Why Rome?

I studied Italian in college because I wanted to study abroad, and I wanted to study abroad because I’d never left the country. Maybe I’d watched Under the Tuscan Sun too many times. Maybe it just felt… right?

And even though I found out too late that Italian is essentially useless everywhere else in the world…

… I’ve gone back every year since.

La dolce vita (“the sweet life”) isn’t just a catchphrase. It’s a state of being. A place where food, wine, art, history, and taking your sweet time are simply what a day is made of. In Rome, responsibilities and deadlines fade away. It’s alive, and has been for a very long time. Diane Lane knew what she was doing… Rome is romantic as hell.

Ironically, I’m not sure I could live in Rome. It’s too chaotic, too crowded, too messy. But Rome remains my anchor and my escape — the place I go to feel alive, to savor, to explore… to feel creative again.

And every year I get to watch someone see it for the first time.

That’s what this is for.

This is for you.

Quick guide

My favorite neighborhoods

Trastevere

Where I started my journey and where I return every year.

Eat

★ Dar Poeta · $$ BEST PIZZA IN ROME. The “Lingua di Fuoco” with buffalo mozzarella, or the “Dar Poeta.” Don’t be offended by the less-than-friendly service — their popularity has grown and it’s a hot spot for locals and tourists both. They do take-out, which is perfect if you want to people-watch on the steps of Piazza Trilussa or watch the sunset from Gianicolo.

Trattoria Da Enzo al 29 · $$ Authentic Roman trattoria experience, excellent carbonara. Get in line early.

★ Prosciutteria Cantina dei Papi — Trastevere · $ Via della Scala 67 and 71 — there are two of them a few doors apart, both theirs. There’s also a Trevi location on Via della Panetteria; don’t let Google send you there. Makes one of my favorite sandwiches in Italy. Order a “panino con porchetta, mozzarella di bufala, e verdure grigliate” — pork, mozzarella, grilled vegetables. It’s not on the menu. The mixed platter is also delicious. Free wifi and water!!

Cafe 67 · $ Via della Luce 67. There’s no sign. Opens 6:30am, one of the only places in Trastevere that does — which is the whole reason it’s here. Cappuccino and a cornetto standing at the bar, about three euros. Husband and wife run it; she grills the panini herself. Quiet side of the neighborhood, full of neighbors. Closed Sundays. Fridays it shuts at 2:30. (RIP Caffè Settimiano, which was this for years.)

Taverna Trilussa · $$$ Pricey, but an absolute treat. Go for the “ravioli mimosa.” Or any of their pasta dishes really. Stop by early if you’d like a spot without a reservation.

Meridionale · $$ Tucked away in a back alley. Typical Roman dishes, excellent service, fantastic ambiance. If Hamdi is working, tell him Julia says hi.

Tonnarello · $$ Casual Roman dishes, most pastas served in the pans they were cooked in! Wild lines. The amatriciana is incredible.

Drink

★ Da Biagio Vini e Oli Favorite wine bar in Rome. I’ve gone every year for thirteen years. Unpretentious, family-owned, right on the central thoroughfare. The stoic, blue-eyed owner Daniele took it over from his father after he passed. Doesn’t speak much English, has some delicious Lazio wines. Tell him I say hi!

Bar San Calisto · $ The cool locals’ bar. Cheap, unglamorous, jazz band most nights. Thirteen years and I still haven’t worked up the nerve to go in — I stand outside and listen. Maybe this is the year. Maybe you’re braver.

Freni e Frizioni Fantastic aperitivo. Order a drink at the register, hand the receipt to the bartender, get unlimited access to the buffet — usually 8+ pasta/rice/fruit dishes. No sign outside, but you’ll see the crowd. Close to Mecchanismo on Piazza Trilussa.

Pimm’s Good American bar in the heart of Trastevere. Live music most nights, great cocktails, excellent people watching. Free wifi.

Savor

Alla Scala — “Cannella” (cinnamon) or “cioccolato fondente” (dark chocolate).

Nonna Vincenza — Skip the gelato, get the granita. Order at the counter. Strawberry and lemon are my favorites but they run out fast. Chocolate + “mandorla” (almond) is a great mix. Delicious cookies and mini cannolis too.

