One Week in the Eternal City

Great photo stop from both the top and the bottom. Be advised you are not allowed to SIT on the steps!

The Trevi Fountain is magnificent but very, very crowded! These days, to get down close and in front of the fountain you'll need to buy a ticket and wait in line. Alternatively, get your best peek from the square and then go into the United Colors of Benneton store in front of the fountain, go up to the second floor windows and you'll find one of the best vantage points for taking in the fountain and getting some photos.

You can buy tickets to go inside or just snap photos from outside and wander around the square. You don't need to book tickets ahead of time as you can do so on your phone right out front or wait in a short line.

This is a significant historical and archeological site. You can walk around it from the outside, reading historical plaques and looking down into the site. You can also buy tickets and enter to get more up close and personal. Make sure to spot the many cats that now live here!

Grab lunch outside in one of Rome's many squares.

A golf cart tour is the perfect way to spend your first evening. With jetlag and tired feet, see Rome lit up at night as you drive all over the city with a tour guide. You'll stop for photos along the way and learn tons about Rome's history and geography. We took this tour which picked us up and dropped us off right in front of our hotel.

We booked this guided tour and highly recommend it. Have on good walking shoes!

Your Ancient Rome tour will end near the Colosseum. Before walking back to your hotel, rest your feet and refuel with a lunch in the Monti neighborhood, near the Colosseum.

Rome has many group cooking classes to choose from. Learn to make homemade pastas and desserts while enjoying wine and chit chat with your fellow travelers. Then eat everything you cooked! We booked this class from Rome With Chef.

Take in the sights on both sides of the river. No real agenda needed. If you want a couple of landmarks for your route, start near the Mausoleum of Augustus, cross the river and then walk the banks down to Castel Sant Angelo.

One of Rome's main shopping streets.

A couple of my favorite gelato stops in the Centro Storico area are Giolitti and Venchi.

Book a nice dinner in one of Rome's very best public squares, Piazza Navona. Bistrot er Marchese or Camillo are good choices for food and people watching.

Depending on the day, Vatican City will have varying activities happening. You might be able to catch a Papal Address in St. Peter's Square or even mass. Or you can join a guided tour of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. Check the schedule when you will be there and decide the best option for you.

I've done this guided three-hour tour as well as just been in St. Peter's Square during a Papal Address, no tickets needed.

It's no secret that I love a good food tour. I recommend one that takes you to Trastevere, one of my favorite neighborhoods in Rome. I took this tour from Eating Europe.

This is a long day filled with extraordinary history, and a little wine! This is the tour I took to Pompei.

This is a shorter trip than Pompei but will still take up the majority of your day. You'll be back in Rome for dinner though. Tivoli is a gorgeous countryside town and the villas you will visit are both stunning and historic with great, guided storytelling along the way. This is the tour I booked.

The Borghese Gardens is a sprawling urban park in central Rome. Take a walk or rent a bike. You can also rent a boat and paddle out into the pond. These are many statue lined paths throughout the park; stop and read their inscriptions and take photos if you're inclined. This park has many great photo opportunities.

Head out for one last wander through Rome. Visit sites you want to see again or missed earlier in the trip. Shop for souvenirs.

One of my favorite areas in Rome is the square just in front of the Pantheon. It's incredibly scenic and unapologetically Roman. Book a table here for your last dinner in the city.