From Villa Borghese
Monday was my last day in Rome! I spent the whole day trekking from park to park around Rome. I think I walked over 15 miles this past Monday. I have not taken the metro or any public transportation once while here. I needed to burn off all these calories from eating!
I found this great link on scenic views in Rome. I chose three places to go and saw more of Rome than I would have otherwise! I started off with Villa Borghese, which is like the Central Park of Rome. It's pretty big and has some interesting sights to see. I liked it a lot but wouldn't say go out of your way to see it unless you want a respite of the bustling city.
A little peace in a bustling city
Ruins
After spending a couple of hours wandering around, I headed way across to the other side of town to the Orange Gardens, also known as Giardino delga Aranci. This neighborhood is south of the main sites of the city and you pass by a lot of interesting architecture and sites along the way.
The Orange Gardens is located within a residential community and closes at 6 pm. It's very small but a great overlook of the city. There are no facilities here, just a park and benches but it's very serene and quiet compared to most sights in Rome!
From here I then walked over to the Trasvetere area for some gelato at Gelato del Viale. It was getting quite hot from all the walking so it was a much needed respite!
From here, you can head over to the Gianicolo area which is a huge hill above Rome. If coming from the Trasvetere area, then you're approaching it from the south side and will go up a steep hill and stairs to reach it. Here you'll be greeted with some views of the city but the tree growth is quite high so not really that appealing. If you keep walking north (towards Vatican City and the other side of the park) there will be less obstructed views. It's a nice long walk downhill though if you head north/west.
First views
Second views further west on Gianicolo
As you head back down you can basically loop back into the main city area or go toward Vatican City.
Overall a nice way to spend my last day getting more acquainted with all the areas of Rome. I never took the metro and just burned a ton of calories walking all over the city and definitely saw a lot more than anticipated.