I've had to take friends and my mother through Rome in anywhere from an afternoon to 3 days. I remember when I took a friend through Rome in an afternoon and I was the guide, it was a walking tour to the big places, the been there, done that kind of tour; which isn't my groove, but like you said, the question still comes up and that's what she wanted to do.
What does someone want to get out of it beyond, the been there done that mentality? I'm content these days to unpack the bag once and just hang out in Testaccio, walk the Tiber each morning and pick a different route on the way back. Get a coffee standing up, a shaved iced in hot weather, shop at the market, drink a Peroni in the afternoon outside, never have to drive a vehicle. Find a new place to eat, drink.
I wish more people thought along the lines of what you described. I guess you could say the purpose a short visit could be similar to tasting a wine before buying a case or two. But the trouble is, too many people do that kind of trip, think they've "done Rome," and then wonder why people like it so much.
Try before you buy...which I hear a lot of. San Francisco is only 7x7 miles and when visitors came to see me, most of them have lived in CA their entire life and had seen Pier 39, Union Square, maybe Alcatraz, and likely Candlestick park until they moved to Downtown. I lived out "in the Avenues", the Outer Richmond. Not a single family member or friend had been out there. If you wanted Dim Sum, my neighborhood was/is some of the best in the City. I miss living there.
Thanks for advocating for mindful tourism, so critical. I'd love to hear Mocha's perspective about her favorite Rome walks, too!
Campidoglio is a great pick, Eric! It reminds me of the first time I visited Rome, I was with my aunt. In the 90s. The very moment we got there, she immediately was asked if she spoke English, which she did really well as she worked as an executive for an American company back then. It turned out they urgently needed an English - Italian translator for a wedding that was about to take place in Campidoglio, as the official interpreter wasn't there yet and they were terribly late with the ceremony. So I happened to go to an English wedding in Campidoglio! With my aunt celebrating. In my tourist clothes.
I was supposed to be both the translator and a witness at the wedding of two British friends who eloped to Santa Margherita Ligure. But we found out those had to be two different people. I said I’d rather be a witness since it seemed more important, but we couldn’t find a bilingual person. So we took a local person to be a witness and I was “demoted” to translator.
Why couldn’t you and your aunt have been there?? Haha.
The first time I took my family to Rome, 2003, my daughters were 15, 13 and 10. I promised them a surprise on our visit to Campidiglio. I had them follow me across the piazza, designed by Michelangelo, to an opening on the right between two buildings. Then I had the close their eyes as I walked them forward a few steps.
Sophie was jet lagged and fell asleep (we arrived from Philly earlier that day); Rosalie was amused; Emilia was taking a history course at the time and was thrilled!
Ok, I’ll start. I’ve been fortunate to spend several long stretches in Rome. Mostly Trastevere. But if I were to answer the unanswerable “Rome in a day” question, I’d respond with two words — the Pantheon. It is perhaps my favorite architectural structure anywhere in the world. It is a marvel. It is geometric perfection. It is an engineering wonder. It’s two millennia of religious history. It’s every surface is worth extra time staring at and analyzing.
It holds the remains of one of the great renaissance artists, Rafael, the young and dashing contemporary of Michelangelo who died far too young. Its 2000-year-old doors, on the original hinges, bears special careful scrutiny. So does what’s missing. The copper beneath the beautiful portico that was stripped for the decoration at St Peter’s; the ghastly bell towers designed by Bernini that were, thank the lord, removed due to their excess ugliness.
I have spent hours in this grand and glorious temple. Walking around, studying the precisely rendered design of the vault, pondering the materials used that illustrate form and function at its peak. Attending mass. Staring through the oculus to a blue sky, or even skies that were pouring rain. I’ve read for hours in there, not because the wooden chairs are comfortable, but because the setting is incomparable.
If you only have a single day to spend in Rome, head straight to the Pantheon, and stay there all day.
