Even after living here for almost three years, I still have days and moments—lots of them—where this city continues to blow my mind.

Here, five reasons I'm loving Rome right now.

I once had a Cambridge professor call wisteria "garish." He'd be appalled at the sight of Rome these days. Wisteria, wisteria everywhere… even here, in the Roman forum.

A cupcake from Made Lab, a new-ish American-style-ish bakery on Via dei Coronari. I'm obviously a sucker for cupcakes, so discovering these guys this week was a thrill. Also, the cupcakes were damn good.

I've been lusting after this handcrafted bracelet ever since seeing it at Galleria Ashanti in Monti. Oh, which reminds me: the artisans on Via del Boschetto are amazing.

Gelato season has arrived. And there's perhaps no prettier place to enjoy super-fresh scoops than at Gelateria del Teatro, tucked just off Via dei Coronari (yes, I indulged in both gelato and cupcakes on my stroll there this week).

Although I am not, in general, a fan of the street performers that turn some of Rome's prettiest piazzas and heritage sites into circuses, I can't help from adoring this man. (The song he performed before this one, by the way, was "Old MacDonald Had a Farm."