Rome, unhurried

Posted on February 13, 2026

A second trip in less than two years to the eternal city, this time without an agenda or any sites to see.

At this point in my life, I’m fortunate to say that I think I am fairly well-traveled. For a while now, I have been collecting one to two new stamps in my passport each year. I have been able to visit more countries and cities than many of my friends and colleagues, but there is still so much I would love to see. If I were a less frequent traveler, it might seem a wasted opportunity to visit a place you’ve already been. But it’s the return visits where you really get to immerse yourself in a place, to follow your own rhythm and not have to worry about where you have to be and when you need to be there.

In that freedom, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better place to be than Rome. In 2023—my first visit—there were some things I just needed to see with my own eyes… the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and Vatican City, to name a few. Places I’ve known about my entire life, that only existed in the pages of a book or a history lesson, so I had to go. And if you visit Rome, you really should see the sites.

A man sits on a weathered stone ledge, gazing out over a cityscape of terracotta and ochre-colored rooftops. He wears a dark jacket, olive pants, and sunglasses, with his hands clasped in his lap. Behind him, the dense urban landscape extends toward the horizon under an overcast sky. A domed church is visible in the upper right corner.

A white-haired man sits on a stone ledge with his back to the camera, a sketchbook open in his lap. He wears a dark sweater with a light blue scarf draped over one shoulder. Below him, a busy street cuts between rows of ochre and cream-colored buildings, with parked cars and traffic visible. Church domes rise in the distance against an overcast sky.

A marble statue of a seated woman rises from a small island of greenery in the center of a circular fountain pool. She wears classical draped robes and gazes upward with one hand pressed to her chest. Ferns and ornamental grasses surround the base of the sculpture. Tall trees with gnarled trunks and drooping branches frame the scene, and a man walks along a path in the background.

In the late afternoon, the overlooks around Villa Borghese are a nice place to relax

This time, our trip was in February, far away from the high peaks of the tourist season. But 2025 was also a Jubilee year, which kept things pretty crowded. Still, it was much more manageable than when we went in May.

Two women walking down the Spanish Steps in the lower right corner, looking out over the surrounding buildings. Behind them, a cream-colored building with green shutters and arched window frames fills the middle ground. On its rooftop terrace, diners sit at tables beneath heat lamps while a waiter attends to them. Ochre and brick buildings rise in the background.

A small Yorkshire terrier wearing a red patterned sweater walks on a leash across a cobblestone street. Its owner, a white-haired man in a dark jacket and jeans, watches as someone on a bicycle bends down toward the dog. Potted shrubs line the sidewalk outside a bar, and red climbing vines cascade above a nearby doorway. The narrow street continues into the distance past weathered stone buildings.

Three people sit on a curved stone bench in a cobblestone plaza, each looking down at their phones. A nun in a black habit and quilted jacket sits at one end, a gray scarf around her neck. Beside her, a man in a brown jacket smiles at his screen, and a blonde child leans in next to him. In the background, tourists take selfies near scaffolding, and pedestrians walk past an ornate church façade.

A narrow alley extends between tall ochre walls stained with age and patches of green moss. An arched passageway bridges the gap between buildings overhead, with a barred window centered above it. Exposed pipes run along the walls, and the plaster shows layers of wear and discoloration. The passage ends at an iron gate, beyond which another building façade is visible.

A small cobblestone piazza opens between ochre and cream-colored buildings, with a baroque church façade framed at the center. The church features a statue in an upper niche and ornate carvings around its dark wooden doors. Café tables are scattered across the square, with a group of diners seated at white chairs on the right and a chalkboard menu standing nearby. A pigeon walks across the stones, and signs for pizza and 'Filetti di Baccalà' mark the surrounding shops.

One site that I didn’t get to see on my first visit was the Pantheon. We walked over to it, but at that point, it was getting late and the lines were prohibitively long. Not repeating that mistake, we arrived early and beat the crowds. And what an amazing thing to see with your own eyes! Though it was mostly cloudy, we got in there right at a time when the sun wasn’t covered, which made the light look really cool coming through the oculus.

