My Perfect Roman Holiday with Day Trips - 7 Days in Rome, Italy with Day Trips to Florence, Amalfi Coast & Naples - Your Ultimate One Stop Travel Guide to Rome with Travel Tips - Part 1
- dishadhawanwork
- 2 days ago
- 22 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Italy is famous is an understatement. The tourist rush in Italy never seems to end, so much so that even the shoulder seasons, like for example I visited at the end of October, isn't really shoulder season but still heavy tourist season! This may be partly due to the Jubilee Year, but mainly, I feel, it is because the weather is more comfortable than the summer months, and not cold enough that you need to bundle up. Plus, the evenings in October are stunningly beautiful, fondly called "Ottobrata Romana" for the beautiful skies during sunset. Yes, there is a mild chance of rain, but honestly, it did not deter me. I planned for months, watching videos, tips, plotting my itinerary on Google Maps, all to have that perfect Roman Holiday. And hence here I am writing a blog post about it so you all can benefit from my months of research! So I am going to tell you about my day-to-day itinerary and my experiences, as well as give you a few additional things to do or alternatives to some of our itinerary. First, I will start with all the travel tips I feel you need to know about.
Decadent Diaries Travel Tips
Booking in advance is the key to Rome and any other popular city in Italy. Be it your hotels to get good prices, be it the main attractions like Colosseum, Vatican Museums, etc., everything needs to be booked in advance or you face higher costs with respect to hotel rooms closer to your travel dates and you have to sometimes pay third-party websites much more than what you would have paid for the attractions if you purchased them from the official websites. You can take free cancellation bookings for hotels to have the flexibility.
Don't even think about walking in on the spot to buy tickets for the most popular attractions, your dreamy Roman Holiday will turn into a nightmare where you will have to wait several hours in long lines, or worse, you will not get any tickets as they are sold out.
As always, Google Maps and a good roaming cellular plan with enough mobile data are a must, as Rome has too many attractions all around and a lot to see. If you do not keep checking your map, you may pass by something and miss it. But most importantly, marking a list of restaurants and attractions that you wish to see, even though you might not make it to all of them, but when you are in a particular area and need to take a break at a cafe or have a good meal, because you are tired of walking, these points on your Google Maps help you out.
Do not want to spend money on expensive guided tours with a crowd? Want to visit attractions at your own pace? Download the Rick Steeves Audio Europe App, and all you need is a pair of headphones and your mobile. Explore popular attractions while the famous Rick Steeves guides you through them. This doesn't mean guided tours are bad, just that I prefer to explore at my own pace. This is not a sponsored suggestion, just something I did personally.
If you are boarding any regional train, you have to validate your ticket; if you are boarding any bus in Rome, you have to validate your ticket on the bus, without which heavy fines apply. I have seen videos where people have gotten fined on buses. They are very strict about this.
For day trips to Florence, etc., book your Frecciarossa trains (express trains) in advance so that you can get better fares. Also, if you travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays as I did, you get a Freccia Days discount that gives you even more savings than on other days. However, please note these tickets are non-cancellable and non-changeable. If you feel like having more flexibility, there are many other fare types available on Trenitalia's website. I had no issues booking my tickets with my card from India on the official Trenitalia website. Italo is another popular train company in Italy, but I preferred Trenitalia.
Establish a base in Rome and take day trips as we did. We were able to visit Florence, the Amalfi Coast, and Naples all by the fast trains Frecciarossa and Frecciargento. You can also visit Pisa, Capri (through Naples), and even Milan or Venice if you are adventurous! Venice is around 4 hours away, and Milan is around 3 hours away by fast train. However, as we had already seen Milan and were there only for a week, we decided upon the above-mentioned day trips.
Pickpocketing in Rome, petty thefts, etc, is a really major issue, so bags in front of your chest for men and sling bags for women with one hand firmly on your bag always when on the metro or any other public transport is a must. When sitting at an outdoor table at a restaurant, keep an eye on your phone on the table at all times. Do not hang your bag on the back of your chair; keep it on your lap or in an area clearly visible to you. Always BE ALERT in Italy.
