Rome by Night (Photo from earthpictures.com)

Rome is one of the world's great cities. Steeped in over 3,000 years of history it is also vibrant and beautiful. In the Eternal City you will find remnants of every civilization that existed here. Seven layers of the same city, seven hills holding magnificent monuments, seven kings that started this beautiful adventure called Rome. There is only one thing more breathtaking than Rome during the day and that is certainly Rome at night.

There are many ways to enjoy Rome after dark. For one, check out the view of St. Peter's from the keyhole at Saint Saba--it is a view you won't soon forget. Even just walking by Castel Sant' Angelo, with its lights and the river underneath, turns into a romantic paradise that touches even cold hearts. Rome is indeed a city where lovers can find each other at night, whether it is sharing a gelato or looking down at the city from the hill known as the Gianicolo. Rome is poetic, Rome is magical, Rome is our history, the base of the Western world as we know it, and in the silence before dawn the streets and piazzas silently speak of all of this on any given night. Rome's famous fountains also look different at night, the water so much a part of life of the city.

The beauty of Rome at night isn't only visual, however. Not just the backlit monuments or the starry sky. No, Rome takes on a whole new energy once the sun sets that is not to be missed. The energy accumulated during the day comes out at night in a different form, giving a heartbeat to the city that, fully awake, embraces its people of the night. There is indeed a Roman night crowd, which lives in perfect symbiosis with the city. Many of these nocturnal Romans are artists and musicians who bar hop and tell stories on the streets that draw passersby to them. A crowd of people that forgets the day life and simply connects to each other, finding the same spaces, sharing the same needs or feeling for the city.

Rome by night with dinner.

Finishing a bottle of wine in Trastevere, walking the streets with other likeminded people or joining a pickup soccer game in the middle of Piazza Navona are irreplaceable experiences that everyone should have once. Rome by night reminds every one that art is a living element that speaks its stories, lost and unheard during the day, muted by the traffic and daily activities. Honestly, in no other city do you find this, except maybe Paris, but even still not with the same intensity of Rome. These jewels of the night are not things that are usually listed in the general tourist guides, but are the true Roman experience that makes the difference from visiting the city and being part of it and then, invariably, falling in love with it forever. Walking at night from the Coliseum through the Roman Forum is truly as powerful as time traveling, the spirits of the Romans centurions, the senators, the screaming crowd and the Emperors float around embracing and guiding the newcomers. Once again, there is nothing like that anywhere else. Nowhere else you can so clearly trend in the footsteps of giants.

Aside from the beauty and history, Rome offers a ton of options for restaurants and bars one can enjoy. Nightclubs are scattered all over town and during the summer there are Estate Romana (Roman Summer) events--live concerts, jazz shows and dance music events held in different sites all under the moon and the stars. If you're concerned about safety Rome is relatively safe compared to other metropolises. Try to stick to busy, downtown areas and always use common sense.

While all this may sound surreal, even intangible, this is the reality of Rome after dark. It's never wild like Madrid, but it is very alive in its own way. Romans are aware of it and seeing the city at night is one of the great things that visitors can discover during their stay in the Eternal City.