The coffered concrete dome of the Pantheon curves upward into shadow, with rows of recessed square panels diminishing toward the center. The oculus opens to the sky in the upper right, its circular rim catching the light. A beam of sunlight illuminates a section of the coffers on the left side of the frame. Pale blue sky with wisps of cloud is visible through the opening.

The oculus of the Pantheon. Built in the 2nd century, it still has the largest unsupported concrete dome in the world.

Next to eating, my favorite thing to do in Rome is simply to walk its streets and see where I end up. A random turn here, another one there—getting lost isn’t a bad thing. But the historical center isn’t that big, so at some point you’ll find yourself at some other historical site, main avenue, or the river. I can do this for hours—have to work up that appetite somehow, right?

A crowd of visitors presses together in the foreground, many holding up phones to photograph the Trevi Fountain. The baroque façade rises behind them, with a large central statue of Neptune standing in a shell-shaped niche beneath a coffered arch. Flanking figures occupy niches on either side, and Corinthian columns frame the composition. Latin inscriptions run along the entablature above, and carved relief panels fill the upper registers.

A crowd of tourists is seen through the gaps between weathered stone balusters, which frame the image in soft focus. In the center, a young woman in light jeans and a gray top walks across the steps carrying a brown jacket. People sit and stand on the travertine stairs, while others gather near a street lamp. Storefronts with illuminated windows line the buildings in the background.

The always-packed Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps

But at some point, you have to mix it up a bit and take a day trip or two.

Tivoli

Tivoli is a short train ride from Rome, and a trip that you can easily make in a day if you get there early enough. Because we slept in a bit, we didn’t want to chance missing a train so we took an Uber, which was surprisingly reasonable. Arriving in the afternoon, that left time for us to see one of two main attractions, so we chose to see Villa d’Este and its famous fountains. It was great getting out of the city and seeing something different for a change.

A series of three rectangular reflecting pools descends through a formal garden, lined with terracotta urns along their edges. Fountains spray at the foreground corners, framing the view. Manicured hedges and tall cypresses and pines border the symmetrical layout. Visitors walk along the stone pathways, and a brick archway stands at the far end where the garden opens to a hazy view of the countryside below.

Abstract image created by high shutter speed capturing moving water droplets from a fountain in focus, with the background heavily blurred.

A monumental fountain cascades down a moss-covered stone wall, with water spilling over multiple tiers into a large pool below. Tall jets spray upward on either side, catching the light. At the top, an ornate baroque loggia features a shell-shaped niche, carved relief panels, and an eagle crest at the peak. Cypresses flank the structure, and visitors stand at the balustrade looking down at the display.

A woman in a gray coat stands before a tall arched grotto niche, looking up at a statue set against rough, rocky stonework and trailing moss. Ornately carved spiral columns flank the opening, topped with Corinthian capitals. Smaller shell-shaped niches are set into the pink and cream façade on either side. Weeds sprout from the weathered cornice above.

A still reflecting pool mirrors the silhouettes of cypress and pine trees, a crenellated tower, and a clouded evening sky. Stone balustrades and decorative urns line the far edge of the water. Small figures of visitors are visible along the walkway. The symmetry of the reflection doubles the scene, creating a near-perfect inversion in the dark water.

A rain-spattered window divides the view into four panes, each with different textured or tinted glass. The upper left pane shows blurred cypress trees through water droplets on clear glass. The upper right offers a hazy view of a hillside. The lower left pane is deep amber, obscuring the landscape behind it. The lower right is crackled or frosted glass, revealing only vague green shapes beyond.

A worker in an orange jacket sits inside a metal scaffolding cage enclosed by protective mesh netting, high above the landscape. The view beyond extends over green hillsides, scattered buildings, and a large historic structure with arched walls below. The town spreads into the hazy distance under a pale sky with scattered clouds. Ropes and equipment are visible on the platform.

A weathered stone wolf's head projects from a wall covered in moss, lichen, and small ferns. Water streams from its open mouth, stained green where it flows over the tongue. The carved features are softened by age and mottled with gray and white patches. Orange and green vegetation creeps across the surrounding stonework.