Some popular scams in Rome are the bracelet scam and the rose scam. Someone will come and hand over a bracelet or a rose to you, and you think it's a gift, but the moment you take it, they start demanding money. So if by mistake it comes into your hand, keep it on the floor and walk away, also keep your children alert as they try to take advantage of their innocence and hand over the rose, etc, to them. Another scam is the donate for a cause; they are probably just keeping the money for themselves. One more is trying to sell you something at your table when you are eating outdoors, and in the guise of that, when you cannot see your table because their goods are covering it, they steal your phone from your table.
Another scam you may experience at the train station or the metro is someone politely approaching you and insisting on helping you out to buy your ticket. Once they do help you, then they start demanding money for that help. They also become pretty insistent, at those times, either shift to a different ticket machine or firmly refuse their help till they leave you alone. Lastly, I saw this on a video on YouTube; apparently, there is a fake police scam also. Usually, police officers are found at stations for checks; however, if you find them elsewhere, and especially if they start demanding to see your wallet, saying there is fake currency going around, insist that you will go to the nearest police station with them to show them. If it is a genuine police officer, they will not have any issue in going to the nearest police station; if they are fakes, then they will refuse or hesitate. There is also the fake painting on the floor scam, where, in popular areas and attractions, some people will intentionally keep the paintings on the floor where there are pedestrians, hoping someone will step on them. Then they will argue with you if you step on it and demand you pay them for that painting, which is mostly just a cheap colour printout, so beware. To sum up, as I said above, always be alert in Italy.
We chose to stay near the main Station, Roma Termini. This gave us two advantages: one that we could easily take the Leonardo Express from the Fiumicino Airport and then walk with our bags around a five-minute walk from the Roma Termini to our hotel. We saved on taxi fare, which was double what we paid for the train. As a couple, we paid twenty-eight euros for the train, and the taxi would have cost us fifty-five euros. If you are a family of four, it makes sense to take the taxi. Next, we could easily take our day trips and book early trains and not be worried in the back of the mind that we need to take another bus or taxi just to reach Roma Termini. Many people in the videos say not to stay near Roma Termini due to the bad characters found there at night. However, I feel that if you do not stay on the streets right next to the Roma Termini, then it is very safe. We stayed around five to seven minutes away, and around two are three streets away from the Termini, and it was very efficient and safe.
If and when travelling by train, make sure your bags are kept in an area that is in your range of visibility from your seat, or use bike locks to keep them safely attached to the storage area on the train.
Be extremely careful with your passports! Do not keep them in the same pouch as your money/wallet. There have been so many cases, even among my acquaintances, of losing their passports in Italy when they got pickpocketed, so I was always on high alert and checking whether they were in my sling bag or not every couple of hours. You do sadly need to carry your passports with you, as some major attractions do check your passports. And even in the trains, even though our passports weren't checked personally, I had read up on the official website that we do need to have an official ID proof for the trains. That being said, do check the updated rules and regulations when you plan to travel.
Try to eat an early dinner or an early lunch to try to get tables without waiting in long lines at the popular restaurants. Eat away from the traditional dinner/lunch timings, so that you do not have to wait long. As some restaurants do not offer online reservations, they just allow walk-ins. Rome is a popular city, so no matter which month, the popular restaurants may always be full during peak times.
Do not carry all your cards and money with you; keep one emergency card hidden in your hotel room in your bag/safe, whatever you feel right, so if by chance something does happen, you have something to fall back on. Same way, even while travelling to a different city, always keep your finances spread out and hidden between you and your partner so that everything is not concentrated in one purse, which makes it more risky.
Most importantly, do not let my tips above scare you; if you are a little alert, you can have the best time in Rome. Most of the people are welcoming, courteous and helpful. And let's not forget that the everlasting beauty of the "Eternal City" is worth the leap of faith.
There is a trick to skip the lines somewhat, even at Vatican City for St Peter's Basilica. I will tell you more about it below on Day 3.
When buying your Leonardo Express tickets to Roma Termini, I did not find it necessary to buy in advance, as we did not know how much rush there would be at immigration. One of the videos advised us to buy the train tickets at the ticket machine located near the baggage belts, as they said there would be a lot of rush at the station. However, we faced the complete opposite. There was only one ticket machine at the baggage belt and a long line, which we stood in. But at the station, there was absolutely no line at all and various ticket booths were available from which we could have purchased our Leonardo Express tickets.
