We’d been to Rome before, but only as a stop on a longer trip that also took in Grotte di Frasassi and Vesuvius. This time we wanted something different: no side trips around Italy, no long drives, just two full days given over entirely to the historic centre – walking it, eating our way through it, and letting the city set the pace.
It’s become something of a tradition for us to celebrate our birthdays away somewhere, even if it’s only a weekend in Europe. This time it was Rome – and this time there was a twist, as one of us didn’t find out where we were going until we were boarding the plane.
We’d already decided that food was going to be as much a part of this trip as the sights, so much so that it deserves a post of its own (read our Rome food guide for couples).
Day One: Baths, Fountains and a Rooftop at Sunset
We arrived at Termini around midday and, after a journey with no breakfast to speak of, the first order of business was finding somewhere for a late one.
We hadn’t booked anywhere in advance. Ducking into the smaller streets behind the station, we wandered until we found ourselves outside NOI Roma, on the corner of Via Gaeta and Via Volturno, and decided it looked worth the gamble.
It was – and there’s more on this and the other places we ate over the weekend in our dedicated Rome food post.
The Baths of Diocletian
Fed and ready to explore, we headed straight across the piazza to the Baths of Diocletian, part of the wider Museo Nazionale Romano.
Built between AD 298 and 306 under the Emperor Diocletian, they were the largest of Rome’s imperial bath complexes, constructed in just eight years and covering some 13 hectares between the Viminal and Quirinal hills. Given that they sit almost opposite the station, it feels remarkable how easy they are to overlook on the way into the city.
Tickets were straightforward to book online at €10 per adult when we visited, and the complex more than earned the price. Wandering between the towering brick ruins and the peaceful cloistered garden, it was easy to picture how central these baths would once have been to Roman life – not simply for bathing, but as places for exercise, socialising and spending time.
What struck us most was how remarkably substantial the complex still felt, especially compared with historic sites elsewhere that amount to little more than scattered ruins. The photo above should give you an idea.
We spent a little over an hour there, which felt about right before curiosity gave way to hunger for the streets outside.
The Fountain of the Naiads and Santa Maria degli Angeli
From inside the baths complex, you get a glimpse of the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, built into one wing of the ruins and initially designed by Michelangelo, before being reworked by Luigi Vanvitelli.
It’s worth stepping back out onto the street to see it properly, though, as the interior view really doesn’t do it justice.
Right in front of the church is the Fountain of the Naiads, and the whole piazza around it is one of those spots that quietly sets the tone for a trip.
Sitting on the fountain’s edge with the church behind us and Rome’s evening crowds starting to gather, it felt like the city was easing us in gently.
Checking In: Monti Palace Hotel
From the fountain, a short walk took us to the Monti Palace Hotel, our base for the weekend.
It earns its four stars – the room and breakfast were both excellent, and the reception staff were consistently helpful throughout our stay. One detail that stuck with us was the apparent sound insulation: the walls seemed to be lined internally with some sort of fabric, because almost no street noise made it into the room at all, even on a lively evening in Monti.
T42 Vibe – Monti Palace Hotel
| Category | Rating | Verdict |
| Couple Factor | ▰▰▰▰▱ | Very Good |
| Room Comfort | ▰▰▰▰▰ | Excellent |
| Breakfast | ▰▰▰▰▰ | Excellent |
| Rooftop Terrace & Views | ▰▰▰▰▰ | Excellent |
| Evening Dining | ▰▰▰▱▱ | Good |
| Service | ▰▰▰▰▱ | Very Good |
T42 Vibe – Overall: ▰▰▰▰▱ 4/5 – Very Good
The hotel’s real draw is its rooftop, the Tiziano Terrace, offering a 180-degree sweep over the Monti district, with views towards the Altare della Patria and the Quirinale. Book a table ahead if you want to catch the sunset from up there; the views are worth the small bit of planning.
One tip worth passing on: stick to a drink and the complimentary snacks rather than dinner. It’s an easy trap to fall into given the setting, but the evening menu simply didn’t match the surroundings.
Breakfast the next morning, taken on the very same terrace, was a different story entirely – and a genuinely lovely way to start the second day.
