To celebrate a milestone birthday next March, I'm looking forward to my next progressive step towards my goal spending part of a winter in Rome, by trying it for 11 nights this time. I like the neighborhoods, I like the winter climate there, much better (and maybe less expensive) than Chicago or Boston or even Miami or Phoenix. We'll be staying in the Centro Storico area near Campo de' Fiori, which is delightful in the offseason. This will be our 5th visit to The Eternal City.
I want to take day trips, either within Rome proper or even within Lazio if logistics are there, and come back each evening after many thousands of steps, for a good meal and a gelato, then a walk/stagger back to the AirBnB. We may take a run to Florence one day to visit with a friend, and with it only an hour-ten train ride away, easily done. We've visited a good part of Roma, actually tried to get lost on the bus or Metro, getting off at random stops just to see what's around. And there almost always is something interesting.
For you Rome veterans, or those who have only been once or twice, are there any 'hidden gems' let's call them, that you just happened upon and felt like you found gold? That happened to us up in North Rome on via Nomentana a few years ago, when we literally stumbled into Villa Torlonia, the wartime abode of Mussolini. It was a decade ago, and it was unkempt and not kept up, it was February & cold & we couldn't believe nobody was there. That kind of thing. But apparently they've spiffed it up for Jubilee last year, and it's a legit tourist attraction now...a pity.
As always, I await your responses!