Rome, Italy 72-Hour Vacation

The Spanish Steps

While it may seem daunting, with a pair of comfortable shoes and a hearty appetite, 72 hours is plenty of time to discover the feel and flavor of this ancient metropolis.

Centrally located in Italy's Lazio region and bordering the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Italian capital is traversed by the wild and winding Tiber River and is capped by seven hills. One, the Palatine Hill, is the site of the legend of Romulus and Remus, orphaned twin boys raised by a she-wolf and legendary founders of the city in 753 B.C. In a fatal act of sibling rivalry, Romulus killed his brother and named the site after himself. Today, ancient Rome co-exists with modern and constantly evolving neighborhoods, while several corners of the city still evoke a timeless charm. This successful juxtaposition of millennia, where medieval walls rub shoulders with minimalist design, makes it a fascinating city that never fails to bewitch the visitor.

Rome's main Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Fiumiciano is served by almost all major airlines. Most budget airlines like eastJet and Ryanair fly into Ciampino Airport, which is actually closer to the city center from European cities including London, Geneva, Paris and Berlin. The main airport's website, Aeroporti di Roma (www.adr.it), explains how to reach the city center, usually by train into the main station, Termini. Public transportation in Rome is limited to two metro lines, A and B (www.metroroma.it), both of which efficiently serve major attractions and monuments including the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps and the Vatican. Buses and trams are also a primary means of getting around the Eternal City. A €1 ticket is valid for 75 minutes on all forms of public transport but must be stamped upon boarding to avoid hefty fines.

Lounge 'Il Salotto' at Eden Hotel

Hotels abound in Rome, although you should be prepared to pay top dollar for a well-located hotel of even moderate quality. If you're willing to forego a few amenities, budget options are plentiful. A wide spectrum of mid- to high-end hotels exists in the cobbled streets around the Spanish Steps (Piazza di Spagna). Salvatore Ferragamo lent his style savvy to a signature hotel, Portrait Suites, where luxurious townhouse-style rooms range from €300-€1,200. Near the Villa Borghese and the elegant, tree- and café-lined Via Veneto, the legendary 19th-century Hotel Eden is venerated for its peaceful location and fine rooftop dining. Rates begin at €450. At Hotel Hassler, the sublime view and luxurious lodgings run upwards of €500 per night. A few steps off of the Piazza Trinità dei Monti is the more affordable Hotel Gregoriana, where each room has its own original décor and breakfast is served on a pleasant, panoramic roof terrace. Expect to spend roughly €250. The aptly named Hotel Art, located near Piazza del Popolo, offers cozy rooms in a stylish atmosphere starting at €350 per night. Art lovers will also want to settle in at the Raphael, whose lobby features works by Picasso and Miró and whose third floor was recently redesigned by Richard Meier. Rooms start at €350.

Hotel Art

Most budget hotels are clustered around the Esquilino and San Lorenzo neighborhoods that flank the main train station and cater mostly to the budget and backpacking set. We especially like the youthful Beehive for its yoga classes and complimentary Internet access. There are, however, a growing number of small hotels and guesthouses in more centrally located neighborhoods. Hotel Margutta is located on a quiet street between the famous Spanish Steps and the Piazza del Popolo. Small but clean rooms cost around €140. Wake up amid twisty streets of the arty and authentic neighborhood of Trastevere at Hotel Santa Maria, a gated, 16th-century cloister renovated into rooms overlooking a sunny courtyard. The grounds and the rates are family friendly with suites ranging from €250-350.

You may also choose to reside in the equally vibrant neighborhood surrounding the Pantheon. The sophisticated Albergo del Sole al Pantheon affords a direct view of the ancient pagan temple for €200 or more. Also in this centrally located area is the historic Albergo Cesàri, where painters, writers and other illustrious figures of yore were housed while visiting and working in Rome. Rooms start around €150. Similarly affordable prices can be found at Casa Banzo, a family-run, five-room bed and breakfast housed in a 15th-century palazzo on a silent little piazza. Rooms vary in size, but the style is deliciously homey and antique. Minutes away is the bustling Campo de' Fiori, famous for its morning market, popular restaurants and boisterous nightlife. Double rooms start at € 110.

Private apartments are a reasonable alternative to high-priced hotels and offer autonomy and the chance to really live in the city. Retrome apartments are decked out in stylish vintage furniture with a pop art feel. The young management team supplies everything from plasma screen TVs to toasters. Locations near Campo de Fiori, Piazza Navona, and the Colosseum sleep 2-6 people for prices ranging from €140-300.

DAY 1

Inside the Pantheon

Breakfast in Italian hotels is usually included in the room rate. If you feel like mixing with the locals, however, stop in at the counter of your standard neighborhood bar and grab a quick coffee and a cornetto, a croissant-like pastry filled with marmalade or Nutella/Gianduia. For a more inspiring experience, take a walk to the famous coffee mecca, Tazza d'Oro, near the Pantheon. Be sinful and order your granita di caffè (sweetened, shaved, coffee-flavored ice) with panna (thick hand-whipped cream). Coffee beans and other café souvenirs are available for purchase in the boutique. Equally renowned is the subtly sweet—and secret—Grancappuccino at the Caffè Sant'Eustachio, located in the Piazza Sant'Eustachio directly between the Piazza Navona and the Piazza della Rotonda. Take home a bag of their chocolate-dipped coffee beans.

