When in Rome...Enjoy the History & Gelato
- Gracey Bryant
- Jun 30
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 6
Ah, Rome, the eternal city, filled with the crumbling ruins of a once-great empire. You can stumble upon historical artifacts and landmarks at every corner, with statues adorning each crevice, and the best pasta you've ever had squeezed between it all. While it is very possible to have a strict itinerary and see the "must-see" sights across this historic town in just a few days, we chose to spend our first week acclimating to Europe in Rome. We found that taking each day to discover small pieces of the city was much more manageable than huge chunks all at once!
Where we stayed: https://www.booking.com/Share-TSxMVd
The apartment we stayed at was about a 30-minute Uber ride from the city center (city metro and buses are also options, we were nervous to start with public transport and so opted for Uber!)
Rome has two main train stations: Rome Termini and Rome Tiburtina
We were a 6-minute walk to the Rome Tiburtina Station (the smaller one), so long-haul train travel was pretty quick and easy!
What we saw each day:
Day 1: Colosseum, Palantin Hill, & Roman Forum tickets were sold as a package deal! This area is huge so leave AT LEAST 2.5-3 hours to explore it all. Every inch is covered in history and lacks shade so bring water! We also walked around after this and found Trajan's Column and the Trevi Fountain. Spaghetteria L'Archetto has some great pasta and drinks!
Official ticket link: https://colosseum.rome-tickets.org/colosseum-tickets
iSpy the Arch of Titus 
Ending the day with some pistachio gelato at the Trevi Fountain
Day 2: Vatican City was an all day adventure for us, make sure to book tickets in advance!! We bought tickets for the Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Rooms, and the Hall of Tapestries/Maps but there are so many more things you can see! Make sure to look at the dress code before hand, i.e., shoulders covered, knees covered, etc.
Official ticket link: https://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en.html
The Hall of Maps was one of our favorite parts of the tour! 
St. Peter's Basilica is peeking over the trees at us
Day 3 & 4: We took a rest day then jumped back in at the Piazza Navona, followed by some more amazing basilica's we stumbled upon (seriously, just walking around you will find the coolest places unintentionally!!). Then, we of course had to see the Curia di Pompey (where Julius Caesar was murdered RIP). And finally a walk by the Tiber River to admire Castel Sant'Angelo.
If you are sick of pasta & pizza by this point check out this fantastic mexican restaurant we found: https://eltiburon.it/
Basilica di Sant'Andrea 
Day 5: The next day we visited the Pantheon which happened to be one of the first buildings that genuinely caused me to lose my breath; we sat in the pews inside staring at everything for at least an hour! Then we walked to the spanish steps (about a 20 minute walk) and finally visited the museum of Ignazio di Loyola, who helped found one of the first Jesuit Church's in Florence. The church was very strict on dress code enforcement so ladies, cover those knees and shoulders or you will be sent back outside like us...!
Church of Gesù 
Sneak peek of the inside! 
The ancient Pantheon! Day 6: This was our last full day which called for visiting even more temples and the ominous Mouth of Truth. The Temple of Hercules, the Temple of Portunus, and the Fountain of Triton can all be found less than a minute from each other. And all of these are a 5-10 minute walk from the Roman Circus Maximus! It's also worth walking to see the Vittoriano (an Uber told us it was a castle built for a king at one point).
The Vittoriano 
The Temple of Portunus Day 7: Finally, we travelled to Florence to begin classes! Rome was big, beautiful, and breathtaking. If you have a chance, even only for a few days, I challenge you to visit this city of eternal history.
Our journey to Florence begins :)
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