Rome was the first stop on the biggest and longest vacation Laura and I had taken together up to that point. We came through London and landed at Fiumicino late in the afternoon, excited to finally be in Italy but already wishing we had gotten there earlier.
The hotel was absolutely beautiful. It was probably one of the nicest rooms Laura and I had stayed in together, and the service matched it. I had chosen it partly because I could use points, but the location mattered even more. We could walk out the door and immediately start seeing Rome instead of spending a lot of time getting into the historic center.
We were tired from the flights, but sitting in the hotel was never really an option. We dropped our things, took a few pictures and went back outside. Gelato came first, then the Fountain of Moses and the area around Santa Maria della Vittoria. It was already too late to go inside the church, so we kept walking while I started taking pictures of the buildings around us. The age of everything was hard to ignore, especially compared with what we are used to seeing at home in the United States.
Rome ended up being one of our favorite places on the trip. The Colosseum and Roman Forum were the biggest reasons why. I had seen both represented in movies, books and photographs for years, and walking through them gave all of that history a scale that those images never really could.
Day 1 — Arrival and First Walk Around Rome
We arrived at Fiumicino late in the afternoon, traveled into central Rome and checked into Palazzo Naiadi at Piazza della Repubblica. We headed back outside that evening for gelato and walked around the Fountain of Moses and Santa Maria della Vittoria before returning to the hotel.
Day 2 — Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
After breakfast, we headed toward the Colosseum for our tour. When it ended, Laura and I continued on our own through the Roman Forum, Farnese Gardens and Palatine Hill, eventually working our way toward Piazza Venezia and the Vittoriano. Later that evening we returned to the Colosseum and stayed long enough for me to photograph it as the light faded into blue hour.
Day 3 — Back into Rome After Vatican City
We spent the first part of the day in Vatican City before continuing around Castel Sant’Angelo and Ponte Sant’Angelo. We moved through the Spanish Steps area, visited Trevi Fountain and briefly returned to Palazzo Naiadi before heading back out for dinner at Da Trani.
Day 4 — Pantheon, Trevi and the Train to Naples
We left our luggage with Palazzo Naiadi while we continued sightseeing. After another visit near Vatican City , we returned to Rome for the Pantheon, Santa Maria Maddalena in Campo Marzio, Piazza Colonna and a second attempt at Trevi Fountain. We stopped at Flann O’Brien before collecting our bags and heading to Roma Termini for the Frecciarossa to Naples.
The Colosseum and Roman Forum Tour
After breakfast on our first full day, we joined the tour we had arranged for the Colosseum and Roman Forum. The Colosseum was one of the main places I wanted to see in Rome. It is probably the landmark most people immediately associate with the city, and standing there naturally brought to mind all the history tied to it, along with movies like Gladiator that most of us have seen over the years.
Laura listened to the guide more closely than I did because I was moving around taking pictures. I remember the discussion about the seating and restoration work, especially the white marble sections, but I spent more time looking at the structure itself and trying to understand how everything fit together.
The underground areas were especially interesting. Looking down into the hypogeum, you could see the tunnels, rooms and passageways that supported whatever was happening on the arena floor above. There was a lot more engineering behind the Colosseum than I had really thought about before seeing it in person.
The Roman Forum was part of the same tour, so we continued there after the Colosseum. I did not know what most of the individual ruins were while we were walking through them. I was taking pictures of whatever looked interesting, and a lot of the names and details came later when I went back through the photographs.
That included places like the House of the Vestals, Temple of Romulus, Temple of Saturn and Temple of Castor and Pollux. I did not need to know exactly what each one was in the moment to know I wanted a picture of it.
The Forum as a whole was what I enjoyed most. There was so much ancient Rome in one area, even if much of it was now reduced to columns, walls and foundations.
Continuing Through Palatine Hill
After the organized part of the tour ended, Laura and I kept exploring. We worked our way through the Farnese Gardens and farther into Palatine Hill without really having a specific destination in mind.
I always like getting to higher ground when I am taking pictures because it gives me a better view of the overall layout. Palatine Hill gave me that perspective over the Roman Forum and helped me understand the area better than I could while walking through the ruins at ground level.