A narrow cobblestone lane curves between tall, weathered buildings with stained plaster walls in shades of ochre and brown. Wooden shutters in green and brown hang from the windows, and a wrought-iron street lamp extends from one wall. Posters are taped to the building on the right, and string lights glow faintly near a small café with outdoor chairs in the distance. An overcast sky is visible in the gap above.

A quiet street corner with patterned cobblestones meets a row of buildings in orange, cream, and gray. Two arched doorways are set into the orange façade, one labeled 'Villa d'Este Culturale' above its entrance. A white plastic chair sits on the sidewalk beside a worn wooden double door. A bank storefront with 'Cassa di Risparmio di Orvieto' signage occupies the building to the right. A street lamp and parking signs stand at the curb.

Two young men sit on a bench in a small cobblestone square, both looking at their phones. A large circular stone planter filled with spiky green plants stands in the foreground. Behind them, a hair salon with 'Vanity' in script lettering occupies an arched storefront with yellow-lit interior. A handwritten chalkboard menu for 'Zia Patty' leans against a railing to the right. The surrounding walls show patches of worn gray and orange plaster.

A dark wooden door with a worn finish sits within a carved stone archway, flanked by simple pilasters and topped with small rosette medallions. The number 69 is mounted on a blue and white tile to the upper right. The surrounding plaster wall is heavily weathered, with patches of exposed stone and crumbling stucco in shades of gray and tan. Metal utility boxes and an intercom panel are mounted beside the entrance, and a 'Divieto di Sosta' no-parking sign hangs on the left.

Tivoli rises steeply above a wooded gorge, its weathered stone and stucco buildings stacked along the cliff's edge. A small Roman temple with Corinthian columns stands on a promontory to the right, with an umbrella pine growing beside it. The word 'Sibilla' is painted on one building's façade. Ancient arched foundations and stairways descend into the ravine below. Forested hills roll into the distance under an overcast sky.

Orvieto

When we left Tivoli, we decided to give taking the train a try. Turned out it was quite easy! The main thing to do is validate tickets at the station, which the internet managed to beat into my head so firmly that there was no way I’d forget to do that. As we waited, some police officers came by and checked everyone’s passports. "Now there’s something you won’t see in the U.S.!" I naively joked to myself (Narrator voice: things changed).

Feeling emboldened with a new sense of confidence for navigating Rome’s transit systems, we decided we might as well book another trip to Orvieto the next day. Orvieto has been inhabited since Etruscan times, which I am told, was many many years ago. It’s situated just inside the Umbrian border, not that far from Rome. An easy day trip.

It was here that I was introduced to what is now one of my go-to white wines, Orvieto Classico, which went perfectly with our Baffo salvia e aceto at the incredibly delicious Trattoria del Moro Aronne. The weather was pretty terrible, extra cold and rainy, so we were only able to stay out for so long before retreating indoors for comfort food and drinks.

A person carrying a patterned umbrella and wearing a backpack walks away through a dark stone archway onto a wet cobblestone lane. The passage opens onto a narrow street lined with pale stone buildings, potted plants, and wrought-iron lanterns. Trailing vines hang from the walls, and the stones glisten from rain. The tunnel frames the scene, its shadowed walls contrasting with the soft light beyond.

A woman stands on a wet cobblestone street between tall stone buildings, holding a shopping bag and looking back toward the camera. A neon sign reading 'Il Mago di Oz' glows blue overhead, strung across the narrow lane. Green shutters and terracotta planters line the facades, and a small car is parked where the street bends in the distance. The stones are damp and the sky is overcast.

A narrow street leads toward a Gothic cathedral, its ornate façade visible between the buildings with pointed spires and a mosaic-decorated gable. The lane is lined with ochre and pink plastered buildings, their green shutters closed. White globe lights are strung overhead, and a solitary figure walks in the distance. The cobblestones are dark and wet under an overcast sky.

