Rome

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A March 2003 trip to Rome by Lindy27

Castel SantMore Photos

For my high school humanities trip in March of 2003 we spent the first 2 days in Rome! Overall we spent 10 days in Europe to give me a good overview of a few cities.

  • 5 reviews
  • 1 story/tip
  • 29 photos

First Day in Rome

St. Paul Outside the WallsBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

Inside
Our first stop in Rome was at St. Paul Outside the Walls. I loved this, possibly because it was my first glimpse of Italy, or maybe the fact that monks were walking around singing in Latin. This is not very busy and a little outside the main areas of Rome but good for a short visit.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Lindy27 on December 12, 2008

St. Paul Outside the Walls
Rome Rome

ColosseumBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

Roman Forum
On the first day in Rome we headed to the Colosseum. This is an amazing architectural work and is a must see on my Rome list. We took a guided tour which I would recommend to learn more about the construction and history.

I wish we would of got to walk around the Roman Forum but that is on my list for the next trip to Rome.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by Lindy27 on December 12, 2008

Colosseum
Piazza del Colosseo Rome, Italy 00184
+39 (06) 7004261

Hotel PortamaggioreBest of IgoUgo

Hotel | "Decent Roman Hotel"

Roman wall outside our hotel
It is not directly in the center of Rome but it is very close to the metro stop Porta Maggiore. Our room was in a back hallway and it seemed like we walked forever to get there! Overall there was nothing wrong with the hotel and it was booked by our travel agency. I stayed there as a high school student.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by Lindy27 on December 12, 2008

Hotel Portamaggiore
Piazza di Porta Maggiore, 25 Rome
+39 06 7027821

Second Day in Rome

St. Peter's BasilicaBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "St. Peter's"

St Peter's Basilica
On our second day in Rome we visited St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums. Even though I am not Catholic I recommend these to anybody visiting Rome. The Basilica is absolutely gorgeous and huge. We got there around 6am and had the whole square to ourselves and it was very peaceful. We then got to have mass in the basement of St. Peters in a small chapel, because somebody in the group knew a priest there.

We then went on to the Vatican Museums with a tour guide, while the tour guide was nice they just take you to the most visited areas. I would recommend if you take a tour guide go back in after it is over and see some of the works that are off the beaten track. When doing this get an audio guide if you want to know more information about what you are looking at. I found the Sistene Chapel to be overrated and was not my favorite thing in the museums.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by Lindy27 on December 12, 2008

St. Peter's Basilica
Rome, Italy

Villa BorgheseBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

Castel Sant'Angelo and the bridge
On our second day in Rome we headed to the Villa Borghese. Here we wandered around the park and went to the Borghese Gallery. The Borghese Gallery was awesome but make sure to reserve a time and ticket before you head to Rome. It had some of the best sculpture we saw in Italy and while a small museum I found it worth the money.

We then wandered around Villa Borghese. I wish we would of had more time to do this as it was fun watching the Romans enjoy themselves. It is also a gorgeous park and offers some good views over Rome.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Lindy27 on December 12, 2008

Villa Borghese
Piazzale Flaminio Rome, Italy 00196

Roman PiazzasBest of IgoUgo

Story/Tip

View of Spanish Steps
Rome has some of the best Piazzas in the world. My favorite were Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Navona! Piazza del Popolo has the great twin churches. Piazza Navona has the 4 Rivers fountain and is a great person to people watch or eat lunch.

We also visited Piazza di Spagna, but I just found that to overly busy and not have much to do. Piazza di Trevi was also interesting but it was very busy too. You could barely make your way up to the fountain but everybody has to go there when they go to Rome!

About the Writer

Lindy27
Lindy27
Manhattan, Kansas

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