We first went to Rome back in 2018 when we’d just set off to travel the world, but we didn’t know much about photography and we didn’t even own a camera at the time. So we couldn’t wait to make amends when we finally made it back to Rome in 2022, armed with the knowledge and gear we needed.
Our maps app was covered with stars, which represented our must-visit photo spots scattered across Rome. But we also found some seriously cool hidden gem locations scattered throughout the city’s stunning architecture, historic buildings, cobbled streets and charming neighborhoods that we’re excited to share with you.
Here we are alone on the Spanish Steps at sunrise
Hi, we’re Mark and Kristen Morgan. We left our scientific careers in 2018 to become travel writers and photographers, and since then our expert guides have helped millions of travel planners take better trips. Read more about us.
Why trust us with your Rome plans? We’ve been taking photos of travel destinations around the world for years, we spent 3 full days exploring Rome from dawn to dusk with our cameras, and we even sell a few of our favorite photos in our prints store. As always, every photo in this guide is ours.
Did it all go to plan? Absolutely not! The crowds gathering in front of places like the Trevi Fountain and Pantheon were outrageous, so we struggled to take crisp people-free photos. But that’s where our backup plan came in – we woke up agonizingly early and hit the streets before anyone else was awake.
In this guide we show you the photo spots we loved most in Rome, with our advice on when to visit and exactly where to go for the best views. Stay tuned until the end for a map showing each location and our top photography tips for your trip to Rome. Okay, let’s begin!
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Colosseum
The Colosseum is easily our favorite subject for photos in Rome. It’s just so unique and striking. And the thing we like most? It looks equally as awesome in clear daylight as it does by night when its windows glow a deep orange color.
The problem? We never found it especially easy to get photos we were happy with because the structure is massive, and there were always mega-crowds in our frame.
So after trying out tons of different ways to capture quality photos of the Colosseum, we discovered that it was better to take photos from afar by day to avoid the heavy crowds, then get closer by night when it was quieter and to really emphasize those orange windows.
Inside the Colosseum – shot at 24mm
First, here’s what the Colosseum looks like on the inside. Did it blow us away? Not as much as we expected, but it was still cool to walk around and take photos of such an iconic and historic building. Who doesn’t love the movie Gladiator?!
We would have appreciated some clouds in the sky for a bit of texture and to tone down the brightness, but at least it wasn’t raining.
Insider Tip: With a basic entry ticket you’ll only have access to the outer walkways looping around the oval-shaped structure. You need to buy a ticket with Arena access or Underground access if you want to get into the middle. Buy the Full Experience tickets.
The Colosseum from Palatine Hill – shot at 70mm
Technically, we could put this photo in the next section because we took it from Palatine Hill. But photos from close up to the Colosseum simply weren’t great during the day because there were so many people outside, so we didn’t bother including any here.
Plus, we wanted to show you how awesome the Colosseum looks when compressed from a bit further back. Basically, don’t skip Palatine Hill if you want a great photo spot of the Colosseum during the day – and a telephoto lens will help a lot.
Colosseum at dusk – shot at 23mm
It was amazing how quickly the crowds thinned after the Colosseum closed for day. We waited for the sky to turn a deep blue-purple color at dusk and set up our tripod where Via Sacra meets Via dei Verbiti to get this serene and calm photo of the famous structure.
Kristen at the Colosseum – shot at 16mm
Next, we walked a few steps further north up Via dei Verbiti and waited a good 10 minutes to get this photo of Kristen with nobody else in front of the Colosseum.
We don’t love taking wide angle photos at 16mm when one of us is the subject, but we really wanted to capture more around the building to show the full setting.
Photography Tip: If you don’t have a camera or phone that lets you fit the full Colosseum into your frame along with the person you’re taking a photo of, take a few steps further back, kneel down on the floor and angle your phone or camera up.
The Colosseum at night – shot at 16mm
We wanted one more photo of the Colosseum to feel content – a close up, middle height shot of all three floors lit up at night.
