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Rome, Italy
Rome has been lived in continuously for about 2,800 years, which is why the ground level keeps rising and half the ancient city is under the modern one.
The Pantheon still has the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world, nearly 1,900 years after it was built, and nobody is entirely sure how the Romans managed it.
Note
Entry to the Pantheon used to be free and now is not. Book ahead in high season, or go early, because the queue outside is in full sun. The Vatican City, an independent city-state within Rome, houses treasures like the Sistine Chapel, a masterpiece by Michelangelo.
Go up the dome at St Peter’s
Everyone goes into the basilica. Far fewer people go up it, and the climb to the top of the cupola at San Pietro was the thing we would send anyone back for.
It is 551 steps from the floor to the lantern. The lift takes the first 231 of them and drops you on the roof, which leaves 320 to do on your own legs. That last stretch is narrow and steep, and near the top the staircase curves and leans with the dome itself, so you walk at an angle with a rope instead of a handrail. It is close, it is one way, and turning back partway is not really possible once there are people behind you. Skip it if small spaces or heights are a problem for you.
Then you come out at the top, and all of Rome is underneath you. The square unfolds in two arms directly below, the city runs out past it in every direction, and you can see how flat and wide and low it all is. Worth every one of those steps.
Tip
You can buy at the dome entrance inside the basilica, but booking ahead online saves the queue, and the lift is a few euros more than the stairs. Pay it. The 320 steps above the roof are the interesting ones, and the 231 below are just stairs.
Tip
Go early. The staircase is enclosed and by the afternoon in summer it is very warm inside.
Three of our favorite things about Rome (and Italy):
*Italian Food, *
Cuisine. From mouthwatering pasta dishes (yes gluten free ones included), the creamiest gelato (vegan options galore), trattorias and cafes in piazzas. You won’t go hungry in Rome!
*La Dolce Vita and the Italian outlook on life, *
Italians approach life with an infectious passion. The passeggiata is the evening walk everyone takes before dinner, for no reason other than to be out. That, an espresso standing at the bar, and a stop at the Trevi Fountain is about as close to la dolce vita as it gets.
*Art, Culture, and Beauty, *
Rome is a living museum. The Galleria Borghese houses Bernini’s sculptural masterpieces, while at the Roman Forum you can wander among the ruins of a once-mighty empire. Every corner of Rome is history and art. It is a city where a two thousand year old temple is now a church, and the building next door sells phone cases.