Alla Fonte d’Oro · $ Lungotevere Raffaello Sanzio, near Piazza Gioacchino Belli. Cash only. Grattachecca — hand-shaved ice, homemade syrup, fresh fruit on top. Same family since 1913, four generations. Get the cherry. This is a Roman summer thing that’s nearly extinct; there are only a handful of these kiosks left in the whole city, and this is the one.

Do

★ Piazza Trilussa & Ponte Sisto. Grab a panino, a beverage of your choice, and sit on the steps. The Ponte Sisto is the bridge across from the piazza and one of my favorite places on earth — so much so that I have the coordinates engraved on a necklace. Stroll it, listen to the musicians, watch the light change.

Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere. The heart of it. After dinner the vendors fire light-up copters into the sky — hundreds of little glowing things going up and drifting down, every night, forever. Sit on the steps of the fountain with the locals and watch people for a while. It’s one of the oldest fountains in Rome and everyone’s just sitting on it. The church has 13th-century gold mosaics and is free.

Tiber Island. Cross onto it. It’s a whole island in the middle of the city that most people only ever see from a bridge. Best at golden hour.

Orto Botanico. One of the most beautiful parks in Rome. Bamboo forest, Japanese garden, rose garden, the Scalinata delle Undici Fontane. Twelve hectares at the foot of the Gianicolo and mostly empty. Great place for a picnic lunch. Small entry fee — check the official site, the posted prices currently disagree with each other. The Passeggiata del Gianicolo entrance is closed for works; use the main entrance at Largo Cristina di Svezia. Expect this to change.

Monteverde & Gianicolo

Where you go when you want the view and the locals.

Eat

Antico Arco · $$$ Upscale, white tablecloth, near the top of Gianicolo. Worth the splurge — the food and the wine list are superb. Perfectly paired with a sunset stroll across the Gianicolo terrace.

La Gatta Mangiona · $ Simple, cat-themed, great pizza. Excellent international micro-brew selection (for Rome, at least).

Do

★ Gianicolo Hill at sunrise or sunset. One of the best panoramas in Rome. At noon they fire a cannon from below the hill. Walk opposite the terrace, behind the large statue, for a great view of St. Peter’s.

★ Fontana dell’Acqua Paola and the Mausoleo Ossario Garibaldino. This is where I watch the sun come up. You’re facing east, and the light comes over the hills in the distance and spills across the whole city at once. There is nobody there. If you do one thing from this document, do this one.

Villa Pamphili. Rome’s largest park, in Monteverde near Gianicolo. Only locals here. On a nice day it’s perfect for a stroll, a bike ride, or a jog — or a picnic with a Prosciutteria panino and a cold beer, which is what I do with it.

Testaccio & Aventino

Heartier food, fewer tourists, and the best ten minutes in the city.

Eat

★ Flavio al Velavevodetto · $$$ Best authentic Roman cuisine — heartier than general Italian fare. The interior is built inside old ruins. The ravioli if you like fresh tomatoes, or the cacio e pepe: the simplest and potentially tastiest Roman pasta dish.

Salumeria Volpetti · $ This little deli is just good at everything. Pizza slices, fried prosciutto and mozzarella, the cheese selection, the bakery items. Perfect for picking up something to munch on as you explore Testaccio. Ask for samples!!

Do

★ The keyhole at the Villa del Priorato dei Cavalieri di Malta. One of the most memorable experiences I’ve had in Rome. Still free, still no ticket, still open 24 hours — but the line grows every year, so go early. While you’re there: Giardino degli Aranci (Garden of Oranges), officially Parco Savello. Another stunning view from another perspective, and the whole garden smells like orange blossoms and roses. Do this at dawn, then walk downhill into the Forum — it’s downhill nearly the whole way.

Municipal Rose Garden — “Roseto di Roma Capitale.” April through end of summer, right next to Circus Maximus. ~300 types of roses. Free.

Campo dei Fiori, Regola & The Ghetto

The dense middle. Best wine, best artichokes.

Eat

53 Untitled · $$ My newest favorite restaurant in Rome. Female-owned, ethically sourced, lovely staff, incredible food. Tapas style, and the wines are perfectly paired if you ask.

Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina · $$ Small but historic deli / bakery / wine bar / restaurant. There are multiple Roscioli locations — careful. Quality food and a great spot for edible souvenirs. The wine tasting is not here — that’s Rimessa Roscioli, a separate venue at Via del Conservatorio 58, five minutes away. See Before You Go.

