Of all the cities in Europe that I’ve had a chance to stay in for any length of time, I would have to say Rome is my favorite. Certainly not an easy city to navigate, especially if you are going to drive, and I wouldn’t call it a great walking city, especially compared to London or Paris, to name a couple. But for famous sites, history and stunning architecture, all with ancient buildings or ruins that are highlighted at night with spotlights, this city really has something to see around almost every turn.
My advice to anyone wanting to get around Rome, even if they had been there before, would be to take one of the many on-off buses. By purchasing a daily or three-day pass, a person can get to, or close to almost all of the major destinations without the expense of hiring a cab. Just get off where you want, and catch a later one coming along the same route. It may seem like the touristy thing to do, but like I pointed out earlier unless you love to walk and have a lot of time, hiking around Rome is not your best use of time.
Here are some of the sites that you shouldn’t miss:
1. The Church of Mary and the Martyrs. Its common name is the Rome Pantheon (meaning a temple to “all the gods”); this church was built in 125 A.D. as a pagan church and has been in constant use since. It is without a doubt the best preserved Roman building from its time, and has survived the years because the Pope in 609 consecrated it as a Catholic church. It is truly an architectural marvel.
2. The Vatican. Technically not part of the city of Rome, but its own country, The Vatican is one of the most important locations anywhere in the world. Don’t short-cut your time here, as it will take at least a day to see. And if you really want to get the most out of your time here, hire a guide. Without on it is virtually a maze to navigate.
3. The Coliseum. This is the iconic site of Rome, and again hiring a guide will help you negotiate some of the lines which can get long. Much of the interior has been torn out to be used as materials for other Roman buildings over the centuries, so you may have to use some imagination to picture what it was like. But that’s where the guides can help. Incidentally, they will tell you there is no historical record of Christians being fed to the lions there.
4. Trevi Fountain. You will find hordes of tourists throwing coins in the fountain, but my fondest impressions were not the fountain (okay, it’s pretty impressive) but the neighborhood. To me it kind of epitomizes what a Roman neighborhood is. Don’t buy your gelato nearby, though. They tend to gouge the tourists.
5. Roman churches in general. Rome has a lot of magnificent churches with some stunning artwork by the masters, and they are generally free. Hop off the bus to take in as many as you have time for.