I am making my first visit to Rome in the next few days and after reading a lot, I thought I'd ask what others have enjoyed or hated. Comments? I've only got three days...but that means I'll have to go back. :)
I am making my first visit to Rome in the next few days and after reading a lot, I thought I'd ask what others have enjoyed or hated. Comments? I've only got three days...
You could take me with you. :D I still remember a bunch of the bars and cafes. :D I could fit very nicely into a large suitcase. :D :D
If there's still time get a credit card from AAA. It will work like a debit card and is good over here when you get back. Load it up with lots(!) of money. You can use it at any ATM for cash and the service charges are much less than other cards my wife and I found when we did a whirlwind 3 day visit a couple of years ago.
You MUST go see the Vatican. Order your tickets on line now. Otherwise get there early and wait 2 hours before they open. The line becomes literally over a mile long.When you go into the Sistine Chapel you'll be at the wrong end from the perspective Michelangelo intended so go to the other end (the entrance) to see it as intended. No pictures you've seen can do it justice.
If you take a cab ride in from the airport be sure your life insurance is paid. Romans must rank up there as the worlds craziest drivers! Be careful crossing streets. You do not have right of way as far as they're concerned.
First take a bus tour to get a feel for the city.
Be sure to see the Trivia Fountain, Colosseum Spanish steps and catacombs.
My wife and I took a walk recommended by the hotel up and around one of the hills. It was unforgettable looking out over the city. We stayed near the Justice Ministry.
Toilets are sometimes just a discreet button on the wall. Found that out after spending 5 minutes trying to figure out how to flush our hotel toilet.:D
It's going to be very hot and humid so plan accordingly.
Food is good everywhere but do splurge and have the hotel recommend a 4 or 5 star restaurant to have a meal to remember a life time. Don't expect much for breakfast as they usually just have a pastry and coffee.
Do be a good tourist and tip the guides.
Come home with 50 Euro in your wallet for your next visit. I'll suggest Venice. Too charming for words!
Enjoy.:cheers:
Last edited by Uncle Fester; 08-03-2009 at 10:57 AM. Reason: more thoughts...
We went for a week and stayed for a month. My wife loved the art museums and I loved the groceries. We met some great people. Let the concierge wherever you stay make suggestions based upon your interests.
Contact a fellow named:
Vittorio Tabacchi
See if he will bite on a lowball offer to buy out his family's interest in their flailing frame company!
:cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers:
Have fun and be safe!
If he will, I'll chip in the $3.78 that I have in my purse :DOriginally Posted by Fezz
:cheers::cheers::cheers:
That is the spirit!
Ok......I will match your $3.78 and throw the remainder of my now defunct retirement fund-all $15.56 of it!
Never been to Rome, so I have no advice on where to go. I hope you have a lot of fun and stay safe, though.
Ophthalmic Optician
Society to Advance Opticianry
Where abouts will you be staying in Rome?
thanks for the comments. as luck would have it i have several pairs of glasses to check in and I broke my BIO this morning. hope the flight is better.
when do you leave for this trip?
and where do you keep the spare key? and do you have beer in the fridge?;)
Did somebody say beer in the fridge?
Yes.....I got some! And yes, in each of my 4 fridges!!!
ok where do you keep your spare key?, you're closer to me anyway.Did somebody say beer in the fridge?
Yes.....I got some! And yes, in each of my 4 fridges!!!
I keep it exactly 78 long paces, turn left 23 paces and lift cinder block from my In-famous hand painted Fezz Estate sign!
;):cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::D
Itinerario Grande
Day 1 Sunday evening
All in order, for walking. Lots of churches, because the churches are as good as some museums.
*Piazza Navona. On the west side, see Sant’Agnese in Agone,
East on Giustiniana to San Luigi dei Francesi, to see three paintings by Caravaggio.
*Pantheon
Piazza della Minerva. Bernini’s elephant with obelisk and the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva
*Sant'Ignazio di Loyola, (Open until 7:15, I think). The flat dome.
Column of Marcus Aurelius. Drums of marble, staircase inside
**Fontana di Trevi. Must be seen in the daytime and at night!
If time, Piazza di Spagna
Campo dei Fiori, A couple of blocks south of Navona. If you have time. A market in the daytime and a lively party time place at night.
A good restaurant
*About four streets west of Piazza Navona, L’ Antica Taverna, Via Monte Giordano. Relatively inexpensive.
Da Francesco
Da Buffetto
Day 2 Monday
The churches are all on the way to where you are going. If hurried, just take a 5 minute look.
From Pantheon
*SE to Sant'Andrea della Valle (open 7:30 to 12:00 and 4:30 to 7:30). Flamboyant Baroque, beautiful dome… the largest in Rome after St. Peter’s.
South down the east side of the church, east on Via del Sudario
East on Emanuele, see Area Sacra, only as you walk past. The site where Julius Caesar was assassinated March 15, 44BC. Now, a home to stray cats.
*East to Gesu (open 6:00 - 12:30 & 4:30 - 7:00).
*East to Piazza Venezia to see the Vittoriana (monument to Vittorio Emanuele). South past Vittoriana, Insula Romana (2000 year old tenement) on the left.
