Yesterday, I returned to Rome after a 6-week trip to the States. Between a college reunion and a wedding, family time and friend time, a travel blogging conference and meetings with magazine editors, my time back in the U.S. flew by. And so quickly, I barely had time to think about life in Rome–or what I missed about it.

But in the past 24 hours, some of those things have come flooding back.

Here are five things I’ve missed most about Rome, in pictures.

My neighborhood of Celio, a stone’s throw from the Colosseum. What can I say? It’s adorable—and it feels like home.

I was seriously craving some bucatini all’amatriciana throughout my last couple of weeks in the U.S. In particular, I was jonesing for the the variety served up at Osteria Fernanda in Trastevere. My first night back in Italy, I beelined straight there… and couldn’t have been happier with my choice. (Although blogging buddy Vinoroma just had a not-so-hot experience there, making me wonder if the classic Rome restaurants equation of rise in popularity=decline in quality has already begun).

There’s nothing like having ancient ruins, especially ones this beautiful, in your town—never mind within a quick walk from your home.

With the temperature soaring in both the U.S. and Italy (and everywhere else), my mind’s turned to places I can get cool—like Castel Gandolfo, where I hung out with friends right before leaving Rome. I especially missed the lake, and how accessible great beaches are to Rome, while I was staying in Manhattan.

I’ve traveled to London and Paris, New York and San Francisco, Istanbul and Madrid. But Rome still remains, in my book, the most beautiful city in the world. And yes, I missed these views. (On my first day back, I headed to the Janiculum to grab this iPhone shot).