So we walked around to the north side of the structure, found a staircase leading up through a small park and arrived at a pedestrian crossing where Largo Gaetana Agnesi meets Via Nicola Salvi with the exact view we wanted. It’s a pretty cool photo, right?!
Read our guide on how to visit the Colosseum for the first time to make sure you avoid the common mistakes most people make.
Roman Forum + Palatine Hill
It was a swelteringly hot morning when we did the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill (all three are included with the same entrance ticket) at the end of May.
And we remembered the Colosseum had at least a few shaded areas to escape the sun from our first visit, so we started by exploring the totally exposed Roman Forum and Palatine Hill before it got too hot. It was the right call!
What we loved about the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill from a photography perspective was endless unique perspectives and angles of the remains from ancient Rome. And it was much quieter than the Colosseum, which made taking photos easier.
Roman Forum and Palatine Hill – shot at 66mm
Honestly, it’s hard to go wrong with photos here. There’s ruined ancient buildings at every turn, so we just tried to create unusual frames from various distances and with different focal lengths.
We took the photo above from the Temple of Saturn looking towards the Temple of Castor and Pollux (the three columned temple) and Palatine Hill behind. Those tourists up top have a great vantage point looking down on the ruins, so don’t miss it when you visit.
Temple of Divus Julius – shot at 30mm
The Temple of Caesar (where Julius Caesar was cremated) was in better shape than most other buildings in the Roman Forum, so it’s definitely one to add to your list of photo spots.
Temple of Saturn – shot at 42mm
We ended up taking photos of almost every ruin in the Forum, but some turned out better than others and this one of the Temple of Saturn is one of our favorites because we had excellent light so early in the morning.
Insider Tip: We opted against a guided tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum because we wanted to take our time with photography. But if we’re being honest we do wish we’d booked a guided tour like this top rated tour with Walks of Italy because it includes access to the Colosseum’s Arena through the Gladiator’s Gate, and we didn’t learn very much in the Forum by doing it ourselves. Basically, we chose photos over the experience and we’re not sure it was the right call.
Vatican
We discovered there were really two parts to taking photos in Vatican City. The first was capturing images inside the Vatican Museums – which included the halls, rooms, exhibits, artifacts, ceilings and of course St. Peter’s Basilica. And the second was photographing the exterior.
Inside, we did a fantastic job, but only because we learned from our first experience at the Vatican back in 2018 when we booked regular tickets and were crammed inside like sardines. The second time with our cameras we knew we had to do something different, so we booked this genuinely amazing guided tour of the Vatican Museums called Pristine Sistine with Walks of Italy.
It got us inside before anyone else, so we had entire halls, galleries and rooms entirely to our small group. That meant we could learn from a local professional, and peel off to the side to get photos of the Vatican with no people. It was worth it a million times over!
But outside we really didn’t do a great job. It was hard to capture the scale and vastness of St. Peter’s Square, even with a wide angle lens.
The weather was overcast and grey which didn’t help during the day, but the biggest mistake we made was not going back to Via della Conciliazione when it was dark to use a telephoto lens and compress St. Peter’s Basilica from way down the street.
Vatican Museum hall of sculptures – shot at 25mm
This hall of sculptures was one of many we were able to experience with no other people around because we took that special early entry tour. The previous time we visited, halls like this were totally jam-packed with people.
Vatican Museum Gallery of Maps – shot at 24mm
We travel the world for a living, so we allowed ourselves to get excited when we were walking totally alone through the Vatican Museum’s famous Gallery of Maps. How cool is that?!
The Bramante Staircase – shot at 20mm
We loved everything about our early visit to the Vatican, but if we’re being totally honest the one thing in the back of our minds was getting this photo of the Bramante Staircase. It’s such a unique photo spot in Rome so don’t miss it when you’re in the museum. This is one of the travel prints we sell, just in case you want to put it on your wall at home.
It was already well into the morning by the time we arrived, so we did have to wait a good few minutes to get a people-free photo. One thing we didn’t do on purpose was arrive right as half the staircase was covered in sunlight and the other half in shadow. Sometimes you need a bit of luck!
