Rome, Italy

When in Rome…

You get pasta, you get gelato and you conquer the city in 24 hours.

Adding Rome to our list of travels was a last-minute decision. Wanting to show my parents the absolute best of this city, I put together an itinerary for our crash visit based on the other time we visited there in 2014. When putting together a game plan for any city we take on, my map ready self is complete with breakdowns of sightseeing stops, local food and dessert faves, child-friendly places, etc. This one, however, was a little more of a challenge to plan since we didn’t have any time to waste. I had to factor in getting to every spot, accommodate for breaks or unexpected delays, plan exactly when our meals would be and where, and take into account how many things we could actually tackle on as a group without losing our limbs.

Up early from a super late arrival the night prior, our first stop after a quick bite for breakfast was a short walk to Vatican City. It’s easy to forget that this city is actually a country of its own – “the smallest country in the world” – with a population of 1,000. I did not know what to expect coming back here again since coincidentally during our first visit here, it was “the day” (Wednesdays) the Pope comes out to the general audience and makes a 90-minute appearance. We could hardly walk around, there was added security and crowds of people for as far as you could see. This time, we only had to walk around the extremely long line of people awaiting to get into Saint Peter’s Basilica and it was nice to soak in more of the spirituality the city offers.

The only paid time-reserved slot we had for the day was at the Colosseum and with it being on the completely opposite side of town, our time at the Vatican really defined how we routed the rest of our day. The non-stressful stop fortunately got us quickly ahead of schedule. Morning travel win!

We stopped at Castle Saint’Angelo before crossing the river. I knew that once we got over to the remaining sights on our list it would get a little hectic. Since it was the middle of summer and Rome is the most popular tourist destination in Italy, everyone was going to be where we wanted to be. A surprise carousel we found along the way made our little one happy and gave us a short break before taking on the rest of the morning.

With everything being within walking distance and mostly outdoor sights, we were able to view the Piazza Navona, Pantheon (or as Lina kept calling it “The Black Yawn”), Trevi Fountain and Piazza Venzia with still enough time to get in line at the Colosseum.

As we approached the Colosseum, we were grateful to have pre-purchased our tickets. The line was extremely long, and it felt a little impolite bypassing that many people even though we paid in advance. One insider tip we learned from our first trip that we did again this time and could recommend greatly to anyone is to get the “Skip the Line” ticket that gets you into the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palantine Hill.  

Like the Vatican, you cannot come to Rome without visiting the Colosseum. The historic amphitheater used to house up to 80,000 spectators and was used for gladiator contests and other public spectacles. The oval-shaped building is quite impressive with it being as tall as a 15-story building and as wide as half a football field. You can almost feel the gory history that occurred within this place.

Amazingly, we finished almost everything on our list and had the rest of the afternoon to take it easy. We headed back to Piazza Navona, a plaza in Rome, and picked a table outside to enjoy some Italian pizza at Ponte e Parione. After lunch, we roamed around the city, grabbed some souvenirs and stopped for a famous gelato at Frigidarium on the way back to our hotel.

After a quick recharge, we decided to explore a quaint shopping area nearby. We walked with no plans and stumbled upon Piazza del Popolo, “People’s Square”. This large square was a nice surprise with twin churches and an Egyptian obelisk. There were kids running and chasing bubbles making for a great view to end our trip. The sun was starting to set so we made our final stop for some homemade pasta before calling it a night.

Rome is filled with so much history. It should definitely be on anyone’s list to experience at least once. Even with this crash visit we had time to slow down. Being open to not entering each stop and avoiding long lines everywhere certainly helped. And although we did have our share of frustrations with rude locals, highly crowded streets and unexpectedly being kicked out of a church, it’s a city I will always remember.