All Roads Lead to Rome

If there were ever an item for your bucket list, a visit to Rome is it. If it’s a return visit, so much the better. There is so much to see, do – and taste – here that you will never be able to do it justice in one brief sojourn.

For this “Roman Holiday” (to quote the title of the classic film that won the Best Actress Oscar for Audrey Hepburn), we focused on a few of the city’s historic destinations, wanting to be able to savor the attractions we visited, while still allowing ample time for leisurely meals at a few of Rome’s delectable ristorante, pizzerias and gelato stops. 

The first sightseeing stop on our list was the Pantheon, conveniently located just a block away from our tucked-away apartment in the heart of Rome’s Centro Storico. Ruggedly impressive from the outside, the Pantheon is stunning inside, with sunlight (or perhaps rain) streaming down through the central oculus at the apex of the lofty dome. It is considered one of Rome’s signature architectural achievements, not least that it is still standing intact two thousand years later. 

Niches around the perimeter under the ring of columns include the tombs of the artist Raphael, Victor Emmanuel II, first king of a united Italy, and Margherita of Savoy, who lent her name to the namesake Margherita pizza, whose red tomatoes, green basil, and white mozzarella cheese represent the Italian flag. In 2023, an admission fee to the Pantheon was charged for the first time, but at just five euros (€2 for 25 and under), it’s a no-brainer. Like other revered tourist destinations – and renowned restaurants – reservations are a must.

But our very first stop in Rome was lunch at Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina, after arriving on the noon train from Florence, too early to check-in to our lodgings. Our hosts were gracious enough to warehouse our luggage, where it was visible crammed along the stairway as we were escorted down to our table in the wine cellar for a fabulous introduction to Roman cuisine. 

Although the Pantheon was long since repurposed as a Catholic church, its name refers to “all the gods,” as it was dedicated to the classic Roman grouping of Jupiter, Neptune, Minerva, Apollo, Venus, Vesta, etc. While Rome has been closely identified with Catholicism since the time of Emperor Constantine, another example of how the city has been a melting pot of religious faiths lies in, or more specifically underneath, the Basilica of San Clemente. Beneath the 12th century basilica, and a 4th century church over which it was built, is a well-preserved temple to the god Mithras, dating back to the second century, when his believers included a large portion of the Roman Legions. No photography is permitted within the catacombs. 

For historical structures that catch you by the throat, though, it is hard to top the ancient Colosseum, home during the days of the Roman Empire to gladiatorial contests and circus extravaganzas, some featuring Christians and lions. Looking down into the arena’s center, you can see the rabbit warren of passageways and holding pens where the animals and victims – performers? – were held before they emerged into the sunlight and the roar of the crowds. Today, the soldiers standing around the monuments carrying automatic weapons and eyeing the crowds remind one that we still live in a dangerous world.

Adjacent to the Colosseum, the Roman Forum was perhaps the heart of classic Rome. From the well-preserved Arch of Titus, meander down the path that was trod by Julius Caesar, Brutus and Mark Antony, by poets, senators and slaves. At the top of the Palatine Hill is the spot where, according to legend, Romulus killed his brother Remus in (circa) 754 BC. Literally walking through history, you pass the three remaining columns of the Temple of Castor and Pollux, still standing from the fifth century BC, and the ruins of the Temple of Vesta, where the Vestal Virgins had the dubious privilege and duty of remaining chaste to honor the gods. 

Magnificent, historic structures containing priceless works of art include the Capitoline Museums, St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Vatican Museums, featuring the Sistine Chapel. This trip, we chose to pass those up for a closeup look at the Borghese Gallery, a fabulous art collection that, while hardly unknown or overlooked, is perhaps a little less jampacked. In the Borghese, you have an excellent likelihood of finding yourself alone in a room with a painting by Raphael or enjoying a leisurely viewing of one of Bernini’s amazing sculptures. 

Bernini’s take on David, unlike Michelangelo’s in Florence, shows him in the very act of slinging the stone that would bring down Goliath, a fierce look of intense concentration on his face. His “Daphne and Apollo” seems to capture motion in stone with Daphne’s hands transforming into leaves as she morphs into a tree to escape his amorous intentions. 

The original Borghese collection came from Cardinal Scipione Borghese, nephew of a pope and a discerning and ruthless art collector. He is known to have had artists imprisoned to compel them to turn over their works to him, and several busts of him in the gallery show his hungry and domineering visage. 

Many of the treasured Roman sightseeing icons are on the public street, free to appreciate, and lend themselves to evening viewing when the piazzas are cooler, less crowded, and aglow with light. 

At the Trevi Fountain, throw your coins into the water to ensure your return, and add your contribution to the roughly €1.4 million collected every year. The Spanish Steps are another favorite, with the fountain of a sinking boat at the bottom, cleverly designed to accommodate for the low water pressure in the area when it was built in 1627.

Making the rounds is a great way to stroll and walk off a dinner, perhaps one of the famous quartet of Roman pastas – carbonara, cacio e pepe, amatriciana and gricia. One great source for these in our neighborhood was Armando al Pantheon, renowned for doing justice to the classic dishes and for not letting success go to their heads.

For the after-dinner (or after lunch, or mid-afternoon) gelato, which may spoil your enjoyment of containers of Talenti back home in Florida, great choices abound, such as estasi (chocolate sorbet with coffee and toasted hazelnuts) or bacio del principe (hazelnut with praline swirl) from Fatamorgana Monti in the Piazza degli Zingari. 

If you tire of gelato – I suppose it’s a theoretical possibility – the pastries and cakes of Roma will satisfy your sweet tooth. Try the maritozzi – cream-filled buns from Roscioli, tiramisu, the millefoglie – (okay, technically French) custard and puff pastry from Luciano Cucina Italiana, ricotta and cherry cake, or the two kinds of panna cotta at Da Cesare al Casaletto. 

And even apart from all the fountains and monuments and the pleasures of the table, the streets of Rome are a feast in themselves. The ancient cobblestoned pavements, the rambling passageways, the architectural detailing, stonework, and ornate streetlights help remind you this is not an American city. Realizing the river you are walking across is the Tiber is a thrill in itself. 

One last stop on the evening walking tour is one of the most evocative. Julius Caesar was not killed at the Forum, despite William Shakespeare and “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” On that night in 44 BC – which incidentally was March 15, the Ides of March, so hoist a glass of Italian red in his memory – the Roman Senate was closed for renovations, and the senators were meeting at the Curia of Pompey, nestled among four ancient temples. The site was just reopened last year so visitors can descend into it rather than just strolling by, although there is no “x marks the spot” where Caesar (maybe) gasped “et tu, Brute?” with his last breath.

Hopefully, your Roman sojourn will end more peacefully and leave you eager to return to the Eternal City – because, after all, all roads lead to Rome.