Begin your day with an exploration of ancient Rome at the nearby Pantheon, a domed and colonnaded structure so massive it appears to sink right into the surrounding Piazza della Rotonda. Heavy bronze doors extend into a huge, cylindrical interior illuminated by the open oculus in the center of the vast dome. Built under the Emperor Hadrian as a Roman temple during the second century, the Pantheon was later transformed into a Catholic church.

To continue trekking among the ruins of ancient Rome, take the busy Corso Vittorio Emanuele II until you reach Piazza Venezia. Here you'll see the huge and shockingly white monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of Italy, who completed the unification of Italy during his reign from 1861 to 1878. Sarcastically referred to by Romans as "the wedding cake" or "the typewriter," this nationalistic altar also served as a pulpit for Mussolini during the fascist regime in the 1920s and 1930s.

Piazza Venezia

Behind the monument stretches the immense Roman Forum, the civic, economic and social core of ancient Rome. The Roman Forum is a spectacular, sunken archeological treasure that extends from Piazza Venezia to the Colosseum. It is flanked on one side by the verdant Palatine Hill, a vast expanse of ruined arches, columns and palaces carpeted in thick green vegetation and bordered by the mythical Roman racetrack, the Circus Maximus.

On the other side of the Roman Forum you'll find the elevated Imperial Forums, which include Trajan's Market, a remarkably well-preserved section of commercial structures that allow for a glimpse of everyday life in ancient Rome. If the Colosseum was the first sports stadium, many consider Trajan's Market the first shopping mall.

Nearby is the comparatively contemporary Basilica of Saint Peter in Chains, or San Pietro in Vincoli, where Renaissance art aficionados will revel in Michelangelo's statue of Moses, created in 1515. A bit farther west of the Cavour metro stop is the Via di San Vito where you can have lunch at Urbana 47, an organic eatery and concept store that serves everything from hearty soups to locally designed sofas. Or try Al Cardello, which is wedged in the medieval patchwork of streets between the Colosseum and Via Cavour, and serves specialties from the neighboring Abruzzo region. Alternatively, enjoy a light meal at any of several area wine bars, such as Cavour 313 on Via Cavour and the miniature Al Vino al Vino on Via dei Serpenti. If you're in the area from 6:30 p.m. on, absorb some atmosphere at the ultra-trendy Dom Champagneria.

The Roman Forum

If you decide not to dedicate the rest of the day to exploring Rome's remarkable ruins, you can still travel back a few millennia with a visit to the Colosseum. This great elliptical amphitheater is an architectural and engineering wonder due to its clever design and efficient use of space. The Colosseum was erected during the reign of Emperor Vespasian in A.D. 72 and inaugurated in A.D. 80 by his son Titus. With enough seating for 50,000 spectators, the arena was the epicenter for entertainment in ancient Rome—gruesome gladiator games are the most famous, while mock naval battles created by flooding the arena floor still astonish historians. If you're up for a short—uphill—walk, head to nearby Via delle Terme di Tito, where Oppio Caffè does coffee, great cocktails, live music and a view of the Colosseum they ought to charge for.

On the opposite side of the Roman Forum near the Tiber River, Giggetto al Portico d'Ottavia is an authentic Jewish-Roman restaurant in a neighborhood that was once the Jewish ghetto. Lunch on intensely flavorful, rich cooking based on simple, inexpensive ingredients, the star of which is the Roman artichoke, or carciofo alla giudia. For an afternoon sugar fix, pick up a slice of ricotta and black cherry cake at the corner bakery Boccioni or an authentic sachertorte at La Dolce Roma.

Walking along the Via del Portico d'Ottavia towards the Tiber will lead you to the little island of Tiberina. Built to resemble a battleship in Roman times, today it's home to a hospital and classic Roman restaurant Sora Lella. During the summer, the banks of the isle and the lower riverside drive are filled with restaurants, shops and live-music performances.

The Colosseum

Cross Tiberina and head to the characterful neighborhood of Trastevere ("Across the Tiber"), where the ancient artisanal vestiges of this genuinely Roman enclave mingle with its modern, Bohemian inhabitants. Before traipsing through its cool, dusty streets and among its ochre-hued homes, stop for a pizza at the popular Dar Poeta—arrive early or be prepared to wait. The success of this inexpensive pizzeria has less to do with the pie than with the infinite roster of toppings. If you see only one major attraction in Trastevere, let it be the medieval mosaics of the beautiful Basilica Santa Maria in Trastevere, the oldest church in Rome dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

This neighborhood really picks up in the evening with a young and international crowd spilling from the miniature bars and clubs that line the cobbled streets. Dine at local Trattoria Da Augusto for a real flavor of the neighborhood, or snack on complimentary happy hour treats during the aperitivo at the rustic Enoteca Ferrara wine bar. Afterward, catch live music and acrobatic flair bartending at Stairs Lounge. Otherwise, head to neighborhood establishment Le Ombre Rosse, for funky local atmosphere and a glass of wine.

Continue to Day 2

* Images courtesy of A.P.T. of Rome. Hotel images by their respective properties.