{"id":11898,"date":"2016-03-30T07:02:48","date_gmt":"2016-03-30T05:02:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arttrav.com\/?p=11898"},"modified":"2018-11-20T08:16:42","modified_gmt":"2018-11-20T07:16:42","slug":"rome-itinerary-three-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arttrav.com\/rome\/rome-itinerary-three-days\/","title":{"rendered":"A Rome Itinerary: three days of luxury"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s something both relaxing and regenerating about a trip to Rome<\/strong>. No other city quite matches the heady mix of mighty and mundane, politics and passion, past and present. With an almost infinite list of museums and masterpieces, Rome is ideal for return visits, knowing that the eternal city will be waiting for you when you come back.<\/p>\n

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The “secret garden” at the Hotel del Russie is an oasis of green in the city center<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On a recent long weekend, I recharged my creative batteries with the following three day Rome itinerary<\/strong>, alternating pampering time spent at Rome\u2019s top five-star Hotel de Russie with culture, shopping and great food. Of the many ways to experience Rome, this is one of the most pleasantly balanced: not too heavy on the museums, not too traditional in the food department, everything designed to seize the spirit of the city.<\/p>\n

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Day 1: Friday<\/strong><\/h2>\n

10am Arrival in Paradise<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Arrive by train or plane; hop on the subway or take a taxi to Piazza del Popolo and check in at Hotel de Russie<\/strong><\/a>. This historic hotel, purpose-built by Giuseppe Valadier in 1814, was described as \u201cparadise on earth\u201d by Jean Cocteau, and frequented by Russian nobility and Romantic painters (hence the name).<\/p>\n

Lovingly renovated by Rocco Forte Hotels in 2000, the structure has 88 bedrooms and 34 suites, including four signature suites. While they\u2019re all fabulous, art lovers might appreciate the one dedicated to Picasso most of all: the artist stayed at the hotel in 1917. The top-floor Suite Picasso boasts original lithographs in the living area and a large private terrace that overlooks the hotel\u2019s beautifully verdant garden.<\/p>\n

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Picasso suite living room<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If your room isn\u2019t ready yet, the attentive staff will safely store your things and you can freshen up before heading out on the town.<\/p>\n

11:30 A Raphael Moment<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Take a taxi across town to Trastevere to visit Villa Farnesina<\/strong>, where one rich Renaissance banker had parties that easily rivaled Berlusconi\u2019s bunga bunga blasts. Opulence and sycophancy are words of the day in a fresco cycle designed as a nod to the papal power struggles and politics of the day. Agostino Chigi was banker to Julius II, whose artist, Raphael, he borrowed to decorate his new pleasure palace on the banks of the Tiber. Free from the historical \u201cconstraints\u201d of either nobility or the church, Chigi\u2019s architecture and iconography are a model for secular wealth and luxurious living.<\/p>\n

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The Loggia of Psyche at Villa Farnesina<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While the villa closes at 2pm, staff begin to sweep you out just past 1. Take advantage of this moment to find yourself alone in the rooms that are frescoed floor to ceiling, on the ground floor by Raphael and his workshop member Giulio Romano (responsible for the fabulously decorative swaths of vegetables and greenery), upstairs by Baldassarre Peruzzi and Il Sodoma.<\/p>\n

1:30pm A Roman Lunch <\/strong><\/h3>\n
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A Roman classic: Cacio e Pepe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s about a 20 minute walk, crossing the Tiber at Ponte Sisto, to get to Vinando<\/strong> (Piazza Margana 23, 06\/ 69200741), a real Roman-style restaurant that is dangerously close to the Campidoglio and the tourist heart of the city. Despite this, it\u2019s maintained a high level of quality, if not a slightly higher than average-trattoria<\/em> prices. The menu proposes a lot of fish options and tons of vegetables, but just as many meat dishes. Surprisingly, for a wide menu, everything is prepared with care and most items seem to be available. Puntarelle, artichokes with anchovy sauce, chicory and cabbage are featured on the winter menu; grilled squid, sea bass and homemade gnocchi are worth writing home about.<\/p>\n

3pm Top of the World<\/strong><\/h3>\n

On a full stomach, take a taxi and have him drop you off in front of the church of Santa Trinit\u00e0 dei Monti<\/strong>, avoiding the walk up the famous Spanish Steps. The view from here expands South-West towards the Vatican, worth snapping a photo! You\u2019re standing on French property \u2013 the church and the Villa Medicis next to (which houses the French Academy) have always been under the patronage of the French kings, although the very strict French nuns who used to run the church have recently moved out.<\/p>\n

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A photo posted by Alexandra Korey (@arttrav)<\/a> on