If you want to visit churches, you need to cover your shoulders and knees; this applies to men as well, and they cannot wear shorts.
I cannot exaggerate the requirement of wearing the most comfortable pair of walking shoes you have. I myself had worn Air Jordans, but even they failed me by Day 3, as you will read below. There are cobbled streets in some places, and it really takes a toll. You need to wear shoes with as much foam or padding on the soles as possible.
Day 1: Arrival in Rome
Do not book any tours, tickets for the day you arrive; keep that day free to get over the air travel tiredness /jet lag and to just take in and walk around the city to get a feel of it. This also works out as you are not aware whether your flights may get delayed or that there may be a long line at the immigration in Italy. For example, it took us about an hour to clear immigration at Fiumicino Airport. This was any day better than London, where it took over three hours! Despite the huge rush, the lines moved fast, and the immigration agents were very efficient. And then when we checked in, we were surprised to see that we were not provided the room as displayed on the website, but a smaller room. We had paid for the standard double room, but were put in a small double room! The reception tried to dilly dally, saying it is a permutation combination of the same room, but thankfully, after speaking to them, they agreed to change my room first thing the next day, as they cited on that day that the rooms were full. This wasted another hour or two of mine. I did not want to settle for the smaller room because, well, I had paid extra just to have a spacious room. Other than that, my stay at Moderno Hotel Roma was excellent, and the reception staff were all very polite and helpful. Anyway, we landed at 2:15 PM, but due to the rush at immigration, the confusion at the hotel, we had originally planned to get out at around 4:30 PM or 5 PM, but we left to room by 6:30 PM. So, hence had to cut off a few things I wanted to explore on my first day and shift it to the last remaining day. That is why I strongly advise keeping the first and last day as free as possible, as whatever you are not able to see or miss out on during the other days can be covered on the last day.
We started by taking the metro from Roma Termini to Piazza del Popolo. This is a famous square, which in ancient times was the northern entry gate to Rome. It is a beautiful and lively square with an Egyptian Obelisk at its centre, which is awe-inspiring. If you climb some steps nearby in the direction of the Borghese Gardens, you can reach the Terazza Del Pincio to have some beautiful views of the city. You can also check out the Villa Borghese gardens, which are considered the Central Park of Rome.
Piazza del Popolo is also the starting point for your stroll through the city or your "passeggiata", as the Italians call it, to walk along the famous Via Del Corso, a notable street lined with popular shopping brands and more. You then make a left along Via Del Condotti and proceed towards the famous Spanish Steps.
Once you have had your fill of this area, you can then head back along Via Del Corso towards the Pantheon. Along the path I just followed above, I visited two gelaterias, one of which was out of this world, Gelateria Dei Gracchi and Fatamorgana.
The pistachio gelato at Dei Gracchi was rightly included in the hundred most iconic icecreams of the world list. It was out of this world!
We also checked out one famous tiramisu spot called Pompi near the Spanish Steps, which was just okay. Just a tip for authentic Gelato - it should either be in metal containers, or if not, then it should at least not be piled high in mounds with artificially bright colours, which may indicate additives and artificial ingredients.
Anyhow, we got to see some nighttime views of the Pantheon (it is closed at night, so you can't enter inside), and we mainly came to this area to have dinner at the famous Osteria Da Fortunata. This is where point fourteen of my above tips comes into play. Due to all the delays, we reached Da Fortunata at peak dinner hours, and there was a long line. And although we went to all four of the branches of Da Fortunata in the vicinity to try our luck, each one of them had lines! We stood in the branch with the shortest line and were seated in around twenty minutes.
Got to say Da Fortunata was not worth the hype at all. It just looked pretty but didn't taste that great. The pasta was not hot; it was bordering on cold, the servers were rude and arrogant, the tables were tiny and cramped together, and you had no privacy. As a vegetarian, Osteria Da Fortunata was highly disappointing. We visited the Cancellaria branch, if anyone is wondering, and the service was extremely poor. Wouldn't recommend at all as per my personal experience. Once again, this is just my review as a customer who dined there. Tonnarello, on the other hand, as you will see in Day 7, was a popular restaurant that lived up to the hype.
