Today was a much brighter day with sun and it was warmer than the previous day. The brighter weather made for a perfect visit to the Trevi Fountain after breakfast which was only a few minutes’ walk from my hotel. Until I arrived at the fountain, I hadn’t realised how small the area was that the fountain is sited in. It is in the Piazza di Trevi which is at the junction of three roads (tre vie) which is where the fountain and district gets its name from. The pedestrianised plaza is very quaint, but I don’t imagine there is much room to move around here on a packed day in the summer. From the beginning of February 2026, there is going to be a €2 pp charge for the fountain. Rome has many fountains, but the Trevi is the largest Baroque fountain in Rome. It features the god, Oceanus on a shell chariot, surrounded by tritons and horses that are supposed to represent the mood of the sea. The fountain was commissioned by Pope Clement XII to replace a smaller fountain and was completed in 1762 where it now links modern day Rome to its classical past.
The fountain is stunning, and probably the best one I have ever seen. You need to get right up to the fountain to really appreciate its natural beauty. The fountain has also featured in several classic films, and legend has it that tossing a coin over your shoulder ensures a return visit to Rome. All the coins from the fountain are collected periodically and donated to a catholic charity.
After spending some time here admiring the fountain and surrounding area, and of course taking many photographs, it was time to go off for a wander around the area. My wanderings eventually took me to the Roma la de Tritone area and into the large Rinascente department store that sells the best of everything over eight floors. It also houses a number of places to eat and drink where I found a lovely little coffee area. There is a fabulous rooftop terrace here, too, which is not to be missed, as it offers great views of the Rome skyline and serves cocktails!
After refreshments, it was time to take a bus tour on one of the hop-on hop-off buses. They, of course, have these in many of the big cities around the world but I think I have only ever ridden on one in Budapest and London before this. They are a variety of different ones in Rome and they are different colours. I thought it would be nice to do a full circuit of the city highlights as it only takes 1.5 hours at a price of €19. Even though Rome is quite a walkable city, the open top bus is a great way to see all the sights from a more elevated position, and the tour offers earphones so that you can listen to a commentary. I didn’t prebook this activity, but I imagine in high season it would be more difficult to do this at the last minute. It was a bit cold at the top of the bus in January, too, but would obviously be a lot warmer during the summer months. It’s quite a good idea to do something like this early on in your holiday so that you can see what you want to look more at and then you have the option to hop off the bus and get back on another bus when you are ready.
After my bus trip, my evening consisted of a lovely Italian pasta meal near to my hotel to finish off the day, and it was quite well priced. One thing I must mention is that there is no need to purchase bottled water anywhere in Rome while you are visiting, as the water is pure enough to drink.
