'Caput Mundi' - a weekend in Rome
The ancients used to call Rome caput mundi, the capital of the world. You won't experience the grandiosity of this Italian city as soon as your plane lands or you get off the train at Roma Termini station.
But to marvel at the majestic Rome, you just need to exit Metro B, stop “Colosseo”. Your eyes will fill with wonder: the almighty Colosseum is right in front of you. And right there, outside the gates of metro line B, the holiday of your life will begin.
We've spent countless times in Rome. It is one of the most fascinating and intense cities we've ever visited. There are way too many things to see in the city, so many that you will hear those who are born and raised in Rome saying ‘a lifetime is not enough to see everything there is in Rome!’.
And we agree with them.
With this blog post, we'd like to bring you to one of the visits we paid to Rome. Our hope is to inspire you to travel to this wonderful city for the first or the tenth time and not to stop at its surface. But to go deeper and feel Rome as we feel it: with endless love.
A weekend in Rome, Day 1
Where were we? Ah yes, right outside metro B, stop "Colosseo".
The hundreds of people walking around the Colosseum and stopping in front of it to take pictures look like tiny ants. The ancient arena, the symbol of Rome, seems giant compared to the humans gazing at it. If stunning from the outside, the Colosseum is even more incredible from the inside.
Colosseo
Visiting the Colosseo is quite simple: you just need to reserve the ticket online and be at the entrance for the time slot and the date you selected. Make sure to book the tickets well in advance because they are sold out pretty fast.
Once inside, you can learn about the story of the famous anfiteatro (amphitheater). Did you know that Colosseum is not its actual name? Originally called Anfiteatro Flavio, it began to be called Colosseo in the Middle Ages, probably for the nearby presence of the colossal statue of the imperator Nero.
Narrow stairs guided us to the second ring, from which we admired the arena where the gladiators' fights took place, the Foro Romano (Roman Forum) and the Arco di Costantino (Arch of Constantine). The perimeter of the second ring is packed with people that were there as we were to feel the grandiosity of the Colosseum. Armored with (a lot of) patience, we waited our turn to take some photos and pose for a moment to look at the wonderful views.
Arco di Costantino, Rome
The next stop of our visit to the Colosseo was the arena. We walk down the stairs that lead us to the raised floor from which it is possible to gaze at the tall walls of the amphitheater all around. We felt so tiny down there! It must've been so overwhelming for the gladiators ready to fight for their life to the greetings of 'Ave, Caesar, morituri te salutant'. This is considered the phrase with which the gladiators addressed the emperor before the beginning of the gladiatorial games, and it means ‘Hail, Emperor, those who are about to die salute you’.
On the other side of the raised floor, it is possible to see the Colosseum underground with the passages and arches that connected the rooms where gladiators and animals waited, as well as the canals that carried the water inside the Colosseum. Did you know that Romans used to recreate real naval battles inside the arena by flooding it?! What an incredible show to watch it must have been!
If you have time, we recommend you buy the ticket with the entrance and the visit to the underground of the Colosseum. This time we didn't have much time to stay in Rome, so we skipped it.
After a last breath inside the Colosseum, we made our way out. We just crossed the street to enter the Fori Romani and the Palatino (Palatine Hill). The Colosseum ticket gives you access to the whole Parco Archeologico del Colosseo (Colosseum Archeological Park). Visiting the Fori Romani or Fori Imperiali and the Palatine hill are a must! The site is huge, and you should count at least two hours walking it all. The Fori Imperiali is an architectural complex unique in the world, consisting of a series of buildings and monumental squares built by various Roman emperors in different ages.
Fori Imperiali, Rome
One of the most interesting buildings inside the complex was the temple dedicated to the God Janus: its doors were closed only during periods of peace when Romans were not in need of the god's protection. In the long history of Rome, from its foundation in 753 B.C., to the empire's fall in 476 C.E., the doors of the temple of Janus were closed only seven times, and three were under the empire of Augustus!
Unfortunately, the temple's remains haven't been found by archeologists yet, and its location remains uncertain. However, it is fun to imagine where the temple of Janus might have been located and to wonder if its doors may be closed again in our time.
Wondering inside the Fori Imperiali and the Palatino is one of our favorite things to do when in Rome. At this point, the better part of the morning was over. So we walked towards the Altare della Patria (Altar of the Fatherland) and climbed the wide and white stairs to admire Rome from another angle. The view from the first floor of the Altare della Patria is already something special, but if you are looking for the ultimate view, you should take the elevator to the roof!
Altare della Patria, Rome
Time was flying by: it was almost lunchtime already! So we left the Altare della Patria and headed towards Trastevere, Rome's neighborhood on the other side of the Tevere river. One of our favorite spots to eat in Trastevere is Piazza di S. Giovanni della Malva, about 20 minutes by foot from the Altare della Patria. But when in Rome, there are plenty of things to see on every street!
On our way to Trastevere, we walked by Teatro di Marcello (Theatre of Marcellus), a Colosseum-like theater erected in Campo Marzio, the place in Rome traditionally consecrated to scenic performances. The Teatro di Marcello is such an imposing building! The keystones of the lower floors' arches used to be decorated with colossal marble theatrical masks.
Passing by the Teatro di Marcello, we reached the Tevere's bank. The walk is really nice and quite relaxing, and there is also an island in the middle of the Tevere! On the Isola Tiberina (Tiber Island), today stands one of the hospitals of Rome built on the site of the ancient temple dedicated to Aesculapius, patron god of medicine.
We kept walking and finally crossed Ponte Sisto (Sisto Bridge) to reach Piazza di S. Giovanni della Malva. The little square is dotted with Roman osterie where you can taste the traditional cucina romana. We decided to eat at Osteria Da Zi Umberto, which offers several vegetarian options.
Delicious food and wine, great conversation, fantastic location: that's how we spent our lunch break. After a shot of espresso and paying the bill, we were on our way. Crossing Ponte Sisto again, we reached Piazza Navona, but just to walk through it and arrive at the Pantheon, the temple dedicated to all the Roman gods.
The Pantheon is one of the most magnificent buildings in Rome, described by French writer Stendhal as ‘the most beautiful relic of ancient Rome, a temple so well preserved that it appears as the Romans must have seen it in their times’. Standing in front of the Pantheon is an incredible experience, and once on the inside, the feeling of awe is even bigger. The spectacular dome features an opening, or oculus, of 8.92 meters in diameter. The oculus is the only natural source of light inside the Pantheon. The light show is particularly stunning during the summer solstice when the ray of sun entering through the dome projects a huge luminous disk on the floor.
Pantheon, Rome
The Pantheon is always pretty busy, and it's almost impossible not to be in line before entering… but we got lucky! We could enjoy the site without having to criss-cross between tourists, and it was an amazing experience!
We wanted to stay inside the Pantheon more, but we had more stops to make before the end of the day.
After a 10-minute walk on the Tevere bank, there it was: the Ara Pacis Museum.
The Ara Pacis (Altar of Peace) is one of the greatest artistic works of the Ancient Romans. It was built to celebrate the consolidation of Rome's power under Augustus, the first emperor. With centuries going by, the existence of the Ara Pacis was forgotten even as a consequence of being buried by water and mud because of the frequent floodings of the Tiber.
Fortunately for us all, the Ara Pacis has been restored and relocated on Lungotevere avenue, bordering the Tiber, and a museum has been built around it as a shield from the traffic and the smog. The Ara Pacis is truly magnificent, and once inside the museum, you can not only see it from close but walk through it to admire every small detail of this piece of the legacy of Imperial Rome.
We left the Ara Pacis with a mission on our minds: arrive at Giardini di Villa Borghese in time for sunset. So we walked back towards Rome's center just to make a quick stop at the Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain).
Fontana di Trevi, Rome
We tossed a coin into the fountain to make sure to return to Rome another time (as the legend says), and after a few pictures, we made our way to Villa Borghese Park, which we reached in 20-ish minutes.
The park of Villa Borghese occupies a vast area in the heart of Rome, and it is decorated with sculptures, monuments, fountains, ancient trees, and a lake that you can sail by boat! From the Giardiani di Villa Borghese you can enjoy a spectacular view of Rome that, we assure you, will leave you speechless!
With the sun setting behind the roofs of Rome, we went down into the Piazza del Popolo, right below one of the park entrances. After a quick look at this beautiful square, we got to the metro stop “Flaminia” to take line A to Roma Termini.
