Highlights – WithLocals tour, Colosseum, Roman Forum, Pantheon, Trastevere, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps

May 29, 2024 – Wednesday

We arrived into the FCO airport late Tuesday night and took a taxi to the Airbnb. When we arrived in Trastevere, the square was hopping with activity, people singing and dancing. We were all exhausted from the trip, so after our host gave us the overview of the place, we were quickly off to sleep.

Wednesday morning started early with our tour guide Simone. He was a local in Rome and showed us around for ~3 hours. We met him in front of the Museo Nazionale Romano to start the tour. First stop Piazza Navona, where he apologized for all of the refurb/construction we were about to witness all over the city. Rome was preparing for June 2nd celebrations, so many of the monuments were being repaired.

Simone told us the legend of the man/face on the wall in front of Tre Scalini restaurant. Once a bar, the pope at that time visited (undercover) to ask the common man’s opinion of the pope. After an honest/poor review from the bar owner, the pope had him “taken care of”. The small face on the window above is in remembrance of the bar owner. He also spoke about the monument in the middle of the square and how each of the 4 sides represented the different regions in that time.

We continued on to the Pantheon, where he pointed out something silly. There was a massive line full of people who had purchased “skip-the-line” tickets.

Pro Tip – Don’t buy tickets in advance at the Pantheon. There are two lines, the one on the left where you enter with “skip-the-line” tickets, looked to be at least a 30 min wait. Meanwhile there was a completely empty line on the right, just walk up and buy the ticket and enter. When I researched this before, I saw this should be a cash-only line, but they allowed me to pay with credit card.

Simone, of course, got in for free since he was a local. For us, it was 5 Euro each. We were surprised to see the top is open, so it actually rains inside and drains in the floor disperse the water. I suspect when this happens, these floors would be very slick, so be careful.

Next stop the Basilica of Saint Mary of Minerva. As with most old churches in Europe, free to enter and totally worth stepping inside and marveling at the beauty. In this case, the highlight was the beautiful ceilings.

We saw the Curia di Pompeo, where Caesar was killed, today it is, believe it or not, a cat sanctuary. Stray cats from all over the city come here to “retire”. They’re taken care of by the local “cat lady” volunteers, which we saw in action. Nearby, on the street just north of the square, Simone pointed out some ongoing roadwork. The crews were simply repairing a utility line under the road, however any digging in Rome central requires an archaeologist to be present (which she was). He explained that they still find treasures from the old ancient city since everything was built on top of the old Rome. This is one of the reasons Rome doesn’t have a very expansive underground subway network.

On to Trastevere, Simone led us to Basilica of Santa Maria, on the way showing us some of his favorite food spots, Trattoria da Augusto and Otaleg.

We ended the tour in the Jewish Ghetto, where Simone explained some of the oppresive history of Jews in Rome. Afterward Simone helped us get a table at one of his favorite nearby restaurants, Sora Margherita. Highly recommend Simone if you’re looking for a great local tour guide.

After lunch we raced over to the colosseum. This was probably the low light of our entire travel in Italy. It’s cool to think about how old this building is, but the complications driven by the crowds and the online ticket purchasing process is definitely not worth it. Tickets go up for sale online 30 days in advance and immediately sell out to scalpers that re-sell the tickets at a 300% markup. We were lucky enough to get “underground” tickets directly from the site ($50/person), which is misleading as you don’t actually get to go into the underground, simply just a visit to yet another platform at the same level as the rest looking over the underground. You can easily see the same thing with a basic entry ticket. However, the worst part is the crowds. If you’re going to Rome, I would suggest skipping the colosseum tour and just view it from the outside. However, the Roman Forum is worth the visit.

Walking through the Roman Forum, we stopped to see the Temple of Romolo. The big green doors are the originals, which still function. It was cool to think that we were walking on the same streets that Julius Caesar once strolled. Palatine Hill is a bit of an incline, but worthwhile to see the view overlooking the forum below.

We had planned to visit the Mamertine Prison (likely where Peter and Paul were imprisoned at some point) but the crew was already pretty exhausted from the trip and first day, so we took a glance from the outside and kept going.

Next stop was the Chiesa di Sant’lgnazio di Loyoa church. Another worthwhile stop, free entry and beautiful paintings on the ceiling. A short stroll from there we saw the Trevi Fountain and the massive crowds. It was elbow to elbow trying to squeeze through for a quick look.

After those crowds, it was time for some gelato on our way to the Spanish Steps and then back to the apartment. We were all exhausted at this point, so we chose to find nearby pizza, scarf it down in the living room and pass out.

Logistics

  • Aer Lingus – 8:55p ORD – 10:25a DUB
  • Layover 5:15
  • Aer Lingus – 3:40p DUB – 7:45p FCO
  • Uber/Taxi to Airbnb – Vicolo de Renzi , 31, Rome, Roma, Lazio 00153
  • 9a-12p – Withlocals tour – Simone
    • Piazza Navona – free
    • Pantheon – 5 Euro/person
    • Basilica of Saint Mary of Minerva
    • Curia di Pompeo
    • Trastevere
    • Basilica of Santa Maria
  • 1:30p – Colosseum/Roman Forum/Palatino
  • Mamertine Prison – we chose not to visit the inside as everyone was exhausted already
  • Chiesa di Sant’lgnazio di Loyola
  • Trevi Fountain
  • Spanish Steps

Restaurants

  • Trastevere – Trattoria da Augusto – we didn’t eat here, but came highly recommended
  • Trastevere – Otaleg – Great gelato, I’d rank #2 in Rome (it’s Gelato backwards)
  • Trastevere – Roma Sparita – Great dinner spot, should consider reservations
  • S. Angelo – Sora Margherita – Had a good quick lunch here
  • Gelateria La Paloma

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