All roads lead to Rome, our last stop on this trip to Italy was the Eternal City.

Rome is cosmopolitan. Any time Italians want to build something in Rome they stumble upon something archaeological. Rome is a treasure trove of ancient Roman to Medieval to Renaissance to Modern art. I spent half a year studying abroad (in university) in the city and I still did not manage to discover all of her treasures (every day I would go to a museum or a few churches). This small stop (3 nights) in April would not even cover a portion of everything to see in Rome.

We went to the Vatican museums, and they have some of the most awe inspiring art. Da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo and many other masters are in the Vatican collection. The museums have one of the richest concentrations of masterful work in the world. The attached St. Peter’s Arch-Basilica is the largest Catholic basilica in the world, with work by the Italian renaissance masters and the final resting places for the Popes. Among the many, one statue stands apart in the Basilica and it is to the right when you enter; Michelangelo’s “la Pieta”. Standing in front of the masterpiece is fantastic, you can connect to the work not for religion, but for the sorrow it exemplifies; a mother holding her lifeless child (one can even forget that it is Mary and Christ).

The Castel Sant’Angelo is an interesting visit. You can have a panoramic view of Rome and a wonderful shot of St. Peter’s. Emperor Hadrian built this as a mausoleum for himself and his family. Due to its Roman construction, it withstood time very well and was used as a fortress for the Popes. There is even a tunnel that leads from Vatican city to Castel Sant’Angelo. Legend has it that Pope Gregory I saw a vision of archangel Michael sheathing his sword and he knew that the plague of 590 would be over. To commemorate it they build on top of the fortress a bronze statue of Archangel Michael sheathing his sword.

In Rome there are a few arch-basilicas; St. John Lateran was associated with Rome (Patriarch of the West), St. Peter’s with Constantinople (Latin Patriarch of Constantinople, now Istanbul), St. Paul’s with Alexandria (Latin Patriarch of Alexandria), St. Mary Major with Antioch (Latin Patriarch of Antioch), and St. Lawrence with Jerusalem (Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem). If time allows, please visit all of the Papal basilicas, they are all magnificent and breathtaking. With amazing work throughout each.

Rome has an amazing Synagogue and a Jewish “ghetto” that has a quarter were Jews lived in ancient Rome in time of the Caesars. There is still a Jewish community that lives there, with stores and schools.

Villa Borghese is a great stop, but please book in advance on the internet, because it sells out in advance. It has work by Caravaggio and it shows the life of the Borghese family that was one of the most (in)famous papal reigns in history. It is definitely worth the visit.

Pantheon where Raphael is buried (he designed his own tomb) among famous others. The words “Ille hic est Raffael, timuit quo sospite vinci, rerum magna parens et moriente mori”are inscribed on his tomb, meaning “Here lies that famous Raphael by whom Nature feared to be conquered while he lived, and when he was dying, feared herself to die.” The current pantheon was built by Emperor Hadrian in 126 AD.

A fantastic trip outside of Rome is to see the Hadrian’s Villa (located in Tivoli), it is not fully intact. A lot of the structure has been lost, but it is in surprisingly great condition. Hadrian loved his entire empire and he would travel all over it. The monuments, or sights he loved best he had built on a smaller scale in his private residence outside of Rome.

Some of the major sites to see (and a good route to take) starting from Piazza Venezia, through the Roman Forum and last stop is at the Colosseum.

 

Another great route is to start at Piazza Navona, then walk to the Pantheon. Make your way to the Trevi Fountain (designed by Nicola Salvi, legend has it that if you throw coins with your right hand over the left shoulder, you will come back to Rome). Last stop leading to the Spanish Steps and all of the fantastic luxury shopping. If there us enough energy please walk to Piazza del Popolo, it has the cities oldest obelisk.

A fantastic gelateria is Venchi. This is a chain and they have it in Florence, Venice, Rome, Milan and other Italian cities. The shop sells chocolate, but the gelato is so rich and delicious that we looked for it in every city. This gelato should be on everyone’s itinerary.

A great pastry/tea shop is Babington’s Tea Rooms. We got amazing tea from there and we took a piece of apple tea cake to go. This was one of the most amazing tea cakes I ever had, it was rich and moist and we did not even eat it on the day we got it. I can just image how it is when it’s fresh and just cut!

Chanel is located near the Spanish steps and the store is always busy (it was especially busy, because the big European price increase was just days away). I had to wait a while for service, and they only had patent Boys (I am not a big fan of patent for bags, I think it looks cheap). They also showed be some WOC, but I passed, because they did not have the one I wanted. I am not the type that settles just because it’s a good price.

When wandering around Roman streets stop by the churches you see, because they will have a work by a master (mostly all do), it’s like a hidden gem found by you! Rome is very infamous for its tourist traps, do not go eating anywhere near a main road or any attraction, it will not be any good! I have outlined a bit of what to see in each of these three Italian cities, but truth be told there is so much to see that this is only a snapshot in a panorama.