A row of four dark green metal mailboxes is mounted on a rough stone wall, each decorated with an ornate heraldic crest. Folded newspapers stick out from the curved slots at the top, their mastheads showing 'Oggi' in green and orange lettering. Small brass nameplates are affixed below each box, and the metal surfaces show signs of age and patina.

A vaulted ceiling is covered with Renaissance frescoes set against gold backgrounds, divided by ornate painted ribs in deep blue with floral patterns. Each triangular section depicts groups of robed figures—saints, martyrs, and angels—rendered in rich reds, blues, and greens. Latin inscriptions run along the borders. A carved rosette marks the central point where the ribs converge.

A wet cobblestone street slopes down toward a Gothic cathedral façade, its pointed gable decorated with mosaics and a large rose window. A woman with a brown leather backpack stands on the right, looking up at the buildings. A dark car is parked near the cathedral entrance, and the stones gleam with rain.

The Gothic cathedral façade is viewed through an open window with a wrought-iron balcony railing. Pointed arches frame bronze doors, and marble relief panels flank the central entrance. Colorful mosaics fill the triangular gables above, depicting religious scenes against gold backgrounds. A few visitors stand in the wet piazza below, dwarfed by the ornate stonework.

A cluster of artificial flowers in yellow, orange, and white is wired around a rust-colored drainpipe where it meets a collar joint. The blooms include daisies and carnations with faded green leaves. Behind, a cream stucco wall meets rough-cut stone blocks, and the edge of a mail slot is visible to the right. A checkered curtain shows through a window on the left.

6:53 PMA close-up view looking upward at a Gothic cathedral façade shows layers of intricate carved stonework. Concentric arches surround a large rose window on the left, while pointed arches and Gothic tracery frame a doorway below. A bronze eagle sculpture perches on a pilaster between the sections. Marble relief panels, geometric inlay patterns, and colorful mosaics depicting biblical figures fill the gables and spandrels. Twisted columns and foliate moldings run along the borders.

A medieval fortress rises from a steep tufa cliff on the right, its weathered stone walls punctuated by narrow arched windows. Ivy and shrubs cling to the rock face below. The valley spreads out to the left, with a town of terracotta rooftops clustered around railway lines, and patchwork fields and wooded hills extending toward the hazy horizon under an overcast sky.

A person in a hooded jacket sits alone on a metal bench at the Orvieto train station, looking at their phone. The pale yellow station building behind them features arched windows with warm light glowing inside. A blue sign reading 'Orvieto' hangs above the entrance doors. Bilingual safety warnings in English and Italian run along the platform edge, and railway tracks are visible in the foreground.

Back to Rome

The main reason we went to Rome is because my wife was attending a course related to her profession, and I’m there just making a vacation of a partially tax-deductible trip. With our excursions out of the way, we had the next few days to wander around the city a little more. Well, I did, at least. While my wife was at her course and post-course happy hours, I was on my own in the city to explore on foot.

Two women walk together along a sidewalk, one in a black puffer jacket carrying folders and the other elderly, wearing a camel coat and carrying a brown leather handbag. Behind them, a weathered wall is covered with graffiti and a large painted mural of a woman's eye with blue iris and detailed lashes. The plaster is cracked and peeling at the base, exposing layers of stone and stucco beneath.

A cobblestone street winds between ochre and cream-colored buildings with wooden shutters and wrought-iron balconies. A man in a dark jacket walks away from the camera on the right, while a small car with its headlights on approaches from the middle distance. Potted plants line the sidewalks, and a street lamp hangs overhead. Shop signs and a restaurant umbrella are visible further down the lane.

A modern glass elevator stands amid the ruins of the Roman Forum, two white seagulls perched on its roof. Crumbling brick arches, broken columns, and scattered stone fragments spread across the grassy archaeological site. The massive remains of the Palatine Hill rise in the background, with its tiered brick walls and cypress trees. A cloudy sky hangs over the scene, and palms and pines dot the surrounding landscape.

