01

Day 01

Day 1 — Ancient Rome & the Center

The Colosseum, Forum, Pantheon, and the baroque piazzas on foot.

1. Morning

   Colosseum

   Open the day with a timed Colosseum ticket, arena floor if you can. Marvel at the underground and the tiers before the heat and crowds build.

2. Late morning

   Roman Forum & Palatine Hill

   Continue into the Forum and up the Palatine on the same ticket, tracing the heart of the ancient city. Allow a couple of unhurried hours.

3. Lunch

   Monti

   Lunch in Monti's lanes of trattorias and wine bars, a short walk from the Forum. Try the Roman pastas or a plate of fritti.

4. Afternoon

   Pantheon & Piazza Navona

   Walk into the center for the Pantheon, then Piazza Navona and its fountains, pausing for coffee or gelato. Wander the lanes between them at your own pace.

5. Late afternoon

   Trevi Fountain & the Spanish Steps

   Toss your coin at the Trevi, then stroll the Tridente to the Spanish Steps for golden-hour people-watching. Shop or window-shop along the way.

6. Evening

   Campo de' Fiori dinner

   Dine near Campo de' Fiori or the Ghetto, then take an evening passeggiata through the floodlit center. End with a nightcap on a lively piazza.

02

Day 02

Day 2 — The Vatican & Trastevere

St. Peter's, the Sistine Chapel, Castel Sant'Angelo, and a Trastevere night.

1. Morning

   Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel

   Enter at opening (or on an early-access tour) to see the galleries and Michelangelo's ceiling with fewer crowds. Pace yourself through the Raphael Rooms toward the chapel.

2. Midday

   St. Peter's Basilica

   Cross to St. Peter's for Bernini's baldachin and Michelangelo's 'Pietà', and climb the dome for a panorama if you have the energy. Dress modestly for entry.

3. Lunch

   Prati

   Lunch in orderly Prati just north of the Vatican, grab pizza al taglio at Bonci's Pizzarium or a proper trattoria meal. It's calmer than the Vatican crush.

4. Afternoon

   Castel Sant'Angelo

   Walk to Hadrian's cylindrical fortress on the Tiber, spiraling up to the terrace view, then cross Bernini's angel-lined bridge. A scenic link back toward the center.

5. Late afternoon

   Gianicolo terrace

   Head up the Janiculum for the city's best sunset panorama over the domes. Time it for the daily noon cannon if you're early, or golden hour if later.

6. Evening

   Trastevere dinner

   Descend into Trastevere for dinner in its lantern-lit lanes, carbonara and house wine at a classic trattoria. Linger over the neighborhood's buzzing evening scene.