Rainy Days in Rome: Capturing the Mood with the Galaxy S24 Ultra
Let’s be real: when you book a trip to Rome, you’re picturing golden sunsets, gelato in the sun, and blue skies framing the Colosseum. But sometimes, the travel gods have other plans.
On my latest trip to the Eternal City, the weather forecast was, to put it mildly, bleak. Rain, clouds, and more rain.
In the past, I would have been devastated. I would have worried about my professional camera gear getting wet, or struggling with the flat, gray light. But this time, I had the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. Instead of hiding in the hotel, I embraced the mood.
Rome in the rain is a different kind of beautiful. It’s cinematic, reflective, and dramatic. And honestly? I think this phone handled the gloomy weather better than my big camera would have.
Here is how the S24 Ultra turned a wet Roman holiday into a photographer's dream.
The Colosseum & Roman Forum: Layers of History and Light 🏛️
My first stop was the heart of ancient Rome, where the heavy, overcast sky actually worked in my favor. Instead of harsh shadows cutting across the architecture, the clouds acted like a giant softbox, creating a diffuse light that brought out the incredible textures of the ruins.
Walking through the Roman Forum, I was struck by how vibrant the greenery looked against the wet, ancient stone. I used the S24 Ultra's Ultrawide lens to capture the sheer scale of the area, contrasting the lush green grass with the towering columns under the moody gray sky.
But the real surprise came when I switched to the telephoto zoom. I found a vantage point where I could compress the layers of history into a single frame: the ancient columns in the foreground, a Renaissance church mid-ground, and the white "Wedding Cake" monument in the distance. The camera picked up the pop of purple wisteria blooming near the ruins, adding a splash of life to the weathered stone.
Over at the Colosseum, I played with composition. I found a spot where two tall pines created a natural frame for the amphitheater, with those same vibrant purple flowers filling the bottom of the shot. The S24 Ultra balanced the colors beautifully, keeping the flowers bright without oversaturating the travertine stone.
I returned after the sun went down to test the low-light capabilities, and the results were stunning. The Night Mode captured the golden glow of the interior lights radiating through the arches against the pitch-black sky. The contrast was sharp, preserving the details of the brickwork while keeping the illuminated sections perfectly exposed.
Pro Tip: Don't just shoot wide! Use the zoom to find "stacking" compositions where different eras of architecture overlap, and look for natural frames like trees or flowers to add depth to your Colosseum shots.
The Pantheon: When the Rain Comes In
One of the most unique experiences you can have in Rome is visiting the Pantheon when it’s raining. Because of the oculus (the giant hole in the center of the dome), the rain falls straight into the building.
I walked in, shaking off my umbrella, and the scene was magical. The light was dim, moody, and soft. This was a torture test for low-light photography.
I switched the S24 Ultra to Pro Mode to lower my shutter speed slightly. The phone’s optical image stabilization (OIS) is so good that I could hand-hold the shot and capture the column of rain falling onto the marble floor without any blur. The floor, slick with water, acted like a mirror, reflecting the dome above. The S24 Ultra balanced the dark interior with the bright gray light coming from the roof perfectly.
Escaping to the Vatican Museums
When the heavens truly opened up, I did what any sensible traveler in Rome does: I ran for cover in the Vatican Museums. But before I even made it inside the galleries, the rain itself created a photo opportunity I couldn't pass up.
Standing in the gardens, I looked out towards St. Peter's Basilica. The rain was coming down in sheets, creating a misty, ethereal veil over the dome. I snapped a shot in black and white, using the dark silhouette of a massive umbrella pine to frame the ghostly shape of the basilica in the background. The S24 Ultra captured the texture of the falling rain perfectly—it didn't look like digital noise; it looked like a moody film photograph.
Once inside, the challenge shifted from weather to lighting. The Vatican is a mix of dim corridors and bright, skylit rotundas.
I walked into the Sala della Biga (Room of the Chariot) and was immediately struck by the soft natural light flooding in from the oculus. I used the Ultrawide lens to capture the entire room in one frame: the intricate coffered dome, the marble statues in the niches, and the magnificent chariot in the center. The dynamic range here was stellar; the camera balanced the bright light from the oculus without blowing out the highlights, while still keeping the shadows on the statues rich and detailed.
Finally, no trip to the Vatican is complete without that shot of the Bramante Staircase. I aimed the camera straight up into the spiral. The geometric precision of this phone's lens is fantastic—the lines remained perfectly curved without weird distortion. I converted this one to black and white as well, which emphasized the abstract, rhythmic nature of the spiral and the metallic gleam of the railing.
Street Scenes: Reflections and Colors 🛵
Walking between sites, Rome felt like a movie set. The wet cobblestones (sampietrini) turned into mirrors, reflecting the warm glow of streetlamps and shop windows.
I took some candid shots of locals navigating the puddles and Vespas splashing through the streets. The overcast sky actually helped saturate the colors—the ochre and burnt orange buildings looked richer than they do in bright sunlight. The S24 Ultra’s portrait mode worked surprisingly well even in this weather, separating my subjects from the rainy, blurry background with excellent edge detection.
Fontana di Trevi: The Water Element 🌊
I ended my day at the Fontana di Trevi, and honestly, the lighting conditions were what most photographers would call "difficult." The sky was a heavy, flat sheet of gray clouds. But looking back at the shots, this was actually a blessing in disguise.
I started with a wide shot to capture the sheer scale of the fountain against the Palazzo Poli. The S24 Ultra’s main sensor did an incredible job here. Even with that gloomy sky, the camera didn't make the scene look drab. Instead, it popped the contrast between the vibrant turquoise water and the warm, yellow facade of the building on the left corner. The colors were punchy and true-to-life, even without the sun.
But the real magic happened when I started playing with the 5x optical zoom.
I wanted to isolate the drama of the sculptures, so I zoomed right in on Oceanus and the Tritons. The detail the S24 Ultra resolved was mind-blowing—you can see every chiseled muscle and the texture of the flowing beards. I decided to flip one of these close-ups into black and white, and wow. Stripping away the color turned the image into something timeless and dramatic, emphasizing the interplay of light and shadow on the stone. It looks less like a smartphone snap and more like a fine art print.
The Verdict: A Perfect Storm Companion
This trip proved to me that you don't need perfect weather to get perfect shots—you just need the right tool. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra turned a gray, rainy week in Rome into a portfolio of moody, atmospheric, and incredibly detailed images.
Its water resistance, low-light capability, and zoom range made it the only camera I needed. It allowed me to focus on the feeling of Rome, rather than worrying about keeping my gear dry.
Did you love the moody, atmospheric side of Italy? I’ve turned some of my absolute favorite shots from this trip—including those dramatic rainy perspectives—into high-quality prints. You can check out my full Italian Collection over on my Etsy shop. They look amazing on a gallery wall!