The Trastevere neighborhood and the Roman Forum

On our first trip to Rome, we stayed in the Prati neighborhood. This time, we stayed in Trastevere, closer to historic sites and therefore, a bit heavier on the crowds and touristy restaurants. Speaking of tourists, we did have a half-day together, so we did one of those golf cart tours. Normally, that is the kind of activity I am firmly against because, despite my recently unlocked colonoscopy eligibility, I still have to be cool as fuck. But, it is a way to get someone to show you around the areas that are just out of walking reach. One of those places I would return to was Via Appia Antica.

The Colosseum appears through the windshield of a vehicle, framed at the end of a sunken road lined with parked cars. A bus and a scooter travel ahead on the pavement. High retaining walls rise on either side, their stucco surfaces weathered and stained. The driver's hands rest on the steering wheel at the left edge of the frame, and the dark interior contrasts with the pale sky and ancient amphitheater beyond.

Large polygonal basalt paving stones fill the foreground in sharp focus, their surfaces worn smooth and edges fitted tightly together. Dried leaves and dirt collect in the gaps between the ancient stones. The road stretches into the distance where a car's red taillights glow softly, blurred against a backdrop of trees and overgrown embankments on either side.

The golf cart tour - driving towards the Colosseum and Via Appia Antica

Once my wife’s course was in full swing, I had full days to just walk around and do whatever I saw fit—taking pictures, grabbing snacks, and maybe a glass of wine or two. These were the days that really made me fall in love with the city on a deeper level, and how that contrasts with where I currently live. I love Washington, D.C., I really do. But when you’re from a car-centric country, there’s just something special about being in a place that never gave a fuck about the automobile.

A corner building in faded yellow stucco catches late afternoon sunlight, its upper balcony crowded with plants behind iron railings. A sign reading 'Snack Bar' hangs above the entrance at the corner, with another bar entrance visible on the side street. Two young men walk across the cobblestones casting long shadows, while a figure stands near parked Smart cars on the left. Vines trail down the weathered façade.

A Franciscan friar in a brown habit reaches toward the menu boards outside a street-side café kiosk with a green awning. He carries a tan leather messenger bag across his body and wears white sneakers. Customers stand at the counter where pastries are displayed behind glass. Chalkboard menus list items under 'Frullati,' 'Centrifughe,' 'Primi Piatti,' and 'Secondi.' Metal bar stools sit on the cobblestones, and plane trees line the street beyond.

An orange and white cat sits behind an iron railing, eyes closed contentedly. Its fur shows tabby markings on the head and back. The bars of the fence frame the cat, with ancient stone ruins and an umbrella pine blurred in the background. The ground is pale and dusty, and a brick wall edges the right side of the frame.

A corner apartment building rises against a hazy blue sky, its façade painted in warm peach and ochre tones with yellow trim around the windows. Dark green wooden shutters are open at various angles, some revealing white curtains inside. Decorative cornices and moldings run along the upper floors. A single cable crosses the frame, and laundry hangs from one open window.

Two women sit on the cobblestones leaning against a large granite bollard, one looking at her phone while the other tilts her face up toward the sun with eyes closed. Bags and a water bottle rest beside them. Behind, a row of rounded stone bollards leads toward Bernini's colonnade with its towering Doric columns. The ochre façade of Vatican buildings rises in the background under a clear sky.

A young man in a white long-sleeved shirt sits on the ground sketching in a notebook, viewed from above through the crisscrossing metal bars of a barrier. He holds a pen in his right hand, and a backpack rests beside him on the cobblestones. Sunlight falls across his shoulders and the page. Another person's feet are visible walking past in the upper right corner.

A single rower in a yellow scull glides across the murky green waters of the Tiber, viewed through the decorative ironwork of a bridge railing. The curved metal bars frame the small figure, their knotted joints in soft focus. The river's surface reflects muted tones, and the oars extend horizontally as the rower pulls through a stroke.

A crowd of visitors files through metal barriers in a sunny piazza, with a man carrying a large wooden crucifix among them. Palm plants grow from white stone planters along the walkway. In the background, souvenir stalls and café umbrellas cluster near buildings with 'Pietro' lettered on the façade. Ochre and cream-colored palazzi with arched windows line the square, and an olive tree is visible among the outdoor seating.

