Tourist itineraries – Visit Rome in 3 days!

Visit Rome in three daysRome is a true open-air museum that embraces more than 2700 years of history, containing works of inestimable value for which it would not be enough a full year to visit them all.

However, we have thought of an itinerary to visit Rome in three days thanks to which, at least, you will be able to live three days of extraordinary, exciting, surely tiring … in a few words unforgettable!

We split our itinerary to visit Rome in three days this way:
– First day, walking through the streets and squares of downtown Rome
– Second day, visit to the Vatican City
– Third day, discovery of classical Rome

Visit Rome in 3 days – First day itinerary

We begin our journey to discover Rome with a long walk through the streets and squares of central Rome, including art, history and curiosity. Our stops: Piazza del Popolo, Pincio Terrace and Villa Borghese, Piazza di Spagna, Fontana di Trevi, Quirinale, Piazza Colonna, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Campo dei Fiori.

– Piazza del Popolo
Our starting point is Piazza del Popolo (subway station “Flaminio”). Entering the ancient Porta del Popolo you will find yourself wrapped in a large ellipse whose center is the Obelisk Flaminio, one of the largest in Rome.
On the north side of the square we recommend visiting the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo to admire the masterpieces of Caravaggio, the frescoes by Pinturicchio, the architecture of Raffaello and Bramante and the sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. On the other side, there are the “twins” churches of Santa Maria in Montesanto and Santa Maria dei Miracoli, recently restored.

– Terrazza del Pincio e Villa Borghese
On your left you can find the stairs to climb Terrazza del Pincio, one of the seven hills of Rome, from which you can enjoy a wide panorama on Piazza del Popolo and the Prati district, up to the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica. Behind the terrace is the Villa Borghese, the fourth largest public park in Rome (about 80 hectares). The villa building (“Villa Borghese Pinciana”) is now hosting the Borghese Gallery, the park also houses the zoo Rome, recently transformed into Bioparco, the Civic Zoological Museum, the “Piazza di Siena” horse race, while “Casina delle Rose” is now home of the “Casa del Cinema”. Adjacent to Villa Borghese, but now outside the park’s perimeter, Villa Giulia is home of the Etruscan National Museum.

– Piazza di Spagna
From Terrazza del Pincio you can go back to Piazza del Popolo, and go on via del Babuino until you reach Piazza di Spagna (Spanish steps), which owes its name to the Spanish Palace, the seat of the Spanish embassy. Attended by artists and writers since the 16th century, the square has assumed the actual appearance between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In the center of the square you can find “Barcaccia” fontain, one of the most beautiful fountains in Rome, built by Pietro and Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1627 on behalf of Pope Urban VIII and in front of it the great monumental staircase of Trinità dei Monti, one of the symbols of the Capital.
Alternatively, from the Terrazza del Pincio you can reach Piazza di Spagna along the scenic avenue of Trinità dei Monti, which will take you directly to the Church of Trinità dei Monti, overlooking Piazza di Spagna from above.
From Piazza di Spagna, right in front of the staircase, you can walk through the famous Via dei Condotti with its luxury shops, which in turn enter Via del Corso, the center of the Roman shopping par excellence.

– Fontana di Trevi
If you turn left to the nearby Piazza Mignanelli, where is the famous Column of the Immaculate Conception, take Via di Propaganda and continue in this direction to reach Piazza di Trevi, where you can admire the fountain of the same name.
The Trevi Fountain does not need any presentations!
This splendid fountain, celebrated in Dolce Vita di Fellini, is undoubtedly one of the most visited destinations in Rome: art and history blend together for a masterpiece of architecture, sculpture and engineering.
The whole composition is centered on the theme of the sea, centered on the imposing figure of Oceano, towed on a horse-drawn carriage of sea horses and Tritons.

– Quirinale
Leaving Piazza di Trevi on Via San Vincenzo, and bending to the left through via della Dataria, you reach the Quirinale Palace, residence of the President (the second largest residence in the world of a head of state). It’s possible to visit it at least partially – be careful that waiting lists are long, book in advance – but just a photo in front of the “corrazizeri” at the entrance is worth it!

