Rome in a day -- see Italy's capital in 24 hours


It's taken more than 2,700 years to build the city of Rome as it is now, so is it possible to see it in less than 24 hours? Yes ... but you'll need a foot massage at the end of one crazy, jam-packed day.

From its ancient monuments to Renaissance masterpieces, traditional cuisine and buzzing piazza life, here's what makes up the beautiful chaos that is Rome.


7:30 a.m. Caffeine kick-start

Romans kick off their days with a cappuccino and a fresh cornetto (around €4, $5).

For a top-notch breakfast, try Cristalli di Zucchero (via di Val Tellina, 114; +39 06 5823 0323) in Monteverde.

It's a superb bar-pasticceria that has been awarded the highest accolade by Gambero Rosso and simply has to be done if you're serious about our plans for Rome. There are smaller branches across the city.

8:30 a.m. St Peter's Basilica

You'll have more time to admire Michaelangelo's famed dome and the Pietà, his marble sculpture of Mary holding the body of Christ.

When he's in Rome, the Pope speaks on Sunday at midday at one of the windows in the building to the right of the Basilica. In July and August he resides outside Rome at Castel Gandolfo.

10 a.m. Vatican Museums

At which point, it's a quick march around the walls of Vatican City to the entrance of the Vatican Museums. Savvy visitors book ahead online to avoid the queues.

Highlights of this vast collection of artistic and historic wealth include Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel, the Raphael rooms and the ancient Greek sculpture of Laocoön and His Sons dating from the first century BC.

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12 p.m. Ice-cream pit stop

If you get yourself out of the Vatican Museums by midday, there's time for a well-earned pit stop at Old Bridge (viale dei Bastioni di Michelangelo), a tiny gelateria opposite the Vatican walls.

1 p.m. Three Squares

From the Vatican Museums, walk back toward St Peter's Basilica and up via della Conciliazione for a photo opportunity by Castel Sant Angel (Lungotevere Castello, 50; +39 06 6896 003). And don't miss the mausoleum of Emperor Hadrian, now a museum and art gallery.

Walk over the pedestrian Ponte Sant Angelo and along via dei Banchi Nuovi and then via del Governo Vecchio. This will bring you into the area of three of Rome's most atmospheric public squares: Piazza Navona, Campo de' Fiori and the Pantheon, all are within a five-minute walk of each other.

Here, you can peruse Gian Lorenzo Bernini's dramatic Fountain of the Four Rivers (top marks if you can name them: the Danube, the Ganges, Rio de la Plata and the Nile) and Borromini's Baroque church of Sant'Agnese in Agone in Piazza Navona.

2 p.m. Lunch

Campo de' Fiori has a market most mornings and is a good place for lunch -- Forno Campo de' Fiori does delicious pizza to go. Lunch can be rounded off with a coffee near the Pantheon.

Caffe Sant Eustachio -- Piazza Sant'Eustachio, 82; +39 06 6880 2048; is a tourist trap but it fights a close battle for the title of "best coffee in Rome" with Tazza d'Oro, on the other side of the Pantheon -- Via degli Orfani, 84; +39 06 6789 792.

A peek inside the Pantheon (piazza della Rotonda) is a must, if only to wonder why Hadrian never had that hole in the roof covered up.


3:30 p.m. Palazzo Doria Pamphilj

(Via del Corso, 305; +39 06 6797 323)

For an idea of how one of Renaissance Rome's premier dynasties lived, Palazzo Doria Pamphilj gives a delightful and not-too-long tour of grand ballrooms and galleries housing works by Jan Brueghel, Titian, Raphael, Caravaggio and Garofalo.

The most important piece in the collection is Velazquez's portrait of Pope Innocent X Pamphilj.

Options: Palazzo Altemps (Piazza Sant'Apollinare 46; +39 06 3996 7700; $8 (€7); open Monday-Sunday 9 a.m.-7:45 p.m., closed Saturday) is a good alternative to Palazzo Doria Pamphilj.

5 p.m. The Colosseum

After dodging the traffic in piazza Venezia (check out the mammoth wedding-cake-like Vittorio Emanuele II monument), you can make your way down via dei Fori Imperiali and see the Roman Forum on your right and, in front of you, the Colosseum.

8 p.m. Pizza or pasta?

You've seen the major sites of modern and ancient Rome: the last decision of the day is where to eat.

For great pizzas near the Colosseum, try Li Rioni (via SS. Quattro, 24; +39 6 7045 0605) or Alle Carrette (via Madonna dei Monte, 95; +39 06 679 2770).

11 p.m. After hours

If you've an ounce of energy left, a good choice is to head to INIT. (Via della Stazione Tuscolana 133) and enjoy a few drinks while listening to live indie music.

Other good nightspots include Micca Club (via Pietro Micca, 7a-Porta Maggiore; +39 06 8744 0079).

If you've made it this far, we make that around 18 hours of soaking up this fantastic city -- time to sleep. You've earned it.

Editor's note: This article was previously published in 2012. It was reformatted and republished in 2017.

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