Walk across the stone footbridge over the Tiber to reach the colourful district of Trastevere. Its labyrinthine streets are teeming with quaint cafés and bars. You can escape the crowds here and explore the neighbourhood's quieter streets, churches, pretty piazzas and small boutiques. Visit the Santa Maria in Trastevere church for its picture-perfect mosaics, enjoy traditional cuisine at Da Enzo, or, for panoramic views of the city skyline, climb up the Gianicolo (the eighth hill of Rome) which also has a statue of Garibaldi. Once the sun sets, find the uber popular lounge bar Freni e Frizioni for well-deserved cocktail.

In the world of fashion, Rome is recognised for its elegance, sophistication and style. The Via Condotti is a swanky street sprinkled with high-end stores and boutiques including Bulgari, Yves. St Laurent, Armani and Gucci. If you want to be a little kinder to your wallet find the best of both worlds at Via Cola di Rienzo where there is a mixture of designer and high street shops. Find your H&M's at Via del Corso, also home to the Galleria Alberto Soldi shopping centre. Via del Boschetto's boutiques house the best handmade items in the neighbourhood, while the Mercato Monti's urban market is a must for vintage fashion and one-off finds.

Picking up a slice of pizza and a gelato is pretty much a must when in Rome! Not too far from the Pantheon is Giolitti, the famous gelato store which has been run by the same family since 1990 - become a regular here and you'll get a 'FastPass' allowing you to skip past the queues and head straight for the cones. If you fancy a slice of pizza while you're on the go, Pizza al Taglio (pizza by the slice) is a street-side pizza place that certainly packs in the flavour. Pizzeria Florida, Pizzarium and Forno la Renella are some of the best pizza finds in the city.