Rome — 2025
Mission log · 9–13 March 2025
VIEWSCREEN // LOG 2025
ROME — 10/03/2025
Five days in Rome, from 9 to 13 March 2025: from the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain to the Roman Forum, the Colosseum and the Vatican. Log below, day by day.
Day 1 — Sunday 9 March 2025
Departure to Sector 02
Packed our bags early for five days in Rome. From Rotterdam The Hague Airport on HV6035 to Fiumicino, then the Terravision shuttle and the metro into the centre. Checked in around eight in the evening at Casa 901 on Viale Giulio Cesare, and straight out in search of our first Roman dinner: that turned out to be Trattoria Pizzeria Gli Archi.
Packing the suitcases
11:29
Bags going in, ready for five days in Rome.
Last snack before departure
13:33
One more bite to eat before the trip really begins.
Rotterdam The Hague Airport
14:26
A quiet departure hall, plenty early for HV6035 to Rome.
Waiting on the platform
15:14
One last photo before boarding, with the plane in view.
On the way to the gate
16:29
Almost on board, that holiday excitement building.
All aboard
16:38
The three of us in a row, on our way to Rome.
Above the clouds
18:13
A clear blue sky above a blanket of clouds, almost there.
The Leonardo Express
19:34
The train from Fiumicino into the centre, tired but happy.
First evening walk
21:24
On the way to the apartment, Rome by night.
Arrived at the restaurant
21:53
Found a terrace for our first dinner in Rome.
Dinner at Gli Archi
22:12
Fresh pasta after a long day of travel, the first of many good meals.
Dessert at Gli Archi
23:01
A sweet ending to our first evening in Rome.
Day 2 — Monday 10 March 2025
From Popolo to the Colosseum
The big day of exploring: after breakfast, on to Piazza del Popolo, via the Spanish Steps to the Trevi Fountain, and onward to the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. A day of walking, climbing, and more history than one day can really hold.
Early morning in Rome
08:47
Our first walk through the city, still quiet on the streets.
Breakfast on the go
08:53
A quick bite at Coffee Time 49 (Via Cipro) before a long day of sightseeing. Another one of those places we stumbled on by chance years ago, and that's become our regular breakfast spot ever since.
The sandwich on the way
08:57
Marc's never one for sweet things in the morning: he wants something savoury.
Piazza del Popolo in full view
09:45
The whole square in frame, the obelisk at its centre.
Piazza del Popolo
09:46
The oval square with its obelisk, our starting point for the day.
The Spanish Steps
10:05
135 steps, packed with tourists but impressive all the same.
Trevi Fountain
10:31
Tossed a coin for a promise to return to Rome.
Trajan's Column up close
12:58
Another look at the column covered in reliefs, high above Trajan's Forum.
Trajan's Column
13:01
Stories carved in stone, towering above Trajan's Forum.
Roman Forum
13:03
Among the ruins of the old centre of the Empire.
On to the Colosseum
13:20
Our first glimpse of the amphitheatre, bigger than expected.
The Colosseum's outer wall
13:29
Up close is where the scale really hits you.
Through the vaulted passages
13:57
The corridors thousands of spectators once poured through.
Looking up inside the Colosseum
14:00
Ring upon ring of arches towering above us.
Inside the Colosseum
14:03
Looking around where thousands once sat to watch.
Arancini as a snack
15:37
Fried rice balls, right on time for the afternoon slump.
Dinner: pasta and arancini
16:41
A well-earned meal after a day full of sights.
Day 3 — Tuesday 11 March 2025
Villa Borghese and the Forum
A calmer start at Villa Borghese and the Galleria Borghese, with a breather on the Pincio terrace overlooking all of Rome. In the afternoon, back to the Roman Forum for a second, longer walk past the temples and the padlock bridge.
Breakfast at a café terrace
08:40
Coffee and breakfast with the son from Coffee Time 49 before heading to the park.
Still at the table
08:41
Taking our time over morning coffee before the park.
Villa Borghese
10:22
The park and the museum, our favourite green heart of Rome.
Galleria Borghese
10:54
Bernini's sculptures, admired up close.
Statues up close
10:58
The details of the sculpture at Villa Borghese.
Frescoes on the ceiling
11:08
Every room a work of art in itself: worth looking up too.
The view from the Pincio
11:36
A panorama over the rooftops and domes of Rome.
Looking out over the city
11:43
From the Pincio, Rome stretches out to the horizon.
Catching our breath
13:02
All of us in the photo, right in the middle of the Stadio Palatino. A quiet spot among the ruins on the Palatine Hill. On a nicer day, a great spot to sit back and read a book.
Temple of Antoninus and Faustina
13:19
Back at the Forum, this time from a different angle.
The first padlocks
13:24
Spotted a few padlocks even before the bridge, a preview of what's to come.
A view over the Roman Forum
13:25
A minute after the padlocks: posing with the Roman Forum behind us, the Vittoriano visible in the distance.
Lunch with the team
13:56
For once not a selfie, but a photo with the friendly staff. Our favourite "hangout" in Rome, on Piazza Venezia at Antica Roma 013. A proper tourist trap, but once they know you it works out fine. I mean: 2 bottles of wine, 4 colas and 4 waters there for 50 euros? That's a steal ;-)
Gelato break
16:14
Recharging with an ice cream between sights.
Gelato and dinner
18:03
Closing out the day at Trattoria Pizzeria Gli Archi, just as it should be in Rome.
Day 4 — Wednesday 12 March 2025
St. Peter's Square and the Basilica
Up early for the Vatican, before the day-trippers were properly awake: a rare, quiet St. Peter's Square. Then inside St. Peter's Basilica, from the towering dome to Bernini's baldachin. In the evening, dinner in a restaurant covered in frescoes.
Early on St. Peter's Square
09:54
Still quiet before the basilica opens, a rare thing in Rome.
The family on the square
09:55
All of us in the photo, before it really gets busy.
The square and the colonnades
09:55
Bernini's colonnade wraps around the entire square.
The square fills up
09:57
More and more visitors streaming onto St. Peter's Square.
The nave of St. Peter's
10:01
The overwhelming nave, with the baldachin far ahead beneath the golden vaults.
Heading inside
10:02
The first step into one of the largest churches in the world.
The nave
10:02
The sheer length of the basilica, from entrance to altar.
Beneath the dome
10:03
Michelangelo's dome, towering high above the high altar.
Marble and gold
10:03
The basilica's lavish finish, down to the smallest detail.
Bernini's baldachin
10:06
The bronze baldachin above the tomb of St. Peter.
A statue in the light
10:09
Sunlight falling through the windows onto one of the many statues.
Details in the marble
10:12
Craftsmanship that has endured for centuries.
A small detail
10:14
Even the smallest corners of the basilica are a work of art.
Back on the square
10:15
Much busier now than when we arrived.
Dinner with a view of the coast
17:56
A restaurant full of frescoes, this time of the Amalfi Coast.
The Amalfi Coast mural
17:56
The restaurant conjures the coast onto its walls, far from the sea.
Pizza for everyone
18:59
Roman-style pizza, just as it should be: thin and crispy.
Roman pizza for everyone
18:59
Thin, crispy, and exactly as it should be.
Dessert
19:33
A slice of cake to close out our last full day.
Day 5 — Thursday 13 March 2025
The journey home
Up early for the Terravision shuttle to Fiumicino. One last Italian coffee at the airport, a clear blue flight over snow-capped Alpine peaks, and home again by late afternoon, where the dog had clearly missed the company.
