Best Epic Rome Italy 2 Day Itinerary – Ultimate Guide [2024]

Rome was a dream. A couple of days in Rome Italy is certainly not enough, but if you have only a few days, I highly recommend all the main attractions to do and delectable food in the city. They are certainly well-known for good reasons!

Watch my YouTube Vlog on Rome!

Rome at a Glance
Currency: Euros €
Transportation: Subways/Metro, Bus, e-scooter, Walking, Uber
Attractions: Ancient ruins, churches, museum, gardens, restaurants

Rome Travel Tips
Pickpocket: Strap up your phones and wallets
Shoes: Covered shoes with thick soles to navigate the cobalt streets
Water: Lots of free water fountains around. Bring a bottle.
Attractions Ticket: Get Your Guide or Viator – Prebook your tickets to skip the hours long queues
Internet SIM card: Airalo – get local network to get speedy data! Get US$3 off your first purchase with promocode: TERESA0824
Travel Insurance: Ekta or Klook – It is so important to spend that couple of dollars a day to get your back covered by anything that could happen while traveling!

Rome Attractions

1. Colloseum and The Roman Forum

The symbol of Rome and all of Italy, the majestic Colloseum leaves all in wonder of the beauty, efficiency and prosperity of the ancient Roman Empire. Opened over 2000 years ago in 80 AD, the Colloseum was an entertainment arena to watch free gladiator games.

The structure stands tall and accessible for us and future generations. The rise and fall of the empire has seen various precious metal rods and marble slabs stolen and repurposed – famously the St Peter’s Basicila in the Vatican City and even the Statue of David created by Michelangelo.

The Roman Forum in comparison, was a bare area with barely anything left to see, though the significance of the ancient government building was cool to see. If you do not wish to enter, you can still view it from the back for free as it is an open area.

Definitely a must stop regardless of how many times you have visited Rome.

Colloseum and The Roman Forum Tickets

Entrance to the Colloseum and the Roman Forum is free on first Sunday of the month and on Festa Della Repubblica (2nd June). Free entry days require you to queue at the ticket booth to get a physical ticket. The queue on 2nd June when I went took 1.5 hours.

I highly suggest booking a ticket beforehand online to save the crazy queues on the day of visit. [xx insert link] I personally use Viator and GetYourGuide for great discounts and tours for the attractions that I really want to visit. The Colloseum is busy all year round so you don’t want to take your risk wasting precious time!

2. Vatican City – Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel

The smallest country in the world, Vatican City is located in Rome Italy, but constitutionally works separately from the Italian government. The entrance to the Vatican City is so grand that it feels like walking right up to a real life Disneyworld.

Vatican Museum

Possibly the largest museum I have been to in my life. From Egyptian to Greek art, sculptures, paintings and wall art, this insanely rich museum is truly unforgettable. It is one museum I regret not getting a guided tour for, and I recommend one if you would like some sort of understanding to appreciate the art and significance of the famous pieces.

Rooms painted by Raphael, greek gods room and world maps evolution of the ancient world, not to mention incredible ceiling art that sometimes takes my attention from the art work, this is one you must visit at least once in Vatican city.

Sistine Chapel

The main attraction is surely the Sistine Chapel. Seems like everyone only goes to the Museum to see it. Unfortunately, no pictures are allowed. Kinda sucks, but I guess there are tons of photos online already.

In 1980 to 1994, the Sistine Chapel underwent restoration work funded by the Nippon Television Network Corporation of Japan costing up to $4.2 million. Nippon as a result got exclusive rights to film and photography of the artwork. Though the copyright expires after 3 years, the Vatican decided to continue the enforcement to prevent flash from harming the artwork.

After the Sistine Chapel, follow the tour groups to get to a shortcut that leads you straight to St. Peter’s Basilica. I exited on the left and wound up walking the long way around the walls to get to the St. Peter’s Basilica.

Vatican Museum Ticket

The Vatican Museum does crowd control very strictly. If you are getting tickets on the spot, be prepared to queue for up to 2 hours to get in. Instead, book your tickets beforehand and speed past the queues to the front. I recommend getting a guided tour but you can certainly get skip-the-line tickets as well.

3. St. Peter’s Basilica (Basilica Papale Di San Pietro in Vaticano)

The most magnificent Basilica in perhaps all of Europe, the St. Peter’s Basilica took a whopping 120 years and many generations of designers to build. Extravagant marble columns, priceless paintings and sculptures by the greats like Michelango, Bernini and Raphael, and an elaborate tomb of St. Peter. Basilica which translate to church, also has services that you can attend and even wedding solemnisation ceremony.

