Rome, Italy

Rome May Not Have Been Built In A Day

and it cannot be roamed in one, either!

Rome, Italy or Roma in Italian is the CAPITAL city of Italy and the most populated one. The rich history compels you to stay and immerse yourself in it at least for a few days if not more.







Fiumicino International Airport [FCO] in Rome, Italy is the nearest international airport connected across the world. You may have seen many luggage conveyor belts operational at arrival terminals of some busy airports. This was the first time in all these years of traveling we saw each & every belts were moving! There were flights from cities on every side of the globe. Looked like a grande international fest there.





You can take the shuttle bus or train to reach the city center. There are a lot of good hotels in the city center near Roma Termini train station about 45 minutes from the airport. Get your smartPhone SIM cards from the airport or Roma Termini, the train station.



Visualize Brad Pitt walking in the train station in popular English movie, Oceans Twelve! You can get caught up in the drama of the high-tension movie! This would be the ideal location to stay for a few days, centrally located and near most, if not all major sightseeing spots.



Keep at least a few days to roam around the beautiful historic Rome. Most popular attractions are Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps and of course the Vatican. Some other great places you’d love to visit are, Roman Forum, Piazza Navona, Palatine Hill, Borghese gallery & museum, Piazza di Spagna, Pincio Promenade, Trastevere, Villa Borghese Gardens etc to name few.





The Carabinieri, are the 200+ year old national gendarmerie or law enforcement agency of Italy who primarily carry out domestic policing duties. It operates with Polizia di Stato and the Guardia di Finanza.



Carabinieri presence is seen all over Italy from the largest cities like Rome, Naples, Florence to the remotest villages. All these Italian law enforcement agencies keep the country very safe and afford protection to the citizens as well as the tourists. Carabinieri cannot police the Vatican, which is protected by Swiss Guards.



No visit to Rome is complete without visiting the smallest country in the world which is within the city of Rome.

Click here to read the blog on Vatican City.

Colosseum - This Oval amphitheater in the center of the city is the most iconic place to visit in Rome. The construction went on 70 AD – 80 AD. It was the largest Amphitheatre built accommodating 50000 to 80000 people. You can visit it by yourself or with a guide. There are guided tours, “Skip the Line” tours available as well. I recommend using a private guide and understand the fascinating history and tit bits at your own pace. It is always crowded so try to go at different times to avoid large tours and hordes of people.



Standing on the balcony or the upper level of the Colosseum you can almost hear the sounds of thousands of spectators around the year AD 80 watching the gladiators fight to death or the sea battles enactments. Think about the movie “Gladiator” and everything comes on alive!





Don’t you wish they would re-build the gigantic colosseum like it was two thousand years ago and have mock battles and sword fight games, of course now nobody has to die or be tortured.



Roman Forum or Forum Romanum in Latin or Foro Romano in Italian also located in the center of city and right next to Colosseum and between Capitoline & Palatine hills. At one time it was a bustling open-air market and a hang out place for locals. Now in ruins but when you walk around you can imagine how it used to be in those days. It’s no longer free to visit but you can get a combo tickets to visit Colosseum, Palatine hill and Roman Forum in the same day.







Palatine hill - It is the most ancient and central hill of the seven hills in Rome. Here you can see the ruins of most important building and homes of rich and famous of those days. There is a small museum as well, if you have time. The hill is next to Colosseum & Roman Forum so you can visit all of them on the same day with the combo tickets.





Trevi Fountain – No visit to Rome is complete, without a selfie at the most photographed Trevi Fountain! Meaning “Three streets” leading to the fountain designed by the Italian architect Nicola Salvi is the most famous Baroque fountain in the world. The fountain has appeared in lots of movies. The latest restoration was done in 2014-2015. Its free to visit.



The coin throwing in to Foutain has stories & beliefs, there is a way they say you throw a coin...with your right hand throw it over your left shoulder!! Approximately 1.5 million Euros get collected every year from the fountain which is given away in charity for poor and needy. Don’t forget to give/throw your share and get your wish fulfilled in return.





Pantheon – Basilica de Santa Maria was originally a Roman pagan temple, about two thousand years ago! Gorgeous structure with massive granite Corinthian columns and a rotunda under the world's largest concrete dome. Did you know that they still don’t know the actual material that appears to be concrete! You can pay homage to Raphael and Italian Kings in their tombs. You can stand under the eye or the oculus on the original marble floors or go outside to see the ultimate sundial light inside on April 21st.



Spanish Steps – Ah! You cannot sit on the Spanish Steps in Rome anymore! They used to allow people to walk up, sit on the steps and hang out, overlooking the beautiful fountain at the foot unit until August 2019. No more...if you try to sit there, you’ll end up paying hefty fine of 450 Euros. Government does not want this slope between Piazza di Spagna and Piazza Trinità to be trampled by hundreds of people and dirtied. These are relatively “new” built in the early 1700s. Imagine this historic city of Rome, where a few hundred year old structures are considered “new”! From the foot, you get a view of the fountain, the steps and the church. From the top is a beautiful birds eye view. Even if they allow you to walk up the steps, no eating allowed! Great place to hang out in the evening, shopping and food all around.



Ok, ok, instead of looking just at the pictures, why don’t we go there right now, I mean a live cam! - Click here to see the live Piazza Di Spagna but I love the time lapse one here at Click here to see a time lapse of Piazza Di Spagna

Trastevere – The happy place in Rome with funky bars, restaurants & some night clubs too. Younger crowds don’t seem to get enough of it, so they are hanging in the area early evening to late night. You can stroll through the streets, grab a bite to eat at traditional trattoria or at the pub. There are quite a few Gelato shops that are famous and have lines out the door. Have patience and then have yummilicious Gelatos.







There is so much to see and do in Rome, it’s is going to be a super long blog so won’t bore you with anymore read just enjoy the pics.

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Cast these pictures on the big screen TV or your projector, get a glass of Italian vino and sip away to a fabulous destination!!

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This IS history! Rome is one of the most ancient cities ever built on earth.

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Rome is a crowded place. A bulky SLR is definitely a great asset, but you can do well with one of the latest smartphone cameras, like iPhone.

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So, here’s an option if you are extremely short on time in Rome – keep like half a day for Vatican, few hours for the Colosseum and for some of the other places.

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Taxis are easily available, and the drivers are polite and honest. Keep your hotel’s card to help with communicating if the driver doesn’t speak your language or you don’t speak Italian!

There is no shortage of Pizzas & Piazzas in Italy!!

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