Loved it. Nestled just a short stroll from Roma Termini, Tierra de la Repubblica welcomes travelers…read morewith grandeur both timeless and theatrical. The square is crowned by the Fountain of the Naiads where bronze nymphs dance in a mist of Roman legend. Michelangelo's hand lingers in the basilica walls nearby. This nearby realm of order, elegance and wide Roman boulevards is a nice segue way. Not far, Via Nazionale offers decent cafés and a true sense of the Eternal City's rhythm. For those arriving travel weary, it is a graceful entrance to a Roman adventure. And as they say in Rome, "When in doubt follow the guy yelling on a Vespa, he's either late for espresso or leading you to something historic." Either way, you're in for an experience. LOLZSIES!

Historical landmark fountain in the center of a roundabout. It's beautiful and old and still…read morefunctioning. Wouldn't go out of my way to see it, but happening upon it was not disappointing by any means.

This is the location where Gabriel Allon, the fictional Israeli spy/assasin created by the famed…read morewriter Daniel Silva, executed the Palestinian terrorist Wadal Zwaiter. In Silva's long series of Gabriel Allon thrillers, Zwaiter was one of the 12 terrorists that kidnapped and murdered 11 Israeli sportsmen taking part in the 1972 Munich Olympics. In the scene so dramatically created by Silva, Zwaiter (who has been hiding for years from Israel's revenge operation code name Wrath of God) was returning to his apartment in Piazza Annibaliano carrying a grocery bag late at night. As he was reaching for the button of the elevator, Allon approached as asked "Excuse me, but are you Wadal Zwaiter?" Sensing his cover blown, Zwaiter pleaded "No! Please, no!" With that, Allon coldly fired 11 shots into Zwaiter. His grocery bag dropped to the floor before his limp body, breaking a bottle of red wine he had purchased earlier. His consciousness faded away as his blood was slowly mixing with the wine.

I went to Rome for the first time last week and spent three nights at a hotel right by the Piazza…read moredel Popolo. I loved Rome even more than I'd imagined, and was tremendously impressed by the giant piazzas, these vibrant public spaces that you could never build into a newer city, designed for people driving cars. The Piazza del Popolo was a particularly grand one, with its twin churches and its ancient Egyptian obelisk, already over a thousand years old when it was stolen and brought to Rome in the year 1 BC. We walked through the piazza several times during our stay, and it was striking both for its legitimate strikingness and for its natural incorporation into the day-to-day life of the city. The square was always lively without being crowded in mid-November, just people hanging out or walking through, enjoying a moment of leisure. The obelisk was set on a foundation with a fountain, of course, and plentiful seating. What a special thing, to sit at the base of something so extraordinary, to check email or eat a sandwich. We didn't notice many street entertainers, but we did watch a man in colorful clothing dipping a long wand in a vat of soapy water and releasing enormous bubbles to the delight of both adults and children passing by. It made me miss my kids, who would have flipped for that display, and who I hope to bring to Piazza del Popolo one day, to see a public square unlike any they'll ever see at home.

Cool Piazza at the Northern City Wall and also a gateway to Villa Borghese. This piazza has an…read moreobelisk, two churches, two fountains and also restaurants. There is a huge shopping area with parallel streets of shops, one that goes to Piazza di Spagna, at the base of the Spanish Steps. Five Stars!

I'm a huge fan of old architecture, so this was pretty cool…read more It was close to the train station, so we stumbled onto it by accident. It wasn't crowded, but it was a nice stop. If you're in the area, it's a pretty cool spot.

It's a small fountain located at the Piazza Barberini, conveniently outside the subway station…read more It's less crowded than most other fountains.