MONUMENTAL ROME

The itinerary will cover the major landmarks starting with the Pantheon, a perfectly preserved pagan temple. Its concrete dome is breathtaking.

Piazza Navona is a lively piazza owing to Bernini much of its charm. With its street artists and cafes around, it is a perfect stop for a gelato or a drink. Once a Roman stadium,  it kept its oval shape (its remains are still visible).

Impossible to leave Rome without throwing a coin into Trevi Fountain, a ritual reassuring your return to the city (almost 3000 euros are thrown into it each day). Rendered immortal by movies like La Dolce Vita, Three coins in the Fountain, Roman Holiday and the most recent Lizzie McGuire Movie, the fountain is still fed by an ancient Roman aqueduct. Designed 3 centuries ago by Nicola Salvi, it spills around 2,800,000 cubic feet of water per day.

The Spanish Steps, another must-see place, is a majestic flight of steps, shaped as a butterfly and so called for the proximity of the Spanish Embassy to the Holy see. Artists’ hang out in the past (Keats, Byron, Shelley), very popular with travelers on their Grand Tour, now the district focuses on luxury shops. Don’t miss via Condotti, not only for window shopping. The Antico Caffé Greco (Via Condotti, 86) counted Mary Shelley, Goethe, Wagner, Liszt, Casanova, Stendhal, among its regulars. It has been serving coffee from 1760.