I probably should have had the Pantheon on my short list. Not only is it stunning and historically important, but it's a literal stone's throw from Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, which contains an early sculpture from Michelangelo, and has the high-water marks from Roman floods on its exterior. Across the street, there's the building where Stendhal once lived, and nearby is the shop that makes custom shoes for the pope.
I still think I'd pick the Capitoline Hill, but I certainly wouldn't fault anyone who took your advice instead of mine.
The single-most spectacular one day event is to make the expenditure to become a patron of the Vatican, which enables you to have a private visit of the Sistine chapel, semiprivate of other areas of the Vatican museums, and a visit to a Vatican restoration lab of your choice. If anyone reading this is interested just reach out to me and I’ll connect you to the head of the patronage program.
Beyond that it’s not a question that one thing is better than the other because it’s all magnificent. My suggestion is always to pick a couple of things and go deep. Don’t be influenced by ticking other people‘s “visit Rome“ tourist boxes, make your own choice and go with it.
Next week I’m doing a Substack live about the best things to do in Rome so if you’re traveling here, check it out!
Becoming a patron of the Vatican sounds very grand, but it's probably not a reasonable option for someone on their visit with only a day or two in the city.
I know we're both happy to be adopted Romans, but nobody could argue all corners of city are equally magnificent. If someone was coming to Rome on their first visit and was undecided between doing a deep dive into, let's say, Monteverde/Ganicolo or the Campidoglio or, alternately, the area around Parco della Musica, or the Stadio Olimpico, or Centocelle, what would your advice be?
The cost per year is €500 or more if you choose to donate more. Not only does your patronage start off with a private Sistine chapel tour and a visit to a Vatican restoration lab of your choice but throughout the year there are other patron events going on you can participate in. To my mind it’s the single-most outstanding art and history focused thing to do in Rome. @franky be
I once had a few hours in Rome with my then teenage girls on the way to Sardinia and didn’t want to waste that precious time at the airport.. I took a taxi into town and instructed the driver to go past the “big spectacular sights“ like the Colosseo and the Foro to give them an idea of the grandness that was imperial Rome, then walked them to the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Campo dei Fiori and over to Trastevere.. we even had time to eat a gelato at Giolitti‘s.. it was a well spent afternoon and a wonderful first introduction to Rome for my girls, who have loved it since
they have.. we all love it but hélas living in Vienna there are SO many other beautiful Italian cities and towns so we don’t get down so far that often 👋🏼
A day in Rome is like a day in heaven. The city's timeless beauty creates an unforgettable experience. Every moment feels magical and filled with wonder, but for some, one day might turn into a lifetime. As it did for my brother.
There are obviously many people who fall in love with the city and move there, like your brother and like me. But I like to talk to thoughtful and curious folks who have visited many times over a long period of time. Sometimes those people are more attuned to ways the city changes a little at a time that a resident might not notice.
Last November we had 2 days in Rome at the start, then 5 at the end—as part of a month in Italy. And although I’ve been to Rome many, many times, that was so not enough.
I can never not at least stop to see the outside of the Pantheon.
But what can you do in a day?
If someone really just had one day I’d say, don’t try to do too much…just walk all over and just “be” in Rome.
We spent most our time this past trip in Testaccio and Aventino and loved it very much.
Testaccio and Aventino are wonderful. And the Pantheon really should have been on the essay's shortlist. It's breathtaking.
But I still think having a plan and being a little prepared makes a difference. Seeing a beautiful church or gazing over ruins can be magical. But it's even better to know that that church is the only circular church in the city and was considered blasphemous when it was built or that those ruins over there were was Julius Caesar was murdered.
I wouldn't' want everything planned -- I always encourage people to allow time for serendipity --but wandering aimlessly around an unfamiliar city doesn't seem like the best plan, either.
Sometimes planning is my Achilles heal…I didn’t have much on my Must Do/See list this year but I really wanted to visit the Cavallini angels in Testaccio. Of course I dragged my family there and arrived on a day it wasn’t open 😏. Good thing I plan to return.