Two empty beer bottles sit at the base of a weathered stone bollard on worn cobblestones, one standing upright and one lying on its side. Weeds grow between the paving stones. In the soft-focus background, apartment buildings in cream, yellow, and white rise at various heights, their rooftop terraces and balconies visible against a pale sky.

A woman with auburn hair speaks on her phone while walking past a row of parked scooters and motorcycles, their windshields catching the sunlight. Another woman stands between parked cars on the right, hand raised to her face. A scooter's rear cargo box and scratched windscreen dominate the foreground. Behind them, cream-colored buildings with arched doorways and a shop window displaying decorative items line the cobblestone street.

A woman in a cream-colored shearling coat pushes a stroller, her auburn hair catching the sunlight as she moves through a crowded outdoor space. Her eyes are downcast and her expression is focused. Other pedestrians walk nearby, including a man in a dark shirt. Bare winter trees and apartment buildings are visible against a blue sky with scattered white clouds.

A vintage white Fiat 500 with a red fabric sunroof sits parked on cobblestones, its chrome trim and whitewall tires polished. Behind it, a stone balustrade with decorative balusters runs along a terrace, and tall cypress and pine trees rise against a pale sky.

A motorcyclist in a white helmet crosses an intersection bathed in warm late-afternoon light, the ochre and cream façades of surrounding buildings glowing golden. A narrow street recedes into shadow ahead, crowded with parked cars and pedestrians. A gelato shop occupies the corner on the left, and graffiti covers the lower walls of a stone building on the right where people gather near steps beneath an archway.

Two people walk across a grassy hilltop park while two dogs roam nearby, one light-colored and one brown. Bare plane trees with mottled white bark stand against a blue sky with scattered clouds. The city spreads out below, a dense carpet of ochre rooftops extending to the hazy horizon where St. Peter's dome is faintly visible. An orange apartment building with rooftop terraces rises at the edge of the park on the right.

A panoramic view stretches across the city, a dense mosaic of terracotta rooftops, ochre and cream-colored buildings, and scattered domes and bell towers. Tall cypress trees punctuate the foreground near apartment blocks, and satellite dishes dot the rooftops. Church domes rise in the middle distance, and distant hills fade into haze along the horizon under a pale blue sky. The warm afternoon light casts long shadows across the urban landscape.

A narrow instrument shop interior glows with warm lamplight, its ceiling hung with mandolins, lutes, and other stringed instruments. A figure sits deep inside the cluttered space, barely visible among standing lamps with decorative glass shades, a harp, framed pictures, and stacked furniture. A sign reading 'Le Foto d'Autore' leans near the doorway, and a potted plant sits beside the entrance. Iron-grated windows frame the view from outside.

An elderly craftsman in a blue work jacket and glasses bends over a workbench inside a small metalworking shop, seen through a glass door with a dark wooden frame. Behind him, shelves hold boxes and tools, a green drill press stands in the corner, and coils of wire rest on the floor. Ventilation ducts run along the ceiling. The adjoining wall outside is weathered ochre plaster with patches of exposed concrete and graffiti.

A woman with a cigarette in her mouth sits behind the wheel of a parked silver Smart car, visible through the dusty windshield with a blue parking permit displayed on the dashboard. The afternoon light catches her face as she looks ahead. Other cars are parked along the cobblestone street, and a cream-colored building with vertical pilasters runs along the background.

A colorful plastic pinwheel with rainbow blades is stuck into a mound of gray construction rubble piled against an old brick wall. The base of a stone column or fountain stands to the right, and an informational sign hangs on the wall to the left. In the background, a narrow passage opens to a café terrace with umbrellas and hanging lights. Graffiti marks the utility box and lower walls.

A man is cleaning up debris from a farmers’ market, lettuce and various vegetables scraps are present in the foreground. A pigeon sits in the middle of the mess.

A crowd of people standing outside of Bar Calisto in the Trastevere neighborhood. There are multiple groups standing together talking and drinking The sun is low, casting long shadows.