On the left, climb the 122 or 124 steps to see Santa Maria in Aracoeli. Lunch (?) , at the top of the stairs, go left and then right, along behind the Vittoriana to a cafeteria with a great view. Down the 122 steps,
*Up the Cordonata to Piazza del Campidoglio Designed by Michaelangelo.
You won’t have time for this, but next time, they are good ones. See both museums, Palazzo dei Conservatori and Palazzo Nuovo. When you leave Conservatori to go to Nuovo, there is an excellent photo op of Foro Romana. Have an early lunch at Caffe Capitolino, which has a great view, on top of Palazzo Conservatori. OR, behind Conservatori, to Terrazza Cafferelli. Walk down the east (Cordonata) side.
*From Campidoglio, at the left side of the Palazzo Senatorio, the building you haven’t been in, there is a set of stairs/path leading into the Foro Romana.
You won’t have time for this, but get the tickets for the Colosseum at the little kiosk. The line ups at the Colosseum can be huge. When you are about 2/3 of the way to the Coliseum, on the right there is an entrance to go to see the Palatine hill. Needs about two hours.? Quiet, few tourists, a somewhat spread out version of the Foro Romana, with green space and trees, even. Even if you don’t go in here, **buy a ticket to get into the Colosseum!! **
*Il Colosseo!! This, along with the Foro Romana, should be seen after dark. ***Because you have tickets, walk past the lines of people, even duck under the tape and walk up the left side, to the ticket scanners.*** The lines are for people buying tickets. When you get to the scanners, there will be no one there.
Rather than the next two, if you don’t mind a huge walk, head north-east to see Santa Maria Maggiore.
East on Via di San Giovanni in Laterano to San Clemente, 3 levels of history (open 9:00 - 12:30 & 3:30 - 6:00). If this is closed, go to the next below and come back.
South one block to get off the main road, then East to San Giovanni in Laterano, (7 – 7:00)
Day 3 Tuesday
Museo Borghese. (Two hours and only two hours) Go in the basement door, under the two sets of stairs to buy or p/u tickets. A small museum, but it is magnificent! Rent one of those talking phone things. Tickets can be reserved on the Internet, but that may not be possible at this late time. Can your hotel organize tickets? Probably no sense in just going there and trying to get in.? Having said that, people avoid Rome in August, so maybe there is a chance. This is a much better bet than trying to see the Vatican Museums.
You don’t have time for the Vatican Museums. It is far too big, the lineups will be killing. There will be no such thing as just ducking in to see the Sistine Chapel. It will be you and 5,000 other people.
Walk SW to Santa Maria della Vittoria, to see Bernini's Ecstacy of St. Teresa (6:30 to noon and 4:30 to 6:00). If the timing isn’t right, skip this and walk to Piazza di Spagna.
Have a look down Via Condotti. Throngs of people looking in the windows of ultra expensive stores.
Get on the subway at Spagna, heading NW, to go to St. Peters Basilica. Get off at the last stop, as I remember. I usually walk and, from a different direction.
***St Peter’s Basilica!!*** Don’t try to get in if you are wearing shorts, male or female. Won’t happen. Best item is to have those pants with the legs that zip off. If you have seen the rest of the church, going down into the crypts isn’t time well spent. If you have time, take the elevator up and then walk/climb up to the top of the dome. Big view.
Depending upon time, you could go straight out from St Peter’s, walk along Via della Conciliazione toward Castel Sant’ Angelo. Go over the Ponte Sant’ Angelo (worth seeing) to get back to the Pantheon area.
If you have lots of time, you could go south to Trastevere. Interesting tiny streets. Good places to eat. Long walk.
Churches to see in Trastevere:
Santa Maria in Trastevere..
San Francesco a Ripa.. Bernini’s Ecstacy of Beata Ludovica Albertoni.
Santa Cecilia in Trastevere.
:cheers:
My dad was stationed in Rome during the occupation in WWII. He took a walk around the Vatican and he said there was a small steeple-like affair that rose from the roof and at that time you could go up into it and look out through the slots in the sides. He said the wind blowing through the holes made a very eerie sound.
DragonlensmanWV N.A.O.L.
"There is nothing patriotic about hating your government or pretending you can hate your government but love your country."
thanks for the replies. got the pm's also... thanks.
someone asked for an update, so here goes.
Unfortunately i was not the one to plan the trip, so we got in late sunday night and left early wed morning. We really only had two full days.
We did the vatican tour on monday, and then did a little walking around that night. Ate at a neat place, but i could barely get over the feeling that everything was exceptionally touristy no matter where we went. It was good though.
Tuesday we got up early and walked to the roman forum, bought tickets and went through all the ruins and then walked right in to the colosseum. Definitely do it this way and avoid the ticket line at the colosseum. My friends I went with were tired, but I did get them up to the spanish steps.
We also randomly saw the trevi fountain, several churches, and had the good fortune to get a hotel right adjacent to the pantheon. It was rather centrally located and we walked the entire time, which I tend to enjoy on vacations.
The weather was hot and the air conditioning unit was worthless in our room. Good trip, but I will have to go back. We ate lots of gelato and the house wine at most restaurants was good and cheap.
I missed the museums, but my friends weren't in to that and two days is pushing it anyway.
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