St Peter’s Basilica ceiling – shot at 16mm
As photographers exploring a place like Rome, there’s a few things we drill into our brains so we don’t forget – and of those things is to always look up when we visit museums, churches or galleries.
St Peter’s Basilica has a huge dome, tombs and Renaissance art work in abundance. But we really liked the intricate ceiling design in a different part of the church and nobody else gave even gave it a second look.
Vatican’s Pine Cone Courtyard – shot at 46mm
It’s hard to get people-free photos of any building in the Vatican, so we were delighted when we had the Pine Cone Courtyard to just our small group on the tour. We were able to get this photo of part of the museum next to the golden “Sphere within a Sphere”.
St Peter’s Square – shot at 16mm
Just look at the amount of people waiting in that long line to get inside the museum. And you can’t even see the worst bit over to the right side where it slaloms back and forth like an airport security line.
If we had more time, we would have gone back to Piazza San Pietro at night to get this same photo but without the people. Plus, we’d walk back down Via della Conciliazione, turn around to look at the Basilica and use our telephoto lens at something like 80mm to create a cool composition.
Here’s our guide on the best way to visit the Vatican Museums to help you avoid making the same mistakes we did first time around.
Trevi Fountain
Ahh, the Trevi Fountain. It’s obviously one of the most iconic structures in Rome, but man alive does it get crowded. In fact, it’s gotten so overcrowded that there’s now new rules in place to limit the amount of tourists gathering at any one time.
When we turned up after dinner, it was honestly like walking up to the main stage of a major music festival. We weren’t under any illusions, it was always going to be busy but it actually shocked us how many people were just sat or stood there staring at the fountain.
It wasn’t our scene, so we left and walked around quieter areas with a gelato. But it was right then that we knew it was going to have to be an early start if we wanted to get a photo of the Trevi Fountain with nobody in it.
Trevi Fountain late afternoon – shot at 24mm
This is what you can expect if you visit the Trevi Fountain in the late afternoon. It was absolute chaos. Needless to say, we didn’t last long here!
Trevi Fountain at dawn – shot at 16mm
Oh yes, this is more our scene. We arrived just after sunrise and there were already 3 or 4 other couples at the Trevi Fountain taking photos. Fair play to them for getting after it.
Ideally, Mark would have moved further back to get the full fountain into the frame and Kristen would have been dead center, but the other people were sat too close and they were itching to get back in for more action so we had to be quick.
Trevi Fountain with no people – shot at 16mm
It was cool to be at such a famous and usually swarming attraction with 1% of the the crowds. So we moved around to the side, crouched down, angled up, stuck with 16mm and got as much as we could into the frame.
Pantheon
The Pantheon is another of our absolute favorite buildings in Rome. It just looks so majestic and impressive from the outside in Piazza della Rotunda. But again, the problem for photography is swarms of tourists congregating in the square all day and into the evening.
There was only fix for this, and it had late night and early morning written all over it.
Pantheon at night – shot at 16mm
After a late dinner and drinks, we decided to walk past the Pantheon on our way to the hotel and it was nearly deserted. So we set up the camera and waited a few minutes for the square to clear – but there were still quite a few people sat on the wall to the side.
Pantheon at dawn – shot at 16mm
We really wanted that photo of the Pantheon with no people around, so we prioritized it first thing in the morning and it ended up being way quieter than we expected. We didn’t even have to wait for anyone to clear out.
Piazza della Rotunda dawn – shot at 16mm
And because it was so quiet, we thought it would be rude to miss out on a few more photo ops. We tried a couple of different spots but this one was the best.
Spanish Steps
The Spanish Steps was another photo spot near the top of our Rome wishlist because the scene is so unique. And the oval shaped fountain with tall and wide steps behind leading to an attractive off-white church didn’t disappoint.
But out of all the popular Instagram spots in Rome, we had the most problems with the Spanish Steps. Why? Because the steps were blanketed by tourists all day, and even when we arrived at the crack of dawn there were already full blown social media shoots going on.
And we’re not talking a few selfies before moving on so others can get in, we’re talking phones on tripods and at least 20 takes walking right up and down the steps. Really?!