Once off the metro, we walked for around 5 minutes and arrived at the restaurant we booked for dinner, Rifugio Romano. This family-run restaurant offers an all-vegan menu, where the traditional cucina romana is revisited in a plant-based key. The restaurant is small and always busy, so you need to reserve your table in advance if you want to eat here. The food is delicious (especially the gricia!), and we can't help but stop and eat here whenever we are in Rome.
Our first day in Rome ended with delicious food, lots of laughs, and some extra planning for the next day.
A weekend in Rome, Day 2
We woke up quite early this morning: we still had many things left to visit before catching the train in the late afternoon.
A quick breakfast and we were on the go.
The first stop of this second day in Rome was the Terme di Caracalla (Baths of Caracalla). This archeological site is one of the best preserved imperial buildings in all of Rome! The Terme di Caracalla was an extraordinary complex, with not only warm and cold bathing pools but also spots for body care, sports areas, a library for studying, a market, and an enormous garden where people could just walk and relax.
Terme di Caracalla, Rome
Today, you can visit the structure of the Baths of Caracalla: the tall walls with arches and alcoves, various pools, and the garden. Walking through the complex while reading the informational panels and imagining how beautifully decorated the Terme di Caracalla once was, was one of the highlights of our weekend in Rome!
With the colorful pavement mosaics of the Terme di Caracalla still on our minds, we walked towards the Tevere river. Passing by the Circo Massimo, to which we paid a very special visit later on that day, we arrived at one of Rome's most popular attractions: the Bocca della Verità (The Mouth of Truth). You know what we are talking about: the giant marble mask shaped as a face with the mouth wide open in which you are supposed to place your hand while claiming a truth. But be careful: if you lie, the statue will bite you!
After having successfully claimed our truths, we crossed the street to see the other side of Piazza della Bocca della Verità where stands the Tempio di Ercole Vincitore (Temple of Hercules Victor). This enchanting circular temple is the oldest marble building preserved in Rome. The temple is dedicated to Hercules the Winner, who was the protector deity of the traders carrying out their activities in the nearby Foro Boario.
It is not possible to visit the Tempio di Ercole Vincitore from the inside, but already walking around it makes the visit worth the time!
It was now time to show up for our special appointment: we booked a 3D virtual-reality tour of the Circo Massimo! The Circus Maximus was the largest building for public entertainment of Ancient times and one of the largest of all time: 600 meters long and 140 meters wide!
The Circo Massimo was mainly used for chariot races, and since the chariots belonged to different racing teams, the spectators cheered on their favorite teams (and made bets).
We as well were ready to attend a race! So we put on the VR headsets and the life of the ancient Circus Maximus flew before our eyes, and we could finally understand why ‘for the Romans, the Circus Maximus is both a temple and home, a place for meeting and fulfilling desires’ (Ammiano Marcellino, Res Gestae, 28, 4, 29).
Circo Massimo, Rome
The amazing experience at the Circo Massimo left us very hungry! So we decided to have lunch at the restaurant Zerosettantacinque, right beside the arena, and then we had a fantastic gelato at the Gelateria Ai Cerchi, one of Rome's best ice-cream parlors located just next to the Circo Massimo.
After eating the amazing gelato, we began to walk back to the Colosseum to make the last stop of our weekend in Rome: the Domus Aurea. The palace was built following the fire that devastated Rome in 64 C.E. to become the new imperial residence of Nero
The Domus Aurea was a sumptuous series of buildings richly decorated in gold (from which its Latin name, "golden house") and marble. The various buildings of the palace were separated by gardens, vineyards, and an artificial lake.
Today only restored remains are left of the original majesty of the Domus Aurea: after Nero's death, his successors decided to erase all traces of him. The luxurious chambers of the palace were deprived of all the sculptures and precious materials and then filled in with earth up to the vaults.
Thanks to a long restoration process and the VR headsets, we took a step back in time and walked inside the marvelous Domus Aurea.
The Domus Aurea is part of the Parco del Colle Oppio e delle Terme di Traiano, an 11 hectares park in the Monti district, one of Rome's neighborhoods. Once out of the Domus Aurea, we walked in the park through the remains of the Baths of Titus and the Baths of Trajan, while enjoying an amazing close-up view of the Colosseum and Palatine Hill.
There couldn't be a better way to end our weekend in Rome: with the sight of the almighty Colosseum.
