HISTORIC CENTER OF ROME

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Day 2: Rome: Colosseum, Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, Trajan's Market, Pantheon of Agrippa, Piazza Navona, Umberto I Bridge, St. Angelo Castle, Vatican, Trastevere, Trevi Fountain

The alarm sounds at 6 in the morning, telling us that yesterday we went to sleep after 1:30 in the morning, after the flight delay and the journey from Rome Fiumicino to downtown Rome, you can imagine how we are, although that It will not influence us to make a jump from the bed and start with our special historical center of Rome.

The sky we have does not seem to be especially on our part, but there is nothing better to take energy than a breakfast at Una Hotel Roma, which welcomes us with an impressive buffet and an express that would wake anyone, including us.

Bakery buffet at UNA Hotel Roma

After charging energy, we leave the hotel when it is 8 in the morning, towards the Colosseum, which will be our first stop of the historical center of Rome, passing before Santa Maria Maggiore, located a few steps from our hotel.

Santa Maria Maggiore

Before starting with the details of the day, we want to comment that this getaway to Rome in a weekend we have focused on traveling without hurry, the most tourist places of the city, although it is based above all on our previous visit to Rome in 6 days , in which we had time to thoroughly visit most tourist places.
On this occasion, we will only be one weekend in RomeWe believe that our itinerary can serve as an inspiration for someone who only has the opportunity to be in the city for a couple of days and wants to know the most interesting places of the Eternal City, entering only some of its most tourist places, such as the Colosseum , the Roman Forum, the Pantheon and some museum.
After this brief stop in Santa María Maggiore, we continue our route, arriving at the Basilica of San Pietro in Vincole, free entry, where we find the impressive sculpture of Moses by Michelangelo, one of the most beautiful sculptures that you can see in the city and we recommend you do not miss.

Moses by Michelangelo

Return to Rome and do not stop at Basilica of San Pietro in Vincole, for us it would have been like not returning to Rome. We already anticipate that Rome is one of the few cities where each of its churches, there are more than 900, would deserve a stop, since each and every one of them has something extraordinary to offer.

Basilica of San Pietro in Vincole

From here and against the weather forecast, which gave a whole rainy weekend, with a clear sky, we follow the path until we reach the Coliseum, central point of Rome, which of course we could not stop visiting also on this occasion.

First views of the day of the Colosseum

From the viewpoint, it does not take more than two minutes to reach the lower part, where we find that the Imperial Forum Way is under construction, as is the entire exterior part of the forum, since they are extending the subway line three two more stops and even have several structures propped up in the area to prevent them from falling over with the works.
With the idea of touring this street, as we did years ago with the views of the Colosseum in the background, discarded, we approach the most famous amphitheater in the world, where there are not too many tourists at this time.
A good option if you are going to visit its main monuments and buildings is to book the WMO Vatican and the Rome Card, you will save time and money.

Coliseum

We have arrived when it is 8:30 in the morning and we have to say that at this time, despite what we thought, we are practically alone, something that allows us to take many photographs without practically human presence. Although as expected, this does not last long and in less than 30 minutes several organized groups begin to appear making it impossible to take any picture in which someone does not come out with their selfie stick.

Photographing the Colosseum

Constantine's Arch

We recommend that if you want to take photos in which many people do not go out, come here early in the morning, apart from this it will also allow you to be before anyone else in the Colosseum lockers to acquire the tickets and be able to access the visit early.

Rome Coliseum

After a walk around the Colosseum, with the Roman Forum in the background, we take the Via del Imperial Forum, directionNazionale Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, which we have read, the backside is also under construction, something that reminds us that we must answer the comment of a follower, who made us on Facebook, asking us to comment that monuments in Rome are under construction right now, in order to organize your visit. The truth is that we have to say that in the two hours that we have been walking we have practically found 99% of the areas with scaffolding, something that certainly detracts a bit of magic from the city, but that nevertheless we understand that it is necessary for maintenance. So if you come to Rome, get to the idea that surely, one place or another, will be under construction.
A good option to visit the Colosseum and the Forum, avoid queues and get to know the history well is by booking a tour with a guide in Spanish through the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine or by booking this offer that also includes the Vatican with a guide in Spanish.

As we enter the Route of the Imperial Forum, we are on the left hand side with the views of the Roman Forum, one of the most advisable visits of Rome, which we recommend you do not miss if it is your first visit to the city.

Roman Forum

On the right hand side, we find the Trajan's Market, another of the key visits in this area of Rome, which like the previous one, is highly recommended.

