Travel Man: Rome, Italy
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Short Stay in Rome
A stay in Rome is a journey through time. Discover the ancient capital of the world and its 26 centuries of history! First of all visit the Vatican, marvel yourself with the Rome of the Renaissance, and let yourself be amazed by its famous museums housing incredible frescoes by Michelangelo. After, find yourself in the middle of an authentic "piazza". For example, by throwing a coin in the Trevi Fountain. Right after, enjoy a cappuccino between the Colosseum and the Pantheon and stroll through the medieval streets of the city center. Enjoy the excitement of the Eternal City for the duration of your stay.
Rome is the capital of Italy, and it has been a major city for more than two thousand years. Emperors ruled an empire from its hills, popes later built their own city within it, and the ruins, churches and fountains from every era still sit side by side on streets you can walk in an afternoon. In the Travel Man episode, Richard Ayoade and Matt Lucas pack all of that into a quick trip. They ride around in a vintage Fiat 500, take a gladiator lesson, visit the Antica Manifattura Cappelli hat shop and toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain. This itinerary takes the same city at a slower pace, with private transfers at both ends and a design-forward base in Monti, a neighborhood a short walk from the Colosseum. The link below opens the full trip, and you can change any part of it.
Walk the Ancient City
One full day is built around ancient Rome. Skip-the-line tickets get you into the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, with three hours to explore on your own. The Colosseum is the amphitheater where gladiators fought, the Forum was the center of public life in the ancient city, and Palatine Hill is where the emperors lived, so the three sites together cover most of what ancient Rome was. Three hours gives you time to wander without a crowd at your back. The Roma Pass handles the rest, with unlimited rides on the city's buses and metros, so you can get from one neighborhood to the next without buying tickets along the way.
The Trevi Fountain: toss a coin over your shoulder to guarantee your return to Rome.
Do Rome Like a Roman
For a taste of how Romans spend their mornings, a two-hour guided walk called Like a Roman covers coffee, colazione (the Italian breakfast of a pastry and a cappuccino) and the Pantheon, an ancient temple topped by a concrete dome with an open circle at its center. It's a good way to get your bearings before the days that follow.
After that, you can keep the pace slow and local. Have a cappuccino standing up at an espresso bar, the way Romans do, then stroll through Campo de' Fiori, a lively square with a morning market. For a quiet afternoon, visit the Caravaggio churches of San Luigi dei Francesi and Santa Maria del Popolo, where his paintings hang in the chapels they were made for.
Save the Vatican for Last
The Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel get their own skip-the-line slot, which spares you the long entry queues. The galleries lead through centuries of art to the chapel, whose ceiling Michelangelo painted. The itinerary leaves the Trevi Fountain for you, so you can toss your own coin over your shoulder, a tradition said to guarantee a return to Rome.
Two of the episode's stops sit outside the itinerary but fit it well. The vintage Fiat 500 tour lets you see the city from the seat of a small classic car, and the Antica Manifattura Cappelli is a working hat shop where hats are still made by hand. Both can be added to the trip.
A vintage Fiat 500 tour through Rome: the episode's most fun hour.
The link below opens the full trip. Stay longer, add a day trip or fold in more of the episode's detours, then click through and shape it into your own.
Short Stay in Rome
A stay in Rome is a journey through time. Discover the ancient capital of the world and its 26 centuries of history! First of all visit the Vatican, marvel yourself with the Rome of the Renaissance, and let yourself be amazed by its famous museums housing incredible frescoes by Michelangelo. After, find yourself in the middle of an authentic "piazza". For example, by throwing a coin in the Trevi Fountain. Right after, enjoy a cappuccino between the Colosseum and the Pantheon and stroll through the medieval streets of the city center. Enjoy the excitement of the Eternal City for the duration of your stay.
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