Jan 1, 2026 8 min read

3 days in Rome

Colosseum

Three days in Rome in December was refreshing and exciting. Although Rome was very crowded, but still i managed to enjoy my stay.

As I traveled to Rome with late plan, so I managed to book a tour and a hostel to stay.

Romehello was a great hostel, clean and friendly with a nice social area. You have a small kitchen i the hostel to cook for yourself, as well as breakfast buffe option. You also have free laundry in the first floor.

https://www.booking.com/Share-IqDAaMs

Day1

Colosseum tour with City walker was a great success. I learned so much about the colosseum and the history behind it. Also the path can be very confusing if you don't have the guide with you. The tour guide was also showing us the best points to get the best views for photos.

It was amazing to see a construction from 72AD still standing, although it has gone though a lot in the history and they tried to reconstruct it, the shape it has now and the colosseum as it is now, it makes us to wonder how we can learn from our ancestor to construct a structure that is sustainable both materially and socially. Colosseum was not only a building to gather people where gladiators fight to entertain the rich people, as it was used for that function only few times of the year. Its ruins was also used to reconstruct the other buildings in the city. You will find many columns and stone from Greece and Egypt there too.

With the same tour we had the Forum and Palantir hill which is one of the seventh hills around the colosseum. Rich families used to live there and you can get a good view to circus maximus from there.

I also learned that back then romans used a special type of painting called Fresco painting. A fresco is a painting made right onto wet plaster on a wall or ceiling. The artist first spreads fresh, damp plaster over the surface. While it’s still wet (they’re basically racing the clock), they paint on it using colored pigments mixed with water. As the plaster dries, the colors soak in and become part of the wall itself. So the art doesn’t just sit on the wall, it is the wall. Pretty durable stuff. Here is a picture of a small part still recognizable in the wall.

Then after leaving colosseum it is off course the time to check out smaller sites. My next destination was Trevi fountain. I suggest you go there before 9 am to be able to get a good view. Trevi fountain is constructed 264 years ago from Travertine stones (the same material as Colosseum) designed by Nicola Salvi. It is in Baroque style and one of the most famous fountains in the world. It is in junction of three ways.

The next big stop was the Spanish Steps, with their huge, wide staircase. Technically, you’re not supposed to sit on them, but plenty of people were relaxing there anyway. It made it tricky to capture the beauty of the place in a photo, but at the same time the crowd added to the atmosphere. After all, it’s always been a social space, and the people are part of its life and energy.

From the Spanish stairs i moved to Borghese park. On the way you find a lot of great spots for a panoramic view of Rome.

Day 2

I started it with the visit of Pantheon. If you get a ticket online you can get in without waiting. But if you want to pay by cash you have stay in que. make sure you get the ticket from the original website of pantheon and not a fake website. Here is the main pantheon website for the tickets: https://direzionemuseiroma.cultura.gov.it/en/pantheon/

Pantheon is open everyday from 9 to 7 pm.

Pantheon is one of the most famous buildings in the world in Roman style that went through many reconstructions. As it is mentioned though different resources it is a Greek name and one of the meanings can be a place dedicated to all Gods. The building has gods status around and the ceiling is an amazing piece of art with the oculus on the middle for the natural light.

Another Piazza i enjoyed walking though was Piazza Navona next to the Pantheon with Fountain dei Quattro Fiumi.

From Piazza Navona next stop was the keyhole where i must say Emily in Paris made a quite promotion of it. At that time i was there it was a 40 minutes que. Through the keyhole

On the way to the keyhole you can enjoy walking through the old gate and some ruins as well as the roman Pyramid.

In the evening i visited the amazing Rooms of Saint Ignatius, the founder of Jesuits spent the last years of his life in the 1500s. They’re preserved much as they were, with simple furniture that shows how modestly he lived, even while running a fast-growing religious order. Today the rooms are part of a quiet museum near the Church of the Gesù, where visitors can see his study, bedroom, and chapel, a peaceful corner of Rome that feels a world away from the busy streets outside. It has became a showcase of Baroque illusionism done by Andrea Pozzo. The perspective shifts with every step.

Day 3

And the last day i actually spent in the Cinecitta amusement park which is definitely not something tourists would do as it was mostly local people there. But i must say they had some cool games.

Here is the link to the tickets:

Tickets - Buy tickets for Cinecittà World Online

Buy tickets for Cinecittà World online and skip your tail! Offers, discounted tickets from 15 euros.