We suggest you squeeze your schedule to make the most of your 48 hours in the city. It seems like a mission impossible if we think about everything the Italian capital has to offer, but we’ll try.

Tie your shoes tight and get ready for an experience everyone should have. Let Rome’s magic captivate you, walking around the most emblematic sites in good company…or whomever you decide to go with.

Leave the suitcase behind and hit the streets

If you want to make the most of your trip to Rome you can’t waste any time. Leave your suitcase in the hotel and go out into the city. We recommend you spend the first day enjoying the squares, fountains, bridges, and monuments that you can see without having to adhere to schedules or entrance fees.

We suggest you start at the Piazza di Spagna then head to the Piazza Colonna, where you’ll find the Column of Marcus Aurelius, which has a number of carvings that are sure to impress.

After visiting these two squares and taking some artsy photos, make a wish and throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain, walk around the Pantheon and finish at the Piazza Navona, which has three beautiful fountains: The Fountain of Four Rivers, Moor Fountain, and the Fountain of Neptune.

If you’re a fan of Atlético de Madrid, don’t miss the chance to show your red and white stripes with the god of the seas; if Madrid isn’t your team forget about its connections to football or don’t bother stopping.

Continue the Trip with Gusto, but don’t sleep

You get up early to take advantage of the day – there’s a lot to see. To maximize your time in Rome, you should start your second day bright and early at the Vatican. St. Peter’s Square will be your starting point and, after taking a couple of pictures at this emblematic site, it’ll be time to enter St. Peter’s Basilica.

Next up is the Vatican Museum, where we can enjoy many works of art and the icing on the cake is the Sistine Chapel.

Once we’ve enjoyed Michelangelo’s paintings, if we’ve got time we can visit the Castel Sant’Angelo and the bridge by the same name, which together offer a view that can’t be missed.

Last but not least, we still have to visit Imperial Rome. Starting with the Colosseum, where we can see the heart of the violent shows that claimed the lives of gladiators (even Russell Crowe himself), and continuing to the Roman Forum and the Piazza Campidoglio, where we’ll find the statue in honour of Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome, we’ll have a good idea of what was once the great Roman Empire.

And to drink?

Of course we won’t spend all our time in Rome at monuments – we can also have a few beers. The best spots to enjoy the city’s laid-back atmosphere are the Trastevere District, where you can enjoy the best Italian cuisine at a very affordable price, and the Campo de’ Fiori, geared more towards having a few drinks and toasting to this beautiful and historic city.