As usual, the dogs had us up and out by 7am on our third full day in Rome, but at least we’d gotten a bit caught up with sleep since we’d gone to bed early the night before. During last night’s market stop we’d had the foresight to pick up some yogurt and fresh berries, so we had a much healthier breakfast than at any other point during the trip. Maybe we aren’t experiencing typical European breakfasts, but in general we haven’t found them the healthiest meals on the planet. Big on bread and pastry, short on nutrients. Luckily we prefer to eat breakfast at home. 

We hit up a taxi again this morning to get us to the Borghese Gallery — an art gallery in a Renaissance-era villa. Entry was timed, and we didn’t get out of the apartment early enough to figure out public transportation (yes, we’re really sucking at using our metro pass). The gallery sits in one corner of the gigantic Villa Borghese Park, and our driver had trouble finding the right entrance. We ended up driving by a dog park and past the zoo before we found our way to the museum entrance, lol! We chose the Borghese Gallery as the third and final pre-booked attraction on our trip because as much as Rome is known for the classical period and as the seat of the Catholic Church, it was also one of the epicenters of Renaissance art and we wanted to experience a piece of that era in this trip as well. We’d previously experienced the Borghese’s influence in Siena so this was a natural follow-up.

It was a great choice! The Bernini statues and the architecture of the building itself were outstanding. A few highlights for us include: the Bernini statue of Hades and Persephone in the first room — the realism of Hades’ fingers grabbing Persephone’s thigh was astonishing and the look on her face? Heartbreakingly realistic. I also loved Rafael’s painting of a girl with a unicorn, and Da Vinci’s Leda and the Swan. Plus all the painted ceilings and all the mosaic floors. I’m not sure that the Borghese Gallery is a ‘hidden gem’ per se, but we’re sure glad we looked at least a little bit beyond the main sights and took the time to explore it. The one negative would be the mess at the museum’s entrance/exit. With the timed tickets, there were too many people trying to check in — and check their bags as none (not even a purse) were allowed in the gallery — at the same time. It was particularly messy when we were trying to leave as a tour group was leaving at the same time and there were no clear lines. That part was an un-fun free-for-all, but it didn’t even come close to ruining the experience of the gallery as a whole. 

After leaving the Borghese, we decided to have a walk through the park as we started our afternoon “free time”. As I mentioned, the park is just huge, and on our next trip to Rome I would love to spend more time there. All the green (in February!) was lovely, plus it’s much like San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park with numerous statues, monuments, gardens, and several additional museums (plus, of course, the zoo and the dog park). I had pinned a spot in the park with a lookout over the Piazza del Popolo, but we stopped for cappuccinos and croissants in a little park café instead and then ran out of time (we may be sensing a theme here!). We needed to get to the Basilica Parrocchiale Santa Maria del Popolo — a sight on John’s A list — before it closed. The Piazza del Popolo with its fountains and obelisk and the Santa Maria del Popolo Basilica were worth skipping the overlook for. 

After viewing the Basilica, we continued to wend our way through the city to get to Isola Tiberina — an island in the middle of the Tiber and the starting location for Rick Steves’ Trastevere audio walking tour. Along the route, we stopped in to another historic church (in addition to Roman ruins, Rome could be a city of a thousand churches!). This church was FULL of gold and absolutely dazzling. Another note for our next trip — just wander through the city randomly and go into every open church our future selves can find. They’re beautiful! 

Before starting the Trastevere walk we took a quick break at a café on Isola Tiberina. We asked the bartender for a glass of red each and he poured us a Cesanese. It was so delicious! We’re really bad at remembering the names of the wines we enjoy, but this one was so good I immediately wrote it down (and then promptly forgot about it until reviewing my notes in order to write this article, lol!). While enjoying our aperitif and the snack that came with it, we struck up a conversation with the woman seated next to us at the bar. She was a solo traveler who ran a train museum in Amsterdam and was waiting to meet up with a friend who also happened to be traveling solo to Rome. Social interaction for the day? Check! 

We then continued along our walking tour, disappointed to find that the Church of Saint Cecilia was closed. We sat in the courtyard and listened to Rick’s description, every now and then getting up to see if we could peek around a corner or through a crack in a door to get a glimpse of the interior. We’ll have to come back. Luckily, the Church of Santa Maria was open and it was absolutely magnificent! A fitting end for another great RS free audio walking tour. It really is pretty amazing that Rick can offer so many of these for free on the Rick Steves Audio Europe app. If there’s one available where we’re staying, we never pass it by.

After the tour we found our way back to the Colosseo metro stop via another surprise set of ancient Roman ruins as well as the palace housing an eternal flame (I can’t remember the name of the palace? government building? The one with the horse chariots on top. We did not go inside). We took the metro home, walked the dogs, picked up our AMZ restock order. We were beat and decided to eat dinner locally — John took a walk to see what he could hunt for us and came back with pastrami sandwiches, French fries, and beer. It was perfect.

Today’s step count: 22,413 steps / 9.5 miles

4(ish) Days in Rome: Additional Days Linked Below

Arrival Day | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Departure Day