Our correspondent in the city reveals the best ways to see the Italian capital, including some favourite spots
THE ITALIAN WRITER Silvio Negro, who devoted much of his life to studying Rome, once observed that " Roma, non basta una vita," or "Rome, a lifetime is not enough." He has a point. After all, for good and for bad, Rome has been a mover and shaker for 2,500 years, running a show that stretches from Romulus and Remus to Silvio Berlusconi, with flashes of various emperors, popes, Renaissance maestros and even the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.
Your correspondent has no intention of ploughing through the hallowed ground that is Ancient Rome, Renaissance Rome, 19th-century Rome, Vatican Rome or indeed fascist Rome. Quite simply, there are too many eminently more qualified experts out there ready to share their lifetime's knowledge - and a ton of guidebooks that will lead you on your way.
If you are looking for one of those modern guides, complete with detailed maps and glossy pictures that simplify the business of getting around a city, they are available in abundance.
On the other hand, if you are looking for an elegantly written, often outspoken, regularly opinionated and utterly informed guide that bases itself on a series of walks round Rome's centro storico(historic centre), there is just one I would recommend: Georgina Masson's The Companion Guide to Rome(updated by John Fort and published by Companion Guides, £16.99).
I refer you to Masson because I am taking it for granted that the vast majority of visitors to Rome will want to pay their respects to all the obvious great sites - the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, Circus Maximus, Piazza Navona, the Janiculum, the Basilica of St Peter's and the Sistine Chapel, to name the most obvious. Few who travel to Rome will want to miss out on these and the many other stunning monuments that represent a link between Ancient Rome, Renaissance Rome and today.
While I will happily leave you in the qualified hands of Masson when you are visiting iconoclastic Rome, I might modestly dare to make a few suggestions for things to do in the après-Forum, après-Colosseum moments. After all, even the most enthusiastic traveller can take only so many ancient monuments.
When to go
It can get very hot in Rome, with temperatures up to 40 degrees in summer. Irish visitors should plan to visit in the autumn or spring, not in June, July or August. My best recommendation is September or October, because, in a normal year, the Roman summer stretches right through to the end of October, with the colder, rainy season usually beginning in mid-November. May in Rome can be stunning, but you run the risk of hitting bad weather, as the Rome summer does not really get started until mid-June, by which stage it has become too hot for average Irish tastes.
If, for reasons such as school holidays, you have no option but to visit Rome in July or August, then the best advice is get up early, go to bed late and take a welcome siesta during the hot afternoon. Remember, only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun, while Rome late at night, when the traffic has calmed, is magical.
On the other hand, Christmas can be a good bet, too, as the Roman December is often dry and sunny. For that reason there is no real quiet period in Rome, with tourism being a 12-months-a-year business.
Toilets
It is as well to be aware that public toilets are in short supply in Rome. You can get around this problem by using the facilities in the museum you are visiting or by using the loo in a bar. If you opt for this latter solution, you are well advised to first order something to drink. Not every Roman bartender appreciates tourists stomping in off the street, using the loo and then stomping out again.
Bar prices
When dropping into a bar, be prepared for two sets of prices. If you sit down outside to eat your sandwich and drink your mineral water, it will cost you twice or maybe three times as much as if you had consumed the same food and drink standing at the counter. Such is the Roman way, but it is one that causes endless confusion, and if I had a fiver for every time I have watched a frustrated tourist argue over his bar bill, I would be part-owner of the Trevi Fountain by now.
Your first morning
For years, when people have asked me what they should go to see in Rome, I have had a stock answer. On your first morning in Rome, do not go and see anything. Rather, find the most pleasant bar near your hotel, perhaps one with tables out on the street (it could be somewhere like Piazza Navona or Piazza del Popolo or just the place nearest to you) and sit down. Order a cappuccino and cornetto (Italian croissant) for breakfast and sit back to watch the street theatre.
Nothing quite matches the style and glamour of Romans, male and female, even as they go about their everyday business. Since the days of Julia the Elder, daughter of the emperor Augustus, who was banished by him to the wonderful little island of Ventotene in response to her "excessive adultery", Roman women have taken that advice about "flaunting it" very seriously indeed.
