Rome

Three full days covers the Vatican, ancient Rome and the historic centre's walking loop without rushing. The Colosseum's travertine arcades stand over the hypogeum, the maze of corridors and lift shafts beneath where the arena floor once was; arena-floor access is a separate, limited entry through the Porta Libitinaria, the gladiators' gate, and most tickets for it are bundled with the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill, which together form one archaeological park. In the Forum the Curia Julia still stands because it was converted into a church. The Vatican Museums lead to the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's, with a dress code enforced at both; one street back from the basilica, Borgo's side streets run under the Leonine Wall that Pope Leo IV built after the Saracen raid. Monti, the rione between the Colosseum and Termini, cooks the Roman classics — cacio e pepe, carbonara, saltimbocca. The classic walk runs from the Spanish Steps and Trinità dei Monti through the Villa Borghese to the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and Piazza Navona.