Like Marcus Aurelius, I often have a dream that is Rome, which is why it’s my most-visited European city and default weekend-break choice. It’s sunny even in the depths of winter, it dispenses carbs and gelato freely and — forget Venice — it’s impossibly romantic.
The eternal city is built in layers, so with every stroll you’ll be treading on thousands of years of history, archaeology and culture. And it’s often called an outdoor museum — you’ll soon see why, when you turn a corner to be confronted by yet another millennia-old monolith. It wasn’t built in a day but a lot of it can be enjoyed over two, so here’s how to spend the perfect 48 hours in Rome…
FRIDAY: EVENING
Touch down at Fiumicino or Ciampino airports and make your way into the city, either by fixed-fare cab or train to Termini station (where, case in point, parts of the ancient Servian Wall are visible in its McDonald’s). There are hotels for every occasion in Rome, whether you want to play conte or contessa in your own palazzo for the weekend, borrow a private apartment, or go full five-star. Just steps from Piazza del Popolo, Palazzo Ripetta was once a refuge for unmarried women, with its intriguing history on display throughout — from photographs of the ladies exercising in the courtyard and making gloves for the Pope, to a third-century sarcophagus once belonging to a Roman emperor on display in the piazzetta.
At Six Senses Rome, you’ll get the brand’s signature spa-focused experience, only transplanted to a busy city — it’s set in a noble family’s former palace, with an absurdly grand marble staircase as its centrepiece and a now-subterranean baptismal font visible through a glass floor.
Archaeologists will find solace in Rome, where the construction of the subway kept getting abandoned due to antiquities being unearthed. So if you’re here for the masonry, Palazzo delle Pietre (whose name means ‘Palace of Stones’) will be your happy place.
Film fans will enjoy entering Luca Guadagnino’s cinematic debut into hospitality at Palazzo Talia, which has a prime position between the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. And if you favour the Grand Tour over the ‘Gap Yah’, Piazza di Spagna 9 is on hand with private crashpads overlooking the palm trees and historic tea rooms of its namesake expat-favoured piazza.
Next on the agenda should be sourcing your first plate of pasta — and how you’ll be spoilt for choice. We could be here all day listing our favourite restaurants in Rome (Ditirambo, Da Enzo and Felice a Testaccio among them), but for fine-dining with a pinch-me prospect, book a table at Hotel Palazzo Manfredi’s Aroma, whose terrace gets up close and personal with the Colosseum. For aperitivo hour(s) between April and October, both Palazzo Ripetta and Six Senses Rome have rooftop terraces for cocktails with a view.
SATURDAY: MORNING
Get yourself acquainted with the Centro Storico by doing a loop of the big-hitter sights in and around main Roman thoroughfare Via del Corso: the enormous ‘Wedding Cake’ (the unofficial name for the Vittorio Emanuele monument on Piazza Venezia) is at one end, with Piazza del Popolo and its identical-twin churches at the other. Wandering off in various directions, you’ll reach lots of noteworthy landmarks: the Trevi Fountain, the Baroque beauty that is the Spanish Steps (which unofficially no longer serve as seats for weary tourists), the literally awesome Pantheon, Piazza Navona and its famous Bernini fountain… Linger accordingly and be sure to toss a coin into the Trevi to ensure your return to Rome one day (two if you’d rather meet an attractive Italian; three if you want to marry them too).
SATURDAY: AFTERNOON
All that walking is hungry work — it’s time for another pasta pitstop. Over the river, Trastevere (the name means just that: beyond the Tiber, or Tevere in Italian) promises a more authentically Roman Saturday lunchtime. There’ll likely be a queue for Tonnarello’s namesake pasta type cacio e pepe-style, in which case simply reroute to Antica Pesa or Osteria Bonelli for equally delicious trattoria fare. If you’d prefer a liquid lunch, locate Bar San Calisto for a spritz with the miscellaneous crowd.
If you’re not in a carb coma, continue the sightseeing, this time going back a couple of millennia in search of Maximus Decimus Meridius and his leather skirts. The Colosseum in Monti — one of Rome’s buzziest neighbourhoods — is staggering and you’ll feel equally insignificant on a stroll through the nearby Forum, once the centre of Ancient Rome, with the remains of temples, monuments, courts and markets on show.