We passed San Bonaventura al Palatino along the way. We did not go there specifically, but I liked the way the church looked among the ruins and greenery, so I stopped for a photograph.
We continued through the imperial palace area and around the Palatine Stadium, photographing as we went. A lot of the specific names came later when I worked through the images.
Piazza Venezia and the Vittoriano
We could see Piazza Venezia in the distance, so we gradually worked our way in that direction. The Vittoriano is much newer than the ancient sites we had been seeing, but it is still an enormous structure with a lot of detail.
We explored different parts of it inside and outside. There were sculptures, reliefs, columns, flags and elevated views over the surrounding area, so I had plenty to photograph.
Rome worked well for the way Laura and I like to travel. We had major places we wanted to see, but if something interesting showed up while we were walking, we usually went over and checked it out.
Back to the Colosseum for Blue Hour
Later that evening, we went back to the Colosseum because I wanted to photograph it after sunset. Blue hour was getting close, so I told Laura we should hang around a little longer.
I wished pretty quickly that I had brought a tripod. I tried shooting handheld with the Canon, but the results were not what I wanted. I ended up liking the photograph I took with my Samsung phone better than the Canon shots.
We stayed long enough to see the Colosseum illuminated before eventually heading back toward the hotel.
Back in Rome After Vatican City
The next day began in Vatican City, which has its own Destination Story. After we finished there, we continued walking around the Tiber and back into Rome.
We came across Castel Sant’Angelo and Ponte Sant’Angelo and spent some time there. Old buildings, bridges and architectural details are exactly the kind of things I tend to stop for, so we crossed the bridge and looked at the statues along the way.
We also had hop-on/hop-off bus passes during our stay and used transportation when it made sense for longer distances. Once we reached another part of the city, we usually went right back to walking.
Spanish Steps and Roasted Chestnuts
We reached the Spanish Steps near the upper end around Trinità dei Monti and walked around the surrounding area. Before the trip, I did not know much about the Steps other than seeing them listed as one of the major places people visited in Rome, so naturally we wanted to see them.
The area was crowded, which made taking pictures harder. We walked through Piazza di Spagna and around the nearby streets before continuing on.
I also remember smelling roasted chestnuts. We did not buy any, but the smell reminded me of growing up. There were chestnut trees across the street from our house, and I remember dealing with those sharp outer husks, peeling the chestnuts and putting them along the ledge of our wood-burning stove.
Trevi Fountain
Trevi Fountain was packed. The area around it is much tighter than a lot of photographs make it look, and there were people everywhere.
I spent time moving around trying to find a decent angle, but the crowd made photography difficult. We came back again the following afternoon hoping it might be quieter, but it was still just as busy.
By that second visit I had bought a ROMA baseball cap after spending too much time in the sun without one and getting burned. I kept the hat and later started doing the same thing on other trips.
Dinner at Da Trani
Later that evening we walked past Da Trani and decided to stop for dinner. I ordered a very large steak, and Laura had the seafood pasta with mussels, clams and tomatoes that I photographed.
The food was excellent, and so was the wine. I still remember thinking how strange it was that still water could cost more than such good wine.
The Pantheon
On our last day, Palazzo Naiadi held our luggage while we kept sightseeing. After the Vatican City portion of the day, we came back into Rome and visited the Pantheon.
The exterior was impressive, but once we walked inside, I spent a lot of time looking at the dome and the oculus. The size of it is hard to judge properly until you are standing underneath it.
I photographed the altar, sculptures, Raphael’s tomb and the royal tombs, but I did not know exactly what every one of them was while we were there. I learned more about them afterward when I went through the photographs.
We passed Santa Maria Maddalena in Campo Marzio while we were walking. We were not looking for it, but the façade was beautiful, so I stopped and took a picture.
The same thing happened at Piazza Colonna. I did not know what the Column of Marcus Aurelius was at the time, but it looked important enough that I took several photographs so I could figure it out later.
Flann O’Brien and Leaving Rome
By the last afternoon, we had spent a lot of time walking and I was ready to sit down for a while. Flann O’Brien looked good inside and out, so we stopped and I had a cold beer.
