Rome in a Day

Pizza, pasta, Aperol Spritz, sculpture, architecture, ancient history, gelato and pictorial fountains. Rome is a city that has to be experienced to be believed.

With all its iconic sites in close proximity to each other within the Aurelian Walls and an easy two-hour flight from European hubs such as Paris, Barcelona and Berlin, Rome is a perfect weekend away for the artist, foodie and history enthusiast perhaps primarily exploring other realms of the Schengen Area.

Though seasoned travellers may scoff, if you’re not a walker, a cycler or particularly interested in exploring the Eternal City by Segway, the first thing you want to do is get a Big Bus Tour ticket.

Looping around the city on red and blue lines which generally deposit you a stone’s throw from sights as essential as the Pantheon, Colosseum, Vatican City, Trevi Fountain, Circus Maximus and the Roman Forum, Big Bus Rome lets you hop on and off an unlimited number of times for 24 or 48 hours.

When you’re done seeing the sights, use your ticket until 19h00 to save on taxi fare and explore areas you spotted winking from the tour bus. Taxis in the city can be murder on the wallet but if you’re up to it, Rome is highly walkable and easy on the eyes.

Though the city wasn’t built in one, here’s what you can do if you fly in for a full day.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do and you won’t go wrong when you apply this to eating. Start your day with piping hot caffé (espresso) and accompany this with a cornetto (little horn), an Italian relative of the French croissant usually consumed semplice (simple or plain). Though it seems a humble start, the real action happens at lunch and dinner where you shouldn’t be shy to dig into antipasto charcuterie featuring delicious cuts of cheese and prosciutto before putting away mouthwatering pastas, thin-based pizzas and moreish focaccia closed with a sneaky scoop of gelato.

To drink, the aperitivo is practically religion. Consumed after work to wind down and trigger your appetite for dinner, aperitivo is both the name of the ritual and the pre-dinner drink. During aperitivo, instead of downing your usual poison, opt for appetite opening drinks like Aperol, Campari or Prosecco which are usually accompanied with grissini (Italian bread sticks), cheese, olives and nuts. When in Rome, a classic Aperol Spritz will set the mood as will a well-mixed Negroni. Sit back, relax, dine al fresco, “saluti!”

The list of things to see in Rome is canonical but when time is of the essence, there are some sites that are bound to leave you speechless. Though at times it may feel grossly touristic and being led like cattle to some manner of slaughter, Vatican City is an experience like no other. From the grandeur of St Peter’s Basilica to the awe-inspiring Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums, when in Rome, visiting the smallest country in the world is a definite do.

If wow factor and incredible photographs is the name of your game, don’t miss Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum. Majestic, picturesque and steeped in the kind of history that lends all of Rome its particular charm, these sights will kick your 24 hours up into the realm of “wow!” with very little effort on your part.

Opt for a tour and skip-the-line access at the Vatican and spend what’s left of your day post Colosseum and Trevi Fountain people-watching from a sun-soaked eatery.

Much like any major city, Rome has a wealth of accommodation ranging from backpacker through budget and right on up to all out luxury. In the summer, expect to pay a pretty penny to stay in the city. The streets are crowded, the vibe is thrilling and everywhere you want to go is going to be an essay in patience and the acceptance of jostling. My pick to stretch my Euro and indulge in a spontaneous European weekend away from my primary destination of Paris was Generator Rome.

A design hostel franchise with sites in Paris, London, Berlin, Venice, Dublin and Madrid. Close to the Colosseum and Termini station and swank in its built-in bar, lounge and mouthwatering daily special, for the younger crowd (18 to 35), Generator Rome is a great spot for an Aperol Spritz, a killer pizza special and to make sweet, single serving friends.