How to see a lot of Rome in a day
Seeing a lot of Rome in a day is quite ambitious and it’s not for everybody. There are those who take their time, visit all their favorite sites, and absorb the whole experience. For this trip, I asked Madison what she wanted and she said she wanted to see the highlights as much as we could. So that’s what we did.
We got up at 7am and had breakfast in our hotel, Hotel Morgana. Breakfast was included and I never know what to expect whenever there’s a free breakfast. Well, it was quite a spread, quite festive and I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
Skipped the Roma Pass
The Roma Pass would’ve given us unlimited train rides and access to 1 or 2 museums but it was still quite pricey. We decided to get separate tickets to the Colosseum (it was worth 14 Euros for me as an adult, and for Madison, it was free (under 18 years old). We also decided to just get the 3 day unlimited rides to Rome’s ATAC public transportation at 18 Euros for 3 days.
Learn the Metro and quick
I scoured the map and knew that the Vatican would be high on my list to visit. It was also the farthest one out. We took the Metro Line A from Termini to Cipro – it was about a 15 minute ride. As expected, it was crowded.
The summer tourists were in full force. Upon arriving in Cipro, we were greeted by dozens of tour guides who offered help or wanted to sell tickets to get access. We opted to line up at for St. Peter’s Basilica. We stood in line for about a half hour. It wasn’t as bad a I thought.
First stop, the Vatican
It was hot. I told Maddie to bring something that would cover her knees and shoulders. She used her black dress and my North Face jacket. The rules were quite strict at the Basilica and we didn’t want the risk of being turned away. Others in line “changed” while in line by covering their bare shoulders with a shawl, and pulled a light skirt.
Here are the pictures inside and outside of the Vatican. I’ve been here once back in 2007, and I’m still amazed at the size the intricate detail of this historic building.
Castelo Sant’angelo
Giolitti
Colosseum
Piazza di Spagna
4 euro pasta
Fontana di Trevi
Pantheon
This was an extremely busy day. We walked over 21,000 steps, and that included taking the metro and buses as well. We ended our day with a dinner at Amedeo Ristorante, and had a fantastic Spaghetti ala Carbonara and Ravioli. Ciao!