As Rome offers an abundant array of choices, a city full of fantastic sights and activities.

A. Must See – You actually need about five years to see what Rome has to offer!

• Aside from some of the most notably famous—The Colosseum, The Forum including the Palatine Hill and the Capitoline museums at the Campidoglio, The Vatican Museum & St. Peters, The Pantheon, and Piazza Navona—there is the Borghese Museum in the beautiful and serene Villa Borghese park and Gallery, Ara Pacis - an ancient homage to the Emperor Augustus, Caracalla’s Baths, the Palazzo Farnese (the most beautiful Renaissance palace in Rome) and at least 100 other places!

• There are often exhibitions at the Villa Medici – this provides a rare opportunity to visit this wonderful place (the home of the Académie Française).

B. To Do – just a few of the locals’ suggestions.

• Stroll to the Tiber in the early evening and watch the glow of Hadrian’s tomb (now Castel San Angelo, open 9am to 7.30pm, closed Mondays) against the changing color of the Roman sky, and then wander across the Ponte San Angelo and gaze down Via della Conciliazione towards a brightly lit St. Peter's. Take note of the hidden passageway in the wall that links the Vatican to the Castel St. Angelo – used quite often by the Popes to hole up in the castle when their temporal power—and very existence—was threatened.

• Three places that you must see when in the Piazza Navona area are (i) the Museo Nazionale Romano at the Palazzo Altemps in Piazza Sant’Apollinare, 44 (9am to 7.45pm, closed Mondays) with its wonderful collection of ancient Roman sculptures, (ii) the Museo Napoleonico on the river at Piazza Ponte Umberto, 1 (9am to 7pm, closed Mondays), which records the significant relationship of Napoleon and his family with this city, and (iii) Bramante’s Cloister at Arco della Pace, 5, which is one of his greatest works.

• Stroll up along the Tiber; past the remarkable Ara Pacis, then on to Piazza del Popolo where you may drop in to see the two Carravaggios in the Basilica di Santa Maria del Popolo; climb up the to Pincio that overlooks the Piazza; have a drink or a coffee or a meal at the nearby Casina Valadier (while you gaze at the view (great sunsets!), and then stroll along the road in front of the Villa Medici to the Spanish Steps.

• If you tire of walking take a boat trip up and down the Tiber; the embarkation points are clearly marked – there is one at the bridge at the end of Corso Vittorio Emmanuele.

• On your way to the Spanish Steps, shop along Via Condotti and the surrounding area which has some of the classiest, chicest, and most expensive stores in Rome.

• Visit Trastevere, the other side of the river, in the evenings – it’s a very old area, full of life, with lots of cafes, bars and restaurants.

• The best ice cream (gelato) in Rome is at San Crispino (via del Panetteria, 42) not too far from the Trevi fountain, and at their second gelateria in via Colonelle (just north of the piazza where the Pantheon is). Second best is maybe at Giolitti, in via Aquiro near the Parliament and the Pantheon. Also try the one on Via dei Coronari – the Gelateria del Teatro. Once you have seen and tasted the products from these, you will know to avoid the industrial product served in many tourist places. Be careful to look for the word “artigianale”. It indicates made by an artisan.

• Cross the river and walk up the Gianicolo Hill for some wonderful views of Rome from a different angle, day or night.

• The best time to peddle through the city is every second Sunday of the month from May through September, when the historic center is closed to autos and motorini. Rent a bike and wander through the city to the via Appia (lunch at the Osteria Antica Roma on the Appian Way); visit some catacombs; will take a good part of the day. Bike rental shops are reasonably priced – hourly rates range from 3 to 4 Euro depending on the type of bike (road or mountain). Rome has also adopted Paris’ system of public city bikes but they suffer from very heavy usage and thus frequent lack of availability.

Above all – we hope that you enjoy this beautiful and eternal city!