Take me around Rome.

I have one day there and one day only coming up soon!!! Lunch, dinner, drinks per favore!!!!

Question

Take me around Rome.

I have one day there and one day only coming up soon!!! Lunch, dinner, drinks per favore!!!!

Clara · Answer

Take a walk from Piazza del Popolo: Start in Piazza del Popolo (you can take Metro A to Piazzale Flaminio) and, if you’re an art person, first and foremost go check out the Caravaggios in Santa Maria del Popolo (to your left, behind the altar). Then, choose your own adventure: meander down one of the three streets branching off from the piazza - my favorite is Via di Ripetta but they’re all good. If you haven’t yet had breakfast, you can stop at any bar and get a caffè (which is an espresso shot!) or cappuccino plus cornetto, and a spremuta (fresh squeezed OJ) if you like. Gianfornaio is a great local chain, and there’s one near Piazza di Spagna (down Via del Babuino) if you want a sure thing. Enjoy the journey, with the eventual goal being to arrive at the Pantheon and Piazza Navona; here, you might want to take a quick coffee break, then soak in the sights - I especially love the Caravaggios at San Luigi dei Francesi and the marvel that is Santa Maria Sopra Minerva.

Then, you decide: do you want to go to the Vatican and see St. Peter’s, or do you head towards the Colosseum? If the former, you’ll need to cross the Tiber - all of the bridges are just lovely, though Ponte Sant’Angelo is really famous if you’re up for that in the moment. You’ll have to wait in the line (and be prepared to cover your shoulders if you’re a woman), but usually it moves pretty quickly - and the Pietà is worth it. (I once met a rabbi who told me it so moved him the first time he ever saw it that he just stood and stared for 45 minutes.) If the latter, take the circuitous route via Piazza Farnese, maybe check out the Fontana delle Tartarughe, get some artichokes in the Jewish Ghetto, and make your way to the Fori Imperiali (and then perhaps Basilica di San Clemente, one of my very faves!) from there.

If you’ve gone to the Vatican, I was very impressed by Romanè for traditional Roman pasta (think amatriciana, carbonara, cacio e pepe) last time I was there - and definitely stop in at the Carrefour outside the Cipro station to get some late-night snacks. If you’re at the Colosseum, I really like Pigneto, which is sort of the punk neighborhood - you could take Metro C there and find a cool bar for aperitivi.

niti · Answer

Giardino degli Aranci: I was just in Rome in April! My favorite things we did:

Grab some picnic supplies and a bottle of wine and watch sunset at Giardino degli Aranci. It has a great view of the sun setting behind St. Peter's and smells amazing (like orange blossom). It was really magical! I'd get there maybe 1 hr or 45m before sunset to get a good spot.

I loved this design-y store Emporio Centrale for buying gifts or souvenirs for yourself.

My favorite restaurant meal in Rome was at Due Ladroni - walkable from touristy stuff but not right in the thick of things.

Emma · Answer

Taverna Romana Monti 79 for lunch near the Colosseum: My husband and I popped by for lunch on a whim before a Colosseum tour, and it ended up being a highlight of our time in Rome. We still talk about the carbonara and oxtail. Have sent multiple friends here over the years and it's always at the top of my "if I could eat dinner anywhere tonight" list. Not fussy or fancy, just a wonderful spot to eat in a touristy area.

Capsule 98 by Randi Bergman · Answer

One day in Rome: La Matriciana dal 1870 for a stunning dinner, Villa Borghese for a gorge stroll, the whole Monti area for vintage (loved Cavalli e Nastri). And find some reason to go to Palazzo Talia just to snoop (can’t believe I got to stay there).