ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME

It’s called the Eternal City and it’s 2,777 years old.

When it comes to travel, they say all roads lead to Rome. My own path brought me to Rome for the third time this year, right at the start of October, before heading toward the Amalfi Coast. And, as always, I arrived in Rome with images of Sorrentino’s 'La Grande Bellezza' in my mind—perhaps the most beautiful cinematic ode to Rome. But then it felt unfair, and I immediately thought of Fellini and La Dolce Vita, of Audrey Hepburn and Roman Holiday, only to end my day, with feet exhausted from the cobblestones after long walks, declaring, like Woody Allen: "To Rome, With Love."

In Rome, I discovered many layers of Rome, peacefully settled over the years that have passed through it:

✔️ Touristy Rome, the one where crowds gather to make wishes and take pictures at the Trevi Fountain.

✔️ Historic Rome, imposing and overwhelming. The Rome where you stand before the Colosseum and feel small, where you find yourself at Trajan's Column, transported back in time. This is the Rome that surprises you around every corner with yet another relic, a column, or a statue, just when you thought you had gotten to know it.

✔️ Savoring Rome, where you're enticed by seductive aromas, trattorias, and osterias, with puntarelle, cacio e pepe, carbonara, pecorino romano, and globes of artichokes. Market stalls brim with delicacies, while loud Italians proudly promote their goods.

✔️ Romantic Rome, the one you discover if you wander down narrow streets lined with flower-filled windows and greenery-covered terraces, imposing wooden doors with heavy iron handles, ivy-draped houses, and bicycles with baskets of flowers. The Rome with bridges over the Tiber, seemingly made for poetry, and sunsets so cinematic and unreal, viewed from Villa Borghese, on the Paseggiata del Pincio.

✔️ Sacred and Devout Rome, paying homage at St. Peter's Basilica, and Fashionable Rome, posing for magazine shoots on the Spanish Steps. The Rome that drives Ferraris and the Rome that eats pizza a taglio.

Rome – the perfect mix of taste and style

It's hard not to love Rome: with its overwhelming history, so many cultural and artistic landmarks that make it an open-air museum, its architecture that always makes you feel like you're in a movie, and a cuisine you can never get enough of. Rome is one of those great cities where good taste and delicious flavor come together in the most beautiful harmony. Let’s break it down.

Rome – My Cultural Highlights:

The Colosseum – the famous ancient amphitheater built in the 1st century AD, once home to gladiator battles (now part of the UNESCO World Heritage).

The Vatican – featuring the renowned St. Peter's Basilica and artwork by Michelangelo, Raphael, and Leonardo da Vinci.

The Pantheon – another ancient Roman temple, constructed in the 2nd century AD.

The Trevi Fountain – yes, the same fountain where Anita Ekberg wades in *La Dolce Vita* (of course, it’s a film scene – don’t try this in real life!) or Piazza Navona, with its intricate statues that simply captivate you and make you pause in awe.

Villa Borghese – with the Galleria Borghese, home to masterpieces by Bernini, Caravaggio, and Raphael, and nearby...

Paseggiata del Pincio – a promenade from which you can gaze down at Rome, offering breathtaking panoramic views. And the Pincio Terrace, the most spectacular spot to watch the sunset over Rome, with a view of Piazza del Popolo, from where you can easily stroll down Via Veneto, the very street Marcello Mastroianni roamed in Fellini’s La Dolce Vita.

Rome – Signature Ingredients and Dishes:

- Pecorino Romano

- Guanciale

- Carbonara (the real one, made with pecorino romano and guanciale – no bacon or cream sauce here!)

- Amatriciana (also made with guanciale, but featuring a red sauce)

- Artichokes (did you know artichokes are a symbol of Rome?) – try Carciofi alla Romana (Roman-style artichokes), although Carciofi alla Giudia (Jewish-style artichokes) is equally delicious and another local specialty.

- Puntarelle (a curly, slightly bitter salad typical of Rome and Lazio, prepared with olive oil, lemon, and anchovies)

- Pizza alla Romana

- Saltimbocca alla Romana (veal scaloppini with prosciutto slices)

- Suppli al telefono (deep-fried rice balls stuffed with mozzarella – they get their name because when broken in two, the mozzarella stretches like a telephone wire, for those who remember phones with cords)

- Filetto di baccalà (deep-fried cod fillets)

- Porchetta

Rome – roughly, a few gastronomic landmarks:

✔️The market, the "gastronomic soul" of any city – my favorite in Rome is Campo dei Fiori. Some may say it’s a bit touristy, but that doesn’t detract from its beauty and charm. Plus, its proximity to the splendid Piazza Navona, which I adore, always makes me want to return. A visit to Campo dei Fiori is, in itself, a lesson in taste: you can wander among the stalls filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, admire their diversity, discover new ingredients (I didn’t know about puntarelle until my first visit to Campo dei Fiori), sample products (aged pecorino and truffle salami were my favorites), buy local products (or edible souvenirs, as I like to call them – most sellers will vacuum-seal them for transport by plane), and if you’re hungry or simply overcome by the sight, you can grab a porchetta sandwich and enjoy it right there, in the middle of the square, leaning against Giordano Bruno’s statue.

✔️Trastevere – traditionally known for its eateries offering traditional Roman cuisine, it’s also famed for being an area with authentic, less touristy spots where locals would choose to dine.

✔️Also in Trastevere, you’ll find the place that served the best carbonara I’ve ever had in Rome – Da Enzo al 29. When I first discovered it, it was still a local gem, but over time, its (well-deserved) fame has brought in tourists as well.

✔️Sant Eustacchio Il Caffè – one of the oldest, if not the oldest, cafés in Rome, a place worth a stop for at least one creamy espresso or a quality cappuccino.

✔️Traditional spots located in the heart of the city, near major landmarks, like: Armando al Pantheon, Antica Salumeria (the oldest deli in Rome – a prosciutto sandwich here is an experience not to be missed), or La Famiglia, a bit off the tourist trail and fairly close to the train station, for when you need to catch a train.

In the end, it doesn’t matter where you start. All roads lead to Rome. And perhaps it’s no coincidence that they call it the Eternal City: because as you wander aimlessly through its maze, with the sole purpose of finding La Grande Bellezza, you might just have a moment of grace, a suspended instant, when you feel like time has stopped.