One of the things I love about Rome is that the city center is very walkable. There are a lot of tourist attractions that are quite close to one another. With the help of Google Maps, you can easily walk from one tourist spot to the next in 15 minutes or less.
Rome has a lot of things to offer but if you have limited time, you won't be able to visit them all.
 |
| Piazza Navona |
In this post, I'll be sharing a good one-day itinerary in the Rome city center, where you'll be able to see the highlights of the city. All these attractions are only within walking distance from each other and the navigation is pretty easy if you have Google Maps.
Rome City Center Itinerary
If you will only be spending 2 to 3 days in Rome, then this is a good itinerary to follow so that you can see the most popular tourist spots. If you want to squeeze in more activities during the day, you can even do this walking tour for half a day.
1. The Spanish Steps and Piazza di Spagna
The Spanish Steps were designed in Rococo style and built between 1723 and 1726. Consisting of 135 steps, the Spanish Steps lead from the Piazza di Spagna to the French monastery church called Trinita dei Monti.
Piazza di Spagna features a stunning Baroque-style fountain called Fontana della Barcaccia. It's located at the foot of the Spanish Steps. This fountain was designed in 1623 by Italian sculptor Pietro Bernini, who is the father of another famous sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
2. Trevi Fountain
From Piazza di Spagna, walk 650 meters to the famous Trevi Fountain. If you will Google the top attractions in Rome, the Trevi Fountain would be at the top of the list.
Built during the 18th century, this fountain was designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi and completed by Giuseppe Pannini and several other artists. This fountain is famous for its intricate details in the Baroque style and it has a lot of history attached to it.
 |
| Trevi Fountain |
3. Pantheon
The next stop is also roughly 650 meters away. From the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon is about an 8-minute walk.
Completed around 126 to 128 AD and commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of emperor Augustus, the Pantheon is one of the best-preserved monuments from ancient Rome. It used to be a Roman temple up until 609 AD when it became a Catholic church.
Entrance to the Pantheon is free and you usually do not need a reservation except on weekends. There may be huge crowds lining up to enter but the wait time is not that bad.
In front of the Pantheon is the Piazza della Rotonda where you can see a beautiful fountain commissioned by Pope Gregory XIII. This fountain was designed in 1575 by Giacomo Della Porta and made out of marble by Leonardo Sormani.
 |
| Pantheon |
4. Piazza Navona
From the Pantheon, Piazza Navona is only 300 meters away or less than a 5-minute walk. It is a large, historical square in the center of Rome, famous for several masterpieces by well-known Baroque artists.
 |
| Piazza Navona |
In the center of Piazza Navona, you will find the famous Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, or Fountain of the Four Rivers, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1651. This fountain is about the four river gods who represent the four major continents of the world: Europe, America, Asia, and Africa.
Directly in front of the fountain is a Baroque-style church called Sant'Agnese in Agone designed in the 17th century by Francesco Borromini along with three other artists including Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
 |
| Fontana Dei Quattro Fiumi and Sant'Agnese in Agone |
There are two more fountains in Piazza Navona: Fontana del Moro on one side and Fontana del Nettuno on the other. Completed in 1653, Fontana del Moro was also designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and sculpted by Giovanni Antonio Mari. Meanwhile, Fontana del Nettuno was designed by Baccio Bandinelli, and completed by Bartolomeo Ammannati together with other artists between 1560 and 1574.
Piazza Navona was easily my favorite tourist spot in Rome. I kept coming back to it. Several times I've sat on one of the benches there just to people-watch and take in the sights.
 |
| Fontana del Nettuno |
5. Castel Sant'Angelo
After admiring all the art masterpieces at Piazza Navona, make your way to Castel Sant'Angelo which is just 750 meters away.
On the way to Castel Sant'Angelo, you will walk on Ponte Sant'Angelo, which is an ancient bridge completed in 134 AD. This bridge was built over the Tiber River and is considered one of the most beautiful bridges in Rome.
Completed during the 2nd century, Castel Sant'Angelo was originally built as a mausoleum for Emperor Hadrian. Over the past centuries, it served a lot of functions as a fortress, prison, execution grounds, and even papal chambers. Now it's a tourist attraction and a museum.
 |
| Castel Sant'Angelo |
How to Get to Rome City Center
This walking tour lets you visit the highlights of the city center of Rome. The best way to get around is by public transportation.
The starting point of the walking tour is Piazza di Spagna with the Spanish Steps. The easiest way to go there is by taking the metro. Simply take Line A and get off at Spagna station. The Spanish Steps is just right outside the metro station.
You can also take the hop-off hop-on bus that goes around Rome. This is a good option if you want to see other sights in Rome such as the Colosseum on the same day.
And there you have it. If you need some ideas on what to do for one day of sightseeing in Rome, this is the perfect itinerary.
If you're a slow traveler like me who walks in a trance-like state while taking in all the sights, then this itinerary should be enough for an entire day. And since you're not rushing from one tourist spot to another, you won't be as exhausted in the evening.
But if you start early and don't spend too much time in each tourist spot, then you should be able to finish this in half a day, which leaves you more time to do more activities in the afternoon. You can combine this with a tour of Vatican City and the museums for a jam-packed day.
0 Comments