The Unlikely Diva

Whether you are planning to spend a month, a week or a weekend,  this buzzing, amazing, enchanting, romantic capital of Italy is full of surprises. And you will just have to go along with it! So, if you only have 48 hours to spend, here are some highlights of the city, based on my experience of Rome.

Drop it like it’s a Colosseum

There is a famous meme on the internet saying that gladiator games where the only opportunity in the Human History for a “Like” to save a life. The meme refers, mostly, to social media.

But that is actually true, because of Pollice verso, a latin phrase used in Ancient Rome, meaning “with a turned thumb”. Ancient crowds had to use this hand gesture in gladiator combats to decide the faith of the defeated one. The Colosseum was the largest Amphitheater ever built in the Roman Empire, so do not miss it. Even if the queues here make you want to.

If you only have a coin, leave it at Trevi Fountain 

…because there is a legend that trowing a coin here will make you return. That is if you want to. Trevi Fountain is impressive even if you are hard to impress. Almost 26 meters high and 19.8 meters wide, adorned with great sculptures. This is the favourite meeting place for tourists and pickpockets alike, so be sure to supervise your belongings.

Go have coffee with the Pope…

Vatican is a crowded place, but if you wake up really early you will beat everyone else to the door and get a sneak peak to the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo is well known for its sculptures but the painting is not too bad either. Aldo he had a rough time waiting for Pope Julius II to come from wars and recover from illness just to get payed…The Sistine Chapel remains one of it’s great works of art. And not only that. The Vatican Museums host other marvels too: Caravaggio, Fra Angelico and Da Vinci, just to name some. Do not miss St. Peter’s Basilica, the Late Renaissance church located within Vatican City. This is also a very populated place, but Rome itself is really filled with tourists of all ages and nationalities.

…Or chill on the Spanish Steps

Maybe grab a couple of beers, do some people watching. The steps connect Piazza di Spagna with Piazza Trinita dei Monti. Piazza di Spagna, former known as Piazza della Trinita’, is named like that because of the Spanish Embassy located just at it’s hearth. The embassy was built on the site of former Palazzo Monaldeschi, back in 1653. The steps date back to 1723-1725 and are a great example of Roman Baroque Style and a great place to do some fitness (  138 steps  to climb mean 138 steps to descend, right? ).

And, of course, step into the time machine at the Pantheon

…still the the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome, after almost 2000 years.  The name is derived from the ancient greek “Pantheion”, signifying “common/sacred to all gods”. The original one, built around 27 BC, was completely destroyed by a fire.  The one still remaining dates back to ( more or less ) 126 AD. The place is open to the public daily and, ever more, there is no admission charge. So, nice + completely free = love.

Rome is not an easy city to visit in 48 hours. So much to see, very difficult to choose, but.. if you lace up so comfy shoes you might just make it in time to that awesome pizzeria in Campo dei Fiori and thank me later 😀