Quotes of the Day

Nothing beats the back seat of a scooter for seeing a city in Italy. The two-wheel tour has become a bit dangerous, but for the adventurous it’s still the way to go, and daily rentals are quite reasonable. Walking in Rome also has its charms, especially at this time of year, and there’s always a square nearby with places to sit down for a rest.

Rome is a city of squares, or piazzas, and you can easily organize a morning or afternoon by connecting the dots. In many of the squares you’ll find an obelisk, in most of them a church and in all of them a friendly coffee bar.

Two of the city’s most celebrated squares, St. Peter’s and Piazza Navona, are best seen off-hours. For Piazza Navona, one of the top tourist destinations, this only happens early in the morning, and 7 a.m. is a great time to get started. That’s also the time St. Peter’s Basilica opens, and one of the

STREETWISE Jogging: Villa Borghese. Rome's Central Park. You can enter from the top of Via Veneto, from the Spanish Steps or from Piazza del Popolo. While you're there, check out the Galleria Borghese, which houses an outstanding collection of paintings by Caravaggio and statues by Bernini. Best Expense Account Restaurant: La Rosetta, Via della Rosetta 8/9, a narrow street just in front of the Pantheon. Fish, and fish only, but the best in Rome. Everything is wonderful, as it should be at $100 per person. Reservations +39 06 6 86 10 02. On Your Own Dime: Tullio, Via San Nicola Da Tolentino, 26, a short walk from Via Veneto and Piazza Barberini. While prices are moderate, the excellent wine list, especially the Super Tuscans, can drive them up, as can some of the finer dishes, such as fetuccine with white truffles. Reservations +39 06 4 74 55 60. Best Buy: While suits and handmade shoes and high-quality fake designer handbags can be bargains, the best buy overall is wine. Try Costantini in Piazza Cavour. A little off the beaten track, Bulzoni at Viale Parioli, 36, has an excellent selection of wines and a friendly and helpful staff.

only times you’ll be able to visit without the crowds. The best way is to start at Piazza Navona and go down the Via dei Coronari and across the Bridge of Castel Sant’Angelo to St. Peter’s. The early-morning light streaming into the cavernous church could move even the most hardened soul. For the square itself, after dinner (which happens fashionably late in the Eternal City, around 9 p.m.) is the time to take a stroll through Bernini’s famous columns.

Caffé and gelato, ice cream, are the only two Italian words necessary for a memorable trip to Rome. Remember, however, that an Italian will never drink cappuccino immediately after lunch. If you have coffee after a major meal, it’s espresso. Cappuccino is served strictly for breakfast, mid-morning, or late afternoon — though visitors can have whatever they want. Top of the line coffee and ice cream can be found in abundance around the Pantheon. Two places vie for the best espresso and cappuccino, Sant’Eustachio and Tazza d’Oro, although Tazza d’Oro also offers a granita di caffé, a kind of coffee slush with whipped cream, which is a nice treat. Ice cream lovers can reach three shops within three minutes of the Pantheon: the traditional favorite Giolitti, La Palma and the Cremeria.

Behind the Pantheon you’ll find the Piazza della Minerva, known for a tiny obelisk which rests on the back of Bernini’s elephant. While the church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva has a plain facade, the treasures inside, including Filippino Lippi’s frescoes and Michelangelo’s statue of Christ bearing the cross, are fabulous. You’ll also find the tombs of St. Catherine of Siena, one of the patrons of Italy, and the great Dominican painter, Beato Angelico.

Several Roman squares are striking for their beauty. Piazza Farnese plays host to the imposing Farnese palace, the work of Antonio da Sangallo and Michelangelo, which now houses the French Embassy. The two fountains in the quiet square, made of Egyptian granite, are also noteworthy.

Equally enchanting is the nearby Campo de’Fiori, which hosts an open-air market in the daytime. Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere, like Campo de’Fiori, is noisy and crowded at night, but the 13th-century mosaics on the facade of the church still provide a stunning backdrop for a drink after dinner.

For drinks before dinner, the warm-weather hotspots are the Hotel Eden, off Via Veneto, which offers a stunning view of the city from its terrace, and the newly-refurbished Hotel de Russie. The de Russie has a lovely garden that can make you forget you’re in the center of Rome. Should you need to remember, you can hop on your scooter and play in traffic.

• GREG BURKE
• City's romance is just a walk away