Kristen at the Spanish Steps – shot at 23mm
Here’s Kristen at the Spanish Steps during the day with usual crowds behind. The photo is fine, right? But it’s not one we’d ever consider printing because there’s far too many people in it.
Spanish Steps at sunrise – shot at 16mm
And here’s what the Spanish Steps looked like when we arrived after sunrise (and the Instagram shoot ended!) – it’s a massive difference, right? We’d be happy to submit this photo to be published. In Rome, it’s all about getting out early.
Piazza Navona
Rome’s Centro Storico was actually bigger than we expected, but somehow we always found ourselves gravitating towards its most popular square called Piazza Navona.
The long and narrow square was always buzzing with tourists drinking in bars, or rushing between attractions but stopping to snap photos of three fountains – Neptune, the Moor and the Four Rivers.
So we simply added it to our list of dawn targets to escape the crowds.
Piazza Navona at sunrise – shot at 16mm
And here’s what we found, Piazza Navona completely empty just after sunrise. When you go to Rome and stand in this square when it’s a hive of activity, remember this photo and try to imagine nobody else is there!
Terrazza Belvedere Aventino
Okay, that’s enough of the most touristy and well-known photo spots. Let’s get off the beaten path, well, as much as we can in a place like Rome anyway.
After leaving the Colosseum, we walked southwest to see the remains of Circus Maximus but it was a bit disappointing. So we carried on in the same direction through the Rose Garden and Giardino degli Aranci to see the panoramic view of Rome from Terrazza Belvedere Aventino – and that was well worth going to.
The tree lined garden was a great photo spot but the terrace at the end was even better. We were stood atop medieval walls looking straight over the River Tiber at a 180-degree city views.
Kristen in Giardino degli Aranci – shot at 66mm
The tree lined Giardino degli Aranci was one of the best Instagram photo spots we visited in Rome. It’s a beautiful park and there’s a ton of different ways you can snap excellent social media images or videos.
View from Terrazza Belvedere Aventino – shot at 77mm
But we were more interested in this awesome view over Rome from the terrace at the far side of the garden.
Those trees in the foreground flank the River Tiber, behind that is the neighborhood of Trastevere and in the distance you can’t miss the skyline dominating dome at St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
Monument To Victor Emmanuel II
Based on our experiences, we have to say the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II was one of the most surprising hidden gem photo spots we found in Rome.
Now, it absolutely shouldn’t be a hidden gem. The brilliant sparkling white marble building is enormous and it’s not far from the Colosseum. But it was nearly deserted when we visited, and we made the most of the seriously awesome elevated vantage point at the top.
View from behind Monument to Victor Emmanuel II – shot at 51mm
This is one of our favorite photos from our entire Rome trip, and we snapped it in a totally unexpected place as we walked up to Terrazza Italia on one side of the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II (which is free to enter).
Winged Victory – shot at 93mm
We loved this sculpture of four horses pulling a carriage and Winged Victory inside the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II. It was barely even noticed by anyone else, but we thought it was a fantastic photo opportunity.
Piazza Venezia at night – shot at 21mm
Later at night, we walked out onto the grassy area in the middle of Piazza Venezia and captured a long exposure of the monument with car light trails for a fun night photo.
Castel Sant’Angelo
In hindsight, along with not getting a photo of the Vatican at night, our biggest regret was not getting a photo of Castel Sant’Angelo when it was lit up against a dark sky. In the end we just ran out of time.
Castel Sant’Angelo – shot at 5mm with iPhone
Also, we have to admit we underestimated how cool the castle photo was from across the Ponte Sant’Angelo, wow!
Next time we go to Rome we’ll prioritize photos here, probably in civil twilight before sunrise so we benefit from both the dark sky and sunrise before the crowds turn up.
Trastevere
We spent days exploring Rome from sunrise to sunset, and Trastevere was by far our favorite neighborhood. It’s a bit cliche because it’s everyone’s favorite, but Trastevere really is a lovely place to grab dinner and drinks, before taking a slow stroll with yet another gelato.
