Thanksgiving 2025: Day 2, Rome

The second day started with rain, exactly as forecast.

After the long walk on Day 1, Day 2 felt much more relaxed, thanks to two guided tours we had booked in advance. The morning began with a Segway tour. We had done one just this past summer in Washington, D.C. (June), and while we were a little worried about the bad weather, the Segway turned out to be remarkably stable and reliable — even on wet Roman streets.

It may have been the rain, but the morning tour ended up being just the three of us — our family only. It felt almost like a private, chartered tour, which was a quiet little luxury we hadn’t planned for but happily accepted.

We usually prefer wandering freely, but guided tours have some very real advantages. Our guide, Marika, explained things we would never have noticed on our own — like why the Victor Emmanuel II Monument is nicknamed the Wedding Cake, and how the Colosseum got its name. The most impressive part was when she pulled out a VR headset so we could “step into” the Colosseum and the Foro Romano (Roman Forum) as they looked in their prime. Seeing ancient Rome layered over the modern ruins was unexpectedly moving.

We also learned what SPQR stands for—Senātus Populusque Rōmānus (“The Senate and the People of Rome”)—and why those letters appear on nearly every nasone, the city’s iconic public water fountains. She even showed us the right way to drink from one.

Another great benefit of a guided tour: great group photos. Marika happily took pictures of us at all the right spots; we didn’t have to worry about handing our phones to random strangers in a city famous for pickpockets.

The tour company’s name was Fat Tire Tours, which I thought was an excellent name. I loved the Segway tour. In D.C., it was a lifesaver against heat and humidity. In Rome, it was perfect for navigating the city’s constant hills (not steep, but endless), and the “fat tire” should be the best way to navigate them. I strongly recommend trying it at least once. I booked through Viator, but Fat Tire Tours also allows direct booking — I’ve attached their photo of the QR code (for Marika).

After more than two and a half hours on the Segway, we had only about one hour before our next tour at the Colosseum. So lunch had to be fast. We ducked into La Prezzemolina, which turned out to be exactly what we needed. Finding it was slightly tricky in the heavy rain, partly because the place was much smaller than we had imagined. Inside, it was a compact, casual spot where you could quickly grab a few slices of pizza, stand, and eat (there were some tall stools, but the spirit of the place was clearly “in and out”). And it was — without exaggeration — the best pizza of my life. Once again, the same thought returned: what we’ve been eating in the Bay Area… We were so impressed that we tried to come back another day — only to learn, disappointingly, that they close at 5 pm.

Then we hurried off toward the Colosseum. Our Colosseum tour started at 2 pm., and it was a Korean-guided tour. Getting inside the Colosseum with a guide is, without question, the best way to experience it. Security was noticeably strict. It was the tightest we encountered on this entire trip. We even had to bring our original passports so the staff could match our names with the tickets. Once inside, the scale and structure of the Colosseum were overwhelming. Standing where tens of thousands of spectators once sat, and looking down into the complex maze of corridors beneath the arena floor, made everything we’d seen in books and movies suddenly feel real. The place carried both grandeur and quiet weight. The only regret I had? I should have watched Gladiator II before coming here.

The tour also included a visit to the Foro Romano (Roman Forum). Interestingly, our guide seemed to love this place even more than the Colosseum; I thought it because her explanations became much more detailed there. And I could understand why. This was where everyday Roman life unfolded. Not just emperors and generals, but ordinary people. What fascinated me most was the layering. You could literally see the strata of history — different levels of the city stacked on top of each other, created by centuries of rebuilding and reuse. New Rome constructed over old Rome, sometimes using the foundations and walls of earlier buildings, sometimes extending them. The result was a strange, awe-inspiring sense of time compressed into physical space.

For dinner, we went to Old Bear. I had read in a Korean guide that it was especially popular with Korean travelers, so I half-expected it to feel a little… Koreanized. But it turned out to be a completely ordinary local Roman restaurant — in the best way. And the food? I won’t repeat the phrase. You already know.

After dinner, we stopped by Giolitti, one of Rome’s most famous gelaterias, on our way back to the hotel. Personally, I still preferred Giovanni Fassi from the day before, but Giolitti was excellent in its own way.

By the time we headed back, I was quietly grateful that Day 2 had been a lighter walking day. It finally started to feel like the trip was truly underway. Not just moving through Rome, but actually being there.