Visiting Rome in 2025 (Part 1): Iconic Sites, Hidden Corners & How to Beat the Crowds

Well, they say that all roads lead to Rome, and with good reason.

From ancient ruins to rooftop apertivos, the eternal city has a energy unlike anywhere else.

And on today's episode of travel in 10, we're exploring what's hot in Rome right now, where the timeless history of the 21st century meets.

Cool.

And as always, talking to award winning travel writer, my good travel friend, Tim Johnson.

Tim, how are you doing?

Good.

David, how are you doing this week?

I'm doing great.

Now, Rome, this is, first of all, this is the first time we are going to Italy on Travel Intent, which I'm surprised looking at our, our, our back catalog of episodes.

We, we haven't, we haven't hit on Italy yet.

I know it's somewhere both of us have spent a fair bit of time, but Rome was actually a city I have not made it to yet.

And to be honest, I've been a little apprehensive to go there because it's always struck me as a place where there's these, you know, wonders of the world and iconic things to see, like the Vatican and the Coliseum.

But I also imagine it being a bit overrun because of that and, like, packed with tourists.

But I know you've been there a lot and you've been there recently.

Tell me your impressions, what you love about Rome.

Yeah, absolutely, absolutely.

I think you used a word in your intro that is absolutely correct, which is hot.

So right now, you know, we're getting into the summer and with a new Pope and all the headlines, you know, Rome is definitely a hot destination, meaning that a lot of people are going to be going there.

I think they're saying there's going to be more guests, you know, visiting Rome this summer than ever before.

And it's also a jubilee year this year, which I was not aware of as I'm not a Catholic.

But on my recent visit just a few weeks ago, that was a theme of some of the people that I was speaking with, that they were there because it was a jubilee year.

And then the other, you know, implications of hot or that it's just hot.

It's just going to be a hot summer in Rome.

And so I was there also last year, a couple years ago when it was in the middle of August and, you know, all we wanted to do was find a little bit of shade, a little bit of water and a place to sit down after a while.

And I.

And as we go through all the things to see and do in this city, and there are so many, and it is worth, it is worth the crowds.

And it is definitely worth the heat because there really is so much there.

I'm going to address some of that as well.

Places that are maybe a little bit quieter, places that you can get away from the crowds and maybe just even places where, I mean, one of my first tips before we get into anything else is that there is a lot of free water in Rome.

I mean, I think we're all acquainted with tourist destinations and how they, you know, you can get 5, 6, 7 dollars for a bottle of water.

But throughout Rome they have these, what they call these nazoni look like noses and they are free water fountains.

And it is a clean source of water that flows underneath the city.

And I remember on that visit the, not my last one, but with my sister's family a year or two ago, we probably, we had our little water bottles, we probably refilled them 10 times each throughout the day.

And it is, it is just the, the absolute best.

So if you're, for any of our listeners, if you're in Rome this summer, take an empty water bottle, look for the nasoni.

And that is a great way to, just a general tip to get through a hot and busy but ultimately glorious day in Rome.

So it's worth the crowds, it's worth making your way there.

Let's maybe start off with, for somebody's first trip to Rome, some of those big iconic sites like the Colosseum for example.

Any tips on how to organize your visit there, what you need to know to, to arrange a visit?

Yeah, Coliseum for sure.

I think you have to go.

And again, there's a few of these attractions that for, for a first time visitor for sure, you know, Coliseum being one of them, Trevi Fountain being another one.

But for the Coliseum, I would say just, just be prepared, like book your ticket ahead because there's going to be a lot of demand to get in there this summer, probably do a tour if I'm not even sure they offer entrance without a tour.

But if they do definitely do a tour because you know what you see is impressive, but what it was, was even more impressive.

So I remember the very first time like 20 plus years ago doing a tour there.

And they, it really opens your eyes.

You can actually picture, okay, this is what it looked like when the floor was here.

This is what it looked like.

You know, this is when the types of competitions that would take place, okay, there were how many, 50,000, however many screaming people in these stands.

And, and, and you can picture it not just being this sort of this ruin which it is now an impressive ruin at that.

But, yeah, I would say book ahead, book a tour, and Trevi, Trevi Fountain, some of the others.

Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, You.

You don't need an entrance ticket.

But I'd say just like, take a deep breath before you go, because, you know, Trevi's.

You have to go.

The thing that you do there is.

You flip a co.

Coin over your shoulder and it means you'll come back to Rome.

But what you'll find is that, you know, like half the visitors in the city at the time are all there trying to flip a coin over their.

Their shoulder at the same time.

So just kind of like, you know, be ready for a little bit of a wait to kind of get to the front and maybe there's going to be a guy in your photo that you don't want to be in your photo or whatever.

It's going to be like that, but.