I’m with you on planning. When I travel for pleasure I usually have a list of a few things I’d like to see or do with some general idea of where they are on a map and I wander and try to connect the dots, but with complete permission to go off on a tangent or to linger or to stop at some other places I see en route. In the end, I rarely get to half of the list but I almost always have fun.
Great read and great intel! I will never stop learning new things about this city. That's one of a million reasons I love it here. As you say, Rome just accumulated, like a fascinating layer cake, or more eloquently, as Freud, described it, palimpsest. Much like the mind he studied, past and present exist simultaneously here. I'm going to visit Miranda...once it stops raining!
I’m glad you enjoyed the essay. And I’ll record the second thumbs-up vote for your using “palimpsest”! The comments on some of these posts can be very interesting.
The Campidoglio Eric! This is the right place, you got it! I have business visitors quite frequently so I have to do the "afternoon thing". My program: Metro B to the Colosseum (WOW!), a walk along the via dei Fori Imperiali and the Campidoglio. And my secret corner - on the back side of the Campidoglio lies the church of Santa Maria della Consolazione. One of the few churches whose central gate is always open. For the lucky ones visiting in December - the Christmas tree is right in fron of the front gate. Amazing!
Then we either go to the Ghetto or walk back along the Via dei Cerchi.
Have you been on the roof of Santa Maria della Consolazione? You can’t see the whole Forum from there, but you can see the part closest to the Capitoline and it’s a whole new perspective. I lived around the corner from there for 20+ years.
Next time you go to the Colosseum your visitors are sure to love the new Metro B Colosseo stop! It’s breathtaking!
A delightful post and lovely to read people’s comments. My number one spot has been mentioned already - the Campidoglio especially the walk behind overlooking the Forum. So let me add another spot - starting at Pincio Terrace on top of Piazza del Popolo and walking down to Villa Medici and then to the Spanish Steps, looking out at the rooftops to the right and below, some modest, some domed, new and old, in all lights but at sunset. But no, have never dreamed of or been obliged to see/do Rome in one day, per fortuna.
I wrote this in another comment ... but of the places I mentioned on my shortlist in the essay, the one I wish I knew better than I do is the Terrazza del Pincio.
Really nice, Eric! I would probably suggest going to sit on the edge below one of the lions at the fountain in the centre of Piazza del Popolo.. You have Augustus' obelisk brought from Egypt in your back, the sound of the lions cascading water in the Roman heat (when most are likely to go), you have the elaborate aqueduct ending in the huge fountain to your left, a pair of Bernini cream puffs in front, in the twin churches that aren't so twin. Behind you the Roman wall and if you are so inclined a couple of Caravaggios to look at. Now that the square is pedestrian, there are always things to look at and gelato and expresso offerings are plentiful, even if you do want it in a glass with a bit of milk. You can go up the hill to the shade and enjoy one of the great views of the city, or straight, between the little churches and spend your inheritance. To me, while it may be on the northern edge of the old Roman city, it is still the beating heart to me, with some of everything that Rome has to offer.
Of all the places on my short list mentioned in the essay, the one I know least well is the Terrazza del Pincio and Piazza del Popolo. I've passed through there, stopped there, contemplated the place, enjoyed the Caravaggios, etc. But it isn't imprinted on me the way the other places are. And now I live on the whole opposite side of town.
I guess I need to find a reason to to hang out around there a bit more often.
I can't go past the Roman Forum. When in Rome, I normally stay at a guest house with views of the Forum and I can meander around there (and perhaps up to the Colosseum) for hours.
Rome in a day? Impossible though many have tried. I loved your list and agree the Campidoglio is perhaps the best place to understand the city’s history. I would send them to Santa Maria in Trastevere, the piazza and the church. From there, you could walk up to the Gianicolo, or get lunch da Augusto (the braised rabbit and puntarelle are spectacular) and wander Trastevere. I lived for a few years on Via Agostino Bertani, right off of Piazza San Cosimato.
