Rome is the capital of Italy and sits on the River Tiber in the Lazio region, roughly halfway between Florence and Naples. As the centre of the Roman Empire, it left behind the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Pantheon, which still stand in the middle of a working city of nearly three million people.
After the empire fell, the papacy funded much of the Renaissance and Baroque architecture that still defines its streets. Vatican City, the smallest independent state in the world, lies entirely within Rome and holds St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museums, and the Sistine Chapel.
Each central neighbourhood suits a different kind of stay. The streets around the Spanish Steps hold Rome’s longest-established luxury hotels, while the lanes near Piazza Navona put the Pantheon within a few minutes on foot. Monti has some of the city’s best small restaurants and wine bars, and Trastevere, across the river, fills up after dark.
Roman cooking sticks to a short list of dishes made the same way for generations, from cacio e pepe to carciofi alla giudia, artichokes fried until the outer leaves turn crisp in the restaurants along Via del Portico d’Ottavia.
