Waking Up in Rome
Our flight landed in FCO at 9PM and we were catching a train to Sorrento at 2PM the next day, so that only left us with a handful of hours to see Rome. I love scheduling these quick one-night stops in big cities and planning a whirlwind sightseeing-filled day before moving on to our next stop.We set our alarm for 8AM to maximize the morning and walked straight to the iconic Colosseum. Neither of us had ever been to Rome, so we had to check off at least one of the major tourist attractions on the list.
We got there right around opening (8:30AM) because we didn't purchase any tickets ahead of time. I was worried it would be a long wait and could suck up our entire day, but arriving first thing in the morning was perfect. We waited in line probably 20-25 minutes maximum between security and tickets line. Another perk of going early is the crowds inside are not nearly as bad as I imagine they get midday. Although there were plenty of fellow tourists inside, you could still find a quiet corner to snap photos and take it all in.
Without doing much research on what to do in Rome beyond visiting the Colosseum, we began to (somewhat aimlessly) walk! We meandered in the area until we found a café to our liking, had a panini & coffee pitstop while we planned where to head next. A friend had recommended seeing the Trastevere area, so we plotted our route on the map and made our way along the river to check it out.Shortly after reaching Trastevere, we checked the time and unfortunately didn't have enough time to enjoy another café pitstop because we had to make it back to Roma Termini station in time for our train–so after wandering the alleyways for a bit, we walked back to our hotel to pick up our bags. (We walked 10.5 miles total that day!!)
To be honest, I wasn't in love with Rome. I get a feeling for a city pretty quickly, either love it or meh, and I just wasn't falling for Rome in the same way I have with Paris or Barcelona. (The neighborhood of Trastevere did earn Rome some redemption though, with its quaint alleys and cute shops.) However, sometimes I blame myself for not enjoying a city, if I don't do the research on what to see and where to go.
Maybe I'll give Rome another chance! If you've been to Rome and fell in love, where do you recommend visiting?
