I've got Rick Steve's books and am planning to follow his Night Walk Across Rome. Still... I wonder about checking out both the Colosseum and Arch of Constantine lit up at night -- the grandeur and all. Any recommendations on "must see" Rome night sights?
Grazie --
Gary
Hi Gary,
Unfortunatelly I have not read Rick's book for Rome, but I presume it has the Trevi fountain included in there as it is best at night.
Good recommendation from Steven. Trevi is beautiful at night, not to be missed. Another advantage of seeing it at night is the smaller crowd. Not only are the major sites great to see at night, but the city itself is too. My wife and I didn't arrive until about 8 pm. We dropped our bags at the hotel and just started walking...sure we got lost, but we really enjoyed the evening. We didn't get back to the hotel until about 11:30. Another plus, if you're a photo-op nut, is some very remarkable pics (take a small tripod).
Trevi as mentioned earlier--much nicer at night. I also like Piazza Navona better after dark. Not on the Night Walk, but the long walk down from Vatican City to Castel Sant'Angelo and across the bridges is also quite lovely at dusk or later.
The Colosseum is impressive, but I think you get a better view during the daylight hours. Generally, any place with a fountain is going to be lit up and pretty at night.
As of the end of February, 2 of the 3 fountains at Piazza Navona were off and under construction. The piazza itself was pretty quiet and not as lively as was expected.
I do have to agree that the Trevi has a magical feel to it at night and not to be missed. I think that I would disagree about the smaller crowds, though. We were there in October and it was packed.
We also were disappointed in the Trevi fountain and the Pantheon at night. Not many lights and still very crowded. I have heard that the Colloseum is beautiful at night but I can't confirm that.
The Colosseum, Trevvi and Novana are all great at night. Now I did not do this - but I wonder if St. Peter's isn't quite something at night. Anyone strolled thru there at night?
I once stayed at a hotel which was walking distance from the Vatican and we saw it at night. and it was a sight to see lit up at night. It is DEFINATELY worth going to look at in the dark. I also got up to see it at dawn and the building takes on a pinkish color as the sun rises...got great pictures. Also, i think Trevi is just fantastic @ night.
The Coliseum is definitely beautiful at night. It is also beautiful right before sunset with the reflection off one side. Castel San Angelo looks great all lit up. There are many of the piazzas that look good at night, not just the ones we can name. On the last trip to Rome our hotel looked out at the Pantheon and Piazza Rotunda and I can tell you that at midnight there are still quite a lot of people sitting around the fountain. (Thank goodness for the soundproof windows!) Although I can say that I enjoyed watching them late at night. My recommendation would be to walk every night in Rome, and maybe take a different direction each night. Have a great trip!
Go to the top of the Spanish Steps and wait for sunset. You can get great pictures of the sun going down behind The Vatican if you are in Rome at the right time of year.
Sorry the same person isn't at the Trevi Fountain when we were there when he put green dye in the water. What an unexpected sight. Later we heard he had been arrested. EVERYTHING is a must see at night in Rome. The many fountains have lights, the buildings are all illuminated. Of course just being in Rome for the first time anything is a must see. We did not follow the RS night walk as we were not in the area but I'm sure we passed part of it when we got lost in our wandering on our first night in Rome. EXCITING!!!
Edit note: The Trevi Fountain was dyed a bright reddish-orange...sorry for the error.
The Trevi fountain was great at night. It's the only site that sticks out in memory as being significantly more impressive at night.
We saw Trajan's column in the day and at night. It was better at night but only because we were with an Italian friend who introduced it to our children as a cartoon from 2000 years ago.
Rome is magical at night. Yes, the Coloseum is beautiful to see at night, as is St. Peters, but they fence off the piazza so you can't actually walk around there. A lot of Romans head up the Gianicolo hill to see the city from below, but that is a good view during the day a well. It doesn't have dazzling lights everywhere, but there is something so wonderful about Rome at night, its worth taking a nice stroll every evening you are there.
