Rome, the historic and political capital of Italy, is a city of layers. You’ll find ancient Roman grandeur, Renaissance splendor, Baroque razzle-dazzle, Vatican mystique, and today’s modern Italy, so in love with life.

In its glory days, the word “Rome” meant not the just city but what Romans considered the entire civilized world.

There’s history everywhere here in the city of the Caesars. The Colosseum reminds us of ancient pageantry and gladiators. Monuments like Trajan’s Column boosted imperial egos. Statues show how emperors were worshipped as gods on earth. The Pantheon—Rome’s temple to all the gods—with my favorite skylight anywhere, inspired future ages to great domes of their own.

And, since ancient times, for 1,700 years now, pilgrims—believing Jesus climbed these very stairs on the day he was condemned—have scaled the Scala Santa on their knees.

While Rome’s many churches are busy with people, they’re also busy with art. Pop into just about any church and every inch is slathered with Baroque-style ornamentation—oh-wow spiral columns framing scenes that almost come to life; cupids doing flip flops, and ceilings opening up into the heavens.

Lodged in the heart of Rome, Vatican City is the spiritual capital of over a billion Roman Catholics. It’s built upon the memory and grave of the first pope, St. Peter. And its centerpiece: St. Peter’s Basilica.

This most glorious church in Christendom is huge…600 feet long, bathed in sunbeams. It can accommodate thousands of worshippers. The ornamental cherubs dwarf a large man. As a tour guide, I’ve lost entire groups in here.

The adjacent Vatican Museum—its miles of hallways sumptuously decorated with precious tapestries…dramatic frescoes…and ancient statues—leads to the Sistine Chapel with its beloved ceiling frescoed by Michelangelo.

Rome is a city of neighborhoods and gathering places for people who call it home…like the Campo de’ Fiori. Literally the “field of flowers,” this has long been a fragrant and vibrant market. The market thrives in the morning. What’s seasonal during your visit will be favored by local chefs and featured on their daily menus. We’re here in May—and it’s punterelle, asparagus, and artichokes.

After dark, Rome takes on yet another personality. And a short walk laces together its top nightspots. Back at Campo de’ Fiori the artichokes and tomatoes are packed away and the social streetlamps are turned on. These characteristic lanes, even late at night, feel safe and friendly.

The nearby Piazza Navona is a carnival 365 nights a year. While this oblong square got its shape from a long‑gone ancient stadium, today, the games are limited to browsing and flirting around its famous Bernini fountain.

Just down the street is the floodlit Pantheon. It looms high above our 21st century, as if aching to tell its story—2,000 years of Roman history. And at the same time, it provides a venerable backdrop for al fresco diners.

And the Trevi Fountain, a bubbly Baroque avalanche dating from the 1700s, seems purpose-built for today’s Roman embrace of life. With history, art, and people perpetually partying under the stars, it’s no wonder people come here in droves for the promise that a coin tossed over the shoulder will assure their return to this Eternal City. That may sound silly, but every year I go through the ritual…and it works!