Rome begins with noise. Not tourist noise — real, urban noise. Scooters, voices, a fountain somewhere, a coffee machine somewhere else. And among all of this — a Ferrari parked against an ancient wall as if it had always been there. Because in Rome, it has always been there.
Rome does not require an introduction. It requires time. More time than you think, and more than you have.
Rome begins with noise. Not tourist noise — real, urban noise. Scooters, voices, a fountain somewhere, a coffee machine somewhere else. And among all of this — a Ferrari parked against an ancient wall as if it had always been there. Because in Rome, it has always been there. Two thousand years of history coexist with the present day here without apology.
This is the only city in the world where you can have breakfast at a bar counter with a view of first-century ruins, walk past the Pantheon on your way to the supermarket and not particularly notice — because you've grown accustomed. Though accustomed to Rome is something one never truly becomes.
The Pantheon is the most astonishing building I have ever seen. It was built in 125 AD — nearly two thousand years ago — and is still perfectly intact. A circular hall, a dome with an opening at the top called the oculus. When it rains, the water falls straight inside and drains away through an ancient drainage system that still functions. Architects have never fully understood how the Romans built it.
You stand inside and understand: you are very small. In the best possible sense.
The Trevi Fountain is best seen in the early morning — when the crowds are still asleep and the water sounds in the silence of a narrow alley. Throw a coin, make a wish. The tradition was invented in 1954 for the film Three Coins in the Fountain — but it works. Rome has a gift for turning legends into reality.
Carbonara — only here, only like this, only with guanciale and without cream. Pizza thin, crisp, from a wood-fired oven. Gelato — slowly, in a waffle cone, walking along the Tiber. Espresso — standing at the bar counter, one sip, one euro. Rome feeds you and doesn't let you go.
The Colosseum, the Forum, the Pantheon, Trastevere, the Vatican — all within walking distance of each other. The best time is early morning, when the streets are empty. The Trevi Fountain at 7am is an entirely different experience from midday.
Essential: carbonara in the Trastevere neighbourhood, espresso standing at a bar counter, an evening on the Aventine Hill with a view of St Peter's dome through the Knights of Malta keyhole.