If you’ve only got 24 hours in Rome, here are the things you absolutely have to do!
1. Dress up like a lion and fight your dad to the death in the Colosseum: Relive the excitement of history’s most gripping gladiatorial battles by dressing up like a lion and fighting your dad to the death in Rome’s legendary Colosseum. Gruesomely killing your dad while donning a lion costume is one of the most authentic Roman experiences you can have, and you’ll get goosebumps seeing your old man bleed out on the same arena floor where great ancient warriors once valiantly fought before tens of thousands of roaring spectators. There’s really nothing else like it!
2. Let a local know the Colosseum is broken: If dressing up like a lion and killing your dad isn’t your thing, another worthwhile way to spend your time at the Colosseum is to wander around and inform locals that the famed landmark is broken. Seriously, like half of it is gone—it looks like an airplane crashed into it or something. Someone should really let the Italians know so they can find out what happened and fix the thing. Even if you don’t know the language, just grab the nearest local you can find and point at the Colosseum. They’ll have no problem seeing the huge chunks of wall that are missing, and they’ll thank you profusely for calling it to their attention.
3. Visit the beautiful Santa Maria della San Luigi dei Vittoria of Sant’Ignazio di San Clemente Basilica Papale of Our Lady in Trastevere del Popolo of the Holy Cross Baptist Church of the Basilica e Giuliano: Considered one of Rome’s 100 most beautiful churches, the Santa Maria della San Luigi dei Vittoria of Sant’Ignazio di San Clemente Basilica Papale of Our Lady in Trastevere del Popolo of the Holy Cross Baptist Church of the Basilica e Giuliano is known for its ornate stonework, beautiful paintings, and haunting acoustics. If you only visit 38 churches while you’re in Rome, be sure that one of them is the Santa Maria della San Luigi dei Vittoria of Sant’Ignazio di San Clemente Basilica Papale of Our Lady in Trastevere del Popolo of the Holy Cross Baptist Church of the Basilica e Giuliano.
4. Look for Waldo in the Sistine Chapel ceiling: Not one of the Sistine Chapel’s five million annual visitors has ever found Michelangelo’s Waldo yet, but somewhere deep within the Renaissance artist’s magnum opus is the red-and-white-striped man himself. So why not give it a shot? Even though you probably won’t find him, you’ll still have a ton of fun craning your neck among throngs of sweaty strangers.
5. Pay your respects at Chef Boyardee’s mausoleum: There’s no more iconic figure in all of Italian history than the late, great Chef Boyardee, who was tragically killed during the Allied bombing of Rome in 1943. You can honor his legacy by visiting his 30,000-square-foot marble mausoleum and leaving a can of ravioli behind in his memory. To simply be near the remains of such a great man is an experience that borders on the spiritual, and you won’t want to miss it.
