There's a scene in Roman Holiday where Princess Ann first meets Joe Bradley, the reporter dying to conduct a secret interview with the Princess. Both think they're outsmarting the other person, pretending to be what they're not.

Joe: Live dangerously. Take the whole day off.

Princess Ann: I could do some of the things I've always wanted to do.

Joe: Like what?

Princess Ann: Oh, you can't imagine. I'd do just whatever I liked all day long.

Joe: You mean things like having your hair cut, eating gelato...

Princess Ann: Yes, and I'd sit at a sidewalk cafe and look in shop windows. Walk in the rain, have fun and maybe some excitement. Doesn't seem much to you, does it?

While I've only been to Rome a handful of times (3 to be exact), I love this feeling that comes over me every time I find myself walking around the main city center. It's a sprawling, bustling, winding city and no matter how many times I think I have my wits about me, there's another street that I haven't noticed before. Another gelato shop right around the corner. Another store owner waving me into her boutique to oggle vintage jewelry of years past. I feel like sprinting everywhere and leisurely walking everywhere, all at the same time.

My last visit to Rome this past July was perhaps my favorite visit to date -- as I strolled around the city largely by myself, much like say Princess Ann might have done (had she not run into Joe, of course!). Each day was a new excuse to get lost, look into curious windows, daydream about what apartment window would be mine and eat more than my fair share of nocciola gelato. And while I didn't cut my hair on this trip, it felt largely liberating, as I imagine it did for Audrey Hepburn's character to go solo through the streets of Rome. The crowning glory, of course, came when a few seemingly lost tourists (German, if I had to guess based on the accent), asked me in their best broken Italian where the Spanish steps were. I smiled and gave them directions in my best Italian. Perhaps they could tell immediately that I wasn't necessarily Italian, but I love that they gave me reason to pretend (even just for a little bit like Princess Ann).

My two big recommendations for Rome right now? Make sure you visit the restaurant Osteria Margutta, near the Spanish Steps (a favorite of Woody Allen and Fellini alike!) and Castel Sant'Angelo (for a breathtaking view of St. Peter's just a stone's throw a way).