Then, too, sitting in a bar on your first morning could be a salutary experience in relation to observing and then dealing with Rome traffic. It tends to move in very fast and unpredictable ways - and, as recent tragic events underline all too clearly, a pedestrian crossing is no guarantee of safety in Rome.
Fascist Rome
If you have had your fill of Ancient Roman monuments and churches, there are many other possibilities. For example, why not travel on the metro out to Esposizione Universale di Roma (EUR), a suburb south of the city, to get a taste of fascist architecture? As the name indicates, the area was originally built for a 1942 fascist-style Expo that, in the end, never took place because of the war. Today EUR is a very much sought-after residential zone, but its fascist past is all too obvious, with the area looking like the set for a Fritz Lang movie.
Further memories of Il Duceare to be had at Villa Torlonia, Mussolini's handsome Rome residence, now a complex of museums and gardens (Via Nomentana 70, 00-39-06- 82059127, http://en.museivilla torlonia.it). Then, too, a walk around the Olympic Stadium, beside the Tiber, provides not only more fascist architecture but also hundreds of metres of splendid marble mosaics and an imposing obelisk all proclaiming Mussolini "Dux" (Duce).
The ugly reality of Mussolini's fascism is brought home by another, less-visited museum, the Centre for Resistance Studies (Via Tasso 145, 00-39- 06-7003866, www.viatasso.eu), beside the Basilica of San Giovanni, in the building that the Nazi SS used as a prison and torture centre during the war.
Etruscan Rome
Given that Rome is, after all, the cradle of ancient Roman civilisation, many visitors miss out on the Etruscans, who got there first, anyway. Villa Giulia (Piazzale di Villa Giulia 9, 00-39-06-3226571) houses the National Etruscan Museum, probably the single most important Etruscan museum in all Italy and, even if a tad old-fashioned as museums go, well worth a visit.
Rome at night
If you have seen enough of iconoclastic Rome, why not just walk around to get a feel of the city? The centro storicois relatively small, and its many narrow streets tend to look absurdly theatrical, like a stage set for a forthcoming Rathmines Rathgar Verdi opera.
Other areas worth a visit include the Roman Ghetto, today home to some terrific restaurants, and, for nightlife, Campo dei Fiori, Ponte Milvio, Testaccio and Trastevere (literally across the Tevere, or Tiber). With the exception of the summer, Rome tends to be a very quiet city by night, which means that if you are looking for late-night bars, restaurants, clubs, discotheques, newspaper kiosks or whatever, these are your areas.
Ponte Milvio is curious because, following the example of the protagonists of a successful book and film, Ho Voglia Di Te (I Want You), couples now attach a chained lock to the bridge lamp posts, then throw away the key, as a sign of their love.
So many couples followed this practice that the bridge's lamp posts almost collapsed under the weight last year, prompting the city authorities to introduce everything from steel posts to a virtual bridge for the locks.
On the late-night front, the 24-hour shop has not really caught on in Rome. As of now, there is only one 24-hour supermarket, on Piazzale Clodio, in northern Rome. If, however, you are out and about and hungry late at night, look out for a cornettaro, a cafe that stays open all night and sells cornetti very cheaply. (Any it does not sell by morning are destined for the ducks.)
Keeping cool
There are ways to keep cool. Romans head for the Lazio coastline, to the beaches at Sabaudia, Fregene and Ostia, all on (slow) public-transport routes. If you want to stay in town, though, an intriguing alternative is the rooftop swimming pool at the Radisson SAS Hotel (Via Filippo Turati 100, 00-39-06-444841, www.rome.radissonsas.com).
Where to stay
Needless to say, if you are feeling flush, central Rome offers several splendid luxury hotels - the Hassler, overlooking the Spanish Steps (Piazza della Trinità dei Monti 6, 00-39-06- 699340, www.hotelhassler roma.com) and the Hotel Forum, overlooking the Forum, naturally enough (Via Tor de' Conti 25/30, 00-39-06- 6792446, www.hotelforum rome.com), are two obvious and expensive examples.
