Rome – Day 1 – Still Packed

Visited: March 2017

Rome is famous for being one of the most historical, cultured and romantic destinations in the world, and whether you are visiting to enjoy the excellent food or to see the sights of the city, you won’t leave disappointed!

We did a lot of mixed touring during the day and very late at night, usually napping in the afternoon as we tried to adjust to the jet-lag, walking miles all day, and the time difference. So don’t be thrown off by our pictures if they seem inconsistent, they were all taken in the same three days.

Where We Stayed

Wanting to be centralized to getting around the city, we picked the Roma Resort Barberini. It was perfect for walking touring and right next to a metro for far touring.

What to Do

First thing, in Rome is to get yourself a metro card for the duration of your trip. Rome is very big and we wanted to be able to hop on and off, getting around the city easily. Do yourself a favor a buy a pass for the number of days (we bought 3 days) which is good for all public transport – metro and bus.

– DAY ONE IN ROME –

Just arriving from Naples we were hungry. Our first stop after checking in was to eat. We found this wonderful restaurant near the hotel called Taverna Barberini right across the street from our first stop.

The food was delicious! Best prosciutto and melon I’ve ever had. Best bruschetta I’ve ever had. Very friendly restaurant that caters to families.

Afterwards we walked over to…

The Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica – National Gallery of Ancient Art

I was immediately in love. So many wonderful pieces of art and not that many tourists made it a perfect stop to see some of the best art in the world. If you love history, perhaps you know these people?

Or these?

The entire museum is small enough for an hour or two and full of treasures. A must not miss visit in Rome.

Next, start walking to the:

The Trevi Fountain

No trip to Rome would be complete without seeing the Trevi Fountain! The tradition is to toss a coin in over your shoulder to ensure that one day you’ll return to the Eternal City.

Not only will you complete the fun tradition, but feel good about all the money collected at night is used by the city to feed the homeless.

Be careful when visiting. It is a top tourist destination and crowded. While we were there, a woman caught a young pickpocket trying to steal her wallet. Use precaution and use my tips to keep yourself safe.

If you want to see the fountain with less tourists. I highly recommend you come back at night. It’s MUCH more quiet and relaxing. Plus you can take your time to get some beautiful photographs.

The Pantheon

Definitely not a sight to miss, the Pantheon is the only ancient Roman temple to survive the millennia virtually intact. While it was only briefly a Roman Temple, all history has reflected the Christian uses of the site. We were a bit disappointed as we came to see Ancient Roman history, but were reminded that once Christianity hit Rome, it was a big influence on Rome’s history.

The architecture is amazing. Take some time to sit outside for a few minutes just to sit in the piazza and take in the sight before heading inside. Then again, sit for awhile and look around. Most tourists buzz in and out, not reading anything. We spent about an hour here, much longer than most.

Make sure not to photograph the security/military stationed outside for protection. If they even think you took a photo of them they will ask for your camera and make you delete it.

Visit Piazza Navona

A giant piazza full of fountains, cafés, colorful street performers, and crowds. We stayed and had our first taste of gelato in Rome, watching the performers and hawkers selling light up toys.

Take in the night life and enjoy yourself, do some shopping, people watch, and explore the nearby churches.

Dinner was on our way back to the hotel walking from the Trevi Fountain, at a deliciously Italian- cheesy-named restaurant called: Pastamore.

We had dinner al fresco with street musicians playing pop chart hits. The service was incredibly nice and we chatted with a nice bottle of wine over delicious pasta.