ROME

Since all roads lead here, find the one that leads straight to the beauty at its heart. Ride your Vespa and discover Rome, the city of splendours. Nestled among the seven hills that jealously guard it, under the watchful eyes of the stone lions of Piazza del Popolo and the maternal gaze of the Capitoline Wolf, the Eternal City proudly flaunts its superabundance of beauty at every viale and vicoli, and in each of its countless piazzi. Gardens, galleries, palaces, domes, fountains… each takes us back to the Rome of the Caesars, the Rome of the popes, the Renaissance of the Borgias, the Baroque explosion. Rome, this beautiful, millennia-old grand dame, invites you on a journey through the centuries. From the Coliseum to St. Peter's Basilica, through the gardens of the Villa Borghese and past the Trevi Fountain, stroll through this open-air museum where the soft, golden light is reflected in the dappled water of the fountains, the gleaming statues of Bernini and Michelangelo, and the ubiquitous marble, thousands of years old.

Don't, however, make the mistake of only seeing Rome as a setting of secular splendours. A scent of dolce vita fills in the air, and you will quickly realise that the heart of a lively Italy beats here, vibrant and festive. Trastevere, the favourite area of trendy urbanites, delivers on quaint folklore, with laundry drying in windows above trattorias whose daily specials invite you to try culinary wonders you won’t find on the printed menus. Mixing with the southern Italians will introduce you to the city's customs and traditions-like its white wine, Lazio. Romans are like their city: fine and delicate in their manners, but sometimes revealing a spicier, sharp-witted and more insolent side. Rome, the mysterious and mesmerising Prima Donna, has more than one trick up its sleeve to charm the curious traveller.