The St. Peter’s Basilica prides itself with the tallest dome in the world at 136.57 metres (448.1 ft) from the floor, and 41.47 metres (136.1 ft) in diameter. It is said that Michelango designed it slightly smaller than the Pantheon to give tribute to the greats of the ancient world. You may also climb the deadly stairs to get a view of the Vatican city (which I passed), or pay €10 for the lift.

It is also crazy how Michelango can literally do everything from painting and sculpting to engineering? Unbelievable.

St. Peter’s Basilica Tickets

Entrance to the St. Peter’s Basilica is free unless you wish to book a tour to get a comprehensive understanding of the significance of the art and architecture.

St. Peter’s Basilica Attire

Don’t forget to wear something that covers the shoulders and knees, with proper footwear like shoes or close-toe sandals. Men should also remove their hats though. I don’t usually see this enforced as much. You should bring a scarf or jacket while roaming Rome, so that you won’t miss entry to exquisite churches around the city!

4. Pantheon

The Pantheon was an ancient Roman temple, before being converted to a church in 609AD. The Pantheon boasts the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome even till today at 43m (142 ft) in height and diameter. Located in the middle of the city center, its strong presence is unmistakable.

Pantheon Tickets

Don’t make the deadly mistake of not booking your tickets early like me and miss the chance of seeing the magnificent open dome architecture. From 3 July 2023, the Pantheon is no longer free entry except for the first Sunday of the month.

You may book a ticket at the official site www.museiitaliani.it/acquista-biglietto. The website is in Italian but a quick guess should bring you through successfully. An alternative, that is my personal go-to, is booking through online ticket reservation platforms. Tickets onsite are easily swept up by tours and people who know how to navigate the city well. Tickets can be sold out for the day so book in advance!

Pantheon Attire

Don’t forget church ready attire! No shoulders, knees and toes.

5. The Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola (Chiesa Di Santi’Iganzio di Loyola in Campo Marzio)

The church of St. Ignatius has probably the coolest frescoes (wall painting). I found about this church from tiktok and it did not disappoint. The frescoes blended so well with the natural lighting from the windows, and the realism made it look 3D when staring directly at it. The painting looked like the ceiling extend all the way to the heavens and is super cool. There’s also a mirror to view the full frescoes in detail and snap a cute picture.

The Church of St. Ignatius Attire

Be ready in proper attire! Covered shoulders, knees and toes.

6. Trevi Fountain

Legend has it that if you toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain, you will return to Rome. Specifically, throw the coin with a right hand over the left shoulder facing away from the fountain. No idea who came up with it, but the estimated €1.4 million collected every year goes to local charities. Even if your wish don’t come true, you still get good karma 🙂

The Trevi Fountain is specially designed by famous sculpture Gian Lorenzo Bernini commissioned by the Pope, featuring 4 large statues symbolizing the 4 largest rivers in the world – the Nile, the Ganges, the Danube and the Rio de la Plata.

7. Victor Emmanuel II National Monument (Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II)

Also known as the “Altar of Fatherland”, the Victor Emmanuel II National Monument was built to honor Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of unified Italy. The monument also house the tomb of the unknown soldier who died in the first world war, representing all the Italian soldiers who lost their lives in the war.

The tomb is guarded by guards of honor with 2 eternal flames. The never dying flame symbolizes memory – of the soldiers sacrifices and the memory of Italians abroad. There is also a plaque that reads “Italians Abroad to the Motherland” in memory of Italians emigrants who donated to make this monument.

It is stunning in the day, but even more spectacular at night.

Festivities

Festa Della Repubblica

Festa Della Repubblica falls on 2nd June every year. All the major city roads are blocked off for the military parade in the morning, followed by the iconic 9 jet planes spraying the iconic Italian flag starting at the Monument xxx. All the procession ends in the Colloseum grounds, where a ceremony will take place. Soldiers and official personnel abseil down the Colloseum against the backdrop of the Italian flag, and a display of helicopters, jets and parachutes to the Colloseum.

A very interesting experience to celebrate National Day in another country!

Food in Rome

1. Ristorante Sette Oche (Seven Geese Success)

Upon touchdown in Rome, I had to get pasta and pizza. A random Google search landed us in Ristorante Sette Oche. The hometown to the Carbonara, we all had to get one.Together with a glass of wine and an anchovies mageritta pizza to share.

The carbonara is honestly quite unlike any that I’ve had. Italians eat their carbonara with egg and cheese, instead of cream and milk. The consistency is very thick, and though the portion looks small, it was very filling. The saltiness comes solely from the pieces of bacon in the dish and adds a nice balance to an otherwise very rich flavor.