Some other restaurants that I would rather ask you to try in the area are Mimi e Coco for pasta/pizza, Emma Pizzeria or the famous All'Antico Vinaio for schiachiatta sandwiches. For gelato, there is the extremely famous Giolitti, Gelataria La Romana, Frigadarium and for Tiramisu, there is Mr 100 Tiramisu or Two Sizes. We went to Two Sizes on Day 2 will tell you more about it then. Anyway, truly tired from all our plane travel and walking, we took a taxi back to the room. The Italian metro system does not stretch to this part of the central town, and we didn't wish to wait for buses after all the tiredness. The App that helped me with taxis in Rome and let me pay by cash was Freenow. Except for near the Vatican, it worked really well throughout Rome. The drivers were very sweet and always grateful when they received a few extra Euros as a tip.
Day 2: Exploring Rome
This is the day from which the attractions I had booked in advance began. First up was the world wonder Colosseum, for which I had taken a 10:30 AM timed entry. I had the option to buy the access with the arena, but even from the ground floor, I got some good views of the arena without accessing the special area, so all in all, personally, I didn't feel the need to buy that add-on. As far as the lines went, the entire area was crowded as there was a marathon also going on that day. That being said, as we had timed entry tickets, we hardly had to line up for not even a minute, as we had a separate entry gate. Here, they did check our passports as ID proof. Then we went inside to the security check, which also took less than a minute, and we were inside the Colosseum. It felt surreal to be stepping into the place where almost two thousand years ago, people set foot as well. Even though the structure is bare, there is so much to see and take in. The architecture was stunning. I didn't go with a guide; I just searched Gemini for ten facts about the Colosseum and also listened to the Rick Steves audio guide. Took a lot of photos, both from the higher floors and from the ground floor facing the arena as well. Once we had our fill, we left from there to head on to our next attraction, which was the Roman Forum.
Along the way, we decided to take a break before entering, as we had not had any breakfast and went to a pizza al taglio spot called Pizzeria della Madonna dei Monti. I had marked on Google Maps and kept various spots across Rome which I wanted to dine at, as mentioned above, I know I wouldn't reach all of them, but these markings really helped me out. Because I was late getting to the Colosseum, I couldn't have breakfast, and the next place I wanted to visit, which was the Roman Forum, was close by. So in all that, getting to one of my most wanted to visit eateries, which were all in the city centre and away from this area, would just be a waste of time. But as I had marked a few spots close by and kept, I didn't need to go far to eat, plus I was assured, due to my research, that I might mostly get good food due to the high ratings. This pizza al taglio that I had turned out the be the best I have had on my entire Italian trip! What a find! The managers were also super sweet, and I had a fantastic lunch. I also went to Flor Gelato, close by, which was also on my list. The coffee flavour wasn't great, but the hazelnut one was fantastic.
After having rested and eaten, we then proceeded to the Roman Forum close by. Once again with Rick Steeves as our audio guide, we enjoyed visiting both the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.
And also saw the place where Julius Caesar was cremated. It was once again so surreal to walk along the same paths that the Romans walked many millennia ago.
We then walked along the famous Via dei Fori Imperiali with various forums surrounding it, and finally reached Piazza Venezia with the imposing Monument to Victor Emmanuel II. We then caught a cab from here through the free now app and went back to our hotel, as they had promised to change our room today to a larger one (the one I had actually paid for) at 2 PM check-in. We got our new room, rested a bit and then set off on foot towards the Pantheon. It was around a thirty-minute walk away, but there were many places I wanted to see along the way, so I thought a scenic walk would be the best thing to do. We walked till we reached Via Venti Settembre.
Along the way, we stopped at a local supermarket to check out all the local snacks. The Kinder brand scene in Italy is fantastic, where they have so many delicious iterations of their chocolates. I picked up one called Kinder Cereali, and my husband got a Starbucks packaged coffee with no added sugar.
We then walked further to reach Chiesa di Sant' Maria della Vittoria, which was gorgeous and had Bernini's dramatic carving of "the Ecstasy of Teresa". It was simply stunning. Then next door was the Fountain of Moses, which was also really stunning and had no crowds, unlike the Trevi Fountain, where we walked to next.
