When In Rome

With wide European pavements, a café every metre and hidden bars and nightclubs, this is a city you’ll need a guidebook for.

But if you don’t like carrying something that identifies you as an outsider then don’t fear. Just follow the throngs of American tourists that flock to the city in the summer.

They are bound to be heading to something historically interesting, which you’ll find at almost every intersection. Rome is literally overflowing with Roman ruins. This is a city where you can turn a corner and find people sipping an espresso, right in front of the remains of a Roman library, complete with imposing columns, mosaic floors and statues that should probably be in a museum.

The fact that all this history is surrounded by cool shops, art and Italians zooming around on thousands of scooters doesn’t detract from it. It enhances it.

But then that’s the beauty of Rome. The city itself is a museum. Everything is still in context. The buildings around the ruins may be knew, but you can still get an idea of what life may have been like two thousand years ago.

Find yourself a hotel as close to the Vatican as possible, although you’ll probably need to avoid the big name brands, as they are mostly positioned a long walk from the famous city-state. There are however plenty of small guesthouses and boutique hotels to choose from, all of which are more than sufficient as a base for exploring the city.

Despite its size many of the sites are an easy stroll if you are happy avoiding cabs and letting your feet do the walking. Head first to the Vatican, the earlier the better, to avoid the big crowds. Just standing in St. Peters Square is quite special. The architecture is just stunning and the sheer size of the layout is breath taking.

There’s a lot to see, so decide how much time you want to devote to queuing and take it from there. Alternatively, get outside the walls of the tiny city-state and head for the Vatican museum. It’s 16 Euros to get in, but for that you’ll be rewarded with probably the world’s greatest collection of art, antiquities and treasures from around the world. The museum could easily swallow an entire day by itself.

From there, head out over the Tiber River and make a beeline for the Trevi Fountain. If you can fight your way past the tourists you’ll be treated to one of the world’s most famous landmarks with a great back-story.

The fountain sits at the meeting point of three water sources, and legend suggests a group of thirsty soldiers were lead there by a beautiful virgin. Hence the authorities felt it needed a grand fountain to celebrate its past.

Its baroque design is certainly that, so it is certainly one to tick off the list. A short-ish walk from there is the incredible Colosseum. No trip to Rome is complete without approaching one of the world’s most imposing sites from the many side streets that lead down to it. It is the largest amphitheatre ever built and is considered one of the greatest works of architecture and engineering.

Yes, it’s touristy, but it’s a sight to behold and if you can stomach the queues, a tour of its interior is worth the wait. If you have time and haven’t had you fill of Roman ruins, head out to East to Tivoli and the frankly astounding ruins of Emperor Hadrian’s villa.

The word villa simply doesn’t begin to do this amazing site justice. Housing its own barracks, fire station, baths and stables, the site, which was built as a show of power by the famous emperor, covers a site larger than the entire city of Pompeii.

Of course, there’s so much more to Rome than this. In a day you’ll barely scratch the surface of this amazing city. But if you’ve got only a day to spare, then there’s still the opportunity to fit in the top line sites Italy’s capital has to offer.

But the best advice is, of course, to extend your trip and spend a week taking in a proper slice of what it takes to be a proper Roman.