Our Roman Holiday in 72 hours!

Rome was the 5th stop of our 20 day long vacation. We flew by Aegean airlines from Santorini to Rome. From Rome we took Italo Treno to Florence.

Rome, the eternal city, has its every nook and corner filled with glimpses of ancient history. We had just 3 days to cover all that this city had to offer.

Day 1: We landed at Fiumicino airport at 4pm. We booked a Terravision bus to reach Roma Termini station [First/last bus Fiumicino Airport 5.35am/11.00pm; Travel time: 1 hour; Fare: 6Euro]. From Termini we took a 24 hour travel pass [cost: 7Euro]. We took the Blue Line to Cavour and then walked to our AirBNB in Monti, an old neighborhood by the Colosseum.

We immediately changed and got out to satiate our hunger with delicious Pizza from a local café. Next stop was Trastevere, the party neighborhood of Rome. We tried alcohol shots in chocolate glass (you have to gulp down the whole at a time) and surely it’s not for the faint hearted. As the Colosseum was just 100 m from our room, its day and night grandeur was a must see every time we went out or came back to the room.

Day 2: We queued up for the Colosseum early at 7am coz it gets crowded even in off season. It’s a combo ticket for Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill [Cost: 12E, Timing: 8:30am-5pm]. The grandeur of Colosseum can’t be explained in words.

We took metro [ColosseoBlue LineTerminiRed LineCipro] to the Vatican City. We had pre-booked online tickets [Cost: 17€ +4€ online fees; Online Site: Opening timings: 9am-6pm Sunday closed] for Sistine chapel and Vatican museum as there are long queues and more than an hour is wasted. We reached there 30 mins prior to our slot of 1pm. There is so much to see and to get amazed that we recommend to keep a full day for Vatican and Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Square.

Then we walked over to Caste Sant’Angelo to get the best instagrammable shots over Ponte Sant’Angelo. We got back home by 10pm.

Day 3: We had pr-ebooked to and fro trains to Naples from Italo Treno. Our onwards train at 7:40am and took almost an hour to reach Naples. After a quick breakfast we took the local Circumvesuviana train to Pompei [Fare: 2.6€, Time: 40mins]. Ideally the ruins of Pompei deserve a full day but we had just 3 hours.

On returning to Naples it was time to enjoy the “Eat, Pray, Love” famous Pizza at L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele. We also tried at the oldest Pizzeria Dal Presidente. We came back to Rome by 7pm. We slept early that night.

Day 4: Woke up early as we had to cover all the remaining marvels of Rome within the next 8 hours: Trevi Fountain, Aventine Keyhole, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Keats Shelly House (balcony), Villa Borghese, Piazza Navonna, Circo Massimo - Mouth of Truth, Circus Maximus (famous from Roman Holiday), Largo di Torre Argentina. Due to lack of time we missed the last 3.

We boarded our Italo Treno for Florence at 5pm.

Tips & Highlights:

• Book online skip the line tickets even in off season [Cost: 17€ +4€ online fees; Online Site: https://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?action=gototipovisitapertag&tag=museibigliettiingresso&weblang=EN]

• Travel inside Italy is best by Italo Treno. Prebook at least 2 months in advance to get the Smart (low cost) option: https://www.italotreno.it/en

• For all cost of the trip view our blog on Trip Cost of Italy

• Tap water is drinkable all over Italy. Drinking Fountains (Nasoni) are the best option and are available all over the cities.

• During Peak season it’s best to pre-book tickets for all major sites like Colosseum and Vatican

• Best and cost efficient neighborhoods to stay: Monti, Trastevere, Campo-de-Fiori

• Avoid eating from the main squares, just walk into one lane about 100meters and you will get the best food at nominal price

• Most AirBNB s of Rome (even streets and Metro stations) involve lot of stairs. So think twice before packing a heavy luggage.

• Don’t miss the free entry sites: Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navonna, St Peter’s Square, etc.

• For the best eating options view our Blog on What to Eat in Italy.

• Take 24 hour pass for travelling tension free in Rome. Remember to punch the first time

• Don’t miss out on the 1 day trip to Naples

• If you have days to spare, visit the south coast of Italy and explore the blue caves in Capri Island