But it's still worth it.

And Spanish Steps, you know, just walk, just walk to the top.

And, and they're great.

But.

But the.

You got to do the icons.

I know one that we're going to talk about was the Vatican.

Yeah, and the Vatican, of course, you get, you get to check off another country on your list when you, when you go visit as well, don't you?

It's considered it someone country.

Yeah, exactly.

Exactly.

So, you know, it's great because you, you can check.

Yeah, it counts as a country.

It's a, It's a real country.

There's no border crossing.

You don't have to get your passport stamped or anything like that.

You do pass through a bit of a.

Almost like an airport security situation, which I'm sure is much more about the fact that some of the world's most priceless artwork and is on display there, and they just want to make sure that that's all protected.

But another, another country on your list.

And with the Vatican, you know, you kind of split it into.

I do.

I kind of split it into two things.

One is the.

If you're going to go to the Vatican museums, so if you're going to go to the Sistine Chapel, you're going to see that amazing, you know, work on the ceiling, you know, that Michelangelo painted.

You're good.

Again, it's going to be like the Coliseum.

Book it ahead.

You know, make sure you have your time slot.

Don't show up and just say, we're ready to go see Michelangelo.

Because especially in the, in the high season, maybe in the low season, you can sneak in that way.

But in the high season you really are going to need that pre timed ticket for, for the Main Basilica.

For St.

Peter's Basilica.

You really can just walk in and it's such a huge place, famously huge.

I mean that's, that's, you know, and what I would say is it's busy.

There's a lot going on.

Sometimes they're holding a mass.

You'll certainly find people all around you that are doing tours.

For me, you know, I'm not Catholic, I know some of the history.

Anyway, I would do a little reading on it beforehand, get the background, you know, why the dome is so special, all of the martyrs and saints that are buried there.

And for me, I had the most, just on this recent visit, had the most special moment which was again, I'm not Catholic, but found a little side chapel.

If you kind of get away from the main flow, you'll find these little side chapels.

And they had one that was reserved for people who were looking for prayer.

Just, just, just looking for a place to pray, I should say.

Like it was, they had the incense going.

There was, it was, the incense was hanging in the air.

There was no noise.

If you got up and started snapping photos and whatever, they would literally come over and ask.

I think I saw one person, you know, please leave, you know, but it's just a place that, you know, to sit and enjoy sitting down probably after a lot of walking and just let the significance and the enormity of that place sink in.

And I would say just make some time for that.

I did.

I probably sat there 20, 30 minutes and just enjoyed being in the, one of the, probably the most famous church in the world and said a couple of prayers and really, you know, and really just felt the peace, you know, of, of, of that place.

So that was that.

That's a big one.

So, so those are the big, you know, kind of the big ones.

Any other big ones that you.

Because I have some small ones too, but.

Yeah, well, just was one more thing before we leave the Vatican is, is actually a tip I heard on another great travel podcast here a couple of weeks ago.

There's a, there's a company called the Tour guys who I Barcelona earlier this year and they've launched a podcast recently and they were talking about a tour at the Vatican.

I don't know if you ever come across this, Tim, but it's called the Keykeeper Tour and it's, it's literally the, the guy who opens up all the buildings?

The Vatican in the morning.

And it's quite, quite an exclusive tour, so fairly costly, but you essentially get to go in this very small group where you are the very first people in the morning in the Sistine Chapel, in, in all these iconic locations throughout the Vatican.

Going in with the keykeeper as he is opening them up in the morning before anyone else has arrived.

And it sounded like a phenomenal experience.

And what I would recommend people.

That sounds incredible.

And I mean the Vatican is, you know, it's known for lots of things, but one is big, big crowds and lots of people and to, to be there when those spaces are so quiet and just right at the start of the day, I think that would be just absolutely incredible.

So yeah, so those, those are the.

Kind of the big ones.

Everybody knows what, what are like one or two that people might not know about a little bit more under the radar.

So a couple, couple things like last time I was there I did went with a company called Access Italy and they are kind of like a, like a tour company and they do all kinds of different tours.

And one of the things they did was a golf cart tour.

And these are fully customizable tours.

So in my case, I was chatting with the staff at the hotel where I was staying, which I'm going to talk about the hotel as well.

Great family owned hotel.

And they said, where do you want to go?

What do you want to do?

And I said, well, I've been to Rome at least I don't know how many times, six, seven times.

And I've seen all the main sites.

What do you suggest?

And they said, actually we know this company, they will put you in a golf cart with a super knowledgeable driver who drives a golf cart.

And then you just, you just say, I want to see paintings or I want to see history or I want to see.

And it's fully customizable.

So I would say pretty much any of our listeners, that's, that's a good idea because for us we went to see there's this artist right near Piazza Navona named Giancarlos Benediti Corcos.