Trajan's Market

Visits Historic center of Rome

If you only have one day in Rome, we recommend that you focus your visits on the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Trajan's Market, all very close to each other and that if you get up early, you can do in about 3-4 hours, being already at noon free to take a tour of the rest of places to see in Rome.
It's almost 10:00 in the morning when we see that the sky begins to look increasingly cloudy, much more gray than it was this morning, so we expect that in the end the weather forecast will be right and it will end up raining.
We reach the end of the Via del Foro Romano, where we are face to face with the impressive Trajan's Column, another of the places that we recommend you not to miss and that was part, how could it be otherwise, of the post we wrote of 100 things to see and do in Rome.

Trajan's Column

From here we approach theNational Monument Vittorio Emanuele II, which we remember as one of the most extravagant from Rome, which is located in the Venice Square and without a doubt, does not go unnoticed.

National Monument Vittorio Emanuele II

After being in the area for a while, we approached Piazzale Caffarelli, where we found the stairway of the Campidoglio that gives access to the Capitoline Museums, a visit definitely recommended, if you will spend some days in Rome.

Campidoglio Staircase

After passing the Capitoline Museums, on the right, we find a small street, the Via dei Campidoglio, which takes us to one of the most impressive viewpoints of Rome from where you have unique perspectives of both the Roman Forum and the Colosseum in the distance.

Stunning views from Campidoglio

Like the rest of the visits we have made so far, this area of Rome is more than recommended, not only because of its proximity to the Colosseum, but also because of the incredible perspective of this entire area of the city.

Photographing the Eternal City

From here and having the perception that all the places are much closer than what we remembered from our previous visit, we are on our way to Pantheon of Agrippa, another of the most emblematic places in Rome, free admission.

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It does not take more than 15 minutes to reach Piazza de la Rotonda, from where we have a unique perspective of one of the most special and incredible symbols of Rome.

Pantheon of Agrippa

Seeing that at this time there is not too much queue to access its interior, we do not think too much and we enter to admire the beauty of the structure, although on a day like today, it is cloudy to see that image of the sun reflected by the eye of roof, which leaves a unique image of the place.

Interior Pantheon of Agrippa

Walk inside the Pantheon of Agrippa It is a unique experience, which we recommend you do not miss, for a short time you spend in the city and we cannot forget Stendhal's words "The most beautiful memory of Roman antiquity is without a doubt the Pantheon. This temple has suffered so little, that it appears to be the same as in Roman times"

Pantheon of Agrippa

After enjoying more than half an hour inside, we go back to the Rotunda Square, at this time with enough people, where we enjoy a good time looking for the best perspective of the Pantheon, remembering our first time here, where we enjoy the views on one of the terraces of the square, where we not only have memories of the views, if not also the price of coffee, which far exceeded the price we expected.

It's already midmorning when we set off for Piazza Navona, one of the visits that we have more interest in doing in this historical center of Rome, since on the previous occasion in the city, it was under construction and we could not enjoy it in all its splendor.

Piazza Navona

In the Piazza Navona, three major sources stand out, the most important being the Fountain of the Four Rivers, located in the central area that represents the four great rivers of the world, the Nile, the Ganges, the Danube and Rio de la Plata.

Details of the Fountain of the 4 rivers

The other two sources that we can find in Piazza Navona are at both ends of the square, in the north, the Fontana di Nettuno and in the south the Fontana del Moro, designed by della Porta and Bernini, who later added the Moor and the dolphin.

Piazza Navona

Enjoying this area of Rome is a real delight. We advise you to arrive here without hurry, you sit on a bench and simply dedicate yourself to see the life pass, one of the best things that can be done in Rome and more in a place as beautiful as this, with which perhaps, only the Trevi Fountain can compete in beauty.

Piazza Navona

It's almost 12 noon when we make our way to Umberto I Bridge, one of the bridges that crosses the Tiber river and from which you have spectacular views of the city and that on our previous visit we did not arrive due to lack of time.

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Although the day is increasingly cloudy, leaving us with a somewhat sad image of the city, we have to recognize that the views from this point of the city are spectacular, be the day as it is.

Views of Rome from the Umberto I Bridge

After this stop, we follow the riverbank until we reach the Sant'Angelo Castle, another of the visits that you can not miss on any route through the historical center of Rome.

Sant'Angelo Castle

Without thinking of entering, since this weekend in Rome We do not have time, we continue our journey, this time towards the Vatican, a visit that we repeat again and that as it has been happening with the rest of the visits we have made, we are much closer than we remember from our previous visit.

As usual, the queues to enter both the Basilica of Saint Peter as in the Vatican Museums they are an hour and a half, so we prefer to give a recognition lap, only to return to enjoy the beauty of the place and take some photos to remember old times.

Vatican

When we realize it is almost 2 noon, so we decided to approach the Trastevere, one of the most famous and visited neighborhoods in Rome, which is only 10 minutes away from here.

Entering the Trastevere

The Trastevere is one of the most traditional neighborhoods of the Eternal City, not only in gastronomic matters, here we can find some of the best restaurants in the city, but also for its bohemian and calm air that catches visitors.
A good option to try delicious Italian food is to book a gastronomic tour of the Trastevere neighborhood.

