Day 1: Ancient Rome in 24 Hours
Colosseum, Forum & Palatine Hill
Start at the Colosseum at opening (9am, €18 combined ticket with Forum and Palatine). Book the underground and arena floor upgrade (€24) for the most dramatic views. Walk through the Roman Forum — the political heart of the ancient world — then climb Palatine Hill for panoramic views over the ruins and the Circus Maximus below. Allow 3 hours total.
Pantheon, Piazzas & Gelato
Walk to the Pantheon (free entry, reserve online) — 2,000 years old and still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome. The oculus casts a beam of light that rotates through the interior. Continue to Piazza Navona for Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers, then to the Trevi Fountain. Gelato at Fatamorgana (€2.50–4, no artificial ingredients) on Via Laurina.
Trastevere — Food & Nightlife
Cross the Tiber to Trastevere — Rome's most atmospheric neighbourhood. Cobblestone lanes draped in ivy, ochre-walled trattorias, and a genuine village feel. Dinner at Da Enzo al 29 (book ahead, pasta from €10) or Tonnarello (no reservations, queue early). Walk Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere for the illuminated basilica, then drinks at Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fà craft beer bar.
