Saturday-Sunday, 22-23 november 2025, Rome

Because the weather was good and we had spent plenty of time inside, Saturday’s main event was simply a walk in the city. The default path was to various “sights in central Rome,” as recommended by our guide book, but we didn’t feel a strong need to check the must-sees off a list.

That was a good thing, because we were among many (many) other people enjoying the weekend. Although it’s no longer legal to sit on the Spanish Steps, people can’t be prevented from walking and standing there. Here’s the fountain in the piazza at the base of the steps, giving you an idea of both the weather (chilly) and the people (numerous but pleasant).

The Pantheon is also popular, and we’re lucky to have been inside to marvel at its dome on a previous visit, as we had no interest in standing in line to buy tickets:

I’m a bit sad that the Gucci ad is more visible than the wonderful fountain in the middle of Piazza Navona

but I was happy to get close enough to see Neptune slaying his octopus at the north end of the piazza:

In previous visits to Rome, we stayed on the other side of the river in the Trastevere neighborhood, and on Sunday we wanted to return to a few familiar haunts. We intended to take the bus, but apparently everyone leaving the main train station uses that bus line, and gets on some blocks before our stop. We watched three jam-packed large sardine cans buses go by, and decided to walk instead.

A cool thing about Rome is that the city preserves its history (OK, some of its thousands of years’ worth) right in the middle of the current day. It’s nothing special to encounter big old places like the Theater of Marcellus as you walk along:

And you get a nice view from the nearby pedestrian bridge too:

If we had one, we’d consider Santa Maria in Trastevere to be our parish church:

and I was pleased that the restaurant whose awning says “Rigatoni Democratici” is still there.

Our return trip took us past more checklist sights. Here’s the Circus Maximus, huge and beautiful in the sun:

And the Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine

And finally, another from the display-window series: