Completely caught in time and not renovated (in the best way), this family-run hotel has been in the same hands since 1938. It’s filled with extraordinary details—wood inlay murals, mosaics, and Gio Ponti pieces—but in summer, nothing tops the rooftop bar, with its incredible views of the city.

This ‘60s-era hotel sprawls across 15 acres and houses an incredible collection of Italian and French art, but it’s not for everyone, given that it’s a 10-minute ride to Piazza del Popolo from its hilltop location. Still it’s great for families, with the most impressive pool setup in town. The main pool is 11 feet deep (if you need to practice your diving form), there’s a giant children's pool, plus another indoor one that makes it a year-round draw.

The first urban hotel from Six Senses feels more contemporary than Roman, but it has an impressive spa, with half a dozen plunge pools of varying temperatures in their subterranean Roman baths. In the summer, you can’t miss their roof terrace for an aperitivo, where the views are fantastic and the herb garden is wonderfully fragrant.

Right by the Vatican, Villa Agrippina Gran Melia is probably the most resort-like hotel in the center of the city. You actually feel like you have space, and the pool is great. The design isn’t our style to a T, but if you’re traveling with a family, you’ll forget about that and be glad that you can spend the hottest part of the day at the pool and then walk to dinner in the center of the city.

This trattoria has been around since 1870, and besides it being so elegant, the food is stellar and it’s well air conditioned. They are open quite late, as it’s across from the theater, but dinner here is a show in and of itself.

Head to Lagana for lunch no matter the season. It has outdoor seating on the street with tables in the shade, but if it’s really hot, sit inside which is a bit cooler. Let them bring you the endless antipasti, with plates of prosciutto, sauteed zucchini, celery with pecorino, so many vegetables, and the frittata, but save room for their pasta pomodoro, one of our favorites in the city.

Rocco is very ingredient-led, simple, and unfussy, but incredibly special. We love the family who runs it, and the crowd who goes there is cool, but friendly-cool. It’s wonderful year-round, especially when the weather is warm and you can passeggiatta after dinner, strolling to the Forum, past the Trajan Column, Piazza Venezia, and then ending at the Pantheon.

Just a half a block away from Da Enzo, where everyone else will be waiting over an hour for a table in the heat, Da Teo is just as good, has AC, and you can book ahead! They take reservations over the phone (and speak English) so call in advance and ask for a table inside, and save Da Enzo for a visit in the winter.

Bar della Pace is the kind of place to go when you’ve made no plans and want something simple like a perfect salad and chicken. It's just a stones throw from Piazza Navona, and a great place to retreat from the heat and chaos into their chic, air conditioned interior.

Head to Vitti for a shakerato (espresso over ice shaken and strained) at the bar. For just 4 euros it’s the perfect jet-lag fix, and the closest thing you’ll find to an iced coffee. You can sit down and have one at their cafe tables in the piazza, but it will be double the price!

If you want a break from pasta and to eat something cold, this spot has a really great tableside steak tartare. It’s wonderfully old-school—double-layered white table cloths, a vaulted brick ceiling and civilized dim lighting. Bonus: they have AC!

Head to one of our favorite cafes in the city for te freddo—basically black iced tea with lemon granita, like an Italian Arnold Palmer that’s perfect to cool off with in the afternoon. We also love Portoghesi for a sandwich at lunchtime, or a great aperitivo at one of their tables in the shade.

Skip the lines at Giolitti and go to Neve di Latte for gelato, just down the road from Pierluigi. They have our favorite scoop in the city—ricotta with orange peel, which tastes like the elevated version of a vanilla ice cream and orange sorbet combo.

If you find yourself thinking you packed all the wrong things and wishing you had something more breathable, we’re big fans of the dress/nightshirt at Schostal, or even wearing their pajamas as clothing. The shirts and the bottoms work well separately and together and the fabric is so breathable.