I got the idea to visit Rome like a week and a half before leaving. I have been there once, but only during the night and it was only that one night. Although, Iâve been wanting to see it in daylight somehow I always avoided it, thinking that I will visit it one day. That day has come and I had to prepare for it. We actually only had 3 days to explore Rome and there is a lot of things to visit, so I had to make a jam packed schedule in order to see everything or at least most of it.
The map that I used and marked sites that we need to see
We arrived in Rome and due to the distance of the airport to the city centre including the traffic, we actually arrived to our hotel around 8 oâclock. We decided to rest for a bit, and then hurriedly find a restaurant to have dinner in because we were starving. After dinner, we walked a bit around the centre and then went to sleep.
 Street sellers of fake bags running from the police- view from the restaurant
I had a lot planned for this day. It turned out that everything was near each other and only a 20 minute walk from our hotel. We first went to the Colosseum and on the way there we saw Altare della Patria which was grandiose in its own respect and there were a lot of steps. In general, there are a lot of steps when visiting Romeâs monuments.
Then we also accidentally saw Foro di Augusto which are mainly just ruins, and that is where we bought water from one of the many guys selling them for 2 euros a bottle on the street.
Afterwards, we finally went to the Colosseum and it is just as spectacular as it looks, it offers a lot of photo opportunities, especially if you are standing in the line, but we had online reservations so we were able to cut the line. Again, a lot of steps, but definitely worth the steps, especially when you start imagining the events that occurred there in the Ancient Rome.
Forum, Palatine and the Capitoline Hill came afterwards and they were interesting in their own respect, but we didnât spend too much time there due to the heat.
On our way back to the hotel, we visited Piazza Venezia and it was mesmerizing, right at that point I realized that Italians love HUUUGEE things (I think Trump would love it). They either go big or go home đ
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Today we were more prepared for the heat, I mean we had yesterday to realize just how hot and crowded Rome gets. Of course, we ate the amazing breakfast (which for me consisted of the best croissants that I ever tried) in our hotel and had coffee in the neighbouring cafe. First on the list for today were the Spanish steps which we first walked next to and then visited a park near Villa Borghese.
We saw Piazza del Popolo from above, so we decided there was no need to actually see it up close because in my opinion it is very similar to other Piazzas in Rome. Afterwards, we walked down the Spanish Steps.
Then we headed towards the Pantheon and entered it, the building itself is beautiful and the inside is quite interesting with the roof having a hole. I came to realize that a lot of the old buildings have been built with the round roof.
Campo di Fiori was next on the list and I loved it, I love bazaars and this one had everything. Of course, I bought pants (not to mention that the pants broke that same day) and a shirt dress.
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We went to see the Castel S. Angelo, we walked along the river to get there. It really reminded me of Paris because they were selling things there as well like the paintings in Paris.
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When we reached it, we skipped the line with the online reservations (as you probably concluded by now, I am very proud of my resourcefulness to online book everything beforehand) and for me the view from the top of it is more mesmerizing than the actual castle.
Then came the time to see the Vatican City. Firstly, we had coffee there and some food because the heat was killing us. After the break, we visited the Vatican museums which I loved because I love painted roofs and I also loved the paintings inside, like the ones of naked women (I didnât think that such paintings would be exhibited in Vatican). We also saw the Sistine Chapel and I could have managed to take a fast picture of it (it is forbidden to do so), but I wanted to soak it in and only have it in my memory. For once, I respected the rule.
Afterwards, we rested and had dinner in our neighbourhood. I ate pasta for all four days and it was amazing. The food in general (tiramisu, gelato, pasta, etc.) is delicious.
We had an early flight and I wanted to throw the coin in the Fontana di Trevi on my last day since our hotel was close to it. Visiting it early is the best in my opinion (I passed next to it every day) because there is only a few people.
The cafes, shops and restaurants start opening around 8, so the image of peace and then all of a sudden of huge crowds is very romantic. Since I threw the coin in the fountain, I will be returning to Rome. Hopefully, I will return rather sooner than later. We flew back to Zagreb and our trip ended, but the memories will last a lifetime.
Moreover, I made a small list of tips on how to return alive from Rome in the summer, so head over there.
When in RomeâŠtry to survive the heat
Day 0 I got the idea to visit Rome like a week and a half before leaving.
When in Rome...try to survive the heat Day 0 I got the idea to visit Rome like a week and a half before leaving.
