to check out their website and hire them before you go, their office and meeting point is right next to the Vatican actually.
The guide is good for two things, one that they usually know everything about the place and also because although St. Peter's Basilica is free, there is a separate line for it, but guided tours skip that one too, so it can save you some time, so that is up to you.
Either way, the Vatican is a must see in my opinion and the experience of walking into the St. Peter's Basilica is something I'll remember forever.
- Castle of St. Angelo
Right next to the Vatican, as soon as you walk out of the St. Peter's Basilica, just go down the street and you will get there. This time at least I just took photos from outside, since it was already late. But is definitely on my list for next time.
- Patheon

The Pantheon is one of the most well-preserved buildings from Ancient Rome having almost 2000 years and also one of the first Churches if not the first, I don't really know. Is definitely a place worth visiting, especially if you are Catholic, like me.
And if you are not, it is also a great place to just sit down, have a beer or a coffee and people watch, also one of my favorite things to do. But be prepared to pay top price for anything. That pint of beer you see in the picture there, cost me 8 euros. Even so, a nice place to just chill.
- Colosseum and Palatino

One thing that I found out is that if you go on the first Sunday of the month, the ticket is free! That goes for the Palatino too! (And for the Louvre in Paris, in case you are feeling French).
But anyway, this whole area is absolutely amazing, if you have at least a little respect and interest for the history of the world you have to visit. There history behind it, the construction, the size, all amazing! It is said that the Colosseum could hold eighty-seven thousand people when it was completely packed. Most football stadiums today cannot hold that! Amazing right!
In here the same thing I said about the guides in the Vatican goes for the Colosseum too. They are like vultures, but it is up to you! In the end, they do save you a bit of time and I always think it is better to hear the history being told by someone then by a stupid audio-guide. But that is personal.
- Trevi Fountain
They say that if you want to go back to Rome you have to throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain. Well, that is pretty much all you can do there because it is so crowded with people that even taking a picture is a bit hard, at least a good one. Also, I got a tip that I felted to be true and that is not to eat or drink anything around there unless you really want to get ripped off by the inflated prices for tourists.
- Trajan’s Market
Definitely, a big piece of Roman history sits there. The Trajan's Market is a huge complex of ruins of old Rome. It really surprises you, because the main entrance is not a big deal, but after you walk in you get into an endless streak of corridors, rooms, and pillars in ruins, but all really well described via text and audio. For me, that loves history, a definite must see also
You can also see a part of the Trajan's Market when walking to the Colosseum since it is so big.
Neighborhoods:
- Monti Neighbourhood

Monti is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Rome (I think), it is right next to the Colosseum and Palatino, which came in really handy since I tired and hungry from walking all morning and wanted to find a place to sit and eat, which Monti has a lot.
A really special place in Monti is the Piazza Della Madonna dei Monti, which is a water fountain in the middle of a little square surrounded by restaurants. There you will find anything from people reading, drinking their coffee or just hanging out. I went in the early afternoon but I heard that at night it can be a really cool hang out point too.
- Trastevere Neighbourhood
This was definitely my favorite area in Rome. Maybe it was because of the steps at Pizza Trilussa with the live musicians and lots of people just hanging there and killing time, maybe it is because of the lots and lots of bars and people doing their Apperitivo (it's an Italian thing, look it up) or maybe it is because I ate probably the best carbonara I'll ever eat in my entire life. But probably it is because you can find all these things together all in one place. In Trastevere, you can easily spend at least half a day and a piece of your night just chilling, eating and having fun.
Restaurants:
- Ai Tre Scalini Bottiglieria in Monti
at Via Panisperna, 251 — Monti
This place was referred to me by a blog. Supposedly is a really old and traditional restaurant. The food was really good, the service to be honest not that much, didn't really feel like they wanted me there that much, maybe it was because I was alone, I don't know. but still, of all the places I've been in Rome, this was where the service was the worst. Still, the food was pretty good, so it is your call.
- Fatamorgana Gelato in Monti
at Piazza Degli Zingari, 5 — Monti
Organic Ice Cream place, not much to say here because most ice cream places in Rome are amazing! I wanted to try this one for the organic effect, which was still amazing!
- Cantina & Cucina (Limoncello, Tiramisu)

This place was funny because I was walking around dinner time and looking for a place to eat and all of a sudden I saw this little place with a lot of people waiting outside. I thought to myself, well this must good and got in line for it. About two minutes later the hostess came with complimentary champagne for the people waiting. Then I even met a nice couple from LA that also waiting and ended up having dinner with them. Anyway, the food was amazing, at the end I ordered a Limoncello and when I walking out the door the waiter gave me an extra shoot for free, super nice! Totally recommended!
- Tonnarelo in Trastevere
at Via della Paglia, 123 — Trastevere
Referred to me by the hostess of the hotel I stayed as one of the best places to have a Carbonara, and boy she was right! When I got there I had to wait a little bit because of the queue, but it went pretty fast, the place is quite big, although it may not look from the outside. I asked the waiter what was good there just to confirm the hostess theory and he didn't even hesitate to tell me the Carbonara, so that is what I ordered and it was amazing!
Great service and reasonable price! Totally recommended.
- Ma Che Siete Venuti Afa in Trastevere
at Via Benedetta, 25 — Trastevere
This is a really nice Italian sports bar. Not very big inside, but the type of bar that most people just get a beer and stand outside talking, some looking inside to the TV pointing to the door. It felt like I was the only one there not speaking Italian, so it did not look like a tourist place at all.
Well, guys, that was pretty much my experience spending two days in Rome, thanks a lot for all the people that gave me tips before and I hope that with this I can also help future visitors.
Ohh and If by any chance I said something stupid, I am sorry for that an please feel free to correct me, just remember that this is all based on my experience.
Cheers!!
If you enjoyed this, don't forget to CLAP!
