ROME AND LAZIO HOTELS
ROME IS THE BIG ONE – A FULL-ON BANQUET OF CLASSICAL ART, churches, piazze and sculpture. Forget its chaotic traffic and daredevil motorini – the Eternal city is so rich in classical and artistic treasures that Europe’s other capitals pale in comparison.
All roads lead to Rome, and the blockbuster sights are best explored on foot. You can’t leave without seeing the Capitoline, one-time heart of the Roman empire, or the massive Colosseum, where mobs bayed for the blood of gladiators and 5,000 beasts were slaughtered just for the opening night party. These days visitors do battle with the queues of tourists instead, so come early to get ahead of the crowds.
Then there’s the Forum, with its imposing scattered columns, where the movers and shakers of ancient Rome met and did business. From here you can stroll up to the Palatine hill, whose imperial villas once lorded it over the city. Head off from here to the Quirinale district, where visitors toss coins into the grand Trevi Fountain – scene of Anita Ekberg’s late-night dip in La Dolce Vita.
The soaring domed ceilings of St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican are an awesome sight. This is the place to see Michelangelo’s frescoes of the Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel, as well as works by Boticelli and other great masters.
Rome’s mighty squares are almost as impressive as its monuments. Piazza Navona, with Bernini's dramatic Four Rivers fountain, is unmissable. Piazza del Popolo, now car free and restored, retains much of its old elegance, while Piazza di Spagna, from which the Spanish Steps ascend, is one of the city’s classic picture stops.
Modern architectural icons now rest alongside the Renaissance and Baroque. There are four music venues alone in Renzo Piano's much acclaimed Parco della Musica complex, while the bold lines of MACRO (Museo d'Arte Contemporanea Roma) draw crowds to the former Peroni brewery. Architect Richard Meier's museum housing the ancient Ara Pacis (Altar of Peace) with its acres of glass and a huge obelisk is another contemporary landmark.
Not that a Roman holiday needs to be all about the big sights. Don’t say Arriverderci Roma before doing some serious spending. Go window shopping (and drooling) along Via Condotti, positively heaving with big designer brands, or dawdle along elegant Via del Babuino, where you can stock up on every kind of gift to take home.
Make time for an interlude at one of the city's many gourmet gelaterie – one of them even serves zabaoine flavour sorbet with a shot of 50-year barrel-aged Marsala. Al fresco dining is a must, and the narrow streets once jostling with traditional trattorias with their checked tablecloths and waxy Chianti bottles have metamorphosed in recent years into hip eateries serving haute Italian.
Rome can be a scorcher in midsummer, so there’s every excuse to head off into the surrounding Lazio countryside to Lake Bracciano or Tivoli, 40 minutes away. The fabulous gardens and fountains of Tivoli’s lavish 16th century Villa d’Este still enthral. Return for an after-dark shot of true Roman romance, climbing the Gianicolo hill for heart-stopping views across the city’s skyline.
