If you have been following recent posts, our family trip to Italy began and ended in Rome, with one day on the front end and 2.5 days on the back end. This left us just 3.5 total days to to experience one of the most historic and delicious cities in the world. Knowing our audience, we prioritized the Rome’s tourist highlights and eating the best food possible.

Now, is that enough time in Rome? Absolutely not. But if you’re planning a 1–2 week Italy itinerary and hopping around Italy, this is realistically the amount of time many travelers dedicate to Rome. The good news? With the right plan, 3.5 days is enough to see Rome’s iconic highlights, wander its charming streets, soak in centuries of history, and — perhaps most importantly — eat some absolutely unforgettable food.

This article breaks down exactly how we spent our time in Rome, what’s worth prioritizing, and how to experience the city without feeling completely overwhelmed.

DAY 1: LANDING IN ROME, ROOFTOP DINING, TREVI FOUNTAIN, A FOOD TOUR THROUGH TRASTEVERE, AND SANT’IGNAZIO CHURCH

We excitedly arrived in Rome on a Saturday morning. Immigration was delightfully quick and all our luggage arrived. A pre-booked car had us at our hotel by noon. This trip, unlike other Rome trips, we spent our first night in the Piazza Barberini area, at Hotel Rome Mate Collection Filippo and the Aleph Rome. Both hotels were excellent and highly recommended. We selected these hotels knowing they would be great for a restful first night (i.e., strong air conditioning and American mattresses, IYKYK).

After dropping our luggage, most of the group walked to Rinascente, which is an upscale Roman department store (kind of like Printemps or Galleries Lafayette in Paris). We [sadly] did not shop and instead made our way to the rooftop restaurant for lunch and Roman views. The weather was perfect. We started the trip strong with a delicious focaccia pizza topped with prosciutto and figs.

Our first evening (after some down time post-lunch), the group walked to Trastevere (about 45 minutes). We passed the Trevi Fountain, the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II, and Teatro di Marcello (looks like a small Colosseum) en route! As this was many’s first time in Rome, the excitement was real.

We made it to Trastevere right on time for… a food tour through Trastevere! This was my third time taking this tour, and it never disappoints. I wrote about the tour in detail here. We sampled before ending in Pancrazio, the restaurant sitting atop the arena where Julius Cesare was murdered. I love taking a food tour early in the trip – it is a fun way to eat dinner and sightsee, as well as enables you to return to try more of what you loved.

We walked all the way back to our hotel, which was unexpected, but permitted us to see Largo di Torre Argentina, the Pantheon (from the outside) and the Chiesa di Sant’Ignazio di Loyola, which, for some unknown reason, was open at 10:30 PM! We stepped in to see the famous rooftop painting.

We left Rome the following morning to visit the Amalfi Coast, Matera, and Irsina, before returning to Rome at the end of the trip. We did not leave, however, without an absolutely delicious breakfast at the Aleph Hotel.

DAY 2: SURVIVING A NATIONAL TRAIN STRIKE, PIZZA, HAPPY HOUR, & DINING AT BOURDAIN’S FAVORITE ROMAN RESTAURANT

After a week in Southern Italy, we ended it navigating a national train strike, last minute booking “guaranteed” tickets on a running train between Salerno and Roma, and swapping our transportation out of Matera and back to Rome from Bari to Salerno (which is literally across the country). We finally, and gratefully, boarded a Frecciarossa train for Roma from Salerno around noon. We were super happy when the train actually left the station, less happy when we learned that the staff had not restocked the bar due to the strike. It was a 1 Peroni per person situation. Notwithstanding the bar, we arrived perfectly on time in Roma Termini, a few minutes earlier than if we had left from Bari as planned.

Roma Termini, however, was a nightmare. Lines of people everywhere, lots of Polizia, lots of mayham due to the national train strike. Luckily, I knew right where to go to meet our driver, who was waiting for us in a full suit! We were ready to leave the chaos behind. This time around, we stayed at the Hotel Lunetta, which is a lovely Italian hotel located right in the Centro Storico, just steps away from Campo de’Fiori. This area is a wonderful place to stay due to its location and charm.

While many stayed at the hotel to rest, unpack, or use its spa facilities, I beelined for one of my favorite casual restaurants in Rome (or really, anywhere) – Antico Forno Roscioli. This is the Roscioli brand’s bread and pastry shop just off Campo di’Fiori. Just like Foccaceria 5 Lire in Matera, diners simply order from the display case and take their purchases to go. Today, we sampled some of the classic Pizza Rossa, a slice with local sausage, and a a fig pizza (we had to get the last of the figs in!). As always, Antico Forno Roscioli was fantastic.

Everyone met at our hotel’s rooftop bar this evening for pre-dinner “Aperitivo”, which is a cocktail paired with a complementary small bite of food. Our rooftop had beautiful views of the Centro Storico, as do many hotels in Centro Storico.

Dinner this evening was at one of our very favorite Roman restaurants, Roma Sparita. A Bourdain favorite, we have probably dined here 10 times. As always, it was a crowd pleaser. If you plan to eat at Roma Sparita, know that reservations are almost always necessary and should be made in advance. Highlights of the menu are always its Cacio e Pepe in a bowl made of cheese and my personal favorite, the pizza with sausage and mushroom.

We called it an evening after dessert, as most of our group had a very early morning wake up to visit the Vatican museums the following morning.

DAY 3: THE VATICAN, TRAPIZZINO, THE COLOSSEUM, AND DINNER IN TESTACCIO 

Day three was a big day for sightseeing, as it would take the group to both the Vatican and the Colosseum. I did this back in 2021 and honestly, it is doable with good planning.

