FEELING WHEN IN

Rome, Italy
May 2017

By Ross Belfer

Rome is a beast of a metropolis where one can spend a lifetime adventuring throughout. With just 24 hours in the Eternal City, the simple aesthetic of Ancient Roman architecture and quaint alleyways that bleed into long roads -- all laced with visual delights, shops, restaurants and the like -- make getting lost a most favorable experience. 

Rome is simply too big to be clogged with hordes of tour groups like other European metropolises, paving the way for a more homegrown experience where locals aren't purely aiming to take the best of tourism-fueled economics.

A wise decision would be to base oneself at the new Hotel dei Barbieri, a charming and finely-designed boutique property offering several rooms with retractable high ceilings that reveal a gorgeous 17th-century mosaic. Osteria Romana di Simmi, a restaurant near the Piazza Di Salvatore in Campo that we stumbled upon, was both inviting and delicious. The restaurant's jovial manager kindly toured us thru the subterranean wine cellar with more than 500 Italian bottles on hand, which is second place solely to the owner's personal art collection of paintings, sculptures and overall decor stashed throughout the space.

Paying no mind to must-dos or check-lists, Rome can be as relaxed and approachable as one makes it. Peruse thru antique shops, drink several espressos at Sant'Eustachio Il Caffè (and maybe an Affogato) and a slice or two of savory Pizza, crafted from the gods. With a welcoming eye and mind, Rome can be a city built for just about everyone, with pockets of green, clandestine courtyards and streets paved with history that have satiated the appetites of humankind for centuries. Just wait and see.

Osteria Romana di Simmi, a restaurant near the Piazza Di Salvatore in Campo that we stumbled upon, was both inviting and delicious. The restaurant's jovial manager kindly toured us thru the subterranean wine cellar with more than 500 Italian bottles on hand, which is second place solely to the owner's personal art collection of paintings, sculptures and overall decor stashed throughout the space.

Paying no mind to must-dos or check-lists, Rome can be as relaxed and approachable as one makes it. Peruse thru antique shops, drink several espressos at Sant'Eustachio Il Caffè (and maybe an Affogato) and a slice or two of savory Pizza, crafted from the gods. With a welcoming eye and mind, Rome can be a city built for just about everyone, with pockets of green, clandestine courtyards and streets paved with history that have satiated the appetites of humankind for centuries. Just wait and see.