My husband and I will be visiting Rome (hopefully) for the second time end of April 2027. I'm in my late 70s and have some minor mobility issues, though I hope to have some of that resolved before we go. We'll be staying at the Hotel Milton Roma which is very near the Manzoni subway station as well as several tram and bus stops. We hope to walk a lot, but we also enjoy using public transport.
I've been fine tuning the itinerary with ChatGPT, which has been very helpful. But I'd like to get the opinion of people who have recently been there "on the ground." Other than Vatican Museums and Borghese Gallery, we saw most of the big "must see" sites during our previous visits, so what remains or are returns are the definite priorities. Here's the plan ...
Thurs/Fri 4/22-23 Fly into Rome from Chicago via Turkish Airlines. Our arrival is scheduled for 6:25 PM, so the only plan for this evening is to check-in and eat dinner if Turkish Air doesn't feed us. We usually adjust pretty quickly to the time change with this late of an arrival.
Sat 4/24 Fairly easy jet lag day. Morning (via bus) to Domus Romane di Palazzo Valentini. Rest stop, if need be, on the steps of Victor Emmanuel II Monument. Walk to Mamertine Prison then on to late lunch somewhere in Monti. Walk to afternoon visit at San Pietro in Vincoli. If tired at this point, go back to hotel for rest. If not, walk up to Colle Oppio for the view of the Colosseum/Forum area and then back to the hotel. If rested, public transport to a restaurant in Trastevere or to Momart for their aperitivo.
Sun 4/25 I didn't realize this was a national holiday when I booked our flights - Liberation Day with free tickets at several museums. We'll start the morning with worship at All Saints Anglican Church which has a sung English language mass at 10:30 AM. From there, we'll stroll Via Margutta and do lunch at Il Margutta vegetarian buffet restaurant. (These are repeats from our previous trip, but favorites.) From there, we'll visit the Borghese Gallery if we can snag free tickets. If not, option 2 is the Barberini (also a repeat) and option 3 is the Etruscan Museum in Villa Guilia. If we do the Barberini, I also want to see the Capuchin Crypt that is in the area nearby.
Monday 4/26 We know that the Vatican Museums had free entry the day before, but ChatGPT said the crowds would be overwhelming. So, we will probably book a paid Vatican tour for the first entry of the day. From there we will head across to revisit some of the churches with Caravaggio paintings - Santa Maria del Popolo, San Luigi dei Francesi and Sant ’Agostino (if not too tired). My husband would also like to see the tromp l’oeil ceiling/dome at Church of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Interspersed with lots of sit-down times, I think this busy day is doable. If not, the Caravaggio churches can be adjusted or eliminated.
Tuesday 4/27 Our departure for Florence, where we can't check in until 3 PM. We hope to check our luggage at the hotel and visit San Clemente and St. John Lateran, if time, before our departure. Both are a short walking distance away.
You can probably tell from the post that we mainly seek out art. So, comments and advice? Thanks in advance.
Karen