With a week to play with in Rome, you'll be able to see a substantial slice of Rome, though you'll still need a lifetime or two to see the rest.
Day one
Start at
St Peter's and climb its dome for your first view over the
Eternal City. Then visit the incredible wealth of the
Vatican Museums (+39 06 698 84947), including the
Sistine Chapel. You can book
tickets online for the museums, which saves on queuing. Note also that the
Vatican Museums have restarted late opening this Autumn, so on Fridays the museums open until 11pm.
Day two
Start at
Capitoline Hill, visit its
museums, then the
Roman Forum (an audio guide's a good call here) followed by the
Colosseum. Spend the afternoon picnicking and relaxing surrounded by the romantic ruins of the
Palatine.
Day three
Start by the
Tiber, with a quick peek at the
Mouth of Truth (+39 06 678 1419), before walking to the top of
Aventine Hill via the nearby cobbled path,
Clivo di Rocca Savelli, to see Piranesi's mysterious
Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta and peer though the hole-with-a-surprise in the
Knights of Malta Priory door. Then visit the graceful church of
Santa Sabina (+39 06 579 41) and neighbouring
Parco Savello, a walled orange grove. Later head for the
Spagna district to window shop or punish the plastic.
Day four
Start the day by throwing a coin in the
Trevi Fountain — according to tradition, this means you’ll return to Rome, so if you miss out on anything this trip, save it for the next. Explore in and around the
Pantheon (+39 06 6830 0230) and
Piazza Navona. Another nearby must-see is the church of
San Luigi dei Francesi (+39 06 688 271), with its dramatic Caravaggios. Browse in
Via del Governo Vecchio's vintage shops, and finish up with an
aperitivo (drink and nibbles) on the
Campo de' Fiori — don't miss the adjoining
Piazza Farnese.
Day five
Spend the morning discovering the fuss about
Trastevere, the "other side of the Tiber". Its major churches are
Santa Maria in Trastevere (+39 06 581 4802), with its glinting exterior mosaics, and
Santa Cecilia (+39 06 589 9289). Lunch in a local backstreet restaurant and then wander through
Orto Botanico. Storm the steep hill of
Giancolo for awesome city views.
Day six
First, pick up a picnic at one of Rome's divine delis. Then start at
Piazza del Popolo and gaze at the
Caravaggios in
Santa Maria del Popolo (+39 06 361 0836). Meander uphill to
Villa Borghese for your picnic and then hire bikes to whiz along evocative umbrella pine-lined paths. Visit the
Museo e Galleria Borghese (pre-booking advisable), one of Rome's finest galleries, a baroque palace packed with ancient artistry.
Day seven
Take advantage of a traffic-free Sunday to visit
Via Antica. This ancient road once stretched all the way to
Brindisi in the south. You can hire bikes from the park information office on the road and cycle out into the emerald-green, ruin-dotted countryside. Leave time to visit the ancient
Christian catacombs, and the nearby hulking
Terme di Caracalla (+39 06 575 8626), vast Roman baths. Alternatively, have a relaxing day trip out to
Ostia Antica, Rome’s astonishingly well-preserved, but often overlooked, Roman port to the south of the city.
Have you tried any of the places on this itinerary? Got any ideas we haven't thought of? Have your say using the comments form below.
Next: Hotel reviews
Related video: An Eat Pray Love Roman holiday