I know the area where you used to live very well. I’m a fan of the Gianicolo. Love it. But tye part of Trastevere around Augusto is so overrun these days. It makes me sad to walk around there sometimes. I remember when it was quaint.
Did you see my Note from earlier in the week with my dog, Mocha? That was taken around the corner from Augusto.
Mocha was very lucky! Yeah, I remember when it was still very Roman (I lived there in the early 90s), but it’s still pretty wonderful and Santa Maria in Trastevere is one of my favorite churches. The piazza is spectacular since they banned parking cars in it. It used to be packed and you couldn’t appreciate it.
Great advice! I often take visitors to see the Forum from the Tabularium, part of the Musei Capitolini - it’s a breathtaking and relatively quiet alternative for days when it’s too hot to brave a walk in the Forum.
I love the Musei Capitolini in part because they’re just the right size. Same for teh Galleria Borghese. Enormous collections like the Musei Vaticani or the Galleria degli Uffizi almost obligate you to ignore whole stretches of master works.
I've had to take friends and my mother through Rome in anywhere from an afternoon to 3 days. I remember when I took a friend through Rome in an afternoon and I was the guide, it was a walking tour to the big places, the been there, done that kind of tour; which isn't my groove, but like you said, the question still comes up and that's what she wanted to do.
What does someone want to get out of it beyond, the been there done that mentality? I'm content these days to unpack the bag once and just hang out in Testaccio, walk the Tiber each morning and pick a different route on the way back. Get a coffee standing up, a shaved iced in hot weather, shop at the market, drink a Peroni in the afternoon outside, never have to drive a vehicle. Find a new place to eat, drink.
I wish more people thought along the lines of what you described. I guess you could say the purpose a short visit could be similar to tasting a wine before buying a case or two. But the trouble is, too many people do that kind of trip, think they've "done Rome," and then wonder why people like it so much.
Your Testaccio agenda seems pretty relaxing ...
Try before you buy...which I hear a lot of. San Francisco is only 7x7 miles and when visitors came to see me, most of them have lived in CA their entire life and had seen Pier 39, Union Square, maybe Alcatraz, and likely Candlestick park until they moved to Downtown. I lived out "in the Avenues", the Outer Richmond. Not a single family member or friend had been out there. If you wanted Dim Sum, my neighborhood was/is some of the best in the City. I miss living there.
Thanks for advocating for mindful tourism, so critical. I'd love to hear Mocha's perspective about her favorite Rome walks, too!
Campidoglio is a great pick, Eric! It reminds me of the first time I visited Rome, I was with my aunt. In the 90s. The very moment we got there, she immediately was asked if she spoke English, which she did really well as she worked as an executive for an American company back then. It turned out they urgently needed an English - Italian translator for a wedding that was about to take place in Campidoglio, as the official interpreter wasn't there yet and they were terribly late with the ceremony. So I happened to go to an English wedding in Campidoglio! With my aunt celebrating. In my tourist clothes.
I think Mocha’s favorite walks are on the Lungotevere, down below, the part that floods in the winter. Lots of new things to smell and pee on.
What a cool introduction to the Campidoglio!
I was supposed to be both the translator and a witness at the wedding of two British friends who eloped to Santa Margherita Ligure. But we found out those had to be two different people. I said I’d rather be a witness since it seemed more important, but we couldn’t find a bilingual person. So we took a local person to be a witness and I was “demoted” to translator.
Why couldn’t you and your aunt have been there?? Haha.
Both of these translator stories seem like scene from a movie!
"Mindful tourism" ... I really like that term.
The first time I took my family to Rome, 2003, my daughters were 15, 13 and 10. I promised them a surprise on our visit to Campidiglio. I had them follow me across the piazza, designed by Michelangelo, to an opening on the right between two buildings. Then I had the close their eyes as I walked them forward a few steps.