Pianostrada · $$ A modern spin on classic Italian street food. Grab a seat at the counter to watch the magic happen.

Pierluigi · $$$ High-end, trendy, on a quiet street near the river. Fresh Italian seafood.

Sora Margherita · $ Piazza delle Cinque Scole 30. There’s no sign and there’s no door — just a red curtain, one little chair outside, and a paper sign with the day’s specials. Nine tables, going since 1927. Come for carciofi alla giudia — “Jewish artichokes,” deep-fried until they’re crispy and extraordinary — but only February through April, when the romanesco artichokes are in season. It’s a spring dish and it always was. Opens 12:30; be there at 12:15. Lunch daily, dinner only some nights, closed for a stretch in August. Every source lists different hours — call ahead: +39 06 687 4216.

Drink

Vino e Vinili — Wine and vinyl bar in a quieter part of central Rome.

Enoteca Bortone — Great wine bar, super cozy.

Bar Caffè Perù — Authentic, unpretentious neighborhood bar near Pierluigi, just off the busy Campo dei Fiori area. Mostly locals, affordable drinks, great location.

For great shopping, Chez Dede is around the corner.

Do

Via Giulia. One of the most beautiful straight lines in Rome and almost nobody walks it. Get a glass of wine or a martini somewhere along it late in the afternoon and sit with a journal.

The Ghetto itself is a genuinely interesting neighborhood — walk it, don’t just eat in it.

Largo Argentina — it’s two things, not one. The cat sanctuary is free, donations welcome, entrance on the southeast side at Via di Torre Argentina 1, open 12:00–16:30. The Sacred Area — the ruins themselves, where Caesar was killed — has been open since 2023 via walkways funded by Bulgari. Separate entrance on Via di San Nicola de’ Cesarini, separate ticket (~€4–5, presale on sovraintendenzaroma.it, ticket office at Torre del Papito), time-slotted, closed Mondays, about 45 minutes. The Feb 2026 civic-museum reshuffle may have moved the price.

Pantheon & Piazza Navona

Eat

Funari · $ Via dei Pastini 121 — not Via del Seminario, which is what I used to say. A deli tucked on a street right next to the Pantheon — perfect if you want something to munch on in the piazza outside. They speak very little English, but the ingredients are some of the freshest I’ve found in Rome. Ask for a “panino,” point at the bread you want, name your meat and cheese and toppings (I get prosciutto crudo and mozzarella), they weigh it, you pay at the register.

Armando al Pantheon · $$ Classic Roman eatery right by the Pantheon. Reservations recommended.

Drink

L’Antica Birreria Peroni — Restaurant brewery, solid food, large beer selection. Hang with the locals here.

Terrazza Borromini · $$ Reserve around sunset. You’ll hear the hustle of Piazza Navona below and get a spectacular view.

Savor

★ Frigidarium Possibly the best gelato in Italy. Try the “Frigidarium” flavor and “stracciatella,” in a cup or cone, “con cioccolato fondente” or “cioccolato bianco,” and “biscotti.” They put a cookie on top and dip the whole thing in chocolate that freezes instantly. It’s messy — grab extra napkins. There’s a water fountain around the corner in the alley off Corso Vittorio Emanuele II.

Giolitti — Arguably the most famous gelateria in Rome, very close to the Pantheon. Pay first at the register, then take the receipt to the counter. Lots of interesting flavors — I like the “Champagne” on a hot day.

Gelateria del Teatro — Very popular, fresh ingredients, creative flavors: basil, pear. Tartufo (four chocolates) is incredible.

Do

★ Three Caravaggios at San Luigi dei Francesi, near Piazza Navona: The Calling of Saint Matthew, St. Matthew and the Angel, and The Martyrdom of St. Matthew. They’re tucked in a corner — you may have to hunt for them. Free. This is the best-value fifteen minutes of art in the city. To look at a Caravaggio makes me feel more connected to humanity than almost anything else I know how to do.

The Pantheon. €7, timed entry. Free on the first Sunday of the month, but you queue for a non-nominal ticket rather than booking.

Vatican & Prati

Eat & Drink

Il Sorpasso · $$ The best wine list I’ve found in Rome, and the salumi and formaggi are to die for. Da Biagio has my heart, but this is where I’d send you to drink seriously. Go early (~7pm) to beat the crowd of Italian locals and businessmen.

