Roman Holiday

I’ve heard that the best part of travel is the anticipation of an upcoming trip, but the planning and preparation feels like extra work to me. I simply want to be somewhere else without worrying too much over logistics. Fortunately Rome was sort of perfect for a last-minute getaway. You can simply walk and see beautiful, fascinating people and buildings and art without trying, even when you’re lost in its maze of streets.

It goes without saying, the street food is reliably great–fresh, high quality, and cheap. In addition to all of the gelato you can handle, I definitely recommend the crispy, thin-crust pizza al taglio at Il Forno Campo De’ Fiori, the porchetta sandwiches at El Buchetto, and the cured meat/cheese/balsamic gold mine Volpetti (a food tour of the lovely Testaccio neighborhood was a fun and tasty investment). I also won’t complain about sunny, 63 degree days in the middle of December–though I was told it’s usually a bit rainier this time of year. I’ve been back for a couple of weeks but I can’t seem to get this city out of my mind.