The pizza was good but the anchovies, oh my god. It was so salty I lost my mind for a few minutes. Perhaps I was very unlucky, because the salt was not evenly spread throughout the pizza and I got the saltiest part of the whole pizza. It was good, and also the last time I ordered anything with anchovies in Italy.

2. Pizza Forum

We settled with the Pizza Forum really because of the cute restaurant front decor and how close it was to the Colloseum. The pizza were a delight after the traumatic anchovies the previous day and it was a great idea sharing pizzas so we got to try different flavors. I never understand how 1 person is supposed to finish a pizza all by themselves? It’s so huge and diminishing margins of return got me bored of the same flavor after 3 slices top.

A nice stop before or after exploring the Colloseum!

3. Osteria Da Fortunata

The GOAT, the hype and glory. Osteria Da Fortunata is on every bloggers, vloggers and locals’ recommendation and I can truly see why. All the pastas are handmade and had a wide selection of dishes. Most popularly the Cacio e pepe, which our Asian tongues didn’t really understand, it was a very egg-y dish with no meat or toppings. The carbonara and bolognese was heavenly and quickly became my Italian pasta benchmark. The dish that stood out the most was the Ravioli. It had a cream filing with tinges of lemon, tasted just like a dessert.

Don’t forget to order the tiramisu and other desserts as well! The moscato in the Rome outlet was Zibibbo from Sicily. We fell in love with it so hard that we searched high and low our entire trip for it to bring back home. The Zibibbo was not available in any wine stores so we ordered them online, and the hassle was 100% worth it.

There’s 2 other outlets – Bologna and Milan and certainly the Rome’s branch was much better than Milan’s. Do prepare to queue for at least 2 hours regardless of what time of day because of how crazy popular this place is. Sadly, they don’t accept reservations.

4. Giolitti

My first gelato in the land of gelatos, Giolitti set my stand so high, there were not many other gelatos that could beat it out of its ranks. A modern place that serves a huge variety of pastries, coffee and gelato, Giolitti is definitely a stop you must make in Rome.

I got blueberry, pistachio and chocolate on my melting cone and it tasted like bliss. Other flavors were super amazing too, there were almost no weird and bad choice. If you have always wanted to be adventurous but scared of making the wrong decisions, Giolitti is the place to do just that.

5. All’Antico Vinaio

Originally from Florence, All’Antico Vinaio expanded to the busy streets of Rome right by the Pantheon. The sandwich portion was so huge. I shared a half with a friend and we could barely finish it. Even so, it lasted me throughout the entire day exploring Vatican city till dinner time.

I ordered Beatrice sandwich which contains beef, cheese, truffle and rocket leaves for €11 (€6.50 for me). Well toasted bread with fresh ingredients, All’Antico Vinaio sandwiches is definitely my top recommendation!

6. La Bottega Del Tartufo

If you love authentic pesto, truffle and anything Italian sauces, check out La Bottega Del Tartufo. With a wide selection of sauces and samples, you will surely leave Italy happy and ready to recreate your favorite dishes at home.

Dinning Tips and Fun Facts

Italians love sitting outside by the sidewalk, so it typically fills up faster than the inside. This is something I personally don’t understand and do very often, as I love to admire the restaurants interior instead. The seating is typically 2 or 4 seaters so my big group never fit, but lovely to try especially if you have a nice view outside.

All restaurants pose a dine-in fee called “coperto” which ranges from €2-3 per person. Typically you will get a serving of bread or crackers for starters.

If you have any food allergies or dietary restrictions, the last page of the menu typically contains a list of ingredients and symbols that you can check for the dishes you wish to order! Definitely saves time and stress asking the waiter every time.

Rome at a Glance
Currency: Euros €
Transportation: Subways/Metro, Bus, e-scooter, Walking, Uber
Attractions: Ancient ruins, churches, museum, gardens, restaurants

Rome Travel Tips
Pickpocket: Strap up your phones and wallets
Shoes: Covered shoes with thick soles to navigate the cobalt streets
Water: Lots of free water fountains around. Bring a bottle.
Attractions Ticket: Get Your Guide or Viator – Prebook your tickets to skip the hours long queues
Internet SIM card: Airalo – get local network to get speedy data! Get US$3 off your first purchase with promocode: TERESA0824
Travel Insurance: Ekta or Klook – It is so important to spend that couple of dollars a day to get your back covered by anything that could happen while traveling!

Hope you enjoyed following along my Rome, Italy 2 day itinerary! Get the full list on Google Maps!

Check out my other travel adventures in Bali and beyond! Best blue beaches in Bali