There are so many things to discover in the capital of Italy that you should definitely take a few days for it. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day either 😉
Hardly any other city has as many ancient sites as Rome, I felt like I was in a huge open-air museum. I especially like cities with history. So the first thing we did was to explore ancient Rome.
We started at the Roman Forum, which, together with the Palatine Hill, forms one of the largest and most important excavation sites in ancient Rome. It was once the center of political power and social life. We strolled through the ruins and tried to imagine the life of the Romans in 750 BC.
Arrived at the east end of the Roman Forum, we had a great view of the Colosseum, the largest amphitheater in Roman history, which is now one of the seven new wonders of the world. Mainly the Colosseum was used to amuse the people, there were cruel gladiator and animal fights, so in short … a lot of blood flowed.
Aside from its impressive history, Rome has another big selling point … Italian cuisine. Pizza, pasta, bruschetta, saltimbocca & lots of Aperol Spritz – we tasted our way through Italian cuisine 😋
Rome is also known as the city of the 7 hills – Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, Celio, Aventine, Palatine and Capitol – and therefore offers a lot of beautiful viewpoints. We decided to take a walk on the Aventine. When you arrive at the Giardino degli Aranci – orange tree garden – you have a wonderful view of the eternal city.
Giardino degli Aranci
However, one of the highlights on the Aventine is the most famous keyhole in the world. We would definitely have walked past it if it hadn’t been for a few tourists lining up to peek through the keyhole. All I can say is it definitely pays off!
View through the keyhole of St. Peter’s Basilica
Of course, St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican district should not be missing on a trip to Rome. However, we did not accept the queuing for hours to get to the cathedral dome.
However, these are by far not all the sights Rome has to offer. Unfortunately, we had no luck with the Trevi Fountain, there was a construction site there, but we found many other beautiful places.
Piazza della Rotonda & the Pantheon
Piazza Navona
Castel Sant’Angelo
Piazza del Popolo
Capitol
Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II
Spanish stairs
On our last evening in Rome we marveled at the Colosseum again as the lights slowly came on. We really liked this city and it definitely landed at the top of our personal list of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Our personal opinion about Rome:
- our favorite European city
- exciting historical background
- a kitchen to melt away
Best travel time:
Rome is worth seeing all year round. However, we prefer spring and autumn as it is not yet too hot for sightseeing and we like to avoid the holiday season if possible.
Hotel recommendation:
Best Western Plus Hotel Universo
Restaurant recommendations:
- Angelino “ai Fori”
- Lievito E Farina
More tips & recommendations:
We can absolutely recommend a walk on the Aventine. Look out for the most famous keyhole in the world 😉
Allow enough time for a Rome trip, we were in town for 4 full days and would definitely have endured it even longer. There are also a few interesting destinations outside of the city.
