Rome in 4 Days – The Day We Became Saints 

After our first day in Rome, you might think we would wake up early and immediately continue exploring the Eternal City in our Rome in 4 days mission. My wife didn’t think so. She likes to sleep. Also, we were very tired from the trip, the sleepless night before the flight, and the first day itself. So, getting out of bed before 8:30 AM was a struggle. A serious struggle, but eventually, we made it.

Coffee Before Conquering Rome – Rome in 4 Days

Our first stop was Cancelliere Caffè Pasticceria, a beautiful little café near the bus stop. And honestly, we loved it. The prices were fantastic (1,4 euros for a cappuccino, with free refills of water, even sparkling), the coffee was even better, and there seemed to be about a million different kinds of sweets to choose from. It was one of those places where you immediately start thinking about whether you should have breakfast or simply order one of everything.

The people working there were incredibly friendly as well. They even managed not to make faces at my rather clumsy attempts to speak Italian, which I appreciated. After a proper breakfast and coffee, we were finally ready to face Rome again.

Why We Took the Bus – Rome in 4 Days

We had decided to use the bus that day, instead of the metro. Yes, we lost around 20 minutes by doing so, but trust me, it’s much better to travel across Rome on something that has windows, and you can see a lot of things.  And that was the whole point. Sitting on the bus allowed us to watch the city pass by, see neighbourhoods we probably would not have walked through otherwise, and simply experience a little more of modern Rome.

It was also Sunday—the first Sunday of the month—which meant that many state museums were free. As you noticed by now, I like to pay the least possible, the type of tourist all the hosts hate, so, naturally, we had a plan. We wanted to visit Castel Sant’Angelo and the Pantheon.

We had already decided, however, that visiting the Colosseum on that particular Sunday would be a terrible idea. And when we passed it, our decision was immediately confirmed. The crowds were absolutely insane. You know, we had seen it through the bus windows.

Porta Portese and a Very Different Rome – Rome in 4 Days

Our first real stop was Porta Portese. Or, something very close to that name, you know what I mean. It was fantastic. Crowded, noisy, and full of life, the market gave us a completely different impression of Rome from the ancient monuments and famous tourist attractions. This was modern Rome in all its chaotic glory. We wandered through the crowds, tried some cheese, looked at children’s toys, checked out a suitcase, and eventually bought some spicy cured meat. It was excellent.

I am not entirely sure that buying spicy cured meat while walking around Rome all day was part of our carefully planned itinerary, but that is how travelling works sometimes.

An Expensive Coffee Break in Trastevere – Rome in 4 Days

From there, we walked back towards Trastevere, and our legs reminded us that we had already spent a considerable amount of time walking around Rome. So we stopped at a pastry shop. Now, we knew that prices could be different depending on whether you sat down or simply ordered something at the counter.

We didn’t care; our legs hurt, so we sat down. Two coffees and two croissants later, we were €20 poorer. Was it expensive? Absolutely. Did we care at that particular moment? Not really. A few months later, I still don’t care. It was tasty. 

I later noticed that the place did not have particularly impressive ratings on Google, but honestly, we had a nice time. We sat down, rested, and enjoyed the moment. Sometimes that is worth more than a perfect Google rating.

We Accidentally Found the Place Where Caesar Was Killed – Rome in 4 Days

Our original plan was to continue towards the Pantheon after giving up on visiting Castel Sant’Angelo.We had also left our newly bought suitcase somewhere safe, in one of those places where you can leave your luggage and continue exploring without dragging it through Rome. While walking through the city, however, we noticed something strange on our right.

It looked almost as if there was something in a hole below street level. Naturally, we went to investigate. Actually, I wanted to investigate, and my wife just couldn’t say no to my face at that moment. And that is how we found Largo di Torre Argentina.

For someone like me, that was a pretty good accidental discovery. This is the archaeological area traditionally associated with the assassination of Julius Caesar, and because it was the first Sunday of the month, entry was free. So, of course, we went in. I would pay if I had to, even for my wife. Just joking, of course. She has all of our money. And this was absolutely worth our time.

There were no overwhelming crowds. We could walk around, take photographs, read the information panels, and simply enjoy the site. One of my favourite parts was seeing the then-and-now comparisons, which helped bring the ancient ruins into perspective. And, of course, there were the cats.  Perfect.

The Pantheon and Our Attempt to Become Saints – Rome in 4 Days

Eventually, we continued towards the Pantheon. Fortunately, the queue was not too bad. We waited maybe seven or eight minutes. While standing there, we entertained ourselves by trying to guess where people around us were from based on their English accents. I confidently guessed Germany. I was wrong, because they were Dutch. So much for my linguistic expertise.

But once we entered, everything was forgiven. The Pantheon was incredible. We took our time, looked around, and simply enjoyed being inside one of the most extraordinary buildings ever constructed. Then someone had an idea. That someone was me. I realized that if we took photographs from a particular angle, the famous opening in the dome—the oculus—could look like a halo above our heads.

This was obviously a brilliant idea. For the next twenty minutes, almost every photograph was taken at exactly the same angle. The result? My wife and I became saints. At least according to our photographs. Some people looked at us a little strangely. But I think that is simply what happens when you start posing like holy figures inside the Pantheon. They were jealous.

A Peaceful Escape in Villa Borghese – Rome in 4 Days

After the Pantheon, we headed towards Villa Borghese. Getting there was not exactly easy when you are already exhausted. There was uphill walking involved, more than we would have liked. But once again, it was worth it. After the noise, traffic, and crowds of central Rome, Villa Borghese felt like entering another world. It was peaceful, green, and surprisingly relaxing considering that we were still in the middle of one of Europe’s busiest cities.

We walked around, relaxed, and took several dozen photographs, possibly more. We considered renting a boat on the lake, but there was apparently a wait of around an hour and a half. And there was another problem. My wife is afraid of the geese.

Well… To be completely honest, I am a little afraid of them too. So we decided that perhaps the geese had won that particular battle.

The Longest Sandwich Queue of My Life – Rome in 4 Days

Afterwards, we collected our suitcase and went to try the famous sandwiches everyone talks about. We had heard about them and seen the photos.

We knew there would probably be a queue because we saw one earlier, but we were not prepared for a 40-minute queue. I am fairly certain it was the longest queue of my life.

Eventually, we got our sandwiches. Two sandwiches, €26. And here comes my controversial opinion. They were good, but they were not worth that much money. I know. Incredible. By that point, however, the sun was beginning to set, and we were completely exhausted. We had reached that stage where you are still enjoying your trip, but your feet have started seriously questioning your life choices.

Coffee, Caffarella and the Halfway Point – Rome in 4 Days

That evening, we returned to the area where we were staying, around Caffarella. There was no grand plan. We simply walked around the neighbourhood and eventually returned to the same café and pastry shop where we had started our morning. And once again, we enjoyed it. Sometimes the best part of travelling is not another famous landmark. Sometimes it is simply sitting down after a long day, with a person you love, drinking coffee (we do that the whole day, six or seven daily) and realizing that you have spent the entire day doing exactly what you wanted to do.

Somehow, we had already reached the halfway point of our trip, and I was already starting to feel something I had not expected. I did not want to go home. Of course, we missed our children. But Rome had a strange way of making us forget that the trip was temporary. Still, there were two days left, and we intended to enjoy every minute of them.