A few years ago I used up a bunch of airline points and took the whole family to Europe for 3 days in London, Paris and Rome. While June, it was 50 degrees and drizzling rain in London, Paris was experiencing the Seine near flood stage closing the Louvre, leaving basements in water, and closing St. Michel station, but Rome was 80 degrees and sunny! Thank God for small favors.

You need minimum of 3 full days to get a good feel of Rome with it’s many ruins and iconic fountains. Couple this with any shopping, people watching or side trips to Tuscany or Pompeii and you really need a week. Wearing comfortable shoes is a must in Rome as you will stand in lines walk through numerous churches and zip from piazza to piazza. Along with a multitude of sites Rome also has lots of public fountains with cold tasty water, so take a reusable water bottle with you as Rome can be quite hot!

An Inauspicious Beginning

We arrived on a direct flight from London Heathrow to Fiumicino Airport late in the day only to find 3 pieces of luggage missing when the belt turned off at baggage claim. Leaving our Airbnb address with British Airlines we arrived at our apartment near the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, about a 15 min walk from the Colosseum. We settled in for the evening and I went to a local pizzeria and picked up several slices of Roman pizza, typically square. Well fortified we headed off to sleep.

Roman Highlights in 4 hours

We started the next day early having not rested well as we waited for our bags to be delivered through the evening. First up was a 4-hour tour of Rome starting at the Colosseum. We arrived early, if not bushy tailed. By now the family was a bit tired of Dad capturing our European Vacation moments, and I began to sympathize with Chevy Chase.

Colosseum

With our tour we skipped the line and entered the Colosseum as, Chiara, our tour guide explained that it was over 1900 years old. Walking in and on something that old makes your lifetime seem a bit small and gives you an appreciation of Roman engineering. So iconic for Rome, it is a must see. The word Colosseum was originally not meant for the arena itself but designated to the giant (Colossus) sculpture of Emperor Constantine that was adjacent to the arena. While the sculpture is gone we now continue to use the word Colosseum for a large arena.

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Leaving the Colosseum we made our way over to the Arch of Constantine and into the old Roman forum. The arch was built to commemorate the Emperor Constantine and his battle victories. Built in 314 ad and standing over 21 meters tall and having three arches it is an imposing structure.

Roman Forum

Andiamo! We moved quickly down Via Sacra street to the Roman forum (not the Vegas one). The forum is truly ruins and it can be difficult to imagine what it looked like during the height of the Roman Empire. While our guide had a picture book to show us, it is perhaps good to either have your own or peruse one prior to your tour so you have a better idea of what it looked like. I purchased Imperial Rome book but there are many others. Without this perspective, it can be somewhat underwhelming. One of the most amazing things for me was that over the years, dust, leaves and debris have accumulated and now the streets of old Rome are about 20 feet below today’s street level. That is a lot of dust!

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Trevi Fountain

Moving on, we exited the Forum area and like a herd of sheep made our way to the famous Trevi fountain. While there are so many icons in the city that say “Rome”, for me one of the most recognized is the Trevi Fountain. While I had been to Italy before, this was my first time to Rome and I couldn’t help but smile seeing it in person. Growing up in a town of 5,000 in western Kansas, thoughts of walking Rome were literally a world away. While I was over 50 years old, I was mentally just as excited and young as my daughters seeing it for the very first time. We all tossed coins over our shoulder into the fountain to ensure our return to Rome.

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Pantheon

We stopped just long enough at the Trevi fountain to also grab refreshing gelatos before continuing our march west across the city to the Pantheon. Arriving, we looked up at its massive columns before entering. Built in 125 ad it is one of the best preserved buildings of Ancient Rome. Likely due to it’s continuous use, the Pantheon has endured. Originally being a building for all Gods, it now serves as a Catholic Church as well as the burial site for two Italian Kings. Not only is it almost 2000 year old but the Pantheon still holds the honor of having the worlds largest unreinforced concrete dome (no rebar inside). The original (and still predominate) lighting for the Pantheon is its 27 foot Oculus or opening. Of course it also lets in the rain and other weather as well, but Romans engineered a mild slope to the floor and drains that quickly take any water away. Truly an amazing building.

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Piazza Novona

Our final stop of the morning was the Piazza Novona. Originally a stadium, it still retains its oval shape. It is now most recognized for the three fountains it contains. The most famous of these is the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi or fountain of the four rivers. Constructed in 1651 by Bernini, he used an Egyptian obelisk topped with a papal symbol with a base of travertine rocks plus statures representing the extent of the Papal influence. The Ganges River for Asia, Danube river for the Europe, the Nile for Africa and Rio de la Plata for the Americas make up Bernini’s four rivers. The other two fountains are  Fontana del Moro at the southern end, whereas the  Fountain of Neptune  is on the north end of the piazza. All of them are pretty and after taking the requisite pictures were taken our wonderful guide said “Arrivederci”.

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With the proper planning, advanced tickets and a city map you might be able to negotiate a similar morning in Rome, yourself, but as this was our first trip to Rome it was very nice to have a guide. The coins in the Trevi fountain worked as I returned to Rome with my eldest daughter 3 years later. I again tossed coins in and hope I get to see Rome yet again!

I hope you enjoyed this quick tour and I am happy to hear your comments and suggestions. Your feedback is always appreciated.