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Italy : Rome - February 2008

Country Code: Dial for Italy

Getting around

Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport

Bus: The Terravision bus is cheap (about €15 for a return), but the timetable less frequent – there’s approximately one bus every two hours and the journey takes 45 minutes.
Train: The Leonardo Express runs every 30 minutes into Termini station. The journey takes 35 minutes and costs €11.
Taxi: The journey from the airport to the city centre takes 50 minutes. Expect to pay around €40-60.
Tourist information: The main office is at 11 Via Parigi (, www.romaturismo.com).

VILLA BORGHESE

Elegant and tranquil, the city’s premier park and surrounding area is a world away from the urban bustle below.

Sleep soundly – The art deco hideaway Hotel Lord Byron (5 Via Giuseppe De Notaris, tel. , lordbyronhotel.com, rooms from €330) offers a change of pace in a city of grand dame hotels and tiny pensiones.

Culture vultures – The Villa Borghese is Rome’s elegant green lung, crowned with pine trees and long boulevards full of strolling couples or families cycling on hire bikes. And if the weather gets too chilly, there are plenty of museums to duck into in and around the Villa Borghese. Top of the list are the spectacular Galleria Borghese (5 Piazzale Scipione Borghese) and Mueso Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia (9 Piazzale di Villa Giula).

TRASTEVERE

Gritty Trastevere is an antidote to the city’s pomp and chaos. A short walk up through winding streets takes to you to the Gianicolo hill and one of the best views of Rome.

Sleep soundly – Buonanotte Garibaldi (83 Via Garibaldi, , www.buonanottegaribaldi.com, rooms from €150), an ex-convent-turned boutique hotel, has just three rooms. Tucked away down a side street, the Hotel Antico Borgo Trastevere (7 Vicolo del Buco, tel. , trasteverehouse.it, rooms from €95) is a cosy, wooden-beamed guesthouse.

Must eat – For the classic Trastevere trattoria experience, go to Augusto (15 Piazza de’Renzi, tel. ), where locals bustle and chat between packed tables – and often collect their own food from the kitchen on the way.

Dance the night away – Book a table at Big Mama (18 Vicolo San Francesco a Ripa) and make like a Fellini film star.

PANTHEON AND PIAZZA NAVONA

In the heart of the city, these are places to congregate, promenade and sit and watch the Roman world go by.

Sleep soundly – Da Francesco (29 Piazza del Fico, tel. ) has been a local secret for years, a real-deal pizzeria. Go before 7.30pm and you’ll get a table. After that the queue’s lengthy. If you need a break from the pizza-pasta axis, Il Convivio Troiani (31 Vicolo dei Soldati, tel. ) has the city’s most avant-garde menu – try the risottos or chilled fruit soup.

Must drink – Sitting down for coffee around Piazza Navona is a pricey affair, but it’s worth it at Sant’Eustachio (82 Piazza Sant’Eustachio).

Shop til you drop – Stock up on leather-bound notebooks at very reasonable prices in the Cartoleria Pantheon (15 Via della Rotonda). This Harry Potter-esque shop is stocked with beautiful stationery.

THE VATICAN AND PRATI

The walled, independent enclave of the Papal city is home to some of the finest art in the world.

Sleep soundly – The simple Hotel Bramante (24 Vicolo della Palline, , hotelbramante.com, rooms from €150) is a tranquil hermitage away from the swirling grandeur of the Vatican city.

Culture vultures – The Vatican Museums are full of show-stopping pieces to marvel at, or try the Galleria Chiaramonte with its displays of lesser-known Roman statues, reliefs and busts.

Must eat – Five minutes walk from the Vatican, the rustic, quirky Osteria dell Angelo (Via Giovanni Bettolo, tel. ) serves hearty Roman fare in a lively atmosphere. Or pick up a gelato (ice cream) at Gelateria Old Bridge (5 Via dei Bastioni de Michelangelo). The huge ice creams here, everything from honey to bitter chocolate, are made from scratch.

Shop til you drop – If Rome’s statuesque style has inspired you, pick up a classical plaster bust from Studio Massoni (90 Via delle Meloria). Easier to pack are the freshly roasted espresso coffee beans, Italian hams and regional specialities from Castroni (196 Via Cola di Rienzo).

Compiled by Anna Melville-James