TRAVEL GUIDE: 48 HOURS IN ROME

Although 48 hours in Rome hardly seem like enough time to explore the historic city, it's definitely gives you enough room to hit up all the classic landmarks - if you're willing to do the leg work. We flew to Rome as some friends of ours were there for a few days at the end of their cruise. Here's our 48 hour travel guide to Rome from our adventures with them.

Day 1

Breakfast 9AM

Staying at a hotel for breakfast makes planning your trips a lot easier, especially when you're limited on time. Both days we chose to have our breakfast at the hotel. We were in and out within 30 minutes, giving us plenty of time to explore Rome.

12PM Piazza Navona Head over this lengthy Roman plaza filled with beautiful fountains, bars and restaurants. This was where we began our trek throughout the city of Rome on foot. Here, you'll find plenty of tourists, street artists and of course, people trying to sell you just about everything. The great part here is that it's close to several other attractions easily accessible by foot.

1PM Pantheon One of the best preserved Ancient Roman buildings, the Pantheon is a sight to see. Once you walk into the massive building, you're taken aback by the architecture and art of the time. Of course, many of the pieces have been adjusted to reflect the Catholic religion but you can easily imagine what it might have looked like upon its creation.

2PM Shopping & Gelato on Via del Corso Known as the main street in the historic portion of Rome, Via del Corso is home to dozens of stores and of course, gelato. Yum!

4PM Trevi Fountain

Stroll your way over to the Trevi Fountain in Trevi, Rome - you can't miss the bundles of tourists surrounding it. Did you know that every year, the Trevi Fountain collects over 1 million in coins tossed in by tourists?

5PM Back to the Hotel

Head back to the hotel for some rest and shower while you prepare for a nice Roman night out.

8PM L'Unico Restaurant

Picking one restaurant within all of Rome was a seemingly impossible task. Where do we go? What's recommended? How do we know we'll enjoy it? So many questions but we managed to narrow it down to a hand full of popular restaurants in Rome and ultimately ended up at L'Unico. L'Unico did not disappoint, we were surprised it wasn't packed that evening but we blame the fact that it was a Tuesday night. Here, you'll find elevated Italian cuisine at a reasonable price and super cheap wine (talk about a bargain).

Day 2

830AM Tour of the Vatican, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica

We wanted the full experience, we thought to ourselves, "how can we go to Rome and not learn about its history?" Sure, gawking at its main attractions is fun but we love to learn, especially Mike who is a huge history buff. The week prior we booked a private tour with Dark Rome that promised to give us detailed lessons of The Vatican, The Sistine Chapel, The Pinacoteca, The Bramante Staircase and St. Peter's Basilica & Square. We spent 4.5 hours with an amazing tour guide who was quite insightful, enthusiastic and hilarious! If you're ever in Rome and looking for qualified tour guides, don't hesitate to go with Dark Rome Tours.

1PM Lunch at Piazza Risorgimento

Approximately a 5-7 minute walk from St. Peter's Square in Vatican City, here you will find plenty of Trattoria's and restaurants in a medieval little neighbourhood called "The Bourg". This was perfect for us, we needed a quick bite to eat before we continued our second day of Roman adventures as service was friendly, efficient, fast and affordable. (food was also good)

2PM Colosseum

Surprisingly, the line was not as long as we initially thought. We were inside and viewing this New Wonder of the World within 15 minutes. The Colosseum is surprisingly "accessible" as you can wander pretty much anywhere within the structure - if you reserve in advance with partner operators, you can even have access to the very few locations that the general public cannot. There are also cool little exhibits on the upper floor with artifacts and history lessons so you can learn all there is to learn about The Colosseum. We were left wondering how Romans were able to build such a magnificent structure with only man power. It is a very impressive structure and one is left only the urge to yell "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED" as all the tourists turn in amazement. (the echo is superb)

3PM The Roman Forum & Palatine Hill

Conveniently located next to the Colosseum, we were able to hop over to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill where you literally walk on the steps that the great Roman Emperors, Senators, Merchants and Generals walked every day; where political intrigue was a lot more violent and dangerous than today; where great Roman ladies gossiped; and where the fabled Romulus supposedly lived to then inspire the Julii clan to establish themselves there leading to the Great Augustus building the first Imperial Palace on this legendary hill.

5PM Head back to the Hotel

Head back for a much needed cat nap and shower. You can pretty much say our legs were like jello after 2 days of walking around Rome.

8PM Dinner at Aroma, a Michelin Star night

Of course, we could not come to Rome without visiting one of its many decorated Michelin star restaurants. We chose Aroma because of where it is located, inside the beautiful Hotel Manfredi overlooking the Colosseum. Trust us, this view is breathtaking as the sun begins to set. It was a great end to our little getaway amongst our friends from back home.

TIPS

- Always keep your valuables that you carry in your front pockets and if you are a woman carrying a bag or purse, carry it toward the front of you, closed with your arm over it. There are plenty of pickpockets (there are also many cops but these guys are slick, fast and unpredictable).

- Bring comfortable shoes as you will most likely do plenty of walking over uneven terrain.

- Learn the basic everyday words of Italian as they will come in handy when asking locals for quick directions or help.

- Always check the meter of the taxi when you jump in, they like to start it higher than what is allowed. Also, never pay more than what is on the meter.

- There are Taxi flat rates from the airport to anywhere within the city center for $48 Euros which you can negotiate down to $40. Direct and hassle free, worth it as soon as you are 2 person or more.

- Carry bottled water with you.

- Bring plenty of sunscreen.

- When you book your hotel, make sure that it is a hotel and not a rooming house. (our friends got a good surprise when they got to their "hotel")

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