Hi Frugalistas! The last stop on our recent trip to Italy was Rome. It had been 30 years since I had visited Rome and Mr Frugalfirstclass had never been before, so I was keen to see whether it was still the magical city I remembered. On our Rome three day itinerary we had the opportunity to hit many of the big sites and explore some areas I had not visited before. And my verdict? Yes, Rome is still the eternal city, but while many things remain the same, it is a bit different.
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Table of Contents
Day 1 Rome three day itinerary: an orientation walk
We arrived from our Florence stay in the early afternoon so had planned to do a walk around our neighbourhood that afternoon to start our three day itinerary in Rome. I had chosen the Piazza Navona area for our acccommodation, knowing that it was a best area to stay in Rome. (You can find out more about our Rome accommodation below.)
Piazza Navona was our first destination. A large spacious square with fountains, street entertainers and restaurants selling low quality food, it’s a popular Rome destination for good reason. It really is very picturesque even in the middle of the day.
Like many well known, popular squares, the food on Piazza Navona is quite mediocre – even our bacon and egg breakfast after our early morning Vatican museum tour was pretty ordinary. We found the food much better (and cheaper) in the street behind where our hotel was located at Da Secondo. We ate there twice and it was charmingly unassuming with good service and excellent home style food. My tip for Piazza Navona is to either enjoy an (expensive and weak) aperitivo on one of the terraces on the square, or a delicious gelato at Tre Scalini Gelateria, and eat on Via di Santa Maria dell’Amina, or Corso del Rinascimento on the opposite side of the Piazza.
Next stop was the Campo de’ Fiori and its famous flower market, just a ten minute walk away. Here was where it was obvious Rome was not the same…… While the market was in full swing the flowers, fruit & vegetable stalls were largely replaced with food for tourists – think multi-coloured pasta in fancy shapes, and bottles of olive oil and limoncello in highly decorated bottles. The tiny number of flower stalls were largely relegated off to the side. And while it was still colourful, energetic and very pretty, the tone of the stallholders was also quite different – assertive to the point of being almost intimidating at times and very loathe to have any photos taken of their produce. It was actually a little unpleasant at times and we didn’t hang around.
The final stop on our little orientation walk was a church on our street. It turned out to be a German language church dating to the eighteenth century. While there were no famous art works it was stunning, and just goes to show that if you look, brilliant art and history really is everywhere in Rome.
Day 2 Rome three day itinerary: everyone heads to Trastevere on a Sunday
We had deliberately decided not to hit the “big” sites of the Pantheon, Trevi fountain and Spanish steps on our orientation walk, so made an early start on day two in the hope of missing the worst of the crowds. And were we glad we did – even at 9.00am in the morning the Trevi fountain area was heaving. The fountain itself looked clean and gorgeous as ever, but it was already so busy…… One thing I noticed was that selfies seemed to have largely replaced throwing a coin in the Trevi fountain…..
The last time I had visited Rome I remember I had a photo taken putting my hand into the famous mouth of the Pantheon and just wandering into the building. Not anymore. Entry is now quite formal with lots of crowd control and a long queue into the square. If you want to visit the Pantheon, I suggest booking a ticket in advance. Mr Frugalfirstclass and I circumnavigated the outside of the Pantheon and it was actually a very interesting building from the outside – you could see the different aged and styles of building work joining together to create one of the most famous buildings in Rome.
One thing that had definitely changed for the best was the Spanish Steps. Rather famously, the city banned sitting on the steps a few years back. And what a difference! You could actually see the steps, you could actually walk up the steps – the steps were reclaimed for their true purpose.
I don’t recall Trastevere being in any Rome guidebook the last time I visited. Back then it was an obscure residential backwater on the other side of the Tiber River south of the Vatican. Fast forward 30 years, and to a sunny Sunday morning, and it seemed like half of Rome was headed to Trastevere – so it clearly wasn’t just us with it on our Rome three day itinerary.
The beauty of Trastevere is that there are no “must see” places or “must try” foods to eat or locations that are Instacrazy. While it’s definitely well discovered and on the tourist map now, it’s a wonderful spot for a Sunday morning wander.
Despite our guidebook and the Rick Steves audioguide Mr Frugalfirstclass and I still managed to get hopelessly lost. But to be honest, I think that’s part of the whole point, and charm of Trastevere – it’s an easy place to find your own special part of Rome.
And find our own special part of Rome we did that morning. We wandered quiet lanes and bougainvillea wreathed squares. It wasn’t crowded and apart from a few small shops and cafes, largely residential.
