Hello my dear readers, as you know Rome is a city thtat’s rich in history, embellished with sumptuous monuments and adorned with numerous vestiges of antiquity, wanting to visit everything in 3 days is a real mission impossible ! Now let’s see the rest of what we can actually see !
So, still on the 2nd day in Rome and to be brief, the rest of the day’s program continued as follows:
9-Visit Chiesa di Sant’ Ignazio di Loyola (Church of Saint – Ignatius – de – Loyola in Rome): Done
I was amazed by the beauty of the famous church with the mirror in the middle, which is famous for its immense trompe l’oeil fresco that covers the ceiling of the only nave and which was created by the Jesuit painter Andrea Pozzo. The ceiling with 3D optical effect and a painted dome on a flat circular space is spectacular, and when i say “flat” i mean it ! The perspective of the latter is so realistic that many visitors allow themselves to be taken in by the illusion, believing that it is a real dome! To think that this artwork was done in 1685 is impressive!
The Entrance to the church is free however there’s a queue to look in the mirror, but don’t worry it’s a queue that moves very quickly.
10-See the Pantheon: half done.
Arriving at the Pantheon I was surprised by the immensity of the famous ancient monument with the largest unreinforced concrete vault in the world, the photos and videos really do not project the minimum of the true dimensions!
Access to the Pantheon is free, but since this monument is one of the must-see attractions in Rome, there was an endless queue which seemed to be too slow.
I didn’t have much time to wait, so I bitterly gave up on the matter! I was a little annihilated since I really wanted to see the inside as a woman on the estate, but I said to myself, “don’t worry Girl, you threw your coins in the Trevi fountain and you’re going there go back one day to see all the places you weren’t able to visit, be positive you still have other beautiful places to see and the program is still long” haha!
If you don’t have an idea about this architectural gem; the Pantheon is the only Roman building to have survived almost intact to the present day; the Pantheon has survived 2000 years of history.
One of the wonders of the temple is the oculus of the dome which is an opening 8 meters wide and which every April 21 for Rome’s birthday, the midday sun passes through and illuminates the door. This oculus also lets rain enter the building in a circular manner offering an extraordinary spectacle and the water is evacuated through drainage holes hidden in the ground. The architects of all the pantheons around the world have taken inspiration and notably taken up the facade of the Pantheon in Rome; we take for example: the Manchester Central Library, the Pantheon in Paris, the rotunda of the University of Virginia, the Bank of Montreal, Brooklyn Museum building, in New York… Very interesting, no? I’ll come back to see you Pantheon !
11-See San Luigi dei Francesi (Church of Saint Louis of the French in Rome): Done
A very beautiful church rich in French symbols and history, and which opens its doors free of charge at 2:30 p.m. It was the ideal place (located between the Pantheon and Piazza Navona which was also my next destination) as well to allow me to catch my breath and cool down a little because it was hot during my stay in Rome.
12-Piazza Navona+ Museo Dei Gladiatori : Done
After having rested a little while contemplating the marvelous works of art of the church of San Luigi dei Francesi I passed by the famous Piazza Navona which has a particular elongated shape, this shape is due to its function of origin of a stadium for athletics competitions during the empire of Domitian, this square is known by its three fountains, one of them is the most famous of them, it is the fountain of the Four Rivers which symbolizes the fourths largest part of the world with the Danube for Europe, the Nile for Africa, the Rio de la Plata for America and the Ganges for Asia, and it is in front of this fountain that you can visit the Gladiator Museum which I personally loved being a big fan of the Galdiator movie.
The only thing that bothered me was the people sitting around the fountains because photos got ruined with strangers’ faces!
Otherwise, not very far from the square, I was able to enjoy a very good and fresh Gelato at Quinto Gelateria.
After another good Tiramisu from Two Sizes Tiramisù (I had a sugar overdose haha but hey it was made up for with the tens of kilometers that I walked, and between us even without walking Gelato is never regrettable in Rome haha :p)
13-Church Chiesa di Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza : X
It is a hidden church that many tourists do not know about, a masterpiece of baroque architecture created by the famous architect Francesco Borromini which unfortunately I was not able to visit because it was closed.
14- Largo di Torre Argentina: X
15- La Iglesia del Gesu (Church of the Holy Name of Jesus) + Holy Basilica – Mary of Aracœli: X
16- Campidoglio (Capitol): X
17-Foro Romano: X
18- Basilica of Saint John Lateran (free only basilica closes at 6:30 p.m.): X
I wasn’t able to visit all these 4 places, to assure you that this can happen to everyone, that things don’t often go the way we want! I was tired, my phone and my powerbank were flat after the hundreds of photos and videos I took lol in addition to the GPS active all along my way. So I decided to have an Espresso, a thing that I’ve never done in my life lol, and charge my phone again. I went to the hotel to rest a little and then came out again.
19- See the Colosseum at night: Done
Seeing one of the seven wonders of the world was my dream, especially the Colosseum, I wanted to see it during the night as well as during the day, I wanted to enjoy all its splendor and its magnificent views, in fact I planned to go also see it the next day before sunset and I’ll be glad to tell you about it in my next article.
To go see the Colosseum I took the bus. I’ll never talk enough about the hassle I went through to get there lol but it was a great hassle, I got lost as hell, it was night and I was still getting acquainted with the means of transportation being only my second day in Rome but on the other hand I was able to see some beautiful places that I didn’t plan to go to, it was like a dream and it added a special taste to my trip, at the beginning I was a little stressed, being lost at night in a foreign country as a woman and solo lol but I was confident and I walked as if I knew the roads lol
In fact a lot of people thought I was Italian and asked me to guide them to their destinations while I myself was lost haha it was just great to get lost in the streets of Rome but the most brilliant it was finally seeing the Colosseum from afar, then getting closer and closer.. I will never be able to describe to you the feeling I felt when seeing the Colosseo! It was huge, beautiful, lit with lights like a jewel, a star in the sky! I was moved, I had that song “Now we are free” from Gladiator movie in mind.. hah it was an unforgettable moment!
For the buses I have very useful information to share with you, during my return to the hotel, I was enjoying my delicious gelato while confirming and reading in the plates indicating the name of the stops and the bus numbers, when suddenly a well-dressed old man came up to me and told me that I’m reading the wrong plate because there are plates with the letter N for the night buses (which are in service from midnight until 5 a.m./6 a.m.) and plates with the letter U for daytime buses (in service from 5 a.m./6 a.m. until midnight).. haha oh shame! Me “the Italian” whom a lot of people asked for help haha. Yet another thing, there is always the same number for two buses in opposite directions in several stops, so you have to pay attention to the direction of the bus before taking it and not just its number.
Finally, thanks to this old gentleman who helped me without even asking for his help, proof that there is always free kindness everywhere in the world!
Let’s say that 70% of my plans for the second day were done !
If you want to see and read more about my visit to the Colosseum and my 3rd day in Rome here is my article.