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I love them all. I love how you’ll be walking along and hear water flowing, and then turn to discover something like this… Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers in the Piazza Navona. Come early in the morning or very late at night to get the best experience of it, without the crowds. If you stop by at sunset, take a look and then head over to the nearby roof of the Hotel Raphael for a cocktail, www.rapahelhotel.com And there’s this one in the Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere.  Stop by the Caffe di Marzio to admire the scene–always colorful, whether morning or night. Eat nearbyRead More →

When I put away the guidebook, Rome unfolds… Church doors open to masterpieces. Open the door of Sant’Ivo della Sapienza (Corso di Rinascimento 40, around the corner from Piazza Navona) and there’s this snowflake of a dome, designed by the Renaissance superstar Borromini. This is open ONLY on Sunday mornings, when there’s a folk mass–guitars and kids singing. Mass is usually at 9:30, but check in case they’ve changed the schedules. It’s  a small church that fills up with the locals, which means you get to be amidst another Italian masterpiece: beautiful faces. It could set you off on a Golden Sunday morning of Church Door Opening. FreeRead More →

As soon as I arrive in Rome, I head to The Pantheon. I stand inside under its Dome–the Dome of All Domes–and look up to that opening that frames the ever-changing Roman sky: the Eye of Heaven! This is the perfect place to begin an Italian adventure. This is where you feel the pull of Italy’s soul.  Where you get the thrill of being in an architectural wonder, built over 2000 years ago to honor all the goddesses and gods. In the seventh century it was consecrated as a church, dedicated to Santa Maria and the Martyrs. In the 16th century Renaissance it was so revered the superstar artistRead More →