A Sunny Sunday in Rome: Pyramids, Markets, and Riverside Wonders

A morning without plans turned into a perfect day in the Eternal City.

Trastevere features plenty of traditional Roman architectural elements, such as arched doorways, terracotta roofs, and decorative stonework. Tim Johnson

It is one of the most glorious occurrences that a traveler can experience. A rare and exquisite treat. It is a beautiful and marvelous thing: a sunny Sunday in one of the world’s greatest cities. With no obligations, no meetings, no museum tickets that must be used this afternoon. Nowhere to go and nothing to do. No plans, at all, in a place you’ve already visited a few times.

Staying at The Edition, one of Rome’s newest (and coolest) hotels, I enjoyed a late and long breakfast—another one of the great dalliances of unhurried travel. And then I wandered past the orange travertine pool table and along stone floors once trod by the stern bankers who once worked in this beautiful 1920s rationalist building. Arriving at the concierge desk, I was ready to let a stranger with crossed keys on his lapels plan my day for me.

Setting the Itinerary

I explained that this was not my first (or second, or third) visit to the Eternal City. In recent years, I have been fortunate enough to visit many of Rome’s major attractions. I climbed the Spanish Steps, flipped a coin at Trevi Fountain, and craned my neck back to try to take in the expansive splendor of the dome at St. Peter’s Basilica, which was finished in the late 16th century and is still one of the largest in the world.