Rome is a popular city well-known for ancient sites like the Roman Colosseum. When my family and I visited Rome, I was the one responsible for planning our trip, which was quite a new experience! Rome has a multitude of sites you can visit, but I’ll talk about some of the must-sees and offer some insights I learned from planning a trip as a noob.
Of course, one cannot visit Roman without touring the Colosseum. It was built almost 2,000 years ago and could seat 50,000 people! It’s very cool to see how people could build such impressive structures so long ago that last until today.
When visiting the Colosseum, it is advisable to have tickets and a tour ready beforehand, if you are interested in one. There are many packages with access to different parts of the Colosseum. Make sure that you won’t have to line up at the Colosseum, since the lines are super long! There are private companies that sell tours at the door, which you can also purchase, but you might find better deals if you shop online beforehand.
Another cool place to visit is the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. It was originally a marketplace in ancient Rome, so you can see many old buildings. We got to touch a 2,000-year-old door! My family and I purchased a walking tour for both the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, which was a very good experience as the guide knew much of the history and walking routes.
Lastly, a very famous place within Rome is Vatican City. Though Vatican City is technically not part of Rome since it is an independent state, it is located in Rome. It is the smallest population in the entire world, as the population is mostly clergymen. Famous sites in Vatican City include the Vatican museums, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica.
One cool way to get a nice view of Vatican City is actually to visit Castel Sant’Angelo, which is nearby. It is located on the Tiber River, and since it is some distance away, it allows for a quality view of the Sistine Chapel and Vatican City as a whole
There are many guided tours to see the various sites of Vatican City. I was a noob and didn’t purchase tickets or a tour beforehand, so we ended up buying a tour at the door from a private company, but once again, it is advisable to buy a package you like online.
The Vatican Museums have many works of art collected by the Popes, including the famous painting The School of Athens! St. Peter’s Basilica is an impressive church with many beautiful decorations.
The Sistine Chapel is a well-known site in Vatican City and is the official residence of the Pope. It has beautiful ceilings painted by Michelangelo. Though we weren’t allowed to take photos of the inside of the Sistine Chapel, our guide told us many memorable fun facts about the paintings. Apparently while painting the ceilings, Michelangelo had beef with some members of the clergy, so he decided to draw God’s butt in one painting and one of the clergymen with a viper biting off a certain part of his body in another.
Those were some of the places that I found memorable! I hope if you go to Rome you find these places interesting too.