Roma
May 2023
2 Days
To see the previous stop on this trip, go here to Venice
From Venice, it's just a 3.5 hour train ride to Rome. For a history buff, you could spend months here and not run out of things to do - the Vatican Museum alone has over 70,000 pieces. We only budgeted two days in Rome, but packed a lot in including most of the top tourist sites.
Contents
Daily Itinerary
Spend the afternoon at the Vatican Museum
Stare up at the Sistine Chapel
Visit St. Peter's Basilica
Three Michelin Star meal at La Pergola
Shopping near the Spanish Steps
Tour the Colosseum
Afternoon coffee near the Pantheon
Try the best Carbonara in Rome at Poldo e Gianna
Nighttime visit to the Trevi Fountain
Train
Frecciarossa Economy Venezia S. Lucia - Roma Termini: $80
Hotels
Rome Cavalieri, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel: 80,000 Hilton points for 1 night + 1 free night
▸ 5 star hotel and one of my favorites I've stayed at. Location is a bit out of the way so it's quieter but taxis are required as it's not walkable to anything and not near a metro line.
The Pool at Rome Cavalieri - Rome, Italy 2016
Food (With Beli Ranking)
La Pergola (10.0) - The only three Michelin star restaurant in Rome, located on the top floor of the Rome Cavalieri. A dining experience that is worth it, but be prepared. We had the 10-course meal and were there for 5 hours. The signature Fagotelli La Pergola is to die for.
Poldo e Gianna (9.7) - They claim to have the best carbonara in Rome and I believe them. By far the best carbonara I've ever had.
Full Itinerary
Day 1
Roughly a 4 hour train ride from Venice and a taxi ride later, we arrived to the Rome Cavalieri, a hotel I had been wanting to return to ever since my first visit in 2016. The views (see picture) are amazing, the beds are some of the most comfortable I've slept in, and the food is great.
The Pool at Rome Cavalieri - Rome, Italy 2023
Vatican Musem
The Vatican Museum has a number of artworks and sculptures from the Catholic Church including many Renaissance pieces. I've done a tour of the museum previously which is probably good if you are a history buff. However, I found that after a couple hours of discussing each individual sculpture, I was ready to move on.
Bramante Staircase at the Vatican Museum - Rome, Italy 2023
Probably the most popular and famous piece is the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo. I've found that in the high tourist season, movement is restricted so everyone follows the same moving line throughout the entire museum, finally ending in the Sistine Chapel. Even with very minimal stopping, it took us over an hour to get all the way through.
Sistine Chapel - Rome, Italy 2023
Old Bridge Gelato
Just around the corner from the Vatican Museum entrance is Old Bridge Gelato, a walk-up window serving amazing gelato.
Piazza San Pietro
The heart of Vatican City is the Basilica of San Pietro and the large square outside where hundreds of thousands of people gather during important events in the Catholic Church. Entrance to the Basilica is free, but of course you can purchase tickets for a guided tour if you prefer. There's also the option to purchase tickets to visit the Cupola (the dome).
Piazza San Pietro - Rome, Italy 2016
La Pietà
After the Sistine Chapel and David (in Florence), La Pietà may be Michelangelo's next most well-known piece. It's just inside the Basilica so you can visit for free.
To wrap up our first day in Rome, we had a reservation at La Pergola, Rome's only three Michelin star restaurant, located on the top floor of the Rome Cavalieri. As we had a large group, we booked it nearly a year in advance. By holding the Hilton Aspire AMEX credit card, we were able to take advantage of the $250 resort credit by charging the meal to our room.
La Pergola at Rome Cavalieri - Rome, Italy 2023
The meal was quite an event, lasting 5 hours total and featuring 10 courses. Amongst all the courses, the Signature dish Fagotelli "La Pergola" was the clear standout. It was almost like a Chinese soup dumpling but in Carbonara form. I would certainly return just to eat this dish again.
Fagotelli "La Pergola" at La Pergola - Rome, Italy 2023
As we were celebrating some important milestones, we ended up with a couple extra dessert courses (making it 4 total dessert courses) including the "magic box" of desserts. La Pergola also offers a 7 course option, which I would highly recommend as I felt the 10 course was just too much.
Dessert "Magic Box" at La Pergola - Rome, Italy 2023
Day 2
Spanish Steps
We kicked off our second day in Rome with some shopping along Via dei Condotti, ending at the bottom of the Spanish Steps.
Spanish Steps - Rome, Italy 2023
Colosseum
A trip to Rome wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Colosseum, maybe one of the most recognizable structures in the world. As we'd visited the Colosseum before, we booked a tour this time so that we could access the arena floor which turned out to be a huge mistake. We booked a tour through Viator which ended up being a total scam as the tour guide just left us once we were inside. Viator refused to refund anything.
A regular entry ticket will get you access to almost everything except the arena floor (pictured at the far end) and the underground, both of which require guided tours.
Colosseum - Rome, Italy 2023
Pantheon
Another iconic building in Rome is the Pantheon, one of the most well-preserved buildings from Ancient Rome. It's worth a visit but the lines can be long in the peak season, even with the introduction of a 5 EUR ticket in 2023. Outside the Pantheon in Piazza della Rotonda are many cafes where you can relax with a coffee or drink.
Pantheon - Rome, Italy 2016
After our hectic day of sightseeing, we had a reservation at Poldo e Gianna tucked away in an alley not far from the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. The waiter told us many consider their carbonara the best in Rome and although I don't have many points of comparison, the carbonara was absolutely phenomenal. Gwen claimed the Amatriciana was the best pasta we ate on the whole trip!
Poldo e Gianna - Rome, Italy 2023
Trevi Fountain
During the day we had walked past the Trevi Fountain, but it was so crowded that we decided to come back at night after dinner. It was still quite crowded, but definitely less than in the middle of the day. We had no problem getting right up to the fountain for the over the shoulder coin toss.
Trevi Fountain - Rome, Italy 2023
Overall
Apart from our failed tour at the Colosseum, our two days in Rome was an overall good experience. We had a couple great meals and were able to take in some of the historical sites. I like Rome a lot, but I've never visited in the peak of summer before. The main tourist attractions were so crowded, I would not want to visit in the summer again. I prefer the fall or even winter when the crowds are much smaller.
To see the next stop on this trip, go here to Capri
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