Rome

The Final Stop That Made Us Want More

Rome was never supposed to be a major chapter of our first European trip. It was the practical final stop between Positano and our flight home: one night, part of an afternoon and just enough time to see a few places we already knew by name.

We arrived without attraction tickets, a tour or a tightly planned route. After dropping our luggage at the hotel, we entered the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Colosseum into our map and began walking. We are not travelers who feel compelled to enter every museum or study every piece of history. With a 19-month-old and only a few hours, Rome allowed us to experience something meaningful without pretending we could understand the entire city in one day.

That freedom changed the way the stop felt. The heat was intense and the landmarks were busy, but the crowds did not weigh on us the way they had in some other destinations. History appeared in the middle of ordinary streets. Parks offered breathing room. Restaurants gave us some of the best food of our time in Italy. Preston slept in the hiking carrier, woke up ready for pasta and moved through the day with us.

Then, near the end of our walk, the Colosseum began to appear ahead of us. We followed the path toward Colle Oppio, watched the trees open and found ourselves looking across at a monument we had seen in movies and on television for most of our lives. We had not planned the approach. That surprise made it better.

We came for a convenient night before the flight home. We left knowing the city deserved a future trip of its own.

Our Route

Rome closed a two-week European trip that ran Santorini → Crete → Positano → Rome. A private driver took us from Positano to Napoli Centrale, where we caught the midday train to Rome, based one night in Trastevere, and flew home from Fiumicino the next morning.

Arriving in Rome

On June 6, our prearranged driver collected us from the Positano apartment and took us to Napoli Centrale. We had purchased the train tickets in advance. The 10:40 a.m. train reached Rome at noon, making the longer transfer feel relatively simple.

The one piece we had not arranged was transportation from the Rome train station. We eventually found a cab outside, and the process was entirely manageable, but it required more effort than the rest of the transfer. For a stop this short, every transition uses part of the limited time. In hindsight, we would have arranged that ride too.

A Quiet Home Base

Our cab took us to Horti 14 Borgo Trastevere, a small and beautifully designed hotel in the Trastevere neighborhood. The location allowed us to set down the luggage, begin exploring on foot and return to a quieter home base at the end of the night. The hotel had a rooftop cocktail bar and restaurant, along with breakfast included the following morning. We would recommend the hotel and would gladly choose it again for its size, setting and location.

Our Rome Walk

We did not build the afternoon around opening hours or timed admissions. We selected a few landmarks, let the map connect them and accepted that this visit would be about seeing Rome rather than trying to complete it.

The Pantheon

After lunch in Trastevere, we walked to the Pantheon. We experienced it entirely from the outside. With limited time and no desire to move a toddler through a series of interiors, viewing the monument as part of the larger walk was enough for this visit.

Trevi Fountain

The Trevi Fountain was exactly what we expected at midday: beautiful and crowded. Our travel schedule did not give us the option of arriving early or late, so we approached knowing the experience would include other visitors. We stayed above the densest part of the crowd, admired the fountain and moved on without making the traditional coin toss.

Because we had no reservations waiting for us, we could move at our own pace. That flexibility mattered in the blistering heat. We paused when we needed to, kept everyone hydrated and allowed the walk itself to become the activity.

When the Colosseum Appeared

We did not know our mapped route would lead us toward Colle Oppio. We were simply following the walking directions from one familiar name to the next. As we continued down the street, the Colosseum began to appear in front of us. The view grew clearer as we approached a park and followed a small walkway upward. Then the trees broke open and we reached a ledge overlooking the monument.

It was an unmistakable aha moment. The Colosseum was not only an image from a textbook, movie or television screen anymore. It was directly in front of our family, reached not through a tour or a carefully choreographed arrival, but through an ordinary walk that surprised us. We did not enter the Colosseum. There was not enough time, and entering the major attractions with a toddler was not how we wanted to use this particular day. We took photographs, absorbed the view and let the moment stand on its own.

The city did not require us to choose between freedom and significance. We could keep moving at a pace that worked for us and still encounter something extraordinary.