After looking at several options in which to stop to eat, we opted for La Prosciutteria, where we remember eating in Florence the last time we were when we canceled the flight back home, after having spent a few days in Cinque Terre.

Prosciutteria

Prosciutteria, we already warn you that it is not typical table restaurant and tablecloth. Is much more. We advise you to come here to check it out. Surely you do not regret it. We ordered two combined tables, of 15 euros each, plus water and coke, which we tasted sitting at a table by the door, seeing the atmosphere of Trastevere.

Eating at La Prosciutteria

Without a doubt the best place to taste Italian cuisine !!
And since there is no table without coffee, after lunch, we approach a cafeteria that is right in front of us, where we take a couple of espresso that give us life to continue our route through Rome on a weekend.
It's 4 when we follow the tour of the Trastevere enjoying one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Rome, especially for its little shops and restaurants, which are still adorned even in the winter season.

Trastevere neighborhood

Trastevere

From here we follow the route that we had more or less planned approaching a place that, in this case, we did not have in mind, the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, where is the Boca de la Verdad, where we think that we would not arrive due to lack of time and where in the end we have been able to arrive, although not in the end we do not enter since there is enough queue, if not we simply stay abroad and from one of the gates we make the photo of the famous Mouth of Truth.

Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin

Mouth of Truth

After this stop, we continue the route along the road going up to the high zone, until we reach the Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, with the Capital Museums in the back to continue from here, again to the center of Rome.

On our walk we go back through the Pantheon of Agripa, at this time with much more queue than this morning when we were there, where after taking a walk around the area, we took advantage and we can not resist making a stop at the Don Vito ice cream shop , where we tasted two of their most appetizing ice cream for 7 euros.

From here despite having the visit located in the planning for tomorrow, seeing that the sky is not too clear to climb the viewpoint we had planned, we took the opportunity to approach the Trevi Fountain, another of the essential in Rome, recently restored and that not more than a month ago was under construction and completely covered by scaffolding.

Fontana di Trevi

It's about 7 in the afternoon when we arrive, thinking that there won't be many people at this time, but we don't need to get too close to see that it's the opposite and that the most famous source in the world is now totally collapsed in public, something we can assure you, if we did not see it, we would not have believed it.

Tourists around the Trevi Fountain

As it is right now the Fontana di Trevi It is impossible to take a single photo without people, so after a walk, without even being able to throw the coin that will allow us to return to Rome, we start again, this time to get closer to the Spain Square, although we know it is under construction, we do not want to miss the opportunity to see it up close.

Spain Square

We walk around the neighborhood, going through the Via dei Condottiwhere we find the most stores chic and then along the parallel street, where it is found in the most common brand stores.

Being here and although not long ago we have tasted some ice cream, we cannot avoid making a stop at Pompi, a place that the boys of Backpacking around the World recommended to us, where to try the Italy's best tiramisu. We opted for the classic tiramisu, for four euros, which we share since it is impossible to eat one each and from here, we have to say that it is totally recommended.

Tiramisu Pompi

And it is one of the best tiramisu we have ever tasted, not to mention the best we have tasted. After this impromptu snack and being so close to the Piazza del Popolo we approach there, although we have been told that there is a part of it that is currently under construction.

Piazza del Popolo

From here and after a walk, we keep the cameras in the backpack, seeing that the threatening gray sky begins to show signs of wanting to download and we are going to take a walk around the area, with the sole intention of enjoying Rome and its streets, taking the opportunity to get closer to the Trevi Fountain, to start the night tour we planned to do to enjoy the most tourist places in Rome to Night Light.

Trevi Fountain at night

It's 8 o'clock at night when we see that the sky is already dark enough to start with the Rome night itinerary that we have prepared going through the Trevi Fountain, the Umberto I Bridge and the Sant'Angelo Castle.
A good option to see Rome at night is to book this tour with a guide in Spanish that passes through the best-lit buildings and squares in the city.

Umberto I Bridge

Sant'Angelo Castle

We only finish this Rome night tour when it starts to rain, so seeing what time it is we decide to go to the Una Hotel Roma, something that we get, not without getting dripping before, since when only 500 meters remain to arrive, an impressive water trickle begins to fall That leaves us totally soaked.

Being dripping and not very hungry after the ice cream and tiramisu we ate for a snack, we decided to stop for a while at the hotel to take a shower, change clothes and rest for a while and then go out to dinner. What we did not count is that we took more than ten hours at full speed and we did not need more than a minute in bed to fall completely surrendered, waking up when the clock marked another day.

Day 3: Rome: Colosseum, Roman Forum, Trajan's Market, Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon of Agrippa, Piazza Navona, Umberto I Bridge, Spanish Steps