Best of Rome in 5 Days

Day 1

So you want to taste Rome, gaze at its beauty, and inhale its special flair, all in one breathtaking (literally) day? Think Rome 101, and get ready for a spectacular sunrise-to-sunset span. Begin with the Grandeur that Was (and is) Rome: the Colosseum. No need to arrive by chariot, as there is a handy Colosseo metro stop. Get there by 9 AM when the gates open. After an hour, head past the gigantic Arch of Constantine across Via di San Gregorio and find the "back exit" to the Roman Forum. Actually, this is the best way to enter, since you'll be parading down the ancient Via Sacra past the small but gorgeous Arch of Titus. On your right, notice the vast Basilica of Maxentius and the impressive colonnaded front of the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina; to your left looms the graceful circular Temple of Vesta, shrine of the Vestal Virgins. Continue along the ancient Roman paving stones toward the Capitoline Hill on the horizon. Here, under its cliff, you can see some of the Forum's greatest remnants, including the redbrick Curia and, to its right, the Rostra platform where Mark Antony once eulogized Julius Caesar. Straight ahead is the magnificent Arch of Septimius Severus. To its left up the hill are the eight remaining Ionic columns of the mighty Temple of Saturn -- a favorite icon of Grand Tour visitors. Around this temple winds the Clivus Capitolinus, the ancient stone path that leads up to the top of the Capitoline Hill. Today, this leads into the Via di Monte Tarpeo, which will take you to the top and the complex of museums and palazzi that comprise Michelangelo's glorious Campidoglio; if that street is closed, exit by the Via del Foro Romano entrance to the Forum and wind your way over. Tour the Musei Capitolini's legendary ancient sculptures (and some opulent Baroque salons), including the Dying Gaul, the Capitoline Wolf, the gigantic stone face of Constantine, and the Sala degli Imperatori, where ancient marble busts of no less than 48 Roman emperors gaze at you. Head off the Campidoglio down the Cordonata stairway back down to busy Via di Teatro di Marcello.

By now, your feet may be calling for a sit-down strike, so break for lunch. If you're up for it, one of the city's most quintessential feasting spots, Vecchia Roma, is a few blocks to the northwest, on lovely Piazza Campitelli (you'll need to reserve, dress accordingly, and spend money -- but remember that many Romans make luncheon the main meal of the day). After your time out at Vecchia Roma -- or a corner café -- continue on Via di Teatro di Marcello, passing Santa Maria in Aracoeli, which sits atop its 137 steps ("the grandest loafing place of mankind," as Henry James described it); this is the perch that inspired Gibbon to write his history of the fall and decline of the Roman empire. Looming up over all is now the gigantic Vittorio Emanuele Monument, the "Altar of the Nation." Although it looks like some leftover from a Hollywood spectacular, it does offer great views from its top.

In front of the monument roars the central traffic hub of Rome, Piazza Venezia. Work your way around to its opposite end to find the Corso, the main drag of the center city. One block up the left side you can find the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, the palace of one of Rome's most aristocratic families -- tour its gigantic salons, which are virtually wallpapered with fine Old Master paintings (including a great Velázquez portrait of the "family" pope). Take the first left down Via Lata past the Piazza del Collegio Romano and turn right on Via Sant' Ignazio to Sant' Ignazio, a church that exults in hyperopulent Roman Baroque. Note the cute stage-set piazza out front, then return to Via Sant' Ignazio to Via Pie' Di Marmo, which leads into Via di S. Caterina di Siena to wind up at Piazza della Minerva, graced by Bernini's unique elephant obelisk monument. The church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva has Michelangelo's Risen Christ and the gorgeous Renaissance-era Carafa Chapel. Head north one block up Via di Minerva to the massive bulk of the Pantheon. After exploring this most complete temple extant from the days of the emperors, head west from the Piazza della Rotonda along Via Giustiniani to San Luigi dei Francesi, whose Cerasi Chapel has three unforgettable Caravaggio paintings, probably the greatest works of the Italian Baroque period. From here it's two blocks over to Piazza Navona, the most beautiful urban set piece of Rome and the perfect place for a cappuccino soak. This is a prime area to watch Romans enjoy their sunset passeggiata promenade. Join them as you walk in search of an evening meal but head back in the direction in which you came. Some 14 blocks eastward lies the spotlit-at-night Trevi Fountain, which you should enjoy with a gelato cone in one hand and a euro coin in the other.

Day 2

To start your second day, use the convenient metro stop of Via Cipro/Musei Vaticano to deposit you a few blocks from the entrance to the great art collections of the Vatican Museums. Michelangelo's Sistine Ceiling, Raphael's Stanze rooms, and Leonardo da Vinci's St. Jerome are just three of the hundreds of treasures you'll savor here. If you're lucky the entrance to St. Peter's Basilica from the Sistine Chapel will be open; if not, you'll have to take a hike of some 10 blocks around to the main entrance of St. Peter's proper, Bernini's spectacular Piazza di San Pietro. If you keep moving, you should be able to do the museums and the basilica by lunch time; a tour of the Vatican gardens or a climb up to the church's dome will require more stamina.

