Things to Do in Rome

Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about the Eternal City is its historical continuity. The Ponte Fabricio, which spans the Tiber to the Isola Tiberina, dates from 62 B.C. and remains in daily use. And 2,000 years after it was built, the Pantheon still has the world’s largest unreinforced dome.

With so many layers of history and architecture, it could take a lifetime to discover all of Rome's riches. I suggest visiting during the particularly beautiful ottobrate, from mid-September to the end of October, and savoring rather than devouring all that the city has to offer.

Climb the Capitoline Stairway

On my first evening back in Rome, I like to climb Michelangelo’s Cordonata Capitolina (Capitoline Stairway) to the Capitoline Hill. There’s a spot where you can lean on a wall and look out over the Forum. Piranesi made etchings of this view, and it’s the place where Gibbon decided to write The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. In the evening, when most of the crowds have gone home, it is supremely atmospheric.

Tour the Vatican Necropolis or Museums

Few people are aware that it is possible to explore the Vatican Necropolis directly below St. Peter’s Basilica, which contains the tomb of St. Peter. Visitor numbers are limited, and requests for the guided tours must be submitted to the Excavations Office. The Vatican Museums, in contrast, are known to everyone. Reserve a tour guide, who can help you bypass the daunting entry line.

Visit the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi

While strolling from the Piazza Navona to the Pantheon, be sure to visit the lovely Church of San Luigi dei Francesi. There, in the Contarelli Chapel, you will find a superb trinity of works by the Baroque artist Caravaggio dedicated to the life of St. Matthew. (Other stunning Caravaggios are to be found in the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo.)

Order Ice Cream at Giolitti

A mandatory stop in Rome is Giolitti, steps from the Pantheon and the city’s oldest ice cream parlor. Try the fruit-flavored varieties, the essence of each season. And for some of the best coffee and people-watching in Rome, make it a point to spend an interlude at Sant’Eustachio il Caffè, a favorite gathering spot for the Roman literati.

Giolitti
Via Uffici del Vicario 40

Sant’Eustachio il Caffè
Piazza Sant'Eustachio 82

Go Shopping

Whenever we visit Rome, Mrs. Harper never fails to purchase a discreetly stylish scarf or two at the Claudio Cutuli boutique near the Pantheon. She also loves the striking leather handbags at Del Giudice, a couple of blocks to the north. The handmade totes and purses look effortlessly chic.

Cutuli Store
Via Delle Colonnelle 10

Del Giudice
Via Delle Stelletta 24