Pasta Twice — and No Regrets

La Scala

Our first stop after checking in was La Scala in Trastevere. We arrived in the middle of the afternoon, outside the busiest meal period. Although the restaurant itself was large, it felt quiet and unhurried while we were there. I ordered cacio e pepe for the first time. It became one of my favorite dishes. Kyle ordered lasagna that he still describes as some of the best he has eaten, and I agree. Preston fully committed to the pasta, slurping noodles in a way that produced some of our favorite photographs from the stop. We ate many good meals during our time in Italy. La Scala remained one of the best.

A Drink Above Trastevere

After the walking tour, we returned to the hotel and had a drink at its rooftop cocktail bar before dinner. The space gave us a calm transition out of the heat and enough room for Preston to walk around before we went back into the neighborhood.

Tonnarello

Dinner was at Tonnarello. We liked lunch so much that we repeated ourselves: another cacio e pepe for me and another lasagna for Kyle. Both were excellent, although La Scala remained our favorite meal of the day. We ended the evening with a short walk through Trastevere and ice cream before returning to the hotel. We did not try to extend the night simply because it was our only one. The day had already given us enough.

Rome with a 19-Month-Old

Preston handled the afternoon well. He slept in the hiking carrier during part of the self-guided tour, which allowed us to continue walking without building the route around a return to the hotel. When he was awake, pasta, water and the movement of the city did much of the work.

Rome also showed us how a city can support a flexible family day even when the major attractions are not designed around small children. We passed parks and open spaces that could become easy reset points on a longer visit. We were able to see a great deal outside, without expecting Preston to remain quiet through museums or formal tours.

What Helped Our Family

• A hiking carrier that allowed Preston to nap while we continued the route.
• A small number of landmark anchors instead of a timed itinerary.
• Outdoor sightseeing rather than a series of ticketed interiors.
• Water, breaks and a pace that could bend around the intense heat.
• A Trastevere hotel that gave us an easy place to reset before dinner.

Heat, Crowds & Staying Aware

The heat was the hardest part of the stop. Rome was already blisteringly hot during our visit, and we heard the temperatures climbed even higher after we left. A walking day worked because we could pause and adjust; it would have felt very different with a rigid schedule.

Trevi Fountain was crowded, but the crowds did not overwhelm the experience. We did not push toward the water or insist on completing the coin toss. Choosing how deeply to enter each scene gave us more control over the day.

We felt safe and welcomed throughout Rome. Around the busiest tourist areas, we heard repeated reminders to watch for pickpockets. We treated Rome as we would any major city at home or abroad: we stayed aware of our belongings and surroundings. We had no issues during the visit.

One Last Family-Friendly Surprise

After the included hotel breakfast, a prearranged driver took us to Leonardo da Vinci International Airport at Fiumicino. The drive was fast enough that we may have white-knuckled part of it, but we arrived safely — and quickly.

Near our departure gate, we found a small children's play area. We cannot speak for every terminal or gate, but having a place for Preston to move before the flight home was an unexpectedly thoughtful ending to the trip.

What We Would Repeat & Change

What We Would Do Again

• Use Trastevere as the home base and stay at Horti 14 Borgo Trastevere.
• Book the train and airport transportation in advance.
• Build one afternoon around a small number of landmarks and connect them on foot.
• Carry Preston, allow the nap to happen along the way and stop for good food.
• Return to La Scala for cacio e pepe, lasagna and another family meal.

What We Would Change

We would prearrange transportation from the train station rather than finding a cab after arrival. More importantly, we would not try to force additional attractions into the same afternoon. The real change would be giving Rome several nights so that we could explore more of the city without losing the freedom we enjoyed.

Would We Return?

Absolutely.

Rome felt energetic without feeling inaccessible, historic without requiring us to spend the entire day inside museums, and busy without allowing the crowds to define our experience. We could imagine using Rome as the beginning or end of another Italy itinerary — staying long enough to revisit Trastevere, explore the parks and choose a few experiences that deserve more time. Rome sent us home wanting to return to Italy. The following summer, we did.