After touring the Vaticano, hike eight blocks north of the piazza to the Ottaviano metro stop and take it three stops to the Spagna stop. Here you'll surface right at the feet of that living postcard: the Spanish Steps. Tackle all those steps for the view at the top and Via Gregoriana, a very posh street where you can find (and photograph!) Rome's most amusing house, the Palazetto Zuccari, a Mannerist-style masterwork (the door is a mouth, etc.) Back down at the foot of the steps is the Keats-Shelley House -- to keep that 19th-century vibe going, repair to Babington's Tea Rooms for a Victorian-era cup of tea or head down Via Condotti to Antico Caffè Greco, Rome's oldest coffeehouse. This street is lined with Rome's most famous luxury stores, as are the surrounding sidestreets, especially Via Bocca di Leone and Via Bogognona. Have dinner, then opt perhaps for an orchestra concert at the gilded Baroque church or frug down memory lane at that landmark disco, Jackie O's.

Day 3

Rome at its most charming awaits you on Day 3. Begin at Piazza Bocca della Verità and three sights that sit shoulder to shoulder: the beautiful medieval church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin (where you'll find the famous ancient Roman "Mouth of Truth" manhole cover) plus two pagan temples, the Tempio della Fortuna Virilis and the Tempio di Vesta. Head up north along the embankment of the Tiber River past the Theater of Marcellus to Via di Portico d'Ottavia, the heart of the old Jewish Ghetto, where the streets are particularly time-burnished (catch pretty Renaissance-era Piazza Mattei one block north). Head back to the river and cross the Ponte Fabricio, which delightfully anchors the Tiber Island to the mainland. You'll now enter Trastevere, once known as Rome's Greenwich Village, and threaded with little alleys and tiny piazze. Travel north to Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere, where the gilded mosaics on its church facade pale in comparison to the splendor of those within. Yes, this is probably Rome's most spectacular church nave. Return to the fountain-adorned piazza, then continue north to two grand palaces: the Palazzo Corsini and the Villa Farnesina, with great frescoes by Raphael, then break for lunch at Raphael's old watering hole, Romolo's. Head back south a few blocks to the river and cross Ponte Sisto to pick up the beginning of Via Giulia; laid out during the Renaissance by Pope Julius II and lined with palazzi, it's still one of Rome's most noble addresses. Follow the razor-straight road to the end (a good 12 blocks) to emerge at the river embankment, where you can turn right to find Ponte Sant'Angelo, adorned with Bernini's angel statues, and the great Castel Sant'Angelo fort. If you wish more ancient splendors, head to the Palazzo Altemps on nearby Piazza Sant'Apollinare; for red-velvet, 19th-century luxury, go to the Museo Napoleonico (in the same building you'll find that connoisseur's delight, the Mario Praz apartment museum). Enjoy dinner and a sunset back at Piazza Navona.

Day 4

For Day 4, opt for a holiday from your Roman holiday: take a day trip out to Tivoli to be regaled by the Villa d'Este and its hundreds of breathtaking fountains. Lovers of all things antique will make a side trip to the Villa Adriana -- Emperor Hadrian's pleasure palace -- just outside town. For a stunning sunset repast, take in a dinner at Ristorante Sibilla, where two ancient Roman temples frame the terrace set over a gorge and a famous waterfall.

Day 5

Day 5 may give you a bout of museum feet but the blisters will be well worth it, for beautiful masterpieces are as common as bricks on this tour, which offers more visual excitement than most cities possess in their entire environs. Along the way, Villa Borghese, Rome's largest park, can prevent gallery gout by offering an oasis of trees and lakes. Begin by taking the metro to the Repubblica stop to take in the fabulous ancient Greek and Roman art treasures in the gigantic Palazzo Massimo alle Terme; for the real thing, walk two blocks north to the Baths of Diocletian. If big barnlike spaces don't turn you on, skip it and forge instead past the Piazza della Repubblica's circular fountain along Via V. Emanuele Orlando past the Acqua Felice fountain to Via XX Settembre: here you'll find Santa Maria della Vittoria, home to Bernini's amazing St. Theresa in Ecstasy. Take Via Bissolati over to Via Veneto, lined with grand Belle Epoque hotels, and hike past seven blocks to the Porta Pinciana and the entrance to the Villa Borghese park. Hang a right and go north about four blocks to the Galleria Borghese, perhaps Rome's most spectacular palace, crammed to the gills with priceless Old Master paintings and a bevy of Bernini statues. Picnic under the park's ilex trees or find a neighborhood café or tavola calda. Then wander south through the park down to the Pincian Hill, where you can book a tour of the enchanting gardens of the Villa Medici, before ending up at Piazza del Popolo. Hopefully, the masterpiece-jammed church of Santa Maria del Popolo will still be open for evening services. For dinner why not book a luxe blowout at Dal Bolognese, right across the square? After all, congratulations are in order: you've just completed a grand tour across two millennia and viewed some of the greatest works of western civilization in only five days.