Afterward we went back to Palazzo Naiadi, picked up our luggage and headed to Roma Termini.
I had booked first class on the Frecciarossa because I wanted Laura and me to be comfortable and enjoy the ride to Naples. It was our first high-speed train ride together, although I had taken one before between Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
I mainly remember how many snacks they kept bringing around, especially the Italian chocolates.
Then we were on the train headed south to Naples.
The first food memory from Rome is simple: gelato on the first evening. I do not remember the shop or the flavors, but Laura and I both love ice cream, it was warm outside and gelato made sense. We liked it immediately.
Da Trani is the meal I remember best. We found it without planning ahead, simply because we were walking past and decided to stop. I had a large steak, Laura had seafood pasta, and the wine was excellent. Nothing about that meal disappointed us.
Coffee throughout Rome was very good, and the wine was even better. Flann O’Brien on the last afternoon was less about having a destination meal and more about finally getting off our feet and having a cold beer before leaving the city.
In the Frame
The Faces Behind This Journey
Palazzo Naiadi, The Dedica Anthology, Autograph Collection
Palazzo Naiadi was exactly where I would stay again. I had points available, but the location at Piazza della Repubblica was the bigger reason I chose it. We could walk out the door and start seeing Rome without needing transportation every time we wanted to go somewhere.
The hotel was beautiful, and our room was one of the nicest Laura and I had stayed in at that point. The service was impeccable. We did not spend much time there beyond sleeping, getting ready and stopping back when I needed something because we wanted to be out seeing Rome.
The location also worked well on our last day. The hotel held our luggage while we continued sightseeing, and we came back later that afternoon to pick everything up before heading to Termini.
Just Beyond: Vatican City
A short distance from central Rome, Vatican City became a major part of our visit with the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Square and St. Peter’s Basilica. Its story is large enough to stand on its own rather than being squeezed into the Rome page.
Explore the Vatican City Feature Story
Rome was still a two-camera Canon 5D Mark III trip for me. I carried the 24–70mm on one body and the 70–200mm on the other, which made it easy to move between broader views and tighter architectural details without changing lenses constantly.
The crowds were the biggest issue at Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. Both were tight enough that getting a clean composition took patience. The Pantheon had the opposite problem: I needed something wider than 24mm to photograph the interior the way I really wanted.
The biggest gear mistake was leaving the tripod behind. I specifically waited for the Colosseum during blue hour and then could not get the Canon results I wanted while shooting handheld. My Samsung phone gave me the image I liked better under those conditions.
If I photographed Rome again, the tripod would absolutely come with me and I would bring a wider lens for places like the Pantheon.
Getting around Rome was easy for us. We walked a lot, used rides or buses for longer distances and bought hop-on/hop-off passes during the stay. That combination worked well because we could cover distance when needed and then explore on foot once we reached an area.
I would not change the hotel or cut any of the major places we visited. The main thing I would change is simply the amount of time. We covered a lot in a few days, but you could spend much longer in Rome and still have plenty left to see.
Photographically, I would bring the tripod and a wider lens. Practically, I would also buy the hat earlier instead of waiting until I had already burned my head in the sun. Trevi and the Spanish Steps were crowded enough that returning later did not solve much, so I would go back expecting to work around the people rather than waiting for them to disappear.
The Colosseum and Roman Forum would still be my priorities. They were the parts of Rome Laura and I enjoyed most because they took places we had seen represented for years and put them right in front of us. Nothing about Rome disappointed us, and it remains one of our favorite places from that trip.
Behind the Lens
I’m Steve—a retired Army vet who traded rucksacks for camera bags and never stopped exploring. What started with a simple 110 film camera grew into photographing all 50 states and 30+ countries, from quick business-trip detours to adventures with my wife Laura. Shutter Nomadica is where I share those travels through the photographs, stories, and moments that made each place memorable.
Next Stop: Naples
After collecting our bags at Palazzo Naiadi, Laura and I boarded the Frecciarossa at Roma Termini and headed south to Naples. Our next stop brought a completely different side of Italy, along with the beginning of our visits to Naples and Pompeii.
Explore the Naples Feature Story