– Piazza Colonna
Return to the Trevi Fountain – just in case you had forgotten the traditional launch of the coin… – and head towards the Galleria Sordi, already Galleria Colonna, through which we will find ourselves just in front of Piazza Colonna, which owes its name to the Column of Marco Aurelio, here since ancient times. Right in front of the column, on the north side of the square, is the entrance of Palazzo Chigi, seat of the Government of the Italian Republic. The square, built at the end of the sixteenth century by Pope Sisto V, rises on the central Via del Corso, near Montecitorio, the seat of the Chamber of Deputies, and at the Pantheon, our next destination.

– Pantheon
The Pantheon was built as a temple of all gods in 27 bC and later transformed into a Christian basilica with the name of Sancta Maria ad Martyres. The dome, the largest in the world with its 43.44m, has a central oculy that, by letting pass the rays of sunshine, represents a point of contact between gods and men. Inside, to visit absolutely, you find the tomb of Raffaello and many kings of Italy.

– Piazza Navona
After dedicating time to visit the Pantheon, we head to one of Rome’s most beloved squares, Piazza Navona. With its monumental appearance, Pope Innocent X wanted to celebrate the victory of the Catholic Church on heresy and paganism.
The rivalry between the Bernini, with its exquisite Fountain of the Four Rivers, and the Borromini, with its church of Sant’Agnese whose facade is considered by some of the most beautiful in Rome, resounds here.
Not to be forgotten, however, despite its baroque image, Piazza Navona rises on an ancient Roman stadium, built by Emperor Domiziano between 85 and 86 A.D., both to offer the people a further place of feast (and praise of the emperor), and to satisfy the imperial passion for athletics.

– Campo de’ Fiori
Last stop of the day, a few hundred meters from Piazza Navona, the square of Campo de’ Fiori: it’s famous for having at its very center the statue of Giordano Bruno, philosopher, Dominican monk, and writer, condemned to the stake by the Tribunal of the Holy Inquisition in 1600.
But Campo de’ Fiori is also famous for being a right place for Roman nightlife, with its locals, pubs and street artists, so we advise you to choose one of the restaurants that surround the square to recover energy and live the “Roman Movida” atmosphere.

Visit Rome in 3 days – Second day itinerary

The second day, the most demanding, is dedicated to the Rome of the Popes. Our stops: Vatican Museums and the magnificent Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica with the splendid Dome, Castel Sant’Angelo.
To close with a dinner in Trastevere.

– Musei Vaticani e Cappella Sistina
Not far from St. Peter’s Basilica, you will find the Musei Vaticani (Vatican Museums) with the famous Cappella Sistina (Sistine Chapel) and the papal apartments painted by Michelangelo and Raffaello. The museums have marvelous art collections of the most prestigious in the world. To visit them it would be better to book online, and you have to be patience anyway: access queues are inevitable!

– Basilica di San Pietro
The Basilica di San Pietro (St. Peter’s Basilica), a symbol of Christianity, is home to extraordinary works of art, from the great Bernini bronze canopy to Michelangelo’s Pietà, from Clemente XIII’s Funebre Monument made by Canova to the splendid “Mosaico della navicella”, made by Giotto in 1305-1313, without forgetting the dome designed by Michelangelo, accessible thanks to the visit to the dome: the climb is quite hard – over 500 steps – but from there you can enjoy a magnificent 360 ° view over Rome..

– Castel Sant’Angelo
Going back from the Basilica, you walk all via della Conciliazione until you reach Castel Sant’Angelo, also known as the Hadrian Mausoleum, where you can admire, in addition to the National Museum of the same name and wonderful frescoes, also the Passetto, the secret passage which united the Vatican City with the castle, used in the past by the popes to escape the looting of the enemies.

After this intense day, one last effort (and bus line 23) will take you to the Trastevere neighborhood. After taking the road up to Ponte Garibaldi, from where you can admire the famous Tiberina Island, starting from Gioacchino Belli Square you will enter the center of Roman nightlife. If it is not too late, you may also go to visit the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, founded by Pope Callisto I in the 3rd century, otherwise you will have to settle for dinner in a typical Roman restaurant, but pay attention to the “for tourist” restaurants!

