Rome

A Perfect Day in Rome
* Abigail Hole
* Lonely Planet Author

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Colosseum exterior.

* Izzet Keribar
* Lonely Planet Photographer
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Every perfect Rome daybegins with a soul-nourishing coffee. Try the burnished surroundings of Tazza d’Oro on Via degli Orfani 84, where locals and tourists have been taking cappuccini at the bar since it opened in 1946.In summer, crowds flock here for the granita di caffè, a sublime confection combining coffee, crushed ice and whipped cream.
Just across the piazza is the Pantheon (Piazza della Rotonda), a Romantemple converted into a church. This is among the world’s most audacious and inspirational pieces of architecture, a great unreinforced concrete dome, with an oculus in the roof supplying natural lightfrom the heavens. When it rains, a column of rain falls and the water drains away into holes in the floor.
From here it’s a two-minute stroll to Piazza Navona, a square as big as a stadium (it was infact built on the former Domitian’s stadium, which dated from 86AD), and crowned by the Bernini’s fantastical Baroque fountains, complete with rearing horses, muscular gods, and palm trees. Don’tneglect to nip in to nearby San Luigi dei Francesi (Piazza San Luigi dei Francesi), to see its Caravaggio paintings.
Just south of here is Campo de’Fiori, with its food and flower market. On the corner,Forno di Campo de’ Fiori sells crispy, hot-from-the-oven pizza rossa (topped with tomato and oregano). The adjoining square, Piazza Farnese, has a contrasting formal elegance; its two marble fountainsare made from recycled Roman bathtubs and are overlooked by the Michelangelo façade of the French Embassy.
Just east of here is the Ghetto. The ancient Jewish district always feels tranquil despiteits central position, and has an atmosphere all of its own. Il Portico (Via del Portico d’Ottavia), alongside the broken portico of an ancient Roman market, offers traditional Roman-Jewish cuisine,...