Rome. The Eternal City’s blend of ancient monuments, decadent food and charming neighborhoods recently became easier to reach with Delta Air Lines’ restored nonstop flight from Minneapolis-St. Paul. Here are four reasons to hop aboard.
Facelift for the Jubilee
Rome has spiffed itself up for 2025, a Jubilee Year for the Catholic Church that could draw more than 30 million visitors before it ends Dec. 28. These holy years occur only every 25 years.
For this one, dozens of monuments were restored, including the famed Trevi Fountain that now gleams after a deep clean. Piazza Pia — linking St. Peter’s Basilica, the epicenter of the pilgrimage year, and the museum of Castel Sant’Angelo — has been transformed into a pedestrian walkway along the Tiber River. Piazza dei Cinquecento, just outside Termini train station, now boasts green spaces with new gardens and trees.
Art beyond museums
Just walk around Rome and you’ll encounter the surprise of artwork by masters — all without fighting crowds or paying entrance fees.
Don’t want to wait in line to visit the Vatican Museum and its Sistine Chapel? Head to the Church of Sant’Ignazio di Loyola, where Andrea Pozzo’s lavish fresco covers the ceiling — a baroque cousin to Michelangelo’s masterpiece. A mirror in the nave floor reflects the artwork so you don’t need to crane your neck.
Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s sculptures are scattered around the city: the Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona; a marble elephant outside the Pantheon; the graceful “Ecstasy of Saint Teresa” in Santa Maria della Vittoria; and Pope Urban VIII’s tomb in Santa Maria sopra Minerva, which is also home to Michelangelo’s “Christ the Redeemer” sculpture.
A Caravaggio exhibit at Rome’s Palazzo Barberini wrapped up on July 6, but some of his finest paintings stayed put inside their home churches. At Santa Maria del Popolo, “The Crucifixion of St. Peter” and “The Conversion on the Way to Damascus” both reveal why his emotion-filled works ushered in the Baroque. San Luigi dei Francesi houses a triptych by the artist.
Great food, great prices
In a city where life revolves around meals, finding a great one is easy. Skip the white-tablecloth restaurants because chefs and cooks turn simple ingredients into marvels everywhere. For lunch, grab a slice of pizza at a quick-stop shop, then pop into a gelato shop for dessert. (One is never far away; I adore Fiocco di Neve.) For a sit-down situation, try a cozy trattoria such as Trattoria Monti, Da Enzo or Ristorante Dilla.