We stumbled upon the Church of Saint Cecilia while we were lost. There were a few people inside but it wasn’t busy. And just like “our church” near our accommodation, it was so pretty. We had been walking for ages by this stage, so it made a wonderful spot to rest and regroup.
Lunchtime rolled around and while we had no specific plan the restaurants and cafes were filling, so we made lunch our next priority. We happened across the Hosteria Bar Belli by accident, and thought it was a good choice on the basis that it was quite busy, and it more importantly it was busy with large family groups. We were lucky to get a table as within 20mins of arrival the place was full. Full of multigenerational Roman family groups, all dressed up…..and us. Our lunch of saltimbocca alla Romana was excellent, as was the wine the waiter recommended to accompany it. And of course, the gelato really hit the spot for dessert……
As is often the case, the best food in Rome is not always in a guidebook. Look for places that are busy with locals, and ask the waiter for what is good.
It is possible to book guided tours of Trastevere – most are food tours and/or include the nearby Campo di Fiori and Jewish ghetto neighbourhoods
Day 3 Rome three day itinerary: hitting the “big three”
The last day of our Rome Italy three day itinerary was a big one – it was just as well we had 24hours to recover on the flight home. If you only have one day in Rome and want to catch the Vatican, St Paul’s Basilica and the Forum, this is an efficient, but busy way to do it.
We started our last day in Rome at the excruciating early hour of 6am for our Vatican Keys tour. If that’s too early for you, or the tour is not your thing, I still recommend starting at the Vatican as early as possible. And definitely prebooking a ticket even if you don’t want to take a tour. Having said that, the Vatican Museums are monstrously big, and potentially quite overwhelming, so I do think a tour is a good option. The fabulous Take Walks also have an evening tour of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel if that suits your schedule better:
We had decided to hit St Peter’s Basilica straight after our Vatican Museum tour and we glad we did. The for security was already an hour – and by the time we came out, it looked twice as long, snaking halfway back to the Vatican Museums.
Despite the queues to enter, once inside the Basilica was not at all crowded, so we able to wander around to our hearts’ content. There were also plenty of seats available in the various chapels for a quiet sit, and to consult our guidebook.
The Pieta is now behind glass following vandalism a number of years ago, but otherwise St Peter’s Basilica seemed pretty much as I had remembered. A group of Cardinals were having Mass in one of the Chapels, and its sheer grandeur was as awe inspiring as ever. Regardless of your faith, or whether you are a person of faith, I defy you to not be awed and moved by St Peter’s.
We spent the afternoon at the Colosseum and the Forum. Timed entry tickets are now required for the Colosseum and there are also an almost bewildering range of tours. We found going on a tour good value – we spent little time waiting in queues, and our tour guide explained things well and told us great stories about ancient Rome.
You can find a range of other quality Rome tours from Take Walks here >>
So what did I think of Rome after 30 years?
Well after 30 years it is safe to say that the Eternal city is the same – but different. The city is still busy and buzzy with history at every turn. And like any big city that never stands still, some changes are for the better, some not so much. Everything was so much busier than I remembered it, and rather than Vespas, it seems to be ebikes that rule the streets. I must admit, I missed the Vespas…….
Despite the increased visitor numbers, we found booking tours was a good time saver – and helpful in stopping us feel completely overwhelmed by Rome.
We were still able to find our own special moments with plenty of great food, and great memories and both can’t wait to return – even though we didn’t throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain!
Plan your trip to Rome
We used Welcome Pick Ups for our transfers from the Termini Station and to the airport in Rome. The service was excellent and competitively priced. We enjoyed a pleasant chat with both our drivers as they navigated the always hectic Roman traffic.
You can book your Welcome Pickups Rome transfers here >>
We stayed at the Palazzo de Cupis – Suites and View. With fabulous views of the Piazza Navona (my photo of the Piazza Navona in this post was taken from there), excellent sound proofing and modern conveniences we loved this small guest house. (Note, there are no lifts and a number of flights of stairs to reach the Palazzo de Cupis – so pack light.) You can check out the Palazzo de Cupis here >>
If you want an apartment in Rome, Plum Guide offer a range of quality options, all of which have been inspected by Plum Guide for location and quality. You can find your Plum Guide Rome apartment here >>
We found low fee cash machines hard to find in Rome, so a low fee cash card is essential. Our Wise card gave us an excellent exchange rate, and almost no card fees. You can find out more about Wise cards here >>
For our Trastevere walk we found the Rick Steves Italy guidebook very helpful (even though we got lost):
There are a bewildering range of tours in Rome, but I do think tours in Rome are good value for money – they are an efficient and informative way to experience the main sites in Rome. Take Walks started in Rome, so they really know their stuff.
Last update on 2026-09-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API