Ah, the Eternal City. In the nearly 3,000 years of its life, Rome has known it all - victory and defeat, joy and tragedy, glory and misery. A playground for gods and emperors, its power once stretched from Syria to Scotland and even today, long after the empire crumbled beneath the feet of barbarian hordes, our lives are steeped in its traditions, laws, and language making us all, in some small way, Citizens of Rome. A visit here is something of a homecoming, then, and your longing and excitement builds to a fever pitch as you emerge onto the ancient streets. Church bells wake you as the city comes to life and you are surrounded by an urban symphony of animated Italians, shop grilles opening, scooting Vespas, bustling tourists, and cascading fountains.

Multi-layered as a canoli cake, Rome is made up of ancient buildings, pagan and Christian icons, Renaissance fountains, Medieval streets, Fascist follies, and modern sensibilities. All of it comes together in the vibrant, timeless lifestyle without distinction of era, so you encounter images like a priest in flowing robes consulting over a cell phone in a Medieval plaza or a couple nuzzling and flirting through the house of the Vestal Virgins. Walk around and just experience a "day in the life." Toss a coin into the cool waters of a Bernini fountain, walk barefoot through the grass of the Palatine Hill, or try to decipher the lively gesturing of a Roman along the route that Cleopatra traveled in grand procession to visit Caesar. Better to miss some things in order to calmly and properly experience others. You can always return, for Rome and la dolce vita will still be there waiting for you.