One imagines, however, that most Irish visitors will be looking for something rather more modest and affordable. Accordingly, listed below are a few suggestions, based, as much as anything else, on the experiences of friends and colleagues who have used these hotels while staying in Rome. Remember, special offers abound in the off season, so check the websites.
1 Grand Hotel Plaza. Via del Corso 126, 00-39-06-67495, www.grandhotelplaza.com. If you really insist on a five-star hotel, then this one comes highly recommended. It fits into the grand-tour category, offering a palm-filled ballroom and a sense of former glories. Double rooms are €240-300.
2 Villa Rosa. Via Terme Deciane 5, 00-39-06-5717091, villarosa2000@libero.it. This is a Dominican convent much loved by Irish visitors, close to the Circus Maximus and the Aventine. Great value at €85 for a double room with bed and breakfast. This is just one of several such convent-type hotels in Rome. For a complete list and more information, check out the US Church of Santa Susanna at www.santa susanna.org.
3 Hotel Locarno. Via della Penna 22, Campo Marzio, 00-39-06-3610841, www.hotel locarno.com. Centrally situated, just off Piazza del Popolo, this is a splendid art-deco hotel with a lovely little courtyard, complete with orange trees. Double rooms from €135.
4 Hotel Mozart. Via dei Greci, 00-39-06-36001915, www.hotel mozart.com. Again, this is very central, as it is just off Via del Corso. It offers good service, with its own restaurant and terrace. Double rooms are €265, but deals are available.
5 Hotel Homs. Via della Vite, 71/72, 00-39-06-6792976, www.hotelhoms.it. Another hotel in the centro storico, just off the Spanish Steps. Small but comfortable, with a small rooftop terrace. €215 for a double room.
6 Hotel Sant' Anna. 133 Borgo Pio, 00-39-06-68805951, www.hotelsantanna.com. If you are looking for a hotel on the Vatican side of town, the Sant'Anna could not be closer to the Holy See HQ. Double rooms are €130-220.
7 Hotel Villa Borghese. Via Pinciana 31. Just off the Villa Borghese and close to Via Veneto, this elegant small hotel was once the family home of the writer Alberto Moravia. Double rooms are €250.
Restaurants and bars
An evening aperitivoprior to dinner is a must, and in that context Rome offers some splendid possibilities.
For spectacular views of the city try the rooftop bar at the Hotel Eden (Via Ludovisi 49, 00-39-06478121, www.hotel-eden.it), on one side of town, or the summer bar at the "Big Fountain" on the Janiculum Hill on the other side.
For restaurants the choice is infinite, and quality is generally very high. Here are three suggestions for restaurants that offer excellent food in very special settings:
Al Pompiere. Via Santa Maria dei Calderari 38, Ghetto, 00-39-06-6868377. This restaurant is in the Jewish ghetto.
La Sagrestia. Via del Seminario 89, 00-39-06-6797581. This one is beside the Pantheon.
Nerone. Via delle Terme di Tito 96, 00-39-06-4745207. This is beside the Colosseum.For something less formal, try:
Da Baffetto Pizzeria. Via del Governo Vecchio 114, 00-39- 06-6861617. A good informal affair.
La Carbonara. Via Panisperna 214, 00-39-06-4825176. Another good casual option.
La Parolaccia. Via del Cinque 3, Trastevere, 00-39-06- 5803633. This is extra special, in my view, and guarantees a gastronomic experience you will never forget. The in-house speciality is to insult the clients, hence the restaurant's name, which literally means "bad language".
The best ice cream
Finally, when you have wined and dined, there is nothing better to round off your Roman day than an ice cream from Giolitti (Via Uffici del Vicario 40, 00-39-06-6991243, www.giolitti.it), just down from Palazzo Montecitorio, the Italian lower house of parliament. This is just about the most famous ice-cream parlour in Rome.
After that, sweet dreams.