I had one day in Rome before going to Pompeii, so I had a packed agenda. I went there in March, so this time around I wanted to cover a few specific things which I hadn’t seen before.

Ara Pacis:

Ara Pacis is an altar dedicated to Emperor Augustus commemorating peace in Rome. This impressive display was moved from its original site and reconstructed within a beautiful modern building by the American architect Richard Meier, which is an interesting approach as most Roman monuments are displayed in the open where they originally were.

It was very nice, but a bit expensive at 14€ for the entry.

Domus Aurea:

Another impressive display is the Domus Aurea, a palatial building built by Nero. This is currently an excavation site, so you can only visit on weekends and you need to book in advance. You get a detailed walking tour through the massive and impressive structure, a really great to way learn more about Roman architecture.

Churches:

Along the way we stopped at two churches (there are lots of very impressive ones in Rome) which had Caravaggio displays: Santa Maria del Popolo and San Luigi dei Francesi. A great way of seeing art outside of museums.

The rest of my time in Rome I spent walking around the many beautiful sites, from Piazza Navona to the Colosseum. Everywhere you look there’s something to see!

Food:

I also had time to discover some nice places to eat, as you always do in Rome.

Verso Sera is a nice wine bar serving great food. It is located just outside Campo di Fiori, a nice square with a popular market which is a great place to go for dinner.

Another nice restaurant was La Taverna dei Monti. I was quite tired and hungry when I got there, but left happy after eating a hearty plate of gnocchi. It is located at Via del Boschetto, which again had lots of nice places to eat.

Yum!

You can see my tips on how to do plan your trip to Rome here.