Rome: My visit to the Eternal City (Day 2)

An early start for the day to make sure I got a view of the sunrise over Rome.

If the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps are on your 'must-see' list but the experience of being crammed into a small place like sardines is not, than I highly recommend visiting both places early morning.

If you want to go one step further, I recommend visiting on a Sunday morning. The logic being that most locals are going to church or the tourists/party-goers will be late risers from a big Saturday night.

Trevi Fountain

I walked to the Trevi Fountain (map) first, which was about a ten minute walk from my accommodation. There were only three other persons when I arrived (about 7:00am) and I could hear the fountain before laying eyes on it.

My wife to the right, sitting alone and enjoying the view

Photo opportunities, coin tossing and simply enjoying the views took up about half an hour.

Spanish Steps

The Spanish Steps (map) are a ten minute walk from the Trevi Fountain, walking to Piazza di Spagna will take you to the bottom of the steps which I recommend as the best way to approach the Spanish Steps.

Unfortunately the fountain (Fountain of the Old Boat/Fontana della Barcaccia) at the bottom of the steps was under restoration at the time of my visit. When I arrived there was only one other person at the Spanish Steps, besides a few fitness junkies who utilised the steps as part of their jogging route.

Having the Spanish Steps to myself was one of the highlights of the trip. Nothing like re-enacting a scene from Rocky by running up the steps. The view from the top is quite amazing, with a great view of the dome of St Peter's Basilica.

Re-enacting Rocky

The view from the top

For poetry lovers, the house where John Keats lived and saw out the last of his days is located at the bottom right (facing toward the steps) and is now set up as a memorial house.

Tip 1: If you're going to visit early morning on a Sunday, make sure you have bring something to eat or have a bite before leaving. Most cafes will not be open until late morning. 

Capuchin Crypts

The Capuchin Crypts (map) open from 9am until 7pm everyday.

For entry and service costs visit their website (scroll to the bottom for English).

There are tours offered, some offering 'skip the line' privileges. I personally don't think it necessary, I was able to gain entry straight away (bearing in mind I visited when it opened at 9am and not during peak tourist season). The audio guide offered was sufficient and informative.

Tip 2: The Capuchin Crypts, Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain are all located within close vicinity from one another. If you plan on visiting all three, I recommend visiting them one after another to make the most out of your time.

After the Crypts I returned to my accommodation before setting out to view one of Michelangelo's greatest works of art.

St Peter in Chains Basilica:

The namesake of this basilica comes from one of the two treasures it houses. San Pietro in Vincoli Basilica (map) was built approximately in the 5th century (it has undergone several restorations since), it is the home to the chains that imprisoned Saint Peter when he was jailed in Jerusalem and Michelangelo's statue of Moses.

Whether you believe the authenticity of the chains or not, it makes for an interesting story regardless. The real attraction in this authors humble opinion, is the statue of Moses.

Statue of Moses

What is more astounding is that to view the statue: you do not have to pay any entry fee, you are free to take photographs of the statue and you don't have the swarm of tourists/admirers to deal with. This is in stark contrast of trying to get a view of the statue of David.

Opening hours are 7am - 12:30pm and re-opens 3:30pm - 7pm (6pm in Autumn/Winter)

Entry price is free as previously mentioned.

For those interested in the history and architecture, this page makes for an informative read.

Tip 3: The walking route to getting to the Basilica involved walking along a lot of backstreets. Within reason, do not be deterred by these small alleyways. Through the mazes contains some of the best cafes and restaurants that Rome has to offer, often the small alleyways open up to amazing open courtyards as well.

Food recommendation: During the walk to St Peter in Chains I happened to stumble on a quaint little chocolate store, La bottega del Cioccolato (map). If you're in the area I recommend a visit, amongst the best chocolate I have tasted. The shop owner doesn't speak English, if you don't know Italian than pointing and indicating will see to a successful transaction.

Pantheon - bigger than I had imagined

Pantheon 

Cafe breaks in between, the next stop was the Pantheon (map). 

The Pantheon is open from 8:30am to 7:30pm. Entry is free.

I completely botched my visit, by the time I arrived (about 1pm) the Pantheon was closed for a special mass for several hours and was crowded in the courtyard outside.

If I had my time over again I would have made it a morning visit.

Piazza Navona

A large open courtyard built on the ancient site of Stadium Domitian, the main attractions of Piazza Navona (map) include:

• Fountain of Neptune (northern end)
• Fountain of the Four Rivers (central)
• Moor Fountain (southern end)
• Saint Agnes in Agone

It is also home to a large concentration of tourist traps (overpriced restaurants and merchandise stands). 

Personally, it did not appeal to me. It was over crowed and too touristy for my liking. But if you feel the need to tick it off the list, a short visit will suffice.

Food recommendation: Following on from Tip 3, I stumbled upon Casa Coppelle (map). They specialise in Roman cuisine, the price could be considered to be expensive however you do receive quality for money. A short walk from there is arguably the most popular gelato store in all of Rome - Giolitti (map).

In the afternoon I ended up walking back past the Trevi Fountain to find a few more people had congregated since my morning visit:

Trevi Fountain in the afternoon

The rest of the day was spent resting, eating and shopping.