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Are you planning a trip to for 2 days in Rome? Good for you because i just got back and i’m already planning my next trip back.

i love Rome for many reasons such as:

• The Mediterranean weather
• The mix of old history and strong culture
• Medieval architecture and ancient ruins
• Italian food
• The vatican
• Shopping.

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll see I closed out the warm days of 2021 with a mini vacation to Rome. Back in France, the warm summer winds had started giving way to chill nights and dewy mornings, and the husband wanted an extension of some warmth. When got to Rome, it was 30 degrees, needless to say I fell in love.

Our hotel was located at the Ripa Area, and because we got in late, we just chilled and prepared for an early day.

 We only had 2 days to explore the eternal city so we got right to it armed in flat sneakers, a Nikon camera and a map of Rome that had all the historic monuments and centers of interest highlighted.

Day 1

Colosseum & Place Venezia

We left the Ripa area where our hotel was located and traced our way by foot, past local bars and wide urban streets. we soon found found the first place of interest.

The Colosseum was one of the monuments I looked forward to seeing so I just stood there giddy as a toddler, staring at the marvel. it was full of tourists, and local guides trying to sell you a visit ticket . not today ma’am.

This ancient theatre bore witness to public executions, animal hunts and gladiator fights. Today it just stood there, huge with all its glory and ruins, grandeur and history. truly worth the visit. i hear the visits inside the amphitheater were guided and well worth it.

Leaving the coliseum, we were soon at the Roman Forum, a place of absolute ruin, just kidding.

The Roman Forum is a public square surrounded by ruins of ancient structures.

Tall pillars that looked like the left overs of an earthquake made for a mesmerizing sight.

Continuing through Via dei Fori imperiali, we merged into a huge crowd of tourists and locals headed up to Place Venezia, where Italian police (Carabinieri) filled up the place adorned in feathered hats, while smiling locals said “Che bella” and “bellisima” to my full haired toddler.  I love it here.

Place Venezia is a large intersection right at the center of Rome, between waiting taxis and transit stop-overs, one could see the Palazzo Venezia, a great medieval architectural building that once housed catholic clergymen.

However the most prominent building at the place Venezia is the Victor Emmanuel II monument.This national monument was erected in honor of the 1st king of a unified Italy.

Pantheon & Place navona

A 10 minute walk later and with the help of our map, we found the Pantheon, an ancient roman temple that has somehow withstood the dust of time. I mean this thing looks like it could’ve been constructed as recent as the 1900s.

The glaring presence of police cars and a que of tourists waiting to visit didn’t seem to encourage a visit. we moved on to find Place Navona.

Place Navona is a an open space that features important sculptures like The Fountain of The Four Rivers from the movie Angels and Demons. This place was full of people, and lots of restaurants but we sought to find one more place.

Soon we found it, a place full of tourists, some throwing coins into the blue water at its feet, others struggling to take tourist worthy pictures. Above them all sat the 86 ft baroque, and one of the most famous fountains in the world: Trévi Fountain.

Trevi Fountain was the hallmark of my visit to Rome, its notoriety, its beauty and its cultural signification meant i had to see it, and you should too . it is the oldest water source in Rome and is the meeting point of three roads. i threw in a coin, made a wish and succumbed to my grumpy belly.

Ho fame!

Time to eat.

We found a small restaurant with a terrace right at the corner of Trevi Fountain and I ordered a carbonara and some wine. A tiramisu followed and my meal was complete.

Spanish steps and Via del Condotti

Picking up from where we stopped, we walked past wannabe musicians, a fake pope and found the Spanish steps; a large place with stairs, lots of stairs that went right up to the feet of Trinitia dei Monti church.

This place is a beauty, it reminded me of the Sacre Coeur of Montmartre at Paris: all those stairs, with a religious edifice at the top. We climbed to the top of the stairs and mahnn, you’ve got a beautiful view of Rome spreading up to the Saint Peter’s Basilica.

 To end the day, we got down the stairs and visited luxury boutiques at Via del Condotti.

Via del Condotti is Rome’s equivalent of the Parisian Rue de Faubourg saint Honoré: your one stop pleasure to Luxury outlets and boutiques. you’re welcome 🙂

Day 2

Vatican Museums

All my adult life I have dreamt of ticking off a visit of the Vatican museums from my bucket list and here I was.

We woke up early, got in a taxi and were off to meet up with our tour guide.

 The guided tour lasted all of the morning and was worth every minute of it.

The place is overwhelming: Think of art, archeology and religion buried in one place and that doesn’t do any justice.we visited the court yard, and museums, lots of museums.

My favorite part was the silent staring at Renaissance frescoes of Michelangelo at the Sistine chapel, by a crowd of tourists.

We just stood there staring, no taking of pictures, no talking, just taking it all in, hypnotized by its detailed portrayal, for what seemed like an eternity.

Prati District & Ponte Cavour

By the time we left the Vatican, it was about noon and we were back out exploring the tiny old roads that led us through the Prati district or as they say, The White collar Neighborhood.

Prati had high end boutiques, sophisticated cocktail lounges and bars. we soon found a restaurant and paused for lunch.

After lunch, we were back on pur tourist behavior walking through the streets, stopping at interesting boutiques, and taking pictures. we crossed over the Ponte Cavour, the bridge that lay across the River Tiber, and headed for one last stop.

Pietra square & Temple of Hadrian

The Temple of Hadrian was our last stop so we just found a terrace outside and sat for a drink at Salotto 44 a chic Italian restaurant bar.

Our Roman rip was coming to an end but we had one last mission: find a gelato.

Mission complete.

I loved Rome, the monuments, the people, almost in the same way I love Paris, and I’ll be back very soon Roma.

a presto Roma,

a presto.

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