Top 10 things to do in Rome, Italy if you only have a day or two…
Time is sometimes a luxury and if you are touring around Italy and only have a day in Rome, here are my top 10 things to do:
- Tour the Forum – Tour around the ancient ruins of Rome, but be aware that you will be walking on uneven surfaces and need good walking shoes to do this. If you have walking issues, skip this altogether. Just walk around and explore every corner. You will be surprised what you see!
- The Coliseum – Opened in 80 AD, the Coliseum is a place where gladiators fought and there were also wild animal fights. The structure still stands and is fascinating to see, even if you can’t go inside, it’s worth checking out the outside!
- Eat Pizza – Yum, most of the pizza here is similar to the brick oven pizza you would find in New York, but it’s much better. I also found that the food was incredible. Try the pasta, eggplant or a variety of fresh seafoods, you won’t be disappointed.
- Drink Wine – Even if you don’t like the taste of wine, it’s worth trying again in Rome. Even the house wine is great.
- Visit The Pantheon – A former Roman temple, now a church that has the most interesting architecture inside. On the outside it looks like a beautiful old building but inside, there it is incredible. The sphere opening at the top, allows sunlight to shine in (as well as rain). There are many drains on the marble floor and it’s definitely worth visiting.
- Walk Through the Gallerie Borghese – If you love art from the Renaissance, then you will love this mansion that was once owned by the Cardinal Borghese. The sculptures are incredible. Many were done by Bernini. The details of the muscles or the veins in the hand, which were sculpted out of marble, are just incredible. I absolutely loved this museum. Just be aware that it’s very disorganized and no one is helpful. However, the guided tour was quite interesting.
- Tour Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel – You probably won’t see the Pope, but you will see an incredible array of art from walls to ceiling. Each room is more magnificent than the next. This may take a little longer than most of the other recommendations because you need a guided tour.
- Enjoy Pasta – Everything in Italy is super fresh, but the pasta is generally made from scratch and extremely tasty. We had the Lasagna there and also ate mussels which were incredible.
- Don’t Forget to Eat Gelato – If you haven’t tasted gelato from Rome (or any other place in Italy), you will be pleasantly surprised at the flavors and tastes of this delicious form of ice cream.
- Walk Over to the Tresi Fountain — And just enjoy the water pouring out and watch the tourists throw coins in the fountain.
If you only have a day or two to spend in Rome, take it all in and enjoy every moment!
