" WALKING ROME UPSIDE DOWN " a Rome Travel Page by Frisbeeace

Italy was my #1 country in my wish-to-visit list for many years. Its neither close nor cheap for us but, after all, my grandparent was born near Milan and there is such a strong Italian influence in Argentina that I almost needed to be there at least once in my life.

So after my last trip to the UK in 2001 I knew that my next visit to Europe would be to Italy. Certainly, Spain is next now because I also have Spanish blood from my mother's side. (Any excuse is valid to keep on travelling!!!)

Then I was able to organize a 12-day trip to Italy for May 2003. One week at Rome, one day at Florence and 2 days at Venice. Then, back home.

After lots of reading and researching (including tips from other VT members) I ended up building 5 basic itineraries to follow each day of my stay in Rome. The remaining days were to attend the Tennis Masters Series Championship and to stroll freely along the eternal city.

Having a preplanned schedule is essential to take advantage of your days in Rome because there are so many places to visit. It is highly convenient to gather sights geographically and by subject to make more sense of your itinerary. Some sights are closed or too crowdy during certain times and days of the week and this must be taken in account too.

With minor changes, our itineraries worked great for us. Please see day by day details at my Rome travelogue.

1. San Pietro - Vatican
2. Scavi Tour (Vatican Necropolis)
3. Pantheon
4. Piazza di Spagna
5. Capitoline Hill
6. Fontana di Trevi
7. Sistine Chapel
8. San Paolo
9. Colisseum
10. Galleria Borghese