Old Bridge — “Ricotta e pistacchio” (pronounced “pist-ACK-ee-o”).

Do

The Vatican Museums. If you brave them, focus on these galleries in this order — for limited time, short attention spans, or little patience for crowds:

1. Pinacoteca — most people end here. Best pieces are in the latter half, including Caravaggio’s “Entombment of Christ.”
2. Octagonal Courtyard — the 2,000-year-old pine cone and “Sfera con Sfera.” Walk through quickly.
3. Chiaramonti Museum — impressive collection of Roman busts.
4. Pius Clementine Museum — the Belvedere Apollo and the Laocoön. Look up the story of the Laocoön before you go.
5. Raphael’s Rooms — look up the story of the School of Athens.
6. Sistine Chapel — no photos. (Michelangelo’s Last Judgment restoration was completed in 2026.)

Getting into St. Peter’s from the Sistine Chapel. There’s a passage — the Scala Regia — that takes you straight through, saving a 20-minute walk around the walls and a second security line that can run an hour. You can’t just walk it: since 2019 the Vatican requires guides to reserve and pay per person, and the guards count groups through and check credentials. Book a tour that explicitly includes St. Peter’s Basilica via the Scala Regia. Museums-only tours don’t get it.

St. Peter’s is closed Wednesday mornings for the Papal Audience.

Climb to the top of St. Peter’s. If you’re already in the basilica, pay the few euros and hike up to the cupola. The 360° view is worth the climb.

Tridente & Borghese

Spanish Steps, and the escape routes from them.

Drink

Gregory’s Jazz Club — A welcome hideaway from the crowds at the Steps. Great jazz and whisky selection.

Stravinskij Bar — Beautiful upscale courtyard in the Hotel de Russie for a cocktail and aperitivo. Dress to impress.

Do

★ Galleria Borghese. My favorite collection of art in Rome — chock full of spectacular Caravaggio and Bernini. See Before You Go — this one is not improvisable.

Monte Pincio (Pincian Hill) in the Borghese Gardens. Incredible view of the city.

Trevi Fountain. As of February 2026 there’s a €2 ticket to enter the inner perimeter — the close-up spot at the basin where you toss the coin. The view from the piazza is still free and always will be. Capacity is capped at 400; you enter by the central staircase and exit toward Via dei Crociferi. The paid window is 9am–10pm. Before 9am and after 10pm, the close-up area is free. Monday and Friday mornings the basin may be drained for coin collection.

Which is to say: the city has now put a price on doing it the tourist way, and made doing it my way free. Go at 7am. Go at 11pm. It’s better, and it costs less, and it always was.

Further out

Via Appia Antica (the Appian Way). Take a cab or bus out 4–5 miles — or rent a bike — and enjoy the journey back. Beyond the marvel of the original paving stones, the catacombs are a unique and memorable experience.

Julia’s perfect day in Rome

If you’ve been before, or just want a “la dolce vita” day

Before sunrise. Up in the dark and up the hill, to the Fontana dell’Acqua Paola or the Mausoleo Ossario Garibaldino. You’re facing east, and the light comes over the hills in the distance and spills across the whole city at once. Nobody is there.

Then down into Trastevere while it’s still empty. Shutters down, someone sweeping, and the trash trucks working the streets — the sounds of hundreds of clanking bottles being collected from last night’s festa. Rome tidies away the evidence before it lets anyone look at it.

Around 8 — Cafe 67. Via della Luce 67, no sign, opens at 6:30. Cappuccino and a cornetto standing at the bar. Then a museum or a church — somewhere to sit with the art before the day gets loud. San Luigi dei Francesi if you want the Caravaggios to yourself.

Midday — the dead hours, and the whole trick of Rome. Don’t fight them. Go to Prosciutteria and order the panino that isn’t on the menu. Grab a cold beer. Take it somewhere green: the Orto Botanico, or up to Villa Pamphili where it’s only locals. Picnic. Sketch. Nap. This is not a break from the day. This is the day — one to four in Rome is for shade and doing nothing, and everyone who ignores that goes home saying Rome was exhausting.

Late afternoon. The city comes back. Stroll the shops in Trastevere. Then a glass of wine or a martini on Via Giulia with a journal.

