How to Spend 48 Hours in Rome, Italy

I’d never been to Rome before. Despite more than a collective year of living in Europe, despite having visited Italy three times. For some reason, I just hadn’t made it over to “The Eternal City.” Well, from now on I officially blame all of my friends who have been and never told me how amazing it was. I went this past weekend, and it was MAGICAL, even though I was only able to spend 48 hours in Rome.

My parents and sister ventured to Europe for the first time a few weeks ago, stopping in Madrid to see me before heading on to visit our exchange student from last year, Gaia, in Sardinia. Then, they continued to Venice, Florence, and Rome. I met up with them in Rome, where we spent two days all together at the conclusion of their trip. (I’m finishing up Year 1 in Spain and joining them at home in the U.S. later this week, oh em geeeeeee.)

Anyway, though my time in Rome was short, I felt like I really got to see most of the things that Rome is famous for. So even if you only have 48 hours — like me — you can still check out these 7 must-visits and 3 bonus items!

1. The Colosseum

Okay, what’s a trip to Rome without visiting the Colosseum? When I arrived in the city from the airport, I met up with my family at metro stop Coloseo. When stepping out of the station, the huge, imposing Colosseum was there to greet me. It’s just right there, surrounded by Rome’s bustling urban life as well as plenty of ancient ruins. It’s also really picturesque, no matter what time of day.

If you want to go inside the Colosseum — we did, and I think it was worth it — you may want to look at booking a tour group. Normally when I travel, I don’t necessarily always use tour groups. But Rome is ALL ABOUT history, and if you miss out on the commentary about history that a tour guide can bring, you might not be able to appreciate everything to the fullest.

Also, the line to get inside the Colosseum was impossibly long, and it was impossibly hot. Even just providing the value of skipping the line and having a special entrance made the tour guide worth it. I think we booked our tickets for this through Viator, but there are tons of companies. So you should have no problem finding one that meets your needs.

2. Vatican City

Maybe you didn’t know this – my sister didn’t – but Vatican City is its own country. In fact, it’s the smallest country in the world! (I was excited to think I was visiting the largest country in the world and the smallest country in the world this year.) Just like the Colosseum, the line to get into the Vatican Museums was really long, so if you want to go inside, I’d recommend a tour group again.

The tour includes visits to the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. I didn’t even realize that the Sistine Chapel was part of Vatican City, and it was really cool to see – especially after our tour guide told us more of the history about when Michelangelo painted it. Fun fact: he didn’t actually paint the ceiling lying on his back, as commonly believed, but he did paint it with one arm raised in the air, head leaned back. For four years. Ouch.

Though the Colosseum did provide museum-like exhibits for visitors to read on their own, even without a tour guide, this wasn’t the case at the Vatican. For this reason, I think a tour guide is even more beneficial here. But even if you don’t want to go inside, you can still step foot in this micro-country and look at the basilica by visiting St. Peter’s Square.

3. Trevi Fountain

In The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003), staple of my childhood, Lizzie makes a wish in the fountain. I felt called to do the same. Unfortunately, it’s a lot more crowded these days than it was when Lizzie and Gordo were there. You kind of have to fight if you want to make it all the way down to the front, but it’s worth it. The fountain is super beautiful, with pretty blue-green water, and it was way bigger than I thought it would be.

When you make your wish, you’re supposed to toss the coin with your right hand, backwards over your left shoulder. Apparently, about €3,000 are tossed into the fountain each day, for a yearly total of €1.4 million ($1.5 million USD as of 2019). Get your photos — just like the Colosseum, this place makes a great photo — but make sure not to sit down on the edge. Italian police, the carabinieri, will swiftly whistle at you to stand up.

4. The Pantheon

Not to be confused with the Greek Parthenon, the Pantheon in Rome is a former ancient temple, thought to have been constructed in about 30 B.C. Though it was burned in fires in 80 and 120 A.D., it was rebuilt again and again. The current version was built under the order of Emperor Hadrian. Later in the 600s, the Catholic Church converted it into a church, which is still its main purpose in present times.

