The first time I went to Rome, I felt a little like a child seeing Disneyland for the first time. I was completely overwhelmed by it.
Paris had always been my benchmark for beauty, and almost immediately I thought Rome rivaled it. I still do. Rome is extraordinarily beautiful, but what makes it even more remarkable is how old it is. Somehow it manages to feel elegant and ancient at the same time, with ruins, fountains, churches and grand hotels woven into the life of a modern city.
I have only ever been there with my now my husband, and I think that shaped the way I experienced it. Rome lends itself to being a couple’s city. There are long walks with nowhere urgent to be, dinners that stretch on, beautiful bars you stop into simply because they are there, and plenty of opportunities to decide that the night does not need to end just yet.
We usually aim for Rome in the cooler months, but not so cool that a jacket is necessary. Late September was nearly perfect. It was warm enough to sit outside, walk for hours and linger over drinks without spending the day fighting the heat.
The Rome Everyone Comes to See
We did the things people come to Rome to do: the Vatican, the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.
The underground tour of the Colosseum was easily one of the highlights and is something I would consider a must. It is also exactly the kind of experience you need to book before you arrive. Rome is wonderful without much of an itinerary, but some things simply will not be available if you decide to figure them out once you get there.
The Trevi Fountain was beautiful, but so crowded that I found it difficult to fully enjoy. The Spanish Steps at night were another matter. They felt almost theatrical, with people everywhere and the city glowing around them. It was less about quietly admiring the steps and more about taking in the spectacle.
The Rome That Feels Romantic
Some of my favorite memories have very little to do with sightseeing.
One of our most memorable dinners was at La Terrazza at Hotel Eden, where the view over Rome is almost as much a part of the experience as the food. Hotel Eden itself is beautiful, and dinner there felt like exactly the sort of evening Rome should provide.
We also stopped for a drink at Harry’s Bar on Via Veneto, across from the Rome Marriott Grand Hotel Flora, where we stayed during part of our time in the city. It was easy, glamorous and completely unplanned.
We also ate an extraordinary amount of truffles. One restaurant near the Roman Forum offered an entire truffle tasting menu, and by the end of dinner I genuinely thought I might not want to see another truffle for quite some time.
That feeling passed. I love truffles.
They also seem considerably less financially offensive in Rome than they do at home, which makes it much easier to say yes when someone offers to shave more over your pasta.
The Rome You Stumble Into
One of my favorite nights was at Gregory’s Jazz Club.
What made it memorable was the jam session. Musicians would arrive, sit in and improvise with one another as the night went on. It reminded me of a bar I had been to in Philadelphia where musicians did something similar, and I never expected to find that kind of musical spontaneity in Rome. It was such a different side of the city from the monuments and museums.
We found another side of the city in Trastevere, where we had dinner and where Rome seemed to shift again. The streets felt younger and livelier, with students, restaurants and bars filling the neighborhood. It was interesting to move on foot from somewhere so deeply rooted in history into an area that felt almost collegiate.
That is one of Rome’s great pleasures. You can walk for quite a while and watch the personality of the city change around you.
Rome is a city where you want enough structure to avoid missing the things that sell out, but enough freedom to find the jazz club you never knew you would find.
Where You Stay Changes the Experience
Rome can feel completely different depending on where you stay.
The Rome Marriott Grand Hotel Flora put us directly on Via Veneto and made it easy to step outside and immediately feel in the middle of the city.
Villa Agrippina, Gran Meliá was an entirely different experience. My goodness, what a property. It felt almost like a palace hidden inside Rome, with beautiful grounds and truly standout service. It was a destination in itself without feeling disconnected from the city.
I like both kinds of stay in Rome: one that puts you directly in the middle of everything, and one that gives you somewhere beautiful to retreat to after walking all day.
What I Would Plan, and What I Wouldn’t
I would plan the things that genuinely require planning.
Book the Colosseum underground tour. Reserve the Vatican and any major museum experiences you care about. Make dinner reservations for the places you would be disappointed to miss.
After that, leave room.
We did a lot of walking, a lot of wining and dining, and a lot of smiling. Some of the moments I remember most were not on an itinerary at all.
Rome is a city where you want enough structure to avoid missing the things that sell out, but enough freedom to find the jazz club you never knew you would find.
And after all of that, we still have not seen everything.