Golden hour. Camera. This is the hour the city was built for. Along the river, out onto Tiber Island, up into Campo dei Fiori as the light goes gold on the buildings. If it’s hot: a cherry grattachecca from Alla Fonte d’Oro. If the sunset is doing something extraordinary, abandon the plan and climb to the Giardino degli Aranci.

Dinner, early — when they open. Not because you’re in a hurry. Because you get the table, you get the kitchen’s full attention, and you get the whole evening back. Which restaurant depends on the year and the mood — Da Enzo, Meridionale if I want to see Hamdi, Flavio if I want the cacio e pepe, Dar Poeta if I want to eat it on the steps instead. It rotates.

Then the long slow end. Through Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere while the vendors fire their light-up copters into the sky. Sit on the steps of the fountain with the locals and watch people for a while.

Then stand outside Bar San Calisto (recently famous thanks to Stanley Tucci) and listen to the jazz band, and want to go in, and not go in. Thirteen years and I still haven’t worked up the nerve to hang out with the cool locals. Maybe this is the year.

Then walk past Da Biagio to see if Daniele’s there. He usually is. One glass of wine. Then two. Probably meet a friendly stranger or two.

Before you go

Book these now — not when you land.

Getting Around

Getting in from Fiumicino

What I do: the FL1 train to Roma Trastevere, then the tram.

FL1 · THE TRAIN I TAKE — €8 · 26 MIN

The FL1 is the regional train and almost no visitor knows about it, because it doesn’t go to Termini. It goes to Roma Trastevere — direct, about 26 minutes. Every 15 minutes on weekdays, every 30 on Sundays and holidays. First one out around 5:57am, last around 11:27pm.

TRAM 8 · BUS H · 780 — THE LAST MILE · €1.50

Come out of the station and get on the tram 8, the bus H, or the 780 — they all run up Viale di Trastevere, the spine of the neighborhood. Take whichever comes first; I usually end up on the 8 or the H. Get off at Mastai or Belli.

Your ticket is separate from your train ticket. From any tabacchi — the shops with the big T sign — and validate it on board the moment you get on, not before.

Late arrival: tram 8 runs until midnight; after that the n8 night bus follows the identical route.

LEONARDO EXPRESS — €14 · 32 MIN · WRONG SIDE OF TOWN

Non-stop, and genuinely a great train. But it only goes to Termini, which is the wrong side of the city from where I stay. Take it if you’re not staying in Trastevere.

Coming from Termini anyway? Bus H runs straight to Viale di Trastevere and drops you at Piazza Belli. The buses are fine; don’t let anyone scare you into a taxi. One warning: bus H sits in traffic, and between about 5 and 8pm the Roman gridlock is almost as bad as LA’s.

TAXI — ~€55 · FIXED, NOT METERED

A fixed fare inside the Aurelian Walls, which includes all of Trastevere. All-in: no supplements for luggage, passengers, or time of day. Budget €50–60 and check the current rate; it’s been drifting up and plenty of sites still say €48. The one thing to know: take a Comune di Roma taxi, not a Comune di Fiumicino one. They queue at the same rank and look nearly identical, but the Fiumicino cabs charge about €65 to the centre. Check the door. Never go with anyone who approaches you inside the terminal.

UBER — THERE WHEN NOTHING ELSE IS

More expensive than a taxi, but it works in Rome and it’s the one that’s still running when nothing else is.

⚠️ SCIOPERO — CHECK FOR A STRIKE FIRST

Italy strikes often, and Rome strikes often, and it will not occur to you until you’re standing on a platform. The word is sciopero. The official calendar is scioperi.mit.gov.it — everything by date and sector. Check it when you book, again the week before, and the morning of.

It’s rarely a total shutdown. Minimum service is protected by law between 06:00–09:00 and 18:00–21:00, and on flight strike days the safest windows are roughly the same. Which is to say: the early train was already the right answer, and on a strike day it’s the only one. Uber and taxis keep running — that’s what they’re for.

Tips from an aspiring local

When to move

Before 8. If you want the whole city to yourself.

The city hasn’t woken up yet, and you can see what it did last night. Shutters still down. Someone sweeping. And the garbage trucks working their way through the streets, collecting the bottles — dozens of them, hundreds some mornings, lined up along the walls from a festa you weren’t at and will never know anything about. Rome cleans itself up before it lets you look at it. Get there before it finishes and you see the whole thing: the enormous night, the evidence, the reset.

