ERMAL ALIBALI

There’s a moment in Rome when the sun dips low, gilding ancient cobblestones in amber, and the city exhales. The crowds thin, the light softens, and history reveals its secrets. This is la passeggiata—the Italian ritual of an evening stroll. Let me guide you through a sunset journey where Rome isn’t just seen but felt.

1. Start at Ponte Sisto: Where the Tiber Sings

Cross this 15th-century bridge, its arches glowing like honey, and pause. Below, the Tiber River murmurs stories of floods and Renaissance poets. Look west: the dome of St. Peter’s floats in a pink-and-gold sky, a sight so sublime even the chatty Romans fall silent.

• Story hook: Legend says tossing a coin here ensures your return to Rome. I did it 10 years ago—and now I live here.
• Sunset cruise on the Tiber, perfect for hopeless romantics.

2. Trastevere’s Twilight: A Labyrinth of Warmth

Follow the light into Trastevere, where ivy-clad buildings blush in the sunset. Duck into Santa Maria in Trastevere, its mosaics shimmering under candlelight. Then, wander to Piazza di San Calisto, where locals clink glasses of vino rosso at Ombre Rosse.

• Sensory detail: The air smells of wood-fired pizza and jasmine. A street musician’s accordion hums Volare.
• Book a Trastevere food tour (try the cacio e pepe at Da Enzo!).

3. The Janiculum Hill: A Stage for Drama

Climb to Gianicolo as the sky turns violet. At the top, the Fontana dell’Acqua Paola glows like liquid gold. Below, Rome sprawls in a tapestry of terracotta and cypress trees. At 7 PM, a cannon fires—a tradition since 1847 to mark the hour.

• Personal anecdote: I once saw an elderly couple dance here to silent music. That’s Rome: always a scene, never a script.
• Useful link: How to reach Gianicolo.

4. The Pantheon’s Oculus: A Celestial Connection

As night tiptoes in, head to the Pantheon. At sunset, the oculus—the temple’s 2,000-year-old “eye”—frames a sliver of twilight. You stand where emperors and artists stood for a heartbeat, united by the same sky.

• Myth-buster: No, rain doesn’t flood the floor the drains installed in 80 AD still work!
• Skip-the-line Pantheon tickets (trust me, lines are brutal).