Several people are looking down walking to the right of the frame. They are looking straight ahead of them. There is a business with a security door that is shut, which has artwork someone eating a kabob facing the opposite direction of the walkers.

Two people are standing a newsstand with their backs towards the camera. Next to one of them, there is a calendar of gladiators, with the person on the cover appearing to thrust a sword. Next the patron, it appears he's thrusting the sword in his back.

Dusty shoes and a bowtie are placed on ground near a grate. There are loose pavers on the ground as well.

There is a foot, which appears to be the remains of a large statue placed in a seemingly random exit of an alleyway. It's protected by a fence. Next to it, there are several trash bags placed next to a bin.

A doorknocker with two faces, one appears to be lion and other horned creature with a human face, on a solid, wooden door.

Black and white of photo of a man walking through a crowded street with an accordion strapped across his back. He is wearing a fedora, walking in the middle of the street while most of the crowd sticks to the sidewalks.

Each day, I might have walked between 8 and 11 miles. I wanted to give my feet a little bit of rest, and the way to do that was by renting a bike. Via Appia Antica’s history rivals that of the city itself. It dates back to the 4th century BCE, and it is one of the oldest and most strategically important roads in all of Rome. The road is lined with all sorts of tombs and monuments, and it’s where thousands of Spartacus’s followers were crucified. Perfect place for a bike ride!

To get there, I took every form of public transit Rome has to offer: tram, subway, and bus. The bus stop was a little sketchy because it was at an intersection that was both in the middle of nowhere and inexplicably busy. Also, there wasn’t a sidewalk. But the bike place was just about 1/3rd of a mile up the road.

After getting situated on the bike, I was off. Getting lost is impossible because all you have to do is go straight, and when you’re ready to go back, make a U-turn. It’s a road, and that’s how roads work. I went about 6 miles out before turning back. Nothing too far, but the road is all cobblestone, some of it ancient, so it can be pretty bumpy in some parts. This turned out to be one of my favorite activities. The whole area is one huge park and it’s simply an amazing place to be.

Appian Way, an ancient cobblestone road stretches into the distance, flanked by grassy embankments and crumbling stone ruins. Two umbrella pines with distinctive flat, spreading canopies rise prominently against a pale blue sky. Weathered brick and stone tomb structures line both sides of the path, with cypress trees interspersed among them. A small group of visitors walks along the road in the middle distance.

The remnants of a statue near a brick wall or column. A bike path appears in front

The remnants of a statue outside of a stone and iron gate. There are several stones in ground but their purpose is unclear.

Old section of cobblestone roads of the Appian Way. There are many tall trees and the area is well-shaded on a sunny day, creating some dark shadows and streaks of light. There are several people walking far up ahead.

A cyclist sits on an iron fence eating a snack, next to the some ruins and trees.

The remains of several old structures in a open field. There are walking paths and several walkers present in the distance.

The remains of an old aqueduct in an empty field. It is clear that has long been in s state of disrepair as plants begin to reclaim the space. There are mountains and streetlights in the far distance.

I’m glad that I got to experience Rome a second time, and to do it in a way that didn’t require cramming in so many activities and sites to see. We took each day as it came, only planning what we were going to do at the last minute and that’s a nice pace. When I return, and I know I will, it will be much more an old friend than a destination.

Very blurry images of nightlife in Trastevere. The image is more abstract, but it possible to make out the shapes of people moving on a crowded street.

Long shutter speed photo, creating an abstract image of people outside of a bar conversing

Slightly blurry of photo of people outside of a bar having a conversation. One person is standing with a joyful expression, while two people are sitting down with neutral expressions

Many people standing in small groups waiting outside of a restaurant for their table to called. Some people have expressions as if they have been waiting a very long time.

Bar San Calisto's neon sign shines brightly against the silhouettes of patrons outside at night. The neon sign simply reads 'bar'

A woman is sitting down at a dinner table, joyfully holding a napkin against her mouth. She's wearing a heavy coat, there's a fire in the background, so it appears to be a chilly evening. Behind is graffiti with the anarchy A.