Open! Behold, the Roman Forum!!
How did they react??
Sophie was jet lagged and fell asleep (we arrived from Philly earlier that day); Rosalie was amused; Emilia was taking a history course at the time and was thrilled!
Ok, I’ll start. I’ve been fortunate to spend several long stretches in Rome. Mostly Trastevere. But if I were to answer the unanswerable “Rome in a day” question, I’d respond with two words — the Pantheon. It is perhaps my favorite architectural structure anywhere in the world. It is a marvel. It is geometric perfection. It is an engineering wonder. It’s two millennia of religious history. It’s every surface is worth extra time staring at and analyzing.
It holds the remains of one of the great renaissance artists, Rafael, the young and dashing contemporary of Michelangelo who died far too young. Its 2000-year-old doors, on the original hinges, bears special careful scrutiny. So does what’s missing. The copper beneath the beautiful portico that was stripped for the decoration at St Peter’s; the ghastly bell towers designed by Bernini that were, thank the lord, removed due to their excess ugliness.
I have spent hours in this grand and glorious temple. Walking around, studying the precisely rendered design of the vault, pondering the materials used that illustrate form and function at its peak. Attending mass. Staring through the oculus to a blue sky, or even skies that were pouring rain. I’ve read for hours in there, not because the wooden chairs are comfortable, but because the setting is incomparable.
If you only have a single day to spend in Rome, head straight to the Pantheon, and stay there all day.
Justin
I probably should have had the Pantheon on my short list. Not only is it stunning and historically important, but it's a literal stone's throw from Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, which contains an early sculpture from Michelangelo, and has the high-water marks from Roman floods on its exterior. Across the street, there's the building where Stendhal once lived, and nearby is the shop that makes custom shoes for the pope.
I still think I'd pick the Capitoline Hill, but I certainly wouldn't fault anyone who took your advice instead of mine.
The Pantheon will always be stunning!
The single-most spectacular one day event is to make the expenditure to become a patron of the Vatican, which enables you to have a private visit of the Sistine chapel, semiprivate of other areas of the Vatican museums, and a visit to a Vatican restoration lab of your choice. If anyone reading this is interested just reach out to me and I’ll connect you to the head of the patronage program.
Beyond that it’s not a question that one thing is better than the other because it’s all magnificent. My suggestion is always to pick a couple of things and go deep. Don’t be influenced by ticking other people‘s “visit Rome“ tourist boxes, make your own choice and go with it.
Next week I’m doing a Substack live about the best things to do in Rome so if you’re traveling here, check it out!
Becoming a patron of the Vatican sounds very grand, but it's probably not a reasonable option for someone on their visit with only a day or two in the city.
I know we're both happy to be adopted Romans, but nobody could argue all corners of city are equally magnificent. If someone was coming to Rome on their first visit and was undecided between doing a deep dive into, let's say, Monteverde/Ganicolo or the Campidoglio or, alternately, the area around Parco della Musica, or the Stadio Olimpico, or Centocelle, what would your advice be?
A patron of the Vatican! How difficult is that? It sounds like such a prestigious thing.
The cost per year is €500 or more if you choose to donate more. Not only does your patronage start off with a private Sistine chapel tour and a visit to a Vatican restoration lab of your choice but throughout the year there are other patron events going on you can participate in. To my mind it’s the single-most outstanding art and history focused thing to do in Rome. @franky be
I would have thought it would be a lot more expensive! That's actually kind of tempting.
This is something I hesitated doing for a few years, but now that I've done it, I would never give up supporting the Vatican as a patron.
You make a good case for the Capitoline.
I know you know this but some prople probably don't: the Caoitoline Hill gave us the word "capitol" ...
I could have easily added that to the essay! Great point.
