Rome 48 Hours
Between quality shopping, little-visited museums, hotel lunches and park walks: a guide to an (unexpected) weekend in the Capital
The destination
Rome does not let itself be read in a hurry. This guide collects three days in the Capital following a slow rhythm: quality shopping, little-visited museums, hotel lunches and park walks. Not the usual monuments, but the addresses Romans truly love.
How to get there
From Fiumicino airport, the Leonardo Express reaches Termini in 32 minutes. From Ciampino airport, a shuttle reaches Termini in 40 minutes. In the city, walk or take the metro: Roman traffic is unforgiving, and distances in the historic centre are short.
Climate in the period
In autumn Rome is mild and golden: temperatures between 15 and 22 degrees, clear skies and low light that enhances the palazzi. Bring a light jacket for the evening and comfortable shoes for the cobblestones.
Itinerary
17 stops
Palm Court — Hotel Locarno
Friday 8 PM. We begin with an aperitivo followed by dinner in the garden with statues of the Palm Court, interiors signed by designer Jacques Garcia. You can drink an Aperol Spritz and eat amatriciana and all the dishes of Roman tradition, in an atmosphere of a grand hotel of times past.
Via dei Condotti
Saturday 10 AM. On Saturday morning I love to wander through the streets of the centre before they become too crowded. Via dei Condotti with its historic shops and luxury boutiques is still empty, and you can admire the Spanish Steps without the tourist crowds.
Antico Caffè Greco
Saturday 10:30 AM. A stop at Caffè Greco, the oldest café in Rome founded in 1760, for an espresso as it was once made. The red velvet sofas and gilded mirrors tell two centuries of Roman life.
Piazza di Spagna
Saturday 10:45 AM. The square with Bernini's Fontana della Barcaccia is still quiet. Worth lingering on the steps before it fills, and observing the morning light striking Trinità dei Monti.
Via del Babuino
Saturday 11 AM. Via del Babuino connects Piazza del Popolo to Piazza di Spagna: antique dealers, art galleries, and the statue of the Babuino that gives the street its name. Quality shopping begins here.
National Roman Museum — Palazzo Altemps
Saturday 11 AM. Time for culture: I recommend a visit to the National Roman Museum at Palazzo Altemps, one of the least visited museums in the city. The statues of the Ludovisi collection, including the Dying Gaul, are absolute masterpieces, and the Renaissance palace is a marvel in itself.
Doria Pamphilj Gallery
Saturday 12 PM. A few steps from Palazzo Altemps, the Doria Pamphilj Gallery is a little-known private museum: the frescoed apartments house works by Caravaggio, Raphael and Titian, with an audio guide narrated by the family itself.
Hotel Locarno — Lunch
Saturday 1 PM. For lunch I like to stop at the Hotel Locarno, returning towards Flaminio. The hotel bar serves light dishes and curated salads, and the Art Nouveau courtyard is an oasis of silence amid the chaos of the centre.
MAXXI — National Museum of 21st Century Arts
Saturday 3 PM. If you still want museums, here are two a few steps apart. The MAXXI, by Zaha Hadid, is contemporary architecture worth visiting even just for the fluid space of its galleries.
Borghese Gallery
Saturday 3:30 PM. The Borghese Gallery is the perfect museum for sculpture lovers: Bernini's groups and Caravaggio's canvases are concentrated in a few rooms, and the villa itself is a jewel. Booking mandatory.
All'Arancio d'Oro da Ciaffi
Saturday 9 PM. A traditional dinner at All'Arancio d'Oro da Ciaffi, in the Ghetto. Jewish-Roman cuisine is one of the most authentic souls of the city: artichokes alla giudia, concotto, and a family atmosphere.
Trastevere — Morning Walk
Sunday 9 AM. Sunday is the day to wander aimlessly, discovering a neighborhood or a park. Trastevere early in the morning is still silent: cobblestone alleys, sacred shrines and ochre facades tell the popular Rome.
Villa Borghese
Sunday 10 AM. A walk in Villa Borghese park, the green lung of the city. The avenue of pines, the lake and the temple of Aesculapius offer a rest from the crowds, and the light through the leaves is already autumnal.
Marziali 1922
Sunday 1 PM. A quick lunch at Marziali 1922, a historic deli on the Via Cassia. Porchetta sandwiches and black pig cured meats are a century-old family tradition, eaten standing as Romans do.
Quartiere Coppedè
Sunday 2 PM. Discovering a little-known neighborhood: the Quartiere Coppedè, a Art Nouveau jewel hidden among the Parioli. Gino Coppedè's fairy-tale buildings seem straight out of a storybook, and the Fountain of the Frogs is a minor marvel.
Parioli — Walk
Sunday 3 PM. A walk in the Parioli, an elegant residential neighborhood. The Umbertine villas and manicured gardens show bourgeois Rome, far from the chaos of the centre.
Villa Ada
Sunday 4 PM. We end the day with a walk in Villa Ada, the wildest park in Rome. Paths in the green, ponds and birds: a farewell to the city in the silence of nature, before heading home.
Where to eat
3 restaurants
Palm Court — Hotel Locarno
Amatriciana, cacio e pepe, Aperol Spritz in the garden
All'Arancio d'Oro da Ciaffi
Artichokes alla giudia, concotto, Jewish-Roman cuisine
Marziali 1922
Porchetta sandwiches, black pig cured meats
Must see
3 places
Palazzo Altemps
A little-visited museum with masterpieces of ancient sculpture, including the Dying Gaul.
Doria Pamphilj Gallery
A private museum with works by Caravaggio, Raphael and Titian in frescoed apartments.
Quartiere Coppedè
An Art Nouveau jewel hidden among the Parioli, with fairy-tale buildings and the Fountain of the Frogs.
Local markets
2 markets
Mercato Trionfale
📍 Via Andrea Doria 41, Roma
Rome's largest neighborhood market, near Prati: fruit, vegetables, fish and gastronomy.
🕐 Mon-Sat 7:00-14:00
Campo de' Fiori
📍 Piazza Campo de' Fiori, Roma
The most famous open-air market, in the morning: vegetables, spices, flowers and souvenirs.
🕐 Mon-Sat 7:00-14:00
Wines and drinks
2 drinks
Frascati Superiore
white wine
The white of the Castelli Romani, dry and mineral, perfect with Roman cuisine.
Cesanese del Piglio
red wine
Native Lazio red, soft and fruity, ideal with amatriciana.
Curiosities
The Quartiere Coppedè, hidden among the Parioli, is one of Rome's least-known marvels: the architect Gino Coppedè built between 1913 and 1926 a group of buildings in Art Nouveau, Gothic and even Assyrian-Babylonian style, creating a fairy-tale corner in the middle of the city.
Must not miss
The morning walk in Trastevere before it fills, and the silence of Villa Ada at sunset: two Romes that few tourists see.