Rome highlights you must-see: romantic, historic, gastronomic, engaging -- all the better with a good guide and we recommend the best

IF YOU HAVE ONLY A BRIEF TIME, MAKE EVERY ROMAN MINUTE COUNT BY HIRING AN EXPERT TOUR GUIDE

One of Rome highlights, a must-see, is Trevi Fountain, with a $3 million bridge project financed by Fendi, the big name fashion house, underway . The renovation project will allow visitors to view the famed fountain from above!

The Colosseum is a Rome highlight, another must-see. A private guide will give you time to enjoy it, ask questions and never feel rushed.

Motorcycles are a part of Rome culture.

Cookie and expert guide Lucilla Favino pause near the Commons of Old Rome.

Editor's Note

This story was updated July 3, 2026, to reflect current information. Top guide Lucilla Favino has added bicycle touring to her offerings. Her contact info is below.

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

"The Carpe Diem Kids"

There are few places in the world where 2,000 years of history blend so effortlessly with modern life as they do in Rome. Stand inside the mighty Colosseum and imagine the roar of ancient crowds. Wander through the Roman Forum, where emperors, senators, and citizens once shaped the course of Western civilization. Then trade history for a leisurely afternoon filled with fresh pasta, creamy gelato, and espresso at a sidewalk café while watching the city come alive around you.

Rome isn't just a place to see it's a city to experience with all your senses. If you really want to understand its remarkable past and discover hidden stories beyond the guidebooks, consider hiring a knowledgeable private guide. At WhereIsCookie.com, we've traveled the city a half-dozen times. We are happy to recommend an exceptional local guide who can turn a great vacation into an unforgettable journey through the Eternal City.

WE ALL KNOW the cliche, "Rome wasn't built in a day."

"Old Rome" features ruins where Plato and others strolled, conversed and lectured.

But if you only have a day or two in one of the great cities of the world, you can pack a lot of wallop into your time, with planning and a private guide.

How to see top Rome highlights

We recommend hiring a guide, and you won't find any better one than Lucilla Favino, a native Roman who loves her city and knows its history to the most minute detail. That's because she has passed the rigorous five-hour guide test and has a doctorate in archeology. We've benefitted from her expert insider knowledge for 15 years.

Monuments, plazas, history at every turn is yours when you visit Rome. Consider hiring a top guide.

We've spent times on three different trips with Lucilla, including one six-hour personalized tour which brought us into parts of Rome we'd not seen on a half-dozen previous visits.

It also included the standard "big attractions" -- which never bore.

Rome highlights you must-see

LUCILLA'S BRILLIANCE in her chosen profession shines. She is an expert in Roman history and its intricacies, and takes visitors to Rome's highlights with ease and efficiency. Besides her vast knowledge and engaging storytelling ability, she has a gift for time management.  We never felt rushed under her touring of the Eternal City, but we saw more in every visit with her than we'd seen in days of touring by ourselves.

A good guide knows the history of every piazza in Rome. Stories tell the city's remarkable history.

Instead of being crammed in a long bus, or walking with a dangling earphone with the guide a block ahead, you'll stroll arm-in-arm with her, walking where Caesar and Aristotle strolled, staring up at the ceiling Michelangelo painted on his back high atop a ladder, listening to your guide's commentary. Picture the shouts of the crowd as lions roared at the doomed prisoners in the Colosseum.

Lucilla has stories!  Remember to visit the famed Trevi Fountain, with the coin toss so you are sure to return.

Keller captured this classic Roman look on our recent trip to a favorite city.

NO CITY on earth can compare to Rome. And no guide can compare to Lucilla.  Her love of history is enhanced by her devotion to Rome's art.  She points out architectural details one might miss, and she stops at the shops to indulge her penchant for chocolate, which we share!

Romans love their sweets -- as seen in this shop window! With our private guide, Lucilla, we tried some samples.

With her pleasant and engaging commentary, you'll walk the same streets the ancients walked and view some streets of ancient Rome several layers beneath today's streets. Our visit to "Old Rome" truly captured the feeling of life then!  With Lucilla, we also visited and toured the Vatican, the smallest independent nation on earth, then we walked the stylish shopping streets to see how modern Romans live alongside all the historic splendor.

AS YOU STROLL the one-time epicenter of the Roman Empire, gazing over the largest Roman amphitheater, you might decide to book Lucilla to see the Pope give his weekly address in St. Peter’s Square.  She'll set it up! She'll also help you test your resolve at the Mouth of Truth, learn to fight like a gladiator, and sample a pizza to see what sets Roman pizza apart from the other pizza of the world. Few cities entertain as Rome does but a good guide helps keep Rome from being overwhelming.  Lucilla knows how to navigate its fast-paced, varied options. She gives time to ponder - and takes breaks to sample the city’s famous wine, coffee and gelato.  "I love my city," she says.  "I love to answer the questions, to stop when someone shows particular interest in a place.  If someone is tired, I can sense it.  Then we go sit and have a cappuccino and I answer a question or tell a story."

 WE RECOMMEND Lucilla, for a guide with intelligence, a sense of fun and a love of her native city.

Her contact information is: Lucilla Paola Favino,

•  (+39)338.9221760 (Rome phone),

• or lucilla.euroacademy@gmail.com

  
  

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COMING UP:  From Rome to Red Lodge!  What makes this picturesque little mountain town in www.whereiscookie.com

Montana so darned much fun?  Whether you're looking forward to ski season or planning a trip to Yellowstone Park next summer, have a look at Red Lodge with its lively eateries, fine lodging, shops, wildlife and more.  Remember to explore, learn and live and check us out weekly for a fresh look at arts, travel and life: www.whereiscookie.com

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