One Day in Rome: An Itinerary

A Day in Rome

Our friends are visiting Italy this fall, and we’ve been chatting with them about their travel plans. They are skipping the big cities and instead visiting Sant’Angelo, a charming seaside town on the island of Ischia and one of our favorite Italian beach destinations.

But they are flying in and out of Rome and will arrive in the capital city one day before their early morning flight back to the US, so they’ve been pondering what to see in Rome in a day. It’s hard to know where to begin; 10 days is not enough time to see everything Rome has to offer, much less 10 hours!

There’s really no time for tours, except maybe a Colosseum at night tour or a quick pop into the Pantheon. The best bet is a walking tour with some stops built in and a range of options for lunch and dinner. Here’s what we came up with:

Piazza del Popolo

Start at Piazza del Popolo (metro Linea A). Have breakfast at one of the two coffee bars on either side of the piazza. Grab a caffè and a pastry at the bar or splurge on wait service at a table and enjoy the people-watching.

Villa Borghese

At the northeast corner of the piazza, walk up the stairs to Terrazza del Pincio (Pincio Terrace) and enjoy beautiful views of the city. From there, you can explore Villa Borghese, a large public park that recalls New York City’s Central Park, but if you are on a tight time frame, just enjoy the views from Pincio and then head back down to the piazza.

Piazza di Spagna and the Fashion District

From Piazza del Popolo, .follow Via del Babuino toward Piazza di Spagna, but wander the little streets on your way. Via Margutta is a beautiful street with art galleries and design studios. Via delle Carrozze, Via Condotti, Via Borgognona, Via Frattina, and others house the flagship stores for Italy’s high-end fashion designers.

Fontana di Trevi

From Piazza di Spagna, make your way toward Fontana di Trevi. The iconic Trevi Fountain is worth a quick stop if you haven’t seen it before, but the area is congested with tourists, so you won’t want to spend too much time there. If you want a less crowded experience, stop at the Hotel Fontana Trevi right in front of the fountain at Piazza di Trevi, 96, and ask if you can go up to their rooftop lounge. It costs €25 per person, but they take that off of your food and drink order. From the lounge, there are beautiful views of the fountain.

Piazza di Pietra and the Temple of Hadrian

From Fontana di Trevi, head toward the Pantheon, passing through Piazza di Pietra and the ruins of the ancient Temple of Hadrian, built in 145 AD in honor of Emperor Hadrian. If you are ready for a break, stop at 9 Hotel Cesàri in Via di Pietra, 89-a and ask if you can go up to their rooftop lounge, La Terrazza dei Cesàri. This is a great spot to grab a bite to eat and a drink.

The Pantheon

From Piazza di Pietra, continue on to the Pantheon to admire one of the best-preserved and most impressive buildings from ancient Rome. Inside, you can view the oculus that allows natural light to enter the building from above and serves as a symbolic connection between the temple and the heavens. Tickets are required but only cost €5 and can be reserved online through the Musei Italiani website (you have to register for an account first, and in our experience, the site is often down), or you can stand in line and purchase them at the Pantheon entrance.

The nearby Divinity Terrace at the Pantheon Iconic Rome Hotel in Via di Santa Chiara, 3-8 is another great place to stop for food and drink. Just ask at the reception if the rooftop is open.

After the Pantheon, stop at the nearby Piazza Sant’Eustachio and have coffee at Caffe Sant’Eustachio. Go to the register, order two “Gran Caffè,” and drink them at the bar. The coffee is already sugared; just stir and drink it. Don’t ask for it unsweetened—they will sneer at you.

If you’d rather have gelato, Günther Gelato, right across the street, is an unassuming but excellent gelateria. Our favorite gelateria in Rome is still a couple of stops away, not that there is any problem with having two gelatos on the same day!

Walk about a block to the nearby Chiesa di San Luigi dei Francesi (Church of Saint Louis of the French) and pop inside to see the three Caravaggio paintings. It’s free!

Piazza Navona

From the Pantheon area, stroll to the iconic Piazza Navona and admire its three fountains, most notably Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers, located in the center of the piazza.

Walk down the charming Via dei Coronari and stop for a gelato at Gelateria del Teatro in Via dei Coronari 65-66. Our favorite flavor is “Vecchia Roma” (Old Rome), made with ricotta, wild cherry, and crumble, inspired by the classic ricotta and wild cherry crostata—a quintessential Roman dessert. Or, if you haven’t had lunch yet, stop at Cucina del Teatro next door and order gelato for dessert.

Jewish Ghetto and Via del Portico d’Ottavia

From Via dei Coronari, navigate back to Piazza Navona and then toward the Ghetto Ebraico, Rome’s Jewish Ghetto, passing through Piazza Camp dei Fiori and down Via dei Giubbonari. Once a true ghetto, the Ghetto Ebraico is now one of the most beautiful and exclusive neighborhoods in Rome. It’s a quick walk down Via del Portico d’Ottavia. If the timing is right, this is a great spot to grab lunch. Order a carciofo alla giudia (Jewish-style fried artichoke) as an appetizer—another Roman classic.

Piazza di Campidoglio

Work your way toward Piazza di Campidoglio, located on Capitoline Hill, one of the seven hills of Rome. The piazza, designed by Michelangelo, is where Stefano and I had our courthouse wedding.

Next door to Piazza di Campidoglio is Basilica di Santa Maria in Aracoeli, a structure dating back to the Middle Ages and maintained by Franciscan monks since the 13th century. From street level, there is a ridiculous number of steps to climb to reach it. But from Piazza del Campidoglio, there is a shorter set of stairs that leads you to a side door where you can enter the church. You can then exit out of the front of the church and take the front steps back down to the street level.

Altar of the Patria and the Panoramic Terrace

Walk around to Piazza Venezia and the front of the Altar of the Patria. Romans don’t love this memorial and the piazza is currently under construction because they are adding a metro stop. But, if you climb all the steps and go into the building itself, you can buy a ticket to the Panoramic Terrace. There is a bar on the terrace where you can grab a coffee or a drink, but don’t miss taking the elevator up higher yet to the top of the monument, where there are amazing views of the city of Rome.

Roman Forum and the Colosseum

Leave the Altar of the Patria and walk down Via dei Fori Imperiali along the Roman Forum toward the Colosseum. You can arrange a of the Colosseum if you want (but check how much time it will take). Or, consider a night tour of the Colosseum floor, either after an early dinner or before a late dinner.

Head either to the nearby Hotel Forum in Via Tor de’ Conti, 25-30, and ask at the front desk if you can go up to the American Bar, an enclosed rooftop with spectacular views of the Forum, or to The Court, a bar at Hotel Manfredi in Via Labicana, 125, with marvelous views of the Colosseum. You can walk in at the American Bar, as long as there is space, but you need reservations at the Court, which is a little fancier.