Visit Rome in 3 days – Third day itinerary

The third day is the most difficult, with all the kilometers accumulated in the first two!
Our stops: Coliseum, Imperial Forums, Piazza Venezia, Jewish Ghetto, Circus Maximus, Caracalla thermal baths.
If you have still energies enough, the Basilica of St. John Lateran is not far away…

– Colosseo
Last day in Rome, you can not leave without visiting the “Ancient Rome”. It starts from the Colosseo (Colosseum), or “Flavian Amphitheater”, the symbol of Rome par excellence and the world’s largest amphitheater – could contain over 50,000 viewers – entered in the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1980, and then in 2007 among the New Seven wonders of the world. The amphitheater was built in the Flavia era on an area at the Eastern limit of the Roman Forum. Its construction was started by Vespasian in 72 AD, was then inaugurated by Tito in 80 AD, and further changes were made during the empire of Domiziano. It is well worth a photo even the adjacent Arch of Constantine!

– Fori Imperiali
Continuing on Via dei Fori Imperiali, you arrive at the Roman Forum and on the other side of the road you can appreciate the area of the Imperial Forums, a set of monumental squares built by Roman emperors between 46 bC. and 113 AD, brought to light by archaeological excavations by Mussolini in the 1930s.

– Campidoglio
From Fori our itinerary continues to Piazza Venezia. In the square there is the “Altare della Patria” or “Vittoriano”, because it was originally thought of as a national monument to Vittorio Emanuele II. Since in 1921 it received the remains of the Unknown Soldier, the monument assumed a new symbolic value and became a celebration of the unity of Italy. Inside, often important exhibitions are hosted.
Behind the Altare della Patria you find the Campidoglio, one of the seven hills on which Rome was founded, theater at the time of Gallic invasion of 390 bC. one of the most famous episodes, that of the capitoline geese kept in the sacred temple enclosure of Juno, who with their fever revealed the attempt of night gunnings of the Gauls. The floor of the square is decorated with the famous twelve-pointed star Michelangelo, and in the center of the square you can admire a copy of the famous equestrian statue of Marco Aurelio (the original is in the Palazzo dei Conservatori). The Campidoglio is also the seat of the Municipality of Rome.

– Ghetto ebraico
As you descend from the Campidoglio, turn left towards the Teatro di Marcello, an ancient Rome theater still well preserved, and then turn right. The area that the Romans today point to as the “ghetto” is roughly bounded by Via Arenula, Via dei Falegnami, Via de Funari, Via della Tribuna di Campitelli, Via del Portico d’Ottavia and Lungotevere de ‘Cenci. The historic ghetto, on the other hand, was much narrower, and was located between the present streets of the Portico d’Ottavia, Piazza delle Cinque Scole and the Tiber.
Trough the ghetto streets still you can breathe a particular atmosphere, in memory of the persecution the Jews have undergone in history..

– Circo Massimo
Get out of the ghetto by going back to Petroselli Street and continue towards the Bocca della Verità (Mouth of Truth), preserved in the pronaos of the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. Try to put a hand in his mouth, if you have courage!
Turn left after the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, you will arrive at Circo Massimo, an ancient Roman circus dedicated to horse racing, but also to the battles between galleys, located in the valley between the Palatine and the Aventine. The Circo Massimo is remembered as a venue for games since the beginnings of the city’s history: about 600 meters long and about 140 meters wide, 250,000 spectators could be accommodated on its stairs.

– Terme di Caracalla
The last stop of our itinerary is the Terme di Caracalla (Caracalla thermal baths), located a few hundred meters from the Circo Massimo, which constitute one of the most grandiose examples of imperial baths in Rome, still preserved for much of their structure. They were built by Emperor Caracalla between 212 and 216 aC., and since 1937 the central part of the baths is used for outdoor concerts and plays, and in particular for the summer season of the Rome Opera..

At this point you will be exhausted, but if you still have a whiff of energy, spend it to reach and visit Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano (St. John’s Basilica in Lateran), the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome, the first of the four major papal basilicas and the oldest and most important basilica in the West… the 714 line of the ATAC bus will help you!