Last September my girlfriend and I visited Rome for the first time. By then I already knew the eternal city from history lessons, films, books and photos and I was certain that there would be much to see and photograph in the four days we had.
And Rome didn’t disappoint. It quickly became my new favorite city. The architecture is just phenomenal. It’s crazy to think that many of the buildings are more than 2000 years old. The city is like a huge film set. Behind every corner there seems to be yet another magnificent church. I was overwhelmed.
In this article I want to share the seven places I ended up photographing during our visit. There would have been much more, but with four days the time was limited and I had to focus on the places, which fascinated me the most.
1. Forum Romanum
This place radiates history. I went there early on our first morning. The streets of Rome were still empty and as I arrived at the viewpoint I was the only person there. If you go there early enough, you can still see the Forum lit up by artificial lights, which gives a wonderful contrast to the historic architecture.
Then I waited for sunrise, which also didn’t disappoint. As the sun appeared behind the pillars of the Forum and bathed the scene in golden light it was just magical.
During daytime and in the evening you can explore the ruins of the Forum itself, which is what we did. But it was very crowded and I much preferred the solitude of the morning. Here’s a little vlog I filmed that day.
2. Spanish Steps
Day two had me visiting the Spanish Steps. This place, as all famous places in Rome, is very crowded during daytime and it’s impossible to take a photo of the fountain and the steps. But before sunrise I had the whole plaza for myself. It all was so calm.
If you ever visit Rome, make sure to head out for an early morning stroll. In my opinion this is the best time to explore Rome.
3. Ponte Umberto
A great location for sunset is the Ponte Umberto. From there we had a wonderful view of the Vatican and the Ponte Sant’Angelo. The dark blue sky of the blue hour together with the city lights made for the perfect photo that evening. But don’t expect to be the only person watching the sunset from there. It’s a very popular spot.
4. The Pantheon
Awe-inspiring is the first word that comes to mind when I think of the Pantheon. It’s hard to fathom that this enormous dome was built nearly 2000 years ago. It’s just spectacular to walk in there and a photo cannot do this building justice. You have to see it for yourself.
5. St. Peter’s Basilica
Another awe-inspiring building is St. Peter’s Basilica. It might be the most magnificent building I have ever set foot in. Capturing its grandeur in a photo again was a huge challenge and I had nearly given up.
In the end I just snapped a quick hand-held shot of the altar with the dome overhead. At least it gives a little impression on all the intricate details that make up every inch of the Basilica.
A little tip here: make sure to visit early in the morning. During day it’ll take you at least an hour to get in there because of the crowds. If you go before 9am there are no queues.
6. View from St. Peter’s Basilica
When you visit St. Peter’s Basilica, make sure to also climb to the top of it. The views from up there are some of the best in Rome. Unfortunately it’s not possible to photograph sunrise itself from up there because of the opening hours. But the early morning light also casts beautiful shadows in the city below, which can make for an interesting photo.
7. Castel Sant’Angelo
The best view of Rome in my opinion can be had from the Castel Sant’Angelo. From up there you can see the complete city with all its churches and towers.
While most of the other places were free to visit or did cost just a few Euro, the Castel was the most expensive – I think we payed 12 Euro per person. But for this view it was worth it.
As I wrote in the beginning, there would have been many more places to photograph and it was certainly not my last visit to Rome.
To conclude this article, here’s a little video compilation, showing some more impressions of the city.
Don't forget to checkout my other articles in the series. I have already written two more:
great pictures! thanks for sharing, looks really good
I'm glad you like.
Very good those pictures @mibreit-photo, greetings from Venezuela
Yes, Amazing places to visit. All photos and videos looks beautiful.
Oh. Great. Thanks for your sharing.
Wow, this is amazing! Thanks for sharing :)
Oh. Cool. I love it.
Oh. It is great. Thanks for your sharing.
Awesome pictures. Would you mind sharing which camera you are taking photos with and what software you are using? Any ND filters involved? :) I am sure I would find out on your youtube channel, but it is a lot of stuff on there! Good job!
