48 Hours in Rome
Hey Sea Lovers,
It's not often we chat about the big cities, but here we are discussing Rome on the last leg of our Italian itinerary. We had 3 nights and 2 full days before we flew out with happy hearts and tights jeans.
Day 1.
We arrived at sunset on a flight from Sicily and checked into our local accommodation, which was an apartment Airbnb for 3 nights. We got a place near some of the main sights, so we didn't have to commute far to get to things. That evening we had a low-key pizza dinner and settled in early for the night to prepare ourselves to see as much of Rome in 48 hours as we could!
Day 2.
We got 48-hour public transport passes and loved it! It was a carefree fun way to see the city for a large group. We purchased them at the train station, went straight to The Vatican City and walked around St Peters Basilica. We unknowingly witnessed the Pope'sPope's address. We aren't catholic and didn't have huge desires to see much around here, but we loved the atmosphere and the history/architecture. We then went to the Vatican Museum (Mum hack, they let you skip the line if you have small children!), the kids did the kids tour with the map and audio guides, and we did our best to navigate the crowds and see a few things. As we had the kids, we mainly wanted to see the Sistine Chapel, it took 2 hours to walk through the museum to get to it, and it was so crowded, lovely nonetheless.
It may have been crowded due to the Pope's visit, so avoid this area on those days if possible. Once we got out, we visited the long-awaited Bonci Pizzarium. We'd watched the episode including this iconic place on the Netflix series The Chef's Table, and it did not disappoint. It was hands down the best Pizza we have ever tasted. From there, we trekked over to the Pantheon, there was the most amazing Deli just across the Piazza from the entrance that we wish we had visited, but we were so full from the Pizza. This place had an entire pig turned into a porchetta, with cheese wheels stacked to the roof. You could easily get a table inside for a couple, but not a group of 13, next time! The Pantheon was incredible and so worth the visit. We stretched the kids and visited the Cat Sanctuary, where there are beautiful ancient Roman ruins turned rescue cat adoption agency. To be honest, we were exhausted from a huge day but were interested to see it anyway. It was such a hot day that the cats were nowhere to be seen! The adults found the history fascinating. That evening we put the kids down with the grandparents at home in bed, and I said to my husband I want to visit a monument and eat dinner looking at it! Which we did. I had a Negroni, Cabonara and a Tiramisu right across from the Spanish Steps and thus ended the first full day in Rome.
Day 3.
We got up early to beat the crowds and went to the Trevi Fountain. This was a highlight for us as there was just something about the water that was so calming and beautiful. We stayed for 30 minutes or so around 9:30 am, and it wasn't too crowded. We then hired scooters and scootered the short distance to the Spanish Steps. We walked up, down and around them with a little picture moment on top. A few of us shopped in some shops nearby, and then we found our way over to the Colosseum. As most of us had already visited and the line was 2 hours or so with tickets, we just walked the parameter with the kids reading the signs around it. From here, we left the afternoon free to do some vintage shopping in Monti, which is renowned for its vintage and preloved stores.
Some of the top vintage stores we visited were Twice Vintage, King Size Vintage, Pifebo Vintage and Flamingo. If you're a fashion lover, this place is a must! Some even had pre-loved Celine and Gucci.
We didn't make it to the Vintage markets but I hear they are amazing too. After lunch and gelato, the kids returned to the apartment with the Dads to pack, and the girls shopped until we dropped. This day was a little bittersweet as I got my wallet stolen, and we got charged a huge aporto (a sit-down fee to sit and have your coffee, they charged us 10 euro per person). So hot tip is to keep your valuables zipped inside your jacket and don't sit down when in Rome. Can you believe someone stole my wallet while I was lifting my pram onto the train…anyway! That evening the city came alive as there was a public holiday the next day, and it was just incredible to see the city full of street performers and music on every corner for our last night. It was a beautiful way to end our trip!
Day 4.
The aforementioned public holiday made getting transport to the airport incredibly challenging, ha! Alas, we did, and we flew home to Australia this day. Bittersweet, and until next time Italy!
