Turns out… the Roman Colosseum is just like the sugar cube version of itself that I built for Latin class in 2001. Pretty big, kinda sorta falling apart. The history that took place within these walls is simply unfathomable.
Long lines to get in, a bunch of people milling about, there were even tv trucks parked outside. The OG stadium really does have everything.
How did I get in?
I booked through a tour operator I found on Viator. Tickets tend to sell out from the official site very quickly, so a 3rd party operator might be your only bet by the time you have your schedule firmed up. Do your best to find “Skip the Line” tickets if you can.
I’m not entirely sure what I expected when I walked all over Rome in search of seeing all the tentpole pieces of ancient history. You see photos in guides, snippets via Reels and TikTok’s. I knew these landmarks were ‘in town’, per se, but I didn’t really process that you’d be walking around the corner from a pizza place and a souvenir shop and WHAMMO, one of the most exquisite things you’ve ever laid witness to is just a block away from the hole in the wall bakery selling pasta shaped like penises. (True story.)
So, after I filled my face with pizza at Piccolo Buco – which is, IMHO, worth waiting in an alley for – it was time to walk it off and check out the Trevi Fountain.
Side note: re Piccolo Buco – they’ve expanded. Worldwide. So if you can’t afford a ticket to Rome, you can also enjoy their pizza in… Tampa. Or Naperville. ANYHOW.
What you see is what you get. It’s free for anyone to go to the piazza and take a gander. HOWEVER… to mitigate crowds bunching up directly in front of the fountain, a 2 euro charge was introduced in February 2026 for travelers who wanted to get up in said fountain’s business. I had 2 euro. I wanted to get up in the business. So, I ponied up to see the stone ponies. And this guy.
The main sculpture at the center of the Trevi Fountain is of Oceanus, the Titan father of the river gods. IMHO, he is one photogenic guy. This has to be one of my favorite photos I took in my entire week in Europe.