Even though its use has been transformed, the Pantheon is considered to be the best-preserved Ancient Roman monument surviving today. Better yet, entry is free! So if you find yourself in the area – perhaps visiting the nearby Piazza Navona – make sure to stop in for a visit.

5. Spanish Steps

I don’t know that I’d heard of the Spanish Steps previously, but with Spain as my adopted country for now, I felt compelled to visit. We walked there via the Via delle Quattro Fontane — the four fountains are located at the intersection with Via del Quirinale and were cool to see. Once we arrived at the Spanish Steps, also known as Piazza di Spagna, we came out at the top rather than the bottom — thankfully! But if you come via the Spagna metro station, you’ll be at the bottom.

Not having learned why they’re called the Spanish Steps, I just Googled it for both of our sakes. Apparently, it’s just because the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See (jurisdiction of the Pope) was located nearby.

At the top of the steps is the Trinità dei Monti church. As you might be able to tell from its name — despite its location at the Spanish Plaza, in Italy — the church is actually French! Even today, mass is conducted in French, but you can go inside and take a look for free when mass isn’t in session.

6. Roman Forums

Our Airbnb was in a fantastic location. We were right at the heart of the old city, called Old Rome (surprising!). Not only were we a 10-minute walk away from the Colosseum (and its metro station), but we were also steps away from the remains of the old Roman forums. Yes, there’s more than one Roman Forum! The ones nearest to us were the formerly-adjacent forums of Julius Caesar and his stepson, Caesar Augustus.

Walking by, you see ancient columns still standing and fragments of stone strewn out over the ground. When the Roman Empire was at its height, around 117 A.D., these forums were the center of Roman life. They served as meeting points for citizens, a place to learn the news from around the empire, and were even where legal processes took place. As the Roman civilization gradually fell, overtaken by invaders, the forums were destroyed or otherwise fell into ruin. But in the early 1800s, an archaeologist “discovered” and began excavating the ruins. Since then, they’ve been treated with great care to be preserved in the best way possible.

7. Journeys Through Ancient Rome – Forum Show

Unconventional suggestion alert! You’ve probably never even heard of this – I hadn’t either, until I got there. But since we were staying so close to the forums, my parents had seen a show being projected on the ruins of the Forum of Augustus on their first few nights there. On our last night, we decided to buy tickets for the show, which is shown three times each night (times depending on time of year).

You’re given a set of headphones and a little “audio guide” which you can set to your preferred language. When the show starts, it’s like a movie about Ancient Rome and the history of the forum, being played on the ruins themselves. I learned a lot about Ancient Rome, as well as the importance of the forums. I only wish I’d done this earlier during my trip to help provide context of the ancient city as a whole. It’d been a long time since my last world history class! Anyway, I highly recommend this, and it was one of my favorite parts of the trip. The show probably lasted about 40 minutes, and you can do it for either the Forum of Augustus or the Forum of Caesar. Get tickets here.

Bonus Things to See: this post is getting long so I’ll keep these short.

8. St. Angelo Bridge

Like a tiny version of Charles Bridge in Prague. Okay, really tiny, but similarly flanked with statues. Good views of Vatican City, St. Angelo Castle, and the Tiber River below.

9. National Roman Museum and Baths of Diocletian

Quiet museum with air conditioning, far away from the mobs of tourists. Seriously, we had it almost all to ourselves. That was definitely needed after battling the crowds for a few days.

10. Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs

I must have been to a million (1,000,000) cathedrals in Europe by now, but this is the first one I’ve ever seen with a meridian sundial built into the floor.

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Okay, so as you can probably tell, I really loved my trip to Rome. It took me way too long to get there for the first time, but I know I’ll be back. (And I can’t wait to drink my next Aperol Spritz!)

What are your favorite things to see in Rome? Leave me a comment!

-Cathy

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Originally Published on July 22, 2019.