This weekend, our home base was the beautiful city of Florence. From Thursday to Sunday, we enjoyed shopping, strolled the cobbled streets, and saw the beauty of Tuscany's Wineries. But when you’re in Italy, you simply can’t not go to Rome. It’s a rule. So, we made it happen.
We knew it wouldn’t be a laid-back day. Rome isn’t a stroll in the park. So, on Saturday, we set our alarms for the brutal hour of 5:00 a.m. We packed our bags, pulled on sneakers, and made it to the bus station. By 6:40 a.m., we were on our way. At exactly 8:05, we stepped off the bus and into the heart of Rome, ready to make the most of every single minute, literally.
From the moment we arrived, it was go time. No easing into it, no “let’s stop for coffee and croissants.” This was a conquest. First stop? The iconic Trevi Fountain.
Despite the early hour, the Trevi was already bustling with visitors. We made our way to the front, each tossing a coin over our shoulder into the fountain. Legend says that it guarantees a return to Rome. Fingers crossed this is correct! The white marble glistened in the morning sun, and we took a minute to appreciate how surreal it felt to be standing in front of something so massive and magical. Of course, I took lots of pictures too!
From there, it was straight to the Vatican Museums, which truly are a maze of art, culture, and history. Every corridor led to another room more ornate and overwhelming than the last. The Sistine Chapel, though, was the undeniable highlight. It’s the kind of thing you’ve seen in textbooks and movies your whole life, but nothing compares to standing there in silence, craning your neck to take in Michelangelo’s masterpiece. The sheer scale of it and the detail in every brushstroke is breathtaking. You can almost feel the weight of history in the air. I can’t even imagine the patience and amount of hand cramping that went into this piece of art.
Next up: St. Peter’s Basilica, the spiritual and architectural heart of Vatican City. Though our legs were already starting to feel it, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to climb to the dome. The view from the top was worth every step. From up there, the whole city seemed to stretch out endless ancient ruins, baroque churches, winding streets, and tiny rooftops all bathed in golden sunlight. Seeing my 6th-grade history class come to life was surreal.
We grabbed a quick lunch at a delicious local restaurant. We all had to chug water, too. The heat is no joke. Rome wasn’t going to wait for us, so we were up and out. Our next and final major stop was the Colosseum.
Seeing the Colosseum in person is surreal. It feels at once familiar and foreign, like stepping into a movie set and realizing it’s real. Walking through those ancient arches, imagining gladiators, roaring crowds, and emperors watching from the stands. It sends a chill down your spine, even in the brutal afternoon heat. We wandered through the ruins, letting our imaginations run wild, trying to picture the ancient city as it once was. This was the highlight of my trip.
By the time 3:00 p.m. rolled around, we had covered nearly every major site on our list. Rome had tested us with heat, crowds, and a packed schedule, but we rose to the challenge. As we made our way back to the bus station, our energy was low, but our spirits were high. We had taken 30,000 steps, conquered a city in just 7 hours, and somehow still found time for a quick souvenir shop.
The ride back to Florence was quiet. Most of us slept because of our pure exhaustion from the day. As the Tuscan hills rolled past the window, I thought about how crazy, and amazing it was that we did it. That we saw Rome, really saw it, in less than a day.
Of course, there’s so much more to see. A city like Rome can’t be fully experienced in just a few hours. It’s a place you could spend weeks exploring and still feel like you’ve only scratched the surface. But I don’t regret the way we did it. There’s something exhilarating about the rush, the movement, the challenge of it all. We turned a weekend in Florence into a Roman adventure, and it’s a day I’ll never forget.
So, if you ever find yourself with a tight schedule and an itch to explore, do it. We even conquered an evening in Florence after. Wake up early, lace up your sneakers, and chase every experience. Rome in a day might be ambitious, but it’s worth it.