I once had a few hours in Rome with my then teenage girls on the way to Sardinia and didn’t want to waste that precious time at the airport.. I took a taxi into town and instructed the driver to go past the “big spectacular sights“ like the Colosseo and the Foro to give them an idea of the grandness that was imperial Rome, then walked them to the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Campo dei Fiori and over to Trastevere.. we even had time to eat a gelato at Giolitti‘s.. it was a well spent afternoon and a wonderful first introduction to Rome for my girls, who have loved it since
That sounds like a thoughtful introduction. Have you daughters ever returned to Rome on their own?
they have.. we all love it but hélas living in Vienna there are SO many other beautiful Italian cities and towns so we don’t get down so far that often 👋🏼
A day in Rome is like a day in heaven. The city's timeless beauty creates an unforgettable experience. Every moment feels magical and filled with wonder, but for some, one day might turn into a lifetime. As it did for my brother.
There are obviously many people who fall in love with the city and move there, like your brother and like me. But I like to talk to thoughtful and curious folks who have visited many times over a long period of time. Sometimes those people are more attuned to ways the city changes a little at a time that a resident might not notice.
Last November we had 2 days in Rome at the start, then 5 at the end—as part of a month in Italy. And although I’ve been to Rome many, many times, that was so not enough.
I can never not at least stop to see the outside of the Pantheon.
But what can you do in a day?
If someone really just had one day I’d say, don’t try to do too much…just walk all over and just “be” in Rome.
We spent most our time this past trip in Testaccio and Aventino and loved it very much.
Testaccio and Aventino are wonderful. And the Pantheon really should have been on the essay's shortlist. It's breathtaking.
But I still think having a plan and being a little prepared makes a difference. Seeing a beautiful church or gazing over ruins can be magical. But it's even better to know that that church is the only circular church in the city and was considered blasphemous when it was built or that those ruins over there were was Julius Caesar was murdered.
I wouldn't' want everything planned -- I always encourage people to allow time for serendipity --but wandering aimlessly around an unfamiliar city doesn't seem like the best plan, either.
Good point about aimless wandering.
Sometimes planning is my Achilles heal…I didn’t have much on my Must Do/See list this year but I really wanted to visit the Cavallini angels in Testaccio. Of course I dragged my family there and arrived on a day it wasn’t open 😏. Good thing I plan to return.
I’m with you on planning. When I travel for pleasure I usually have a list of a few things I’d like to see or do with some general idea of where they are on a map and I wander and try to connect the dots, but with complete permission to go off on a tangent or to linger or to stop at some other places I see en route. In the end, I rarely get to half of the list but I almost always have fun.
Great read and great intel! I will never stop learning new things about this city. That's one of a million reasons I love it here. As you say, Rome just accumulated, like a fascinating layer cake, or more eloquently, as Freud, described it, palimpsest. Much like the mind he studied, past and present exist simultaneously here. I'm going to visit Miranda...once it stops raining!
It’s never going to stop raining!
I’m glad you enjoyed the essay. And I’ll record the second thumbs-up vote for your using “palimpsest”! The comments on some of these posts can be very interesting.
Palimpsest! That's a word I haven't seen since collage (I was a psych minor)
Definitely more common in its Italian version, palinsesto.
Great word! And the title of Gore Vidal's memoir, right? Such a good word.
The Campidoglio Eric! This is the right place, you got it! I have business visitors quite frequently so I have to do the "afternoon thing". My program: Metro B to the Colosseum (WOW!), a walk along the via dei Fori Imperiali and the Campidoglio. And my secret corner - on the back side of the Campidoglio lies the church of Santa Maria della Consolazione. One of the few churches whose central gate is always open. For the lucky ones visiting in December - the Christmas tree is right in fron of the front gate. Amazing!
Then we either go to the Ghetto or walk back along the Via dei Cerchi.
My visitors love it
Have you been on the roof of Santa Maria della Consolazione? You can’t see the whole Forum from there, but you can see the part closest to the Capitoline and it’s a whole new perspective. I lived around the corner from there for 20+ years.