And he is an artist who just, he just paints in the laneway and that's, he's a tiny little studio where he stores his stuff, but the laneway is really his studio and you can chat with him.

He's a character.

It was a funny experience because we had bicycles and Vespas and whatever everyone's trying to push through.

It's like an open lane it's not even a pedestrian lane.

And he's there trying to paint and trying to show you his other stuff and tell you about his life and quirky, interesting guy.

So you can go.

I mean, if you go near Piazza Navona and just ask for this guy, for sure they can direct you to go and talk to him.

He's painted this.

His interpretation of the city map and things like that.

Or if you ask them, they can take you there.

I did mention off the top about doing kind of quieter, more shady, you know, to beat the heat kind of places.

And there's this amazing hilltop park that surrounds Villa Borghese.

So that's up.

Up on the hills, you know, Rome.

And it's what.

It's seven hills.

And this was an old palace, and now it's surrounded by a huge, huge park network with paths and tons of shade and little tiny cafes, you know, where you can just get a.

Get some water, get a coffee, get even a little bit of lunch.

And then the views back, you know, over.

Over Rome are absolutely beautiful.

That's definitely worth it for a walk.

And then the last thing, there's a place called the Knights of St.

John.

So we were talking about the Vatican and being able to visit two countries in a day.

Rome is actually a place where you can visit three countries in a day.

The third one may or not be a country, depending on your definition, but there is the Knights Hospitalier of St.

John, who we still see, you know, through St.

John's Ambulance and some other manifestations.

There's.

They were a crusading force and they ruled Malta and they ruled Rhodes.

And that Maltese cross is still famous in a lot of places.

They.

That order now just has a building in Rome, but they produce their own stamps, they produce their own passports.

They have observ observer status at the United Nations.

I had the unique and interesting experience of pretending I had a meeting there and they let me in, you know, just.

Just barely inside and was eventually asked to leave.

But.

But it was kind of a cool experience to be able to see the big Maltese Cross in the courtyard and talk to a couple of them before being escorted back out towards the Spanish Steps.

And.

But it is an even.

Just to walk by and see the plaque.

If you.

If you see.

If you look down from the Spanish Steps from the top, you will see a giant Maltese Cross flag flying.

And that does mark their territory in Rome.

So kind of a quirky, interesting area.

So you pretended to have a meeting here just to get in and check off an extra Extra country.

Off your country.

That's correct.

They, they.

I rang the buzzer.

I thought, I'm gonna, I'll ring the buzzer and just see what happens, you know.

The door opened and I thought, okay, step one, step two, here we go.

And the man I spoke with spoke very little English.

And he just said, do you have a meeting?

And I said, yes, yes, I do.

Because I just thought, well, let's see how far I can get.

And he said, is it with John?

I said, yeah, it's with John, totally.

And right now, so.

And he made a phone call and as he was on the phone, his face just kind of darkened, you know, like he's.

He's getting the news that John doesn't have a meeting this morning with a guy wearing cargo shorts from Canada, you know.

And you were busted.

Yeah, I was busted.

And he was actually pretty nice about it.

He, you know, hung up the phone and he said, okay, you, you, you must leave so you're extradited is what.

You'Re telling me from this.

Exactly.

But I still got my check in the box.

And he was nice enough actually to, to take my picture in the court.

They have like a courtyard with a Maltese cross.

And I got.

He did take my picture there, which I was kind of shocked.

It was a bit of a.

A bold ask, you know, after being sort of shuffled summarily out.

But anyway, get it.

And there you go.

So.

So, Ro.

You can actually visit three countries in one day.

That's impressive.

Is that your record?

Three, three countries.

My is my record.

So yeah, it.

I have done just once, but I did four in one day is my.

Record so far, actually.

Four.

Four is my record.

I did long time ago when I was living in northern France.

We were going on a shopping trip with friends.

I was going on a shopping trip with friends and we left France.

We drove across Belgium.

The place we.

The specialty store we were going to for baseball equipment was in Holland, was in the Netherlands, but we took a wrong turn and ended up in Germany.

So that was.

That was.

There you go.

That was four.

But maybe like, maybe three on foot was my record for country on countries on full day.

So.

Yeah.

All right, well, I see we're.

We're coming up.

We've gone.

We've gone past the 10 minute mark and I know we still want to get to hotels, we want to get to where to eat, and I really want to hear a little bit more.

I mean, you've been there six, seven times.

A little bit about kind of the arrival experience.

How to get around the city.

So maybe we will do a second episode this week and come back and dig in a little bit more to that.

That kind of where to stay, where to eat, a little bit more of the.

The practicalities of a.

Of a trip to Rome this summer.

Sounds perfect.

Can't wait.

All right, thanks.

Him.