SATURDAY: EVENING
You’re in the right place for aperitivo o’clock at one of Monti’s many wine bars, such as La Barrique, just off Via Nazionale. For dinner, again you’ll be overrun with options — head back to the Centro Storico to try the lobster pasta while admiring the frescoed ceiling at Trattoria Antonio, or dine alfresco at lively family-run Osteria Delle Coppelle.
SUNDAY: MORNING
Scale the Spanish Steps and pop into Trinità dei Monti church at the top, before entering the vast Villa Borghese Gardens for a Sunday-morning stroll. The last time I was there at this time of the week, there seemed to be some kind of Roman-sausage-dog convention going on, since almost every walker had one at their feet; I’m not sure if this is a weekly occurrence. If you want to see works by Bernini, Caravaggio and Raphael, detour to the Galleria Borghese while you’re in the park.
Literature enthusiasts must make a pilgrimage to the Keats-Shelley museum, housed in the building where John Keats died in 1821. And if you want to feel like you’re on a Grand Tour of your own, take your journals and quills to gather your thoughts at Antico Caffè Greco (founded in 1760) or Babington’s Tea Rooms (est. 1893).
SUNDAY: AFTERNOON
Sit outside for lunch (and the best spaghetti alle vongole of your life) at Da Francesco, or grab a slice on the go from one of Rome’s many obliging pizza outlets, before crossing the river to Saint Peter’s Square and Vatican City, the world’s smallest sovereign state, beyond it. Saint Peter’s Basilica is built on its namesake apostle’s tomb and is the biggest church on Earth. If you have time to delve a little deeper, past the conveyor-belt queues of the Sistine Chapel, book a guided tour of the Vatican Gardens, home to various fountains, sculptures and grottos.
SUNDAY: EVENING
Time for one last round of fried artichoke and cacio e pepe; or stop by Hotel de Ricci’s Charade Bar to taste some of the wares from its drinks trolley or impressive wine cellar. Beforehand, climb up Janiculum Hill to watch the sun set over Rome and its legendary landmarks — the panoramic view will elicit a sigh worthy of a Romantic poet.
NEED TO KNOW
Transport The Centro Storico is easy to get around on foot and taxis are readily available. Rome’s subway network famously faced difficulties during its construction, with casual discoveries of archaeological sites such as Hadrian’s Athenaeum (est. 135 AD) halting works. That said, it is functional now, with three lines (A, B and C) and stops that are conveniently close to various landmarks, including one right outside the Colosseum and close to Piazza di Spagna. If you want to channel Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, a Vespa is the only acceptable mode of transport.
When to go As with many great cities, spring and autumn are the sweet spots — gorgeous weather, fewer crowds. The capital empties out in August, when most sensible Romans are at the beach (Porto Ercole for the especially fabulous ones), so if you want to experience local life (and not be surrounded solely by tourists), avoid high summer, when lots of businesses close.
What to buy Milan may boast more famous fashion houses, but Rome has its fair share of local legends, including Valentino, Fendi and Bulgari. The main designer drag is Via dei Condotti, but Via di Monserrato has lots of boutiques, too. If your budget is more Primark than Prada, fear not: there are several designer outlet stores located on Via del Corso and Via del Babuino. Via Margutta (famously the Gregory Peck character’s address in Roman Holiday) is Rome’s antique-store haven. And leather goods can be sourced all over the city, notably from century-old Mancini.
Good to know New York may officially be the city that never sleeps, but for one evening every September, Rome stays up all night too, for the annual La Notte Bianca festival of nocturnal events and performances. If you have a little longer to spare, head to the beach — Ostia is under an hour away from the city by car. You might as well throw in another ruin while you’re there too: the great port city of Ostia Antica is in the vicinity. When in Rome…
Plot the dream weekend in another Italian city (Milan maybe, or perhaps Florence), or see the rest of our Rome hotel collection, including the ones closest to the most famous landmarks