Next time you go to the Colosseum your visitors are sure to love the new Metro B Colosseo stop! It’s breathtaking!
A delightful post and lovely to read people’s comments. My number one spot has been mentioned already - the Campidoglio especially the walk behind overlooking the Forum. So let me add another spot - starting at Pincio Terrace on top of Piazza del Popolo and walking down to Villa Medici and then to the Spanish Steps, looking out at the rooftops to the right and below, some modest, some domed, new and old, in all lights but at sunset. But no, have never dreamed of or been obliged to see/do Rome in one day, per fortuna.
Per fortuna, si! Meno male.
I wrote this in another comment ... but of the places I mentioned on my shortlist in the essay, the one I wish I knew better than I do is the Terrazza del Pincio.
Really nice, Eric! I would probably suggest going to sit on the edge below one of the lions at the fountain in the centre of Piazza del Popolo.. You have Augustus' obelisk brought from Egypt in your back, the sound of the lions cascading water in the Roman heat (when most are likely to go), you have the elaborate aqueduct ending in the huge fountain to your left, a pair of Bernini cream puffs in front, in the twin churches that aren't so twin. Behind you the Roman wall and if you are so inclined a couple of Caravaggios to look at. Now that the square is pedestrian, there are always things to look at and gelato and expresso offerings are plentiful, even if you do want it in a glass with a bit of milk. You can go up the hill to the shade and enjoy one of the great views of the city, or straight, between the little churches and spend your inheritance. To me, while it may be on the northern edge of the old Roman city, it is still the beating heart to me, with some of everything that Rome has to offer.
Of all the places on my short list mentioned in the essay, the one I know least well is the Terrazza del Pincio and Piazza del Popolo. I've passed through there, stopped there, contemplated the place, enjoyed the Caravaggios, etc. But it isn't imprinted on me the way the other places are. And now I live on the whole opposite side of town.
I guess I need to find a reason to to hang out around there a bit more often.
I can't go past the Roman Forum. When in Rome, I normally stay at a guest house with views of the Forum and I can meander around there (and perhaps up to the Colosseum) for hours.
That sounds ideal, unless it's high season and the crowds are unruly. Anyway, great taste ....
Good point. I typically go early before the crowds and then retreat to the rooftop at the guesthouse where I can watch the madness.
Rome in a day? Impossible though many have tried. I loved your list and agree the Campidoglio is perhaps the best place to understand the city’s history. I would send them to Santa Maria in Trastevere, the piazza and the church. From there, you could walk up to the Gianicolo, or get lunch da Augusto (the braised rabbit and puntarelle are spectacular) and wander Trastevere. I lived for a few years on Via Agostino Bertani, right off of Piazza San Cosimato.
I know the area where you used to live very well. I’m a fan of the Gianicolo. Love it. But tye part of Trastevere around Augusto is so overrun these days. It makes me sad to walk around there sometimes. I remember when it was quaint.
Did you see my Note from earlier in the week with my dog, Mocha? That was taken around the corner from Augusto.
Mocha was very lucky! Yeah, I remember when it was still very Roman (I lived there in the early 90s), but it’s still pretty wonderful and Santa Maria in Trastevere is one of my favorite churches. The piazza is spectacular since they banned parking cars in it. It used to be packed and you couldn’t appreciate it.
Trastevere ain't want it used to be ... sadly.
If I only had one day, I’d walk the whole city and try to find a cafe and just people watch. And eat dinner at Armando’s
Good luck getting a reservation at Armando these days!
Great advice! I often take visitors to see the Forum from the Tabularium, part of the Musei Capitolini - it’s a breathtaking and relatively quiet alternative for days when it’s too hot to brave a walk in the Forum.
I love the Musei Capitolini in part because they’re just the right size. Same for teh Galleria Borghese. Enormous collections like the Musei Vaticani or the Galleria degli Uffizi almost obligate you to ignore whole stretches of master works.