Ciao! Rome in four days is my sweet spot. Long enough to fall in love, short enough that your feet don’t hate you forever. I’ve run this route maybe eight times now, always tweaking it, always coming home with red wine stains on my shirt and a stupid grin. Here we go.

Day 1 – Land, drop bags, throw money at fountains
I usually roll in on the Leonardo Express, jump off at Termini, and take the metro to Spagna because I’m cheap and it’s fast. My favorite little hotel is two streets from the Spanish Steps, tiny elevator, perfect balcony for morning coffee. First thing after check-in: Trevi Fountain. Yeah it’s packed, but if you go at like 9pm the crowds thin out a bit and the lights make it look unreal. I toss a coin with my right hand over left shoulder (tradition says I’ll come back, and look, it works every time). Then I just walk. Up to Quirinale, down past the wedding-cake building, gelato stop somewhere that doesn’t have fifty flavors (three good ones is enough). Dinner is simple, cacio e pepe and house red in some place where the owner yells at his son in Roman dialect. Sleep early, big day tomorrow.

Day 2 – Sunrise Colosseum and feeling like a gladiator
Alarm at 5:30 hurts, but trust me. I grab an espresso at the bar downstairs, walk twenty minutes to the Colosseum just as the sky goes pink. Almost nobody there yet, the stones glow orange, you can actually hear birds instead of selfie sticks. I buy the first-entry ticket online the night before, walk straight in, no line. Feels illegal how good it is. Spend an hour inside pretending I’m Russell Crowe, then cross to the Forum when it opens. Mornings there are magic, light hits the ruins perfectly, stray cats everywhere owning the place.

By 10am the buses arrive, so I’m out. Quick cornetto, then Palatine Hill because almost everyone skips it and the views over the city are ridiculous. Lunch near the Circus Maximus, little truck that does porchetta panini, sit in the shade and watch joggers.

Afternoon – Pantheon (go in, look up, mouth opens by itself), then throw a coin in the bocca della verità just for the photo (I’m still honest, hand survived). After that I wander Campo de’ Fiori market even if it’s touristy, the colors are worth it. Evening is Trastevere. I get lost on purpose, tiny streets, ivy walls, some church with candles you can light for one euro. Dinner at a place my friend swears only locals know, carbonara so good I almost cry, then late-night supplì from that hole-in-the-wall near Piazza Santa Maria. Best fried rice balls in existence.

Day 3 – Vatican early, then chill like a Roman
Another early start, but worth it. Vatican Museums at 8am, still busy but bearable. I speed-walk to the Sistine Chapel because once you’ve seen it once, you just wanna see it again and get out before the meltdown. Then St. Peter’s, climb the dome if your knees are brave, the view makes Rome look like a painting. Out by noon, mission accomplished.

Afternoon is slow. Bus to Testaccio, old-school neighborhood, amazing lunch at a trattoria where they bring you whatever Nonna cooked that day. Then a long walk along the river to Isola Tiberina, grab a cold beer from the little kiosk, sit on the wall with feet dangling over the water. Pure Roman summer vibes. Evening: aperitivo in Monti, one spritz turns into three, then pizza al taglio while walking home because why not.

Day 4 – Whatever your heart wants and ciao Roma
Last morning I usually go back to one favorite spot. Sometimes it’s the orange garden on Aventine Hill for the keyhole view of St. Peter’s, sometimes just people-watching at Piazza Navona with a cappuccino. If I have energy I hit the Borghese Gallery (booked months ahead, tiny museum, massive vibes). Then one last pasta, one last gelato (pistachio and hazelnut combo forever), and I drag myself to the train.

Rome never feels finished. That’s the point. Four days and I’m already planning the next coin in that fountain.

Next field trip soon,
Kohl