The moment we reached close to Trevi, we realised it was a huge mistake; there was absolutely no space to walk in that area. The amount of crowds made that space claustrophobic, so much so that I skipped standing in line for the famous coin toss. I was more worried about my cross-body bag because people were literally shoulder to shoulder, pushing and shoving. Safe to say I was glad to get out of that space. Sadly, Trevi no longer has that charm for me because of the overwhelming crowds. Last time I visited, which was around twenty years back, I remember I had a decent amount of space to stand at least. We then passed by Hadrian's Temple and onwards to the Pantheon, where we had a 5 PM online reservation.
The chaos that was there at the Pantheon was also on another level. Who said October has fewer crowds? This place was also filled to the brim. Even though we had an online reservation, we had to stand in a long line of other such people who had booked online. Thankfully, the line was not as overwhelming as it seemed, as they let people in quickly, so I guess we spent only around ten minutes in that long line. The Pantheon was stunning, and we once again listened to the Rick Steeves audio guide.
And also admired all the famous tombs inside, like Raphael's Tomb. After this, we left the crowds behind to go close by and enjoy an evening coffee at the famous Sant'Eustachio Caffe. We reached a time when there was not much rush.
We sat and had a Monachella (espresso, hot chocolate and whipped cream) and the Gran Caffe Sant Eustachio, which the server pronounced as "Grrrrrand", which was fun. We also had a cannoli and aragostine (like a sfogliatella). We watched people passing by, kept track of our bags as we were seated outside, but most importantly, enjoyed a great Roman evening.
Now that we had taken a break, we then walked to the famous Piazza Navona, which I must say was my favourite place in Rome. Mainly because it was such a lively square with the beautiful fountains, but the best place to enjoy a gorgeous Roman evening and sunset. We sat for some time near one of the fountains and just watched people go by. We also went to the St Agnes Church in the Piazza. Then we tried one maritozzo place, which sucked despite the great Google reviews. It tasted stale.
After which, we went to the famous Two Sizes for tiramisu. As it turned out, their classic tiramisu was just average, but the pistachio tiramisu, well, that was sensational. Skip the classic and try the pistachio tiramisu!
We then headed towards Antico Forno Roscioli, a famous bakery that I had been seeing in YouTube videos for over a decade. There was a line and hardly any place to sit, but the pizza al taglio was fresh, zesty and pretty tasty, although I preferred the one I had during the day more. That being said, coming to this bucket list forno was in itself an amazing experience.
We then walked towards Largo di Torre Argentina, the place where Julius Caesar is said to have been assassinated. It was beautiful at night. After which, as we had eaten so much, we decided to walk back towards our hotel.
On the way, we saw Trajan's Column at night and checked out another local supermarket for more treats. Overall, it was a very fulfilling day, both food-wise and sightseeing-wise!
Day 3: Exploring more of Rome
I somehow felt that, as I was visiting Rome during the Jubilee Year, a year in which the holy gates are opened once in every twenty-five years at four of the main churches in Rome. I felt it must be a sign that I must visit all four. And the fact that most of them were close to the metro stations and hence not far to get from where I was staying, I decided that I wanted to walk through all four holy doors.
I started with the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, and of course, there was a line of pilgrims, but it went fast. It felt peaceful and reassuring walking through those doors, and it was a wonderful feeling.
Then we walked a little farther to grab some breakfast at the famous Regoli Pasticceria. The maritozzo here was out of the world. Other places that I tried the brioche was not as soft and light, and airy, here it was like a cloud! I also tried the wild strawberry tart, which was also quite delicious. There was a short line, but it moved fast. So grateful to have been able to try treats from this legendary pasticceria.
We then went to the second church, which is the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano. Again, there was a line, but it moved fast. We also made it a point to visit the Pontifico Santuario della Scala Santa close by, which houses twenty-eight original steps that Jesus climbed. Although we did not climb these steps on our knees, it was just nice to be present at such a divine atmosphere, surrounded by pilgrims in prayers.