An Evening Walk Through Imperial Rome
After the sun had gone down, we couldn’t resist heading back out.
Rome after dark has an entirely different rhythm – the streets were still busy well past 10pm when we made our way home. Walking along Via dei Fori Imperiali by night, past Piazza Venezia, the Fontana dell’Adriatico, the Fountain of the Tyrrhenian and up to the Campidoglio, felt like having the grandest parts of the city almost to ourselves, lit up and quiet in a way they never are by day.
Day Two: Ancient Icons and Roman Piazzas
Waking up to breakfast already waiting on a rooftop terrace in the heart of Rome is one of those small luxuries worth building a trip around – all that’s really required of you is getting out of bed.
The Colosseum
After yesterday’s museum, we wanted a day outdoors, and there was only ever one place to start.
Barely a ten-minute walk from the hotel, the Colosseum needs no introduction – we’d both seen it before, but a photo in front of it together still felt non-negotiable.
Villa Borghese Gardens
From there we headed towards Villa Borghese, on the Pincian Hill to the north-east of the centre.
Cardinal Scipione Borghese began developing the gardens in the early seventeenth century on land that included vineyards, with the project taking shape from 1605 onwards. Today the park covers around 80 hectares, making it one of Rome’s largest public parks.
It’s genuinely large enough that renting bikes is a popular way to see more of it. On foot, we only managed a fraction of the grounds, though what we did see – including the striking Fontana dei Cavalli Marini with its four sculpted seahorses, along with several of the park’s museums and garden buildings – was more than enough for one morning.
Walking down from the western edge of the park towards the Tiber, we caught a lovely elevated view over Piazza del Popolo below – a nice preview before we descended to it properly.
Piazza del Popolo
Rome doesn’t do fountains by halves, and the one at the centre of Piazza del Popolo is no exception, its Egyptian obelisk of Ramesses II rising tall above the water.
On one side of the square, the church of Santa Maria del Popolo is modest in scale but handsome in detail, well worth a few minutes before moving on.
Piazza Campo de’ Fiori
By early afternoon, appetite – and the promise of edible souvenirs – pulled us south through Rome’s narrower backstreets to the market at Piazza Campo de’ Fiori.
We hadn’t planned on shopping, but the delicatessens dotted around the square proved impossible to resist, particularly the shop at number 43, unmistakable thanks to the wild boar’s head mounted above its door.
We left with considerably more cured meat than we’d arrived expecting to carry, and a backpack to prove it.
Lunch followed nearby before the long walk back to the hotel – and, again, that’s a story for the food post.
Read our Rome food guide for couples.
Getting Back to the Airport
We caught the SIT Bus back to Ciampino from Termini, the same station where we’d arrived.
Worth knowing if you’re planning your own return: the service we used had an early final departure, so cutting it fine can mean a longer wait at Ciampino than you’d like. It’s a small airport with relatively little to occupy you once you’re through.
Other transfer options exist, and we’d probably try one of those next time.
Two Days in Rome: Was It Enough?
For us, two days worked because we weren’t trying to conquer Rome.
We’d already seen some of the city’s major sights on an earlier trip, so this time we could concentrate on the historic centre at a slower pace – a long lunch here, an unexpected stop there, a rooftop sunset, and plenty of walking between the places we’d come to see.
And that’s perhaps what made this weekend feel different. Rome is one of those cities where the temptation is always to add one more monument, one more museum, one more square to the list. But travelling as a couple, some of our favourite moments came from doing precisely the opposite.
A late breakfast after arriving. Sitting beside the Fountain of the Naiads. Watching the sunset from the Monti Palace rooftop. Walking through Imperial Rome after dark. Buying far too much cured meat at Campo de’ Fiori.
We didn’t need another side trip or a packed itinerary. For two days, Rome itself was enough.
Travel42 UK is a couples travel journal dedicated to immersive road trips, slow travel, and destination storytelling.
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About the Author
The author, ainarsbl, is a Level 7 Google Local Guide, Master Reviewer and expert travel reviewer focused on scenic landscapes, UNESCO sites and meaningful couples travel experiences.