Hello. I don't mind sharing at all :-) I use a Canon 5DsR, but honestly, you could take those photos with any camera. Processing is done in Photoshop CS6, which is where put the raw photos back to live.... or at least I try ;-) cheers
You are a stunning photographer! Please make a post about the secret sauce you are using in your photography.
good photo
follow you
All roads lead to Rome
Wow increíbles fotos, me hacen querer recorrer cada lugar, sin duda alguna el país conocido como el país de la "bota" tiene grandes atractivos para conocer en un viaje, gracias por compartirnos tan agradable experiencia!!
Gracias para tu comentario!
This is one of my favourite blog.
I always wanted to visit Rome , and now , I want this more. You did a great job . Reading your post , is like I am already there . I hope to visit Rome in the near future . Is a town full of history , full of feelings . Great job dude. Keep going.
By the way , your pictures are the best. You are a great photographer.
Thank you so much!
Such a amazing pics
Wow these pictures are absoultely phenomenal, Rome has the richest history of the face of our planet. I've always been astonished by the city of Rome and the history of the Italian peninsula. Follow!
Excellent photos. Glad you had a great time. Thank you for sharing your travels with us. I am looking forward to visiting Rome for the first time more now since I have read your story.
Omg, the pictures are amazing! Unfortunately, I only visited Rome in high-school excursion before history really began to interest me. Rare are the places that have so much to show in terms of bronze/iron age history, maybe just Greece and Egypt.
Wow! so beautiful pictures of Rome!
Congratulations :)
good and like your photos
Wonderful photos! I wanted to go there, beautiful and mysterious! Thank you )
Wow, beautiful photos my friend. My folks went there a few years back and I think they fell in love. They told me how beautiful it was but never took that many photos. Now I can see the true beauty of what they must have felt. Thanks for sharing. What type of camera did you use, if you don't mind me asking? I will follow for sure. Cheers. :)
Hi, I use Canon 5DsR, so quite a beast. But equipment is secondary nowadays I think, there are so many great camera options out there. More important is being at the right location at the right time ;-)
Thanks for your share. So nice
Really nice photos! My wife and I are planning a visit to Italy next year and we'll make sure to keep your tips about the best time to visit these attractions in mind. Thank you :)
I'm sure you will love it!
Amazing pics
Great pictures, i'll like to read more about the history of those places
Those are some fabulous shots.. Early morning click definitely do wonders. The place looks so serene!
Romanum with that lighting is killer!! Great work all around.
Wow! Amazing pictures, really enjoyed your post!
Keep on going like that! :)
Greetings from Germany!
Greetings from Bavaria :-)
We loved Rome when we went there, so much to see and do! Really great informative post!
Oh thanks for the tips!! This seems very helpful, what a beautiful city! Cant wait to explore :)
Lovely photo's. Nice composition and colors.
Interesting ! I found already your superb vlog on the Forum Romanum.
When I went, it was a pity that for security reasons it was not possible to bring in a tripod in the StPauls cathedral. The ceilings are impressive.
So is your picture of the skyline with the cathedral and many other...
looking so nice
Great shots! Rome is a truly beautiful city isn't it. Sadly we didn't experience such lovely weather / light as you did… it poured down all the time! Would love to go back sometime.
Congratulations @mibreit-photo!
Your post was mentioned in the hit parade in the following category:
Thank you for the wonderful photos! It brings back some great memories for me. I proposed to my wife in the Roman Forum!
it looks beautiful
Beautiful photos! Rome was a great city to visit when I went there a few years ago. In fact, all of Italy was pretty awesome.
I couldn't agree more on your tip of going early to beat the crowd especially in places so popular like Rome :) Greay write up and excellent photos! Keep them comimg
Looks amazing, I would love to visit someday!
These are some amazing pictures.
Wow!!! I loved looking at all the pictures they were breathtakingly amazing. Thanks for sharing the video as well.
I need to visit Rome sometime! Beautiful.
It's such a shame that I haven't able to visit Rome the last time due to the bad weather when I visited Europe. I'll make sure I won't miss that out the next time I visit. Thank you for sharing the photos and looking forward to see more from you. If you like, check me out as well on @explorernations where I blog about food and travels
Nice picture
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STOPBeautiful Rome
You command amazing photography skills! Those photos can easily be the material of great wallpaper.
Wow very nice pictures. I was in rome this year in october also if i knew this perspectives back then puh.
Your photos are beautiful! @amyinautumn and I are planning to visit a friend in Rome in a couple months... thank you for the recommendations :)
@mibreit-photo gorgeous photographs, thank you for sharing.