We then headed by metro towards Vatican City, for we had a 2 PM online reservation (made by booking the audio guide of St Peter's Basilica), which allowed us to access a separate, shorter line to enter St Peter's Basilica and was worth it. For the few Euros that the audio guide costs per person, it helped us out a lot to skip the long lines. But before we got there, we took a detour to the closest sporting goods store, as my feet had started aching a lot due to my current shoes. I had to buy a pair of New Balance shoes with air foam to finally feel better! The cobbled streets especially really take a toll on your feet.
We then also dined at Pinsa Mpo - a type of Roman flatbread with a mix of flours and a long fermentation process, but basically it was another style of Roman pizza with a lighter crust. Even though this place was highly rated, we preferred the pizza al taglio we had the day before.
We then breezed by the crowds in our St Peter's Basilica separate entry line and explored the awe-inspiring interiors. Once again, Rick Steeves was our guide! I didn't download the official audio guide; I just purchased it to be able to access the shorter line.
Once we were done, we had a bit of time to kill before our 4:30 PM reservation at the Vatican Museum, so we went and chilled at a nearby McDonald's! We tried the Tiramisu there, it was surprisingly nice, their fries, coffees and also a one Euro authentic parmigiano reggiano cheese cube, it was yum!
We then walked towards the Vatican Museums, and oh my god, the chaos and lines there, even with online bookings, was too much. We stood in the line designated for 4:30 PM. We arrived at 4:32 PM and we are glad we didn't arrive earlier, because they were throwing the 5 PM people out of the line in front of us and asking them to stand on the side. They did not check our ID Proofs here, maybe because of all the chaos that was there. We entered the museum, and at first it seemed really nice.
We saw a few famous paintings in one area, like the Transfiguration by Raphael and Saint Jerome in the Wilderness by Leonardo Da Vinci.
There was an open central area from where you could get some beautiful views of the Basilica dome and take pictures, another area where the Papal cars museum was there which we really loved; many people miss out on that as it is sort of in a separate area after crossing a garden. The only other thing I wanted to see was mainly the Sistine Chapel. But my god, that is where the nightmare started. I don't know whether it is how it has always been, but the museum suddenly became one-directional on the way to the Sistine Chapel. You could not skip areas and go directly there; you needed to follow a predetermined route, and any areas to bypass were closed out by the staff so that everyone had to forcefully follow that route. And basically, you and hundreds before you in the same line, walking through some wide but also many narrow spaces, just to reach the chapel. Forced to go in a line, forced to see everything, and forced to walk very, very long in very crowded areas.
Some areas were nice, like the Gallery of Maps, but some other areas were just claustrophobic due to the crowds.
By the time we actually reached the Sistine Chapel, we just wanted to quickly see it and leave. Even though it was beautiful inside, still, we still just took a glimpse and then stepped out as soon as possible, just wanting to leave as we were frustrated with the mess at the Vatican Museums. Photography is not allowed inside the Sistine Chapel. Due to this forceful one-directional path, we almost missed out on our reservation for dinner. Thankfully, we emailed them that we would be late. This was very unlike the Louvre, where you could take your own path, and we just saw the sections we wanted to see and left very happy. Honestly, if this forced path is to be followed in the Vatican Museums always, I'm afraid I would never visit it again. The next bit of bad luck was that, for some reason, the Free Now app just refused to work in Vatican City. Left with no options, I had to search a nearby taxi stand on Google Maps and go and stand in line and wait and hope that taxis would arrive soon for the people before us till our number came. There were no taxis actually waiting, just a pole with a board that said "taxi", and the taxis passing by with no passengers would stop if they wished to take on a fare.
Anyway, we reached the Bvlgari Hotel for the Il Caffe experience. This was my only high-end meal during the entire trip. That too completely overwhelmed and tired from the Vatican Museums experience, we ordered a few drinks, a very delicious tomato focaccia and some beautiful desserts. The service was impeccable, and they even remembered that I had asked to see their terrace area, so their manager took me there to show it to me. Completely tired from the day, we just walked to the main street and hailed a taxi to our hotel. Sometimes spending that extra fifteen to twenty Euros is necessary for a cab, especially when it comes to European cities and all the walking involved. That being said, except for the bad experience at the Vatican Museums, it was another wonderful day of visiting three holy churches of the Jubilee Year. I visited the fourth one on Day Seven, which will be covered in Part 2 of this post.
Part 2 of this post is coming soon! Thank you for reading!
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