And it’s yours. Genuinely yours. Gianicolo at sunrise is one of the best panoramas in Rome and there will be no one on it. The keyhole has no line. The Colosseum is cool and vendor-free. Trevi — the close-up area at the basin costs €2 between 9am and 10pm, and is free before 9. Rome has now literally put a price on doing it the tourist way and left my way free. This is not a coincidence and I’ve stopped pretending I don’t feel smug about it.

If you want photographs of Rome — real ones, at the monuments, without four hundred strangers in them — this is the only hour it’s possible, and you should hire someone. Book for sunrise and you’ll come home with the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps, empty. My person is Stas Varych — @stasvarych_photo. Airbnb also books photographers directly now (under Services, not Experiences) if you’d rather browse.

8 to noon. The cappuccino window. Coffee standing at the bar, and the granita at Nonna Vincenza before the strawberry and lemon run out — they always run out. The 9am Borghese slot. The cannon fires from below Gianicolo at noon and you should hear it once.

1 to 4 — the dead hours. Nobody tells you about these and they’re where trips go wrong. It’s hot, it’s crowded, the light is flat and bad for photographs, and you’ll be tempted to push through. Don’t. This is what interiors are for: the shade at the Orto Botanico, the cool dark of San Luigi dei Francesi with the Caravaggios in the corner, the second half of the Pinacoteca. Or do what the Romans do and stop. Take time to rest. It’s in my closing paragraph for a reason.

4 to 7. The city comes back. The rose garden, Villa Pamphili, the walk you didn’t have the energy for at two.

7. Aperitivo. Il Sorpasso around seven, before the Italian locals and businessmen fill it. Freni e Frizioni, no sign outside, just look for the crowd.

Sunset. Gianicolo. Or the Spanish Steps. Or a reservation at Terrazza Borromini with Piazza Navona murmuring below you. Or — and this is the one I’d actually pick — a Dar Poeta pizza in a box on the steps of Piazza Trilussa, watching the light change over the Ponte Sisto.

After 10. The best hours. The city is lit up, the temperature is manageable, and Trevi’s inner perimeter is free again and nearly empty. Walk. Musicians on the bridge. This is the Rome I’ve been coming back to for thirteen years, and it’s available to absolutely everyone, and it’s free, and almost nobody takes it.

TL;DR: Go where everyone goes, just not when everyone goes.

Water

The fountains all over Rome are a gift - clean, drinkable, usually cold. Buy a €1 bottle in the morning and refill it all day. Hold your finger under the nozzle so that the water can shoot upward - easier for drinking.

Coffee

• Only order cappuccinos before noon if you don’t want to stick out.
• “Un caffè” means an espresso.
• Drink it at the bar - in a few sips, like the locals. Say “alla tavola” to sit down instead; they charge more for table service.
• Sometimes you pay first and present the receipt to the barista. Sometimes you order and pay after. Look at what everyone else is doing first.

Avoiding knock-off Italian food

Avoid any restaurant that is:

• in or right next to a major piazza,
• displaying fake (or real) food outside,
• or running a menu in more than two languages.

The food is usually sub-par and too expensive. That said — it’s worth getting a cappuccino or an Aperol spritz at one of these places just for the view. When in Rome, it’s okay to do as the tourists do too. Occasionally.

Tipping

Not required, but Italians have been spoiled by the American custom. I throw in a euro or two if the service was excellent or the taxi driver was particularly patient.

Bathrooms

Tough to find. If you’re in a restaurant or store that has one, use it. In a pinch, walk into any bar, buy a €1 espresso, use the bathroom. Also: it’s not uncommon for there to be no toilet paper. Just a heads up.

An Italian journalist I follow publishes a list every year of the best new restaurants in Rome — here’s the 2026 list.

A letter to the traveler

Dear reader,

My hope is that you leave Rome in awe of its rich layers of history, with eyes full of wonder at its art and architecture, ears soothed by its language and the sounds of its streets, belly full of its simple yet exquisite food, lips stained red from its wine, and feet sore from exploring its corners.

Be patient with the masses that flock to the city. They are simply trying to do the same thing, and this chaotic and beautiful city is only so big.

My last pieces of advice are these. Get off the beaten path. Talk to the locals. Take the time to learn the stories and history behind whatever famous piece of art or monument you’re looking at. Take time to rest. Eat as much as you want. Drink the wine.

And most importantly — return someday.

Buon viaggio!

Giulia