In terms of photography, we’re just lumping the whole neighborhood in as one of the best photo spots in Rome because there’s no must-visit or single outstanding place that every Instagrammer flocks to immediately.
Vespa in Rome – shot at 30mm
Instead, we felt it was more about walking aimlessly around the maze-like streets, and stumbling across a Vespa parked in a half open door. How quintessential Italy is that?!
Cobbled street in Trastevere – shot at 90mm
We also loved looking for picturesque restaurant settings down a narrow cobbled streets that were full with diners. These types of photo show what it’s really like in Rome.
Restaurant in Trastevere – shot at 27mm
We essentially wandered around the entire neighborhood taking photos of anything that looked like it might make a great action shot of life in Rome. How attractive is this setting for dinner?!
The Streets Of Rome
When initially planning out our Rome photography locations, we were so concerned about figuring out how to get the best photos of the Colosseum, Vatican, Trevi Fountain and Pantheon that we didn’t give much thought to the rest of the Centro Storico, which of course turned out to be incredibly photogenic.
During our trip we realized that if we wanted to take home any genuinely unique photos that nobody else was getting, we’d have to spend time walking down quieter cobbled streets looking for photogenic buildings or restaurants to use as subjects.
Via Giulia – shot at 24mm
When walking from the Vatican down into Trastevere, we decided to take Via Giulia because it looked photogenic on our maps app. And it turned out to be an absolute gem for photos.
Somewhere in Rome – shot at 105mm
Every city has its own architectural characteristics, and the best places to really unearth those unique styles is on the streets.
We have absolutely no idea where in Rome we took the photo above, but it’s a great shot of what we expected to see in the city from movies with car chases.
Church in Rome – shot at 30mm
We don’t know which church this was but it was really quiet so we were able to take our time, get low to the road and get a completely different perspective.
Don’t always take your photos standing up with your arms out, get creative and you’ll take better images home.
Map
How to use this map: Click the map above to activate, then tap any icon to see more information. See a list of all photo spots by clicking the arrow icon in the top left, or see a full version of the map by clicking the “view larger map” icon in the top right.
How to save this map: Click the small star next to the map title – this will add the map to your Google account. Open your Google Maps app, tap “saved”, then tap “maps” and open this map.
Our Top Photography Tips
We played around with long exposures at the Colosseum
Wake up early: We’ve been saying it all the way through this guide, but we’ll say it again to make sure you don’t forget – the only way to get people-free photos of any famous building in Rome is to set an alarm and be the early bird who gets the worm.
Use a wide angle lens: We used our wide angle lens at 16-24mm for most of the photos in this guide. Buildings like the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and Colosseum were enormous and the vantage points were generally very close to the structures so we needed that extra width in the frame.
Go back out at night: Some of our favorite photos from Rome were taken at night, and the ones we regret not taking the most were also at night. It’s a great time to be out with a camera, and we always felt perfectly safe. Just remember a tripod so you can keep your ISO at 100 for best quality.
Get off the beaten path: Yes, we know it’s easier said than done in a place as busy as Rome. But there are ways to get photos not everyone else’s Instagram feeds are already filled with. You just have to go down different streets, and find different angles of the famous buildings.
Next Steps
We hope our guide to Rome’s best photo spots helps with planning your trip, but please let us know if you have any questions in the comments box a little further below.
Still figuring out your plans?
Finally, if you’ll be visiting more places on the same trip, we recommend reading our Italy travel planning guide for helpful tips and advice.
Happy Travels,
Mark and Kristen
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Mark and Kristen spent 6 years traveling the world, visiting over 40 countries across 4 continents and more than 30 US states. They created Where Are Those Morgans in 2018 to help others plan the best possible vacations by writing authentic travel and hiking guides based on their real experiences.
Since the arrival of baby Maya in late 2024, Mark and Kristen’s extensive travels have slowed down but they still take plenty of trips. Where Are Those Morgans now helps millions of travelers each year to visit new places and hike new trails through information-packed blog posts and expert travel guidebooks. Read more about Mark and Kristen.
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