The day began with complimentary breakfast at Hotel Lunetta, which was really good, including amazing pistachio cream stuffed croissants. Most of our group (except me and Dan) departed at 7:50 (!!) for a transfer to the Vatican museums and a tour thereof, including the Sistine Chapel. They all loved it, but said it was insanely crowded.

Dan and I skipped the Vatican Museums, as we had recently been, and instead slept in and hung around Centro Storico before meeting the rest of our group for lunch near the Vatican. It was a successful morning all around, even including a stop at Abbey Theatre Pub, an Irish pub that Dan and I love in Rome.

Meeting up with our friends, the Vatican was absolutely insane. Crazier than I have ever seen it. For lunch, to avoid the tourist trips, we walked a few blocks away for one of my favorite nouveau Roman dishes, the Trapizzino! A trapizzino is a triangle bread bowl filled with your choice of meatball and tomato sauce, eggplant and tomato sauce, tongue and green sauce, or chicken. We enjoyed our trapizzino at Be.Re, a beer bar and restaurant serving very limited food only about 7 minutes from St. Peter’s Basilica. We sat outside and enjoyed the warm weather with craft beer. I opted for the meatball and red sauce trapizzino, and it was great. And for whatever reason, trapizzini are popular around the Vatican but not that easy to find elsewhere in Rome (unclear why!).

Lunch was quick and delicious. From lunch, another van transfer took us to the Colosseum for a walking tour of the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. While we could have walked or taken public transportation, a van transfer is just easier between these two locations. We were dropped off at the beginning of Via dei Fori Imperiali and walked up it to the Colosseum, which is a beautiful and dramatic walk.

The tour began with a bit too long of a tour of the Roman Forum. It was super interesting, but you need to use a lot of imagination for the Forum tour. A guide definitely comes in handy on that front.

While the Roman Forum portion was a bit long, but the Colosseum is always a winner. No matter how many times you may have seen it in movies, or even in person, it is incredibly impressive. Without question. We spent a few hours here, including experiencing an insanely large protest going right by the Colosseum – really made the “roar” of the crowd feel real. We used the same guide for the Colosseum tour and again, having a guide is helpful.

Leaving the Colosseum was a little crazy, as the protest was just ending and the area was insanely busy. We finally located our van and made it back to Hotel Lunetta. Dinner tonight took us to Testaccio, a local neighborhood outside of the tourist heart and home to seriously delicious restaurants. We dined at Ristorante Angelina a Testaccio. The meal and service were excellent. Top dishes were a pasta with cinghiale (Italian wild boar) and, of course, cacio e pepe. Highly recommend this restaurant.

We quickly walked though Piazza Navona before heading to bed to prepare for our last day in Rome.

DAY 3: SHOPPING, MORE PIZZA, ST. PETER’S DOME, & A FAREWELL WINE DINNER

Our last, and (sadly) final full day in Rome (at least on this trip!), was a pretty light one in terms of planning. The morning was totally free, and a lot of people did various things – shop, sight see, pack, etc. For me personally, I had my eyes on a new bag, so we walked to the Spanish Steps to peruse luxury products. We stopped in Prada, Gucci, and Sermoneta (my very favorite glove shop) and, of course, left with some purchases.

Post shopping, we visited Caramella, which is one of our favorite restaurants in Rome. Caramella is a simple pizza and pasta restaurant, but it’s very good. We always stop in. Today, we split pizza, pasta, and a giant bottle of limoncello. Just kidding – the limoncello was a complimentary digestif. We had fun with the bottle!

Today’s big event was climbing the Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. I had not done this since 2008, and Dan never had, so we were excited. However, the crowd was absolutely insane. I am not sure if it was because of the Pope’s Jubliee or if its just this crowded in Italy now, but it was wild. We waited in line for far, far too long before finally entering St. Peter’s.

In terms of the actual climb, we took the elevator most of the way, and the remaining climb was a bit claustrophobic. Highlights were walking around the dome of St. Peter’s and the views from the top of the Basilica.

We celebrated beating the crowds with a Peroni after the climb.

Our final evening ended with drinks on our hotel’s rooftop, followed by a wine tasting dinner at Roscioli Rimessa in it’s new location! While the wine was a bit light at Rimessa, the food was great.

We capped with evening with cocktails at Freni e Frizioni, an insanely popular Roman cocktail bar.  It was unfortunately freezing so we only stayed for 1 drink!

The following morning, we departed for the airport after a quick hotel breakfast. Our terminal’s Priority Pass lounges were all full, so we just hung out in the terminal while waiting to board. I did have a tasty Motta maritozzi – a well-known Roman pastry – before boarding.

STEAL OUR TRIP

Aleph Rome Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton: Via di S. Basilio, 15, 00187 Roma.

Room Mate Collection Filippo: Via della Purificazione, 31, 00187 Roma.

Hotel Lunetta: Piazza del Paradiso, 68, 00186 Roma.

Eating Europe: We did the Twilight Trastevere Tour at 109 euro per person.

Roma Sparita: Piazza di Santa Cecilia, 24, 00153 Roma. Reservations necessary.

Abbey Theatre Pub: V. del Governo Vecchio, 51/52/53, 00186 Roma.

Be Re + Trapizzino: Piazza del Risorgimento, 7/A, 00192 Roma. Reservations not necessary.

Ristorante Angelica a Testaccio: Via Galvani, 24a, 00153 Roma. Reservations recommended.

St. Peter’s Dome Climb: The actual Vatican website is linked. Advanced booking highly recommended. Book through the actual website for the best prices.

Roscioli Rimessa: Via del Conservatorio, 58, 00186 Roma. This is the link for the wine dinner. It is 80 euro, all inclusive. Reservations necessary.