What to Do in Rome - From Past to Present

Walk through Rome and you’re not just touring a city-you’re walking through 2,700 years of history. One moment you’re staring at a 2,000-year-old aqueduct, the next you’re sipping espresso next to a street artist sketching the Colosseum. Rome doesn’t ask you to choose between ancient and modern. It forces you to live both at once.

Start at the Colosseum, but don’t stop there

The Colosseum is the poster child of Rome, and for good reason. Over 50,000 people once packed into this stone giant to watch gladiators fight and wild animals charge. Today, you can walk the same underground tunnels where lions and bears were held before their deaths. The audio tour, available in 12 languages, plays real recordings of ancient Roman crowd noises-shouts, chants, the roar of the crowd. It’s chilling. But don’t leave just because you’ve checked it off your list. Walk around the back. Look up at the arches still standing after earthquakes, fires, and centuries of stone thieves. That’s the real story: Rome wasn’t built to last. It just did.

Get lost in the Roman Forum

Right next to the Colosseum, the Roman Forum is where politics, religion, and daily life collided. This wasn’t just a market-it was the heart of the empire. You’ll see the Temple of Saturn, where the state treasury was kept. The Rostra, where Cicero gave speeches that shook the Senate. The House of the Vestal Virgins, where six priestesses kept the sacred fire burning for over a thousand years. Most tourists snap a photo and leave. But if you sit on the steps near the Arch of Titus for ten minutes, you’ll notice something: kids playing soccer on the ruins, couples kissing under olive trees, an old man feeding pigeons where emperors once rode. Rome doesn’t preserve history. It lives inside it.

Throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain-then keep walking

Yes, you should throw a coin over your left shoulder into the Trevi Fountain. It’s tradition. And yes, it’s crowded. But here’s the secret: go at 7 a.m. on a Tuesday. The lines are gone. The water glows gold in the early sun. The statue of Neptune looks less like a tourist trap and more like a god rising from the sea. And after you’ve made your wish? Walk east. Two blocks away, you’ll find a tiny bakery called Pasticceria Boccione. Their maritozzo-sweet brioche stuffed with whipped cream-is the best breakfast in the city. Locals know this. Tourists don’t.

Visit the Pantheon-and look up

The Pantheon is the oldest building in the world still in use as a temple. Built in 126 AD, its dome has a hole in the center called the oculus. Rain comes through. Sunlight moves across the floor like a clock. On June 21st, the summer solstice, a perfect beam of light hits the entrance. But you don’t need to wait for that. Every day, the light shifts. Watch how it falls on the marble floor, how it catches the ancient bronze doors. This wasn’t just a temple. It was an engineering miracle. No rebar. No steel. Just concrete, sand, and volcanic rock. Roman engineers knew how to make something that lasts. Modern builders still can’t replicate it.

Explore Trastevere after dark

Trastevere is Rome’s most alive neighborhood. Narrow cobblestone streets. Laundry hanging between buildings. Tiny restaurants with red-checkered tablecloths. This isn’t the Rome of guidebooks. This is the Rome of nonnas stirring ragù for hours, of teenagers playing guitar on balconies, of wine poured from bottles with no labels. At night, the alleys glow with lanterns. Order the cacio e pepe at Da Enzo al 29. It’s simple: pasta, cheese, pepper. But the way they toss it-just right, not too oily, not too dry-is magic. You’ll taste why Romans say, "La cucina romana non si insegna, si vive." Roman cooking isn’t taught. It’s lived.

See the Vatican, but skip the line

The Sistine Chapel is breathtaking. Michelangelo’s ceiling took four years. Four years. He painted lying on his back, looking up at a ceiling that stretches 40 meters long. The colors still pop-crimson robes, golden halos, the hand of God reaching toward Adam. But the lines? They’re brutal. Here’s how to avoid them: book a guided tour that enters through the Vatican Museums’ back entrance. You’ll walk past 16,000 other tourists and enter the chapel with just 30 people. You’ll see the Last Judgment on the altar wall without being shoved. And when you step outside? Walk down the Vatican Hill to the Gardens. Most people don’t go. But the gardens are quiet. Fountains trickle. Cypresses stand like sentinels. It’s the only place in Rome where you can hear your own breath.

Drink wine where Romans do

Forget the tourist bars near Piazza Navona. Head to Enzo a Corte in the Testaccio district. It’s a wine bar with no menu. Just a chalkboard with five wines from small Italian farms. The owner, Enzo, will ask where you’re from. Then he’ll pour you a glass of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo or a rare Fiano from Campania. No description. No tasting notes. Just wine. You’ll sip it standing next to a local accountant, a German photographer, and a retired Roman senator. No one speaks English. No one needs to. You’ll leave with a new favorite wine and no idea what you just drank. That’s the point.

Find the hidden staircases

Rome has over 200 secret staircases. Most are forgotten. One leads from the Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere up to a rooftop with a view of the dome of St. Peter’s. Another climbs behind the Basilica of San Clemente, where you can walk down three layers of history-medieval, Roman, and ancient pagan temple-all in one building. The third? It’s behind a shuttered bookstore on Via dei Chiavari. No sign. Just a narrow door. Climb it. At the top, you’ll find a tiny terrace with two chairs. Below you, the city hums. Above you, the sky turns pink. No one else knows it’s there. You’ll have it to yourself.

Take a day trip to Ostia Antica

If you’ve seen Pompeii, you think you know ancient Roman life. But Ostia Antica is quieter. Less crowded. More real. It was Rome’s port city. You can walk the original cobblestone streets. See the bread ovens where bakers made loaves for 50,000 people. Visit the public latrines-still intact-with holes where citizens sat side by side, gossiping as they went. There’s even a theater where actors once performed comedies. You can sit in the same seats. No tickets. No guards. Just you, the ruins, and the sea breeze from the Mediterranean.

Learn to eat like a Roman

Here’s what Romans eat: breakfast is a cornetto and espresso, standing at the bar. Lunch is a simple pasta-amatriciana, carbonara, or bucatini all’amatriciana. Dinner? Light. A salad. Some cheese. Maybe a slice of pizza bianca. They don’t eat big meals. They savor small ones. And they never eat pasta with meatballs. That’s an American myth. In Rome, meatballs are called polpette, and they’re served on their own. If you order spaghetti Bolognese? You’ll get a confused look. The real dish is ragù, served with tagliatelle, not spaghetti. Eat like a local. You’ll taste the difference.

End your day on the Aventine Hill

At sunset, climb the Aventine Hill to the keyhole of the Priory of the Knights of Malta. It’s a small iron gate, barely noticeable. Look through it. On the other side, perfectly framed, is the dome of St. Peter’s. No people. No cars. Just the green lawn, the white dome, and the golden light. It’s the most photographed view in Rome. But you won’t see it unless you know it’s there. That’s Rome. The best things aren’t on maps. They’re whispered.