Rome

Rome is Italy's capital and the seat of the Catholic Church, a city where ancient ruins, Renaissance churches, and everyday apartment blocks sit within blocks of each other. It moves slower and feels more layered than Milan's business-first pace, a place where a two-hour lunch is normal and traffic circles the Colosseum as casually as any modern intersection. Vatican City, a separate sovereign state, sits entirely within Rome's borders.

Cacio e pepe, pasta tossed with just pecorino cheese and black pepper, and carbonara, made with guanciale and egg, not cream, are the two dishes locals will correct you on if made wrong. Coffee is drunk quickly at the bar, ordering a cappuccino after 11am marks you as a tourist. Many sites and shops close for a midday riposo, plan around the afternoon lull.