Rome, right now
No twelve-stop itinerary. Coffee standing up, a long lunch, one thing you actually want to see, and a walk that takes longer than the map said.
Words by WT Editorial Team
- Go when
- Late September to November, or April to early June
- Pace
- One neighbourhood, one gallery, one long table
- Money
- Euro
Rome punishes the completist. The city is built in layers that do not arrange themselves into a route, and the visitors who look most exhausted are usually the ones working through a list in the correct order.
The better version is almost embarrassingly simple. Coffee standing up. A long lunch. One church or gallery you genuinely want to see. A walk that takes longer than Google Maps promised. A table outside once the heat drops. And enough empty space in the day to find something that was never on the list.
Move
Walks, water, hillsAppia Antica
SouthSunday mornings the old road closes to traffic. Basalt stones, umbrella pines, the occasional tomb, and a walk that can be two hours or five.
Villa Doria Pamphili
MonteverdeThe city's largest park, and the one Romans actually run in. Pine avenues, a lake, no queue for anything.
Giardino degli Aranci and the Aventine
AventinoClimb up through the orange garden at opening time, before the keyhole queue forms, then walk the hill down into Testaccio.
The Tiber towpath
CentroDown the steps at Ponte Sisto and along the water. It is scruffy, quiet and the fastest way to stop feeling like a tourist.
Eat
What the locals orderMercato Testaccio
TestaccioA working covered market with lunch counters at the back. Buy fruit, eat standing, skip the food tour.
Marigold
OstienseNordic-Roman bakery and daytime kitchen in Ostiense. Proper bread, proper coffee, a short lunch menu.
Roscioli Caffè
Campo de' FioriThe espresso and pastry half of the Roscioli operation, and the easier one to get into.
Sant'Eustachio Il Caffè
PantheonStanding at the bar, one euro something, drunk in ninety seconds. Ask for it without sugar if you want it that way.
Pianostrada
RegolaFocaccia, vegetables treated seriously, and a small courtyard. Book, or arrive early.
Restore
Where the noise stopsGalleria Borghese
Villa BorgheseTimed entry, two hours, twenty rooms. The best argument in Rome for seeing one thing properly instead of six things badly.
Acqua Madre Hammam
Sant'AngeloA quiet hammam near the Ghetto. Book ahead, leave the phone in the locker.
Basilica di Santa Sabina
AventinoFifth century, almost unfurnished, the light doing all the work. Free, and usually nearly empty.
Centrale Montemartini
OstienseClassical marble installed in a decommissioned power station. Cool, strange and never crowded.
Orto Botanico di Roma
TrastevereA hillside botanical garden behind Trastevere, with bamboo, a rose collection and shade in September.
Stay
NeighbourhoodsMonti
Walkable to almost everything, still residential, good bars and a neighbourhood rhythm after eight.
Testaccio
The market, the best casual eating in the city, and no coach parties.
Prati
Orderly, green, quiet at night, and a short walk over the river when you want the centre.
One good day
- 1
Espresso standing at the bar, no sitting, no laptop.
- 2
Walk up to the Giardino degli Aranci and along the Aventine before the heat.
- 3
One thing you actually want to see, booked in advance. Galleria Borghese if you have two free hours.
- 4
Lunch in Testaccio, unhurried, with a glass of something local.
- 5
An afternoon walk along the Tiber or through the botanical garden instead of a second sight.
- 6
A table outside at eight, once the light drops.
Don't bother
Queueing for the Bocca della Verità or eating anywhere with a photographed menu near the Trevi. Rome is one of the few cities where walking five minutes away from the famous thing genuinely doubles the quality of the day.
On the map
Every city →The Sunday Edit
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