May 2023 brought our travel to Rome on a very rainy day. We only had the one day, so we were determined to make the most of it rain or not. Fortunately, it wasn’t too cold and we brought our umbrellas.
We arrived mid morning after a great flight on Delta Airlines. Going through security and retrieving our bags went smoothly. Finding the taxi station and grabbing a taxi was easy as well. The preset rate for the taxi to the city is 50 euros. As advised by people on online groups, we paid exact cash so we didn’t have to deal with change or credit cards. We also took the White Taxi right outside the airport located by the taxi stand, which from my understanding is an official and reputable taxi company.
Our hotel room was not ready so we put our bags in storage, grabbed our umbrellas, and off we went to explore. Our hotel was just a block from the Termini so our location was pretty good for walking to where we wanted to go.
Trevi Fountain
Our first destination was the Trevi Fountain. Absolutely beautiful! The rain stopped long enough for us to shoot some photos. It looked like the sun would be coming out but no such luck with that! The Trevi Fountain attracts quite the crowd as many people were trying to get the perfect photo! Patience was the key and we waited our turn for a quick minute at the coveted photo spot.
Pantheon
Next on our list to see was the Pantheon. We took photos from the outside as the line to get in was so long we were not even sure where it ended. We walked around the outside and it was much larger than I had thought.
The Tiber River
As our personal walking tour continued we crossed the Tiber River. I had really wanted to see this and was hoping the sun would pop out but unfortunately, the clouds were gathering and getting darker. All in all though, I was excited to cross the river.
Castel Sant’Angelo
Our next stop was Castel Sant’Angelo and much to our disappointment it was closed. We were really not finding much success this day but it was still fun to see. So for future reference this place is not opened on Mondays! But hey, we were in Rome and that alone was enough! The Castle of the Holy Angel has had many uses. Originally built as a Mausoleum for the Roman Emperor Hadrian and his family. Currently it is a museum. It is said the views are magnificent from the top. Although with the rainy day and overcast sky I suppose the view of Rome would not have been fantastic on this particular day.
Colosseum
Off we went to the colosseum. We had tickets for this and we were excited as this was the main site that attracted us to Rome. Interesting enough, we had tickets purchased months in advance for the additional underground tour but the tour was cancelled 2 days prior. Much to our disappointment and with no real reason other than “political reasons”. I scrambled to find tickets which was not easy, so I was happy to get 2 tickets at short notice. These tickets also included the Roman Forum. All in all, I was happy we would be able to see the main parts of this ruin rather than nothing at all.
While we were waiting for our tour to start, the clouds let loose and it started to pour. Our umbrellas were little help and we were soaked. Yet even though this day was more than just a little rainy we were in Rome and still happy. Although we had bought a skip the line tour, we still had to wait outside in line about 15 minutes to get in to the Colosseum. Once in though, the Colosseum was amazing and the rain started to subside.
The Roman Colosseum was built in 69-79 AD with modifications in 79-81 AD and also 81-96 AD. You can see the modifications in the building walls. Built out of limestone and volcanic rock, the Colosseum is huge. As a matter of fact, there was room for up to 80,000 people in its hey day. Well known for its use of famous or infamous gladiator contests, this was prime entertainment for the people of this era. Also known to showcase hunts and battles which were quite gruesome.
The Palatine Hill
When you hear of the Seven Hills of Rome, the Palatine Hill is in the center and is where the most ancient part of Rome lies. Named after the Ancient Greek city of Pallantium and founded by Greeks from Pallantium of Acardia. This area is said to have been populated since the 10th century BC.
In Ancient Roman era, the Palatine Hill was an area of beautiful gardens where the aristocrats built their palaces above the Roman Forum, overlooking the city.
The Roman Forum
The Roman Forum was a very important plaza in Ancient Rome that housed government buildings, monuments, temples and market places. Julius Caesar’s funeral procession was here. During his funeral procession, Marc Antony spoke to the people of Rome about the good Caesar had done for Rome. The people of Rome, were very distraught over his death and threw weapons, jewelry and candles on Caesar’s coffin which caught fire, burned and cremated him. Now known as Tempio di Giulio Cesar this area is in the Roman Forum.
Other Photos
After the tours we went back to the hotel, enjoying the streets and sites of Rome as the rainy day came to an end the skies started to clear. We had planned on eating somewhere with great Italian food but we were fed so well on our Delta One flight we were not very hungry. We ate a light dinner at the hotel and called it a night.
Locations
Conclusion
Although our rainy day in Rome wasn’t what we were hoping for, we still enjoyed the city. The Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Hill were definitely worth a visit. I am sure if we come back some day there will be so much more to discover.
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Check out my 2022 Italy trip posts:
Wandering Lecce, Italy – April 2022
Tenuta DonnAnna Cooking Class-Puglia, Italy, April 2022
Walking Through Porto Selvaggio-Puglia, Italy April 2022
Walking Through Capo di Leuca-Puglia, Italy April 2022
The Ciolo and Cipolliane Path-April 2022
Punta Palascia Italy-April 2022
Wander the Countryside in Puglia, Italy-April 2022
Sounds like a whirlwind of a time in Rome! Despite one day, you certainly made the most of it and saw the main sites. Rome is a city that’s been frozen in time, and it’s certainly an enchanting city worthy of a stop!
It certainly was a whirlwind. Such a great city
And an architectural marvel! It’s awe-inspiring to see the different shapes ancient Romans were able to blend in to such a harmonious outcome!
The Roman architecture is indeed awesome! So fun to just roam around!
Obviously, a sunny day would be better (as long as it’s not too sweltering), but any day in Rome is a great day as far as I’m concerned. It looks like you enjoyed it.
I agree! Regardless of the rain we still had a great time and great memories.
Such spectacular historical architecture, waterfront, grand Colosseum and ancient ruins! You visit such wonderful places, Lori, and I so appreciate you sharing your adventure in Rome ~ thank you, my friend! 🙂
Thank you, Phil! Rome is such an interesting place. Personally I prefer Athens in Greece but it was nice to see some of the sites in Rome!
Just curious, sneakers or sandals while enjoying “dancing” in the rain? Fred Astaire would be happy. Sunshine, so overrated. 😎😎
Sneakers! Soaking wet and squishy. Squeaked when we danced in the rain!!
Even in the rain, Rome is still so beautiful 🙂
Yes it is!!
I love rome
Our first time! Pretty cool!
My daughter just went for first time
I bet she loved it!
Absolutely
Rome is a fascinating city. I’m glad you got to go and kept your spirits up despite the rain.
It was still fun!
Great blog Thank you.
Thanks!
What a fantastic way to make the most of one day in Rome! Beautiful city, beautiful photos – I’m impressed!
It was a whirlwind of a day! Definitely got my steps in!
I love your tours! Always interesting. And the photos are great.
Thank you. We always try to make the most out of a chip especially if we know we’re short on time. That being said, sometimes we almost need a break after vacation is over!!
Great post and information. Thank you!
Thanks!
Do you recommend the hotel you stayed at? Can you tell us about it?
We stayed at Una Art Deco Hotel by the termini. It was clean, comfortable and convenient. Great for a day and night. We were able to walk everywhere we wanted to go. I would stay there again if we were only staying for a night and wanted quick easy termini access. I think I would probably stay at someplace more central if I was staying longer than that. We had dinner there and it was good and service was good as well. Had we been staying longer or had more time we probably would’ve wandered around and looked for a different place to eat but this worked well as we were extremely tired and just wanted to eat and go to bed!
A very ambitious day–in the rain at that! Thanks for sharing.
Regardless of the rain we still had fun!