Imagination will take you everywhere.

Rome, the Eternal City, was not built in a day, neither can it be seen in a day--much less eight. This was the lesson I learned when I traveled there in 2005. After several days of exhausting guided tours, my companion and I finally had the last few days at our leisure. That is when I experienced the true essence of our destination. That is when I captured Rome, its streets, its energy, and its people with relaxed eyes. Gone was the hurried sightseeing, crowded tours , and busy itineraries. It was just us, our feet, and a city waiting to be discovered.

We walked and walked, there was no plan, no point A to point B. We went wherever our tired feet led us on the perfect grid of streets that is Rome. It was then that we found most of the city's treasures by accident--the Trevi Fountain being the first. We walked down a narrow alley and when we reached the end, several alleys opened up to meet in the center. Like magic, there it was, its clandestine location revealed to us like some ancient, forbidden secret. We stumbled across the Pantheon much the same way, but it was La Bocca della Verita (The Mouth of Truth) that forever sweetened the memories of our journey. When we left the Mouth of Truth, we followed the edge of the Tiber River and found the best gelato ever. I do not exaggerate when I say the best. We had made two rules while in Rome: 1. Eat gelato every day. 2. Never eat at the same gelateria twice.

The freezer case of the frozen dessert overwhelmed me with its rainbow of choices, but I stuck to the traditional pistachio. As we ate gelato along the river and watched the sun reflect on the water, I realized our Roman holiday had culminated in that one, flawless, solitary cone. None I have had since has managed to live up to it either. Maybe because it wasn't just ice cream. It was nostalgia. We made a memory that day, and I don't think I will ever stop searching for my piece of Rome in a pistachio flavored cone.

Albert Einstein said, "Logic will take you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." I recommend you do the same if traveling to the Eternal City. Take a day or two and bypass the pre-planned hustle and bustle of guided tours. Use your imagination and let your feet guide you instead. Ditch your city map and find the hidden gems no book will tell you about. Plus, how could you ever get lost when all roads to lead to Rome?