H|B QUICK TIPS

Stay | anywhere near the Spanish Steps like Hotel Hassler or Hotel de Russie or rest up a few streets over at J.K. Place Roma ($$$ to $$$$)
Book | a half day private tour guide for the Vatican and another half day for key sites like the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Colosseum and the Roman Forum. Worth every penny and then some. I highly recommend Carlo of Rome Guide Services
Read | Angels and Demons and Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling before your arrival to sincerely appreciate the Vatican
Splurge | on designer garb from high-end fashion houses founded in Rome like Fendi
Peek | through the Knights of Malta key hole on Aventine Hill to see St. Peter’s Basilica flawlessly framed. H|B tip: While on the hill, walk north to the orange tree gardens of Basilica of Santa Sabina and gaze at the top left panel of its cypress doors. You’ll be looking at the first visual record of Christ’s crucifixion in Italy
Savor | your first sip of limoncello – I always do

THE DETAILS

One glance at the Sistine Chapel and I was infatuated with Rome. I’m in awe of its founders, artists, religious leaders and its deep roots. And by deep roots I mean the city of seven hills is constantly peppered with active excavations uncovering the past, so don’t forget to look down.
Rome is like Justin Bieber. You are obsessed with it or you loathe it. I’m a devout lover of this city and you should be too.

“I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble.” Augustus

Need to know | Money is best spent on experiences. So to reiterate my point above, book a private tour guide to skip the lines, see what you need to see (and fast), absorb random facts, learn where the locals eat and take the hassle away of weighing whether to see this cathedral or that one.
See | Accept the fact that you’ll need to venture to Rome more than once to scratch the surface on all there is to see in the Eternal City. While you can’t leave without spending time at The Vatican, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Colosseum, Palantine Hill and the Roman Forum, here are a few more sites to check out which are not as publicized: The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa sculpture by Bernini, Rome’s wedding cake – Il Vittoriano, Galleria Borghese at the Palazzo Barberini, the Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona and the Castel Sant’Angelo.
Eat & drink | Take a seat at a crowded trattoria and ask the cameriere for several of their signature dishes. Try my beloved appetizers – suppli (fried risotto balls) and fiori di zucca (zucchini blossoms). Rome also boasts numerous food markets so make your own charcuterie with purchases from Campo di Fiori market and head to Villa Borghese or Villa Pamphili for a picnic. Book a table at either of the 2 Obica locations for a proper mozzarella tasting. This mozzarella bar establishment inspired the iconic Nancy Silverton to open LA’s Osteria Mozza. H|B tip: Start your day with coffee from Sant’Eustachio Caffe and end your evening over a tartufo at Tre Scalini or with San Crispino’s gelato.
Random tidbits | 1. According to Roman myth, twin brothers Romulus and Remus were left to die in the Tiber River and raised by a she-wolf. Romulus killed Remus and named the city of Rome after himself. 2. The origins of ‘cappuccino’ can be traced to the Capuchin Monks who donned brown (espresso) robes with white hoods (milk). H|B tip: Pop into the Capuchin Museum on Via Veneto and feast your eyes on the chapel covered with bones. 3. Each member of the Vatican’s Swiss Guard is hand selected from the top four Swiss armies. They must be unmarried, between 19 and 33 and over 5’ 6”. 4. The dome of Hadrian’s Pantheon remains the largest unstructured concrete dome in the world since its reconstruction in 126 AD. 5. Rome’s fresh water system still pumps to public water fountains around the city, so take a sip at Bernini’s Fountain of Bees!

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” Michelangelo

Aventine Hill

The Colosseum

Piazza Navona

Pantheon

Pope’s residence

Fried zucchini blossoms

St. Sabina

The Colosseum