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Home , Piazza Venezia, Porta Portese, Via dei Fori Imperiali

GREAT ITINERARIES

As Romans would say, these one-day itineraries basta e avanza (―are more than enough‖) to get you started. For other great walks, see The Historic Heart, Across the , and Postcard on the Rome On-the-Go Pullout Map in this edition plus those in our Roamin‘ Holiday chapter.

Rome 101 So you want to taste Rome, gaze at its beauty, and inhale its special flair, all in one breathtaking (literally) day? Think Rome 101, and get ready for a spectacular sunrise-to- sunset span.

Begin at 9 by exploring Rome‘s most beautiful neighborhood—‖Vecchia Roma‖ (the area around ) by starting out on the Corso (the big avenue that runs into , the traffic hub of the historic center). A block away from each other are two opulently over-the-top monuments that show off Rome at its baroque best: the church of Sant‘Ignazio and the princely Palazzo Doria-Pamphilj, aglitter with great Old Master paintings. By 10:30, head west a few blocks to find the granddaddy of monuments, the fabled Pantheon, still looking like Emperor might arrive. A few blocks north is San Luigi dei Francesi, home to the greatest Caravaggio paintings in the world.

At 11:30 saunter a block or so westward into beyond-beautiful Piazza Navona, studded with Bernini fountains. Then take Via Cucagna (at the piazza‘s south end) and continue several blocks toward Campo de‘ Fiori‗s open-air food market (for some lunch-on-the- run fixings). Two more blocks toward the Tiber brings you to fashionable Via Giulia, laid out by Pope Julius II in the early 16th century. Walk past 10 blocks of Renaissance palaces and antiques shops to take a bus (from the stop near the Tiber) over to the Vatican.

Arrive around 1 to gape at St. Peter‘s Basilica, then hit the treasure-filled Vatican Museums () around 1:45—during lunch, the crowds empty out! After two hours, head for the Ottaviano stop near the museum and Metro your way to the Colosseo stop.

Around 4, climb up into the and picture it full of screaming toga-clad citizens enjoying the spectacle of gladiators in mortal combat. Striding past the massive , enter the back-entrance of the around 4:45. Photograph yourself giving a ―Friends, Romans, Countrymen‖ oration (complete with upraised hand) on one of the marble fragments. At sunset, the Forum closes but the floodlights come on.

March down the forum‘s —people walked here centuries before Christ—and out into where you will head around ―the wedding cake‖—the looming Vittorio Emanuele Monument (Il Vittoriano)—over to the Campidoglio. Here, on the , tour the great ancient treasures of the Musei Capitolini (which is open most nights until 8), and snap the view from the terrace over the spotlit Forum.

After dinner, hail a cab—or take a long passeggiata walk down Dolce Vita memory lane—to the Fountain, a gorgeously lit sight at night. Needless to say, toss that coin in to insure your return trip back to the Mother of Us All. 1 Temples Through Time: Religious Rome It‘s almost sinful to come to Rome and say you did not make your way to the Vatican Museums or St. Peter‘s Basilica. If you head out early enough (yes, 7 AM), you might get a jump on the line for the Vatican Museums, where one of the world‘s grandest and most comprehensive collections of artwork is stored. Once you‘ve conquered both, take the Metro from Ottaviano to (Metro stop: Flaminio) where is not to be missed for its famous chapels decorated by Raphael and Caravaggio.

Head south along the Corso for about 10 blocks toward Sant‘Ignazio, an eyepopping example of Baroque Rome, with its amazing trompe l‘oeil fake dome. Take Via Sant‘ Ignazio to Via Piè di Marmo, which will lead you to , where Bernini‘s elephant obelisk monument lies in wait. Take in the adjacent Gothic-style Santa Maria sopra Minerva, best known for Michelangelo‘s Risen Christ.

Then make your way south to Corso Vittorio Emanuele and the bus piazza at Largo Argentina where you‘ll take Tram No. 8 to picturesque , one of Rome‘s quaintest quarters. Make your way through a series of winding tiny alleyways and piazzas toward the famed Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere, where one of Rome‘s oldest churches—Santa Maria in Trastevere—stands. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the church has one of the finest displays of gilded mosaics, which cover the nave, perhaps Rome‘s most spectacular. If evening has arrived, a stopover for dinner at any one of the numerous caffè located in this radiant piazza makes for fine dining and finer people-watching.

Retail Therapy: Shop-’Til-You-Drop Rome All of the serious shopping takes place in Rome‘s centro storico. For those shoppers with bigger budgets, Rome‘s Via dei Condotti (Metro stop: Spagna) is paradiso. VIPs can continue their shopping spree down streets Via del for fabled antique furniture and fine jewelry, and Via Frattina for exclusive boutiques. Even if you‘re on a pinch, window shopping can be just as fun as you make your way down to the more affordable , where department-store-style shopping can be done at La Rinascente. Another popular shopping street is Via Cola di Rienzo in the Prati area (not far from St. Peter‘s Square).

If vintage is your thing, head toward Piazza Navona and down Via del Governo Vecchio, where there is an assortment of vintage consignment shops featuring highend clothing, handbags, and accessories. Via Nazionale, heading toward Termini train station, also has a bunch of shops.

Now that you‘ve blown your shopping budget, it‘s time for real bargain-shopping at Rome‘s famed street markets. Rome‘s largest and most famous are markets on Via Sannio in San Giovanni (Monday–Saturday only) and the market (Sunday only) in Trastevere. The market on Via Sannio specializes in new and used clothing, shoes, and accessories. The Porta Portese market sells everything but the kitchen sink: clothes, souvenirs, antiques, housewares, and knickknacks galore.