When August Is Your Only Choice: An Insider’s Rome

Unlike in my childhood, Rome no longer closes down from mid-July to the end of August. My guides are working, many of my favorite restaurants remain open, and my preferred hotels are not only welcoming guests but are beautifully air-conditioned. They often offer rates comparable to those you’d find in midwinter.

The key is to plan exceptionally well.

The key is an Insider’s Italy travel plan.

Touring starts very early in the morning — which suits our guides too — and by 11 AM. you’re happily sipping a caffè freddo. Visit a church or a smaller museum, enjoy a leisurely lunch, then embrace the Italian art of the afternoon nap.

Later in the day, head to one of Rome’s lesser-visited museums, where you may well have the galleries almost entirely to yourselves.

With impeccable Insider’s planning, the pleasures continue into the evening. Choose a specialised culinary tour or a cooking class in an air-conditioned kitchen, followed by dinner outdoors or in a cool dining room.

The menus at this time of year invariably celebrate the extraordinary abundance of the Roman midsummer markets.

And then there are the Saldi. Several clients have told me that what they saved during Italy’s twice-yearly sales — often with discounts of up to 50% — more than covered the cost of their return airfares.

That said, I am a firm believer that Rome is at its very best in winter. But August, approached thoughtfully and planned impeccably, can be a success.

These photographs are my Roman August: sights and emozioni that refresh the eyes and restore the spirit.