Rome always holds a special place in my heart. Ever since seeing the Lizzie McGuire movie way back when I was a kid I was determined to go to Italy and specifically Rome to have that fun adventure complete with gelato, mopeds, and maybe be accidentally mistaken for an Italian superstar… a girl can dream right? Seven years after watching this movie and daydreaming of traveling to Italy, I finally got the chance to travel out of the country through a study abroad opportunity in college. Rome was the first place I had ever traveled to outside the US. I remember the feeling of landing, getting off the plane, and just being in shock that I was actually in Italy. I was also shocked for a different reason. This is the first lesson I learned about traveling, always travel as light as possible and also include all essentials and some outfits in your carryon. The airline lost my luggage so I had to be without most of my stuff and clothing for about four to five days we were in Rome. Thank god I was traveling with a group of awesome girls that let me borrow some of their stuff those few days! The airline thankfully found it and delivered to my hotel later that week. But I never forgot the terror of not knowing if I was ever going to find my stuff on the beginning of a 34 day trip. So pack light and smart people!

Once we got into the city and checked into our hotel we immediately went straight to exploring the city while snacking on gelato. Gelato is phenomenal if you’ve ever tried the authentic stuff, way better than ice cream in my opinion. I remember also that evening one of the first things we did was walk over to the Trevi Fountain because where we were staying wasn’t very far from it. That’s the moment where I knew I really made it to Rome! We did the tradition of throwing the coins into the fountain and making a wish. And as the saying goes, I’ve been back to Rome and plan on many more times returning!

Below are a few of my favorite things to do and see in Rome. Everything can be done within three days if you’re up for the challenge! However, you may just end up falling in love with the city and want to stay longer.

Day One-Colosseum, Roman Forum, Pantheon, and Trevi Fountain

Head to the Colosseum in the morning. It opens at 8:30 every morning so I highly recommend getting there right at opening to not have to wait in a long line to get in. The Colosseum is must visit in Rome but it is very touristy so I always like to get these visits done and checked off my list first especially if you’ve never been to Rome before. After the Colosseum head over to the Roman Forum, less than a ten minute walk from the Colosseum and take in the sights of the ancient ruins of the meeting site.

After grabbing lunch head over to the Pantheon, this is about a 30 minute walk from the Roman Forum or you can take the metro for a quicker way around the city. The famous Trevi Fountain is also very close to the Pantheon about an 8 minute walk away. I love walking around these streets, there’s many shops, people watching, and many gelaterias for some delicious gelato.

My favorite place for dinner is Osteria dell’Anima. This place is phenomenal! Seriously the best pasta and chicken I’ve had in Rome. I ordered the Fiocchetti di formaggio e pera su crema di carote (Pasta stuffed with cheese and pear served over a carrot sauce) and the Polla alla romana (roman style chicken). I still dream about this meal! My sisters and I had an amazing dinner there sitting outside on the patio, drinking wine and eating amazing food.

Day Two-The Vatican

The Vatican -plan to get here very early. The Vatican is known to have extremely long lines upwards of 4-5 hours wait. It’s open Monday-Saturday 9-6pm with final entry allowed at 4pm. I recommend getting in line at least by 8am. On another trip to Rome in June of 2016, my sisters and I got in line around 8 am and it was already a long line around the walls of the Vatican, looking close to two hours long. I also recommend getting online tickets if you can, it will allow you to skip most of the line and get in quicker.

We ended up getting tickets from a tour company that approached us in line and at first we were really skeptical and thought they were just trying to scam us. But after talking to us a bit and getting more information we ended up leaving the line and walking to their office five minutes away from the Vatican. We got our tickets (about the same price as the normal tickets at the gate) easily then waited just five more minutes to get back in a much shorter tour ticket line. We were inside The Vatican within 30 minutes! I would be very cautious of who you follow though as there probably are scammers out there. The best thing to do is to buy your tickets online ahead of time from a known reputable company.

The day that we went to The Vatican we walked through everything, walking over 15,000 steps and saw the Pope speak live, all before noon! Make sure to allocate at least two to four hours exploring The Vatican to be able to take in all of the amazing artwork, Sistine Chapel, St Peter’s Basilica, and overall historic country (did you know it was its own country in Italy??). The Vatican is the smallest country in the world.

Day Three-Catacombs, Piazza Navona, and Spanish Steps

If you want to have a really cool experience in Rome you have to take a tour of the underground Catacombs of Rome. When I was studying abroad we did a group tour of the catacombs. These are ancient underground burial sites underneath the city of Rome. You can only go through the Catacombs with a trained guide because you can easily get lost in the winding pathways of this underground cemetery. There are a few options to go to in Rome, check out this site for a full list.

Piazza Navona is a great place to visit in the afternoon, grab some lunch and do some people watching. It showcases the Fontana Dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers) as well as the church of Sant’Agnese. There’s always artists displaying and selling their work and people hanging out all hours of the day. Visiting a piazza is like visiting the heart of Rome and taking part in the epitome of Italian culture. Walk, relax, drink some vino, buy some art, laugh with friends, enjoy life.

The famous Spanish Steps are also only about a 15 minute walk from Piazza Navona and obviously a must visit for when in Rome. Grab some gelato here and just sit and take in all the sights and sounds of Rome!

Rome is a city alive with history at every corner. What I also recommend if its your first time in the city is taking a walking tour. We’ve used Free Tours by Foot several times in various cities and it never disappoints. These tours are free but donation based so you pay for what you feel the tour was worth to you. The guides are always very well trained, usually history majors or professors, and very educated in various aspects of the city. It is a great way to get a sense of the city, get some great advice from a local, and meet other travelers as well. What our Rome guide explained to us was very eye-opening. Comparing Rome to Athens, she stated that in Athens they have where people live separate from many of the historic areas and monuments, but in Rome, the ancient and the modern live together side by side.

View more pictures from my travels in Rome below!