What do I need to know about Rome?

In My Humble Opinion
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This seems to be the time for travel threads, so I’ll put my own in:

In about three weeks, I’m taking my 16-year-old daughter to Rome for a week. We’re both very excited about this, as this is her first trip overseas and my first time planning this kind of thing. The last time I was in Europe was almost 25 years ago!

I have reserved a small apartment for the week in the Campo de’Fiori area, and I have some travel books, maps, and Italian phrase books (I also have some Italian movies that I’ve been watching to try to learn a little, but it hasn’t worked very well. The movies are pretty good, though).

What else do I need to know about visiting Rome? What sights (besides the obvious ones, like the Forum, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, etc.) should I NOT miss? Any tips for dealing with the locals? Anyone know of any great, cheap restaurants in the Campo de’Fiori area? Where would a 16-year-old like to visit in Rome (with her mother as a chaperone)? Any advice on local transportation (I’m thinking bus)?

We’ll really only have five days for touring, and I’m thinking about using one of those to take a day trip (by train) to Pompeii. Any advice on that?

I appreciate any advice you can offer.

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Don’t let people dressed as gladiators get you to have your picture taken with them in front of the coliseum. It’s a total ripoff.

I didn’t fall for it, but my friend I was travelling with did. And they got really mad when he didn’t want to give them money.

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First off: transportation - do not even think about driving. Driving is madness in the city. We walked most of the time (it may appear spread out on a map, but it’s a pretty dense city), and did use the bus a couple times.

Of all the places I’ve visited in europe, Italy was one country where I felt they spoke the least english. So be prepared for a lot of pointing at menus and things. Not a big deal, just don’t be too surprized. (“aqua minerale sans gas” non-carbonated bottled water)

For sights (if you don’t already have them on your list):

  • Vatican museums, Sistine chapel, St. Peter’s (maybe you’ll be there while they’re selecting a new pope). We took a tour that did the Vatican museums and the Sistine. I could have spent a lot more time in the Vatican museums, though. There will likely be a line to get into St. Peter’s, but once you’re in, you can walk around at your leisure. You can also hike up to the very top of the dome for a nice view of the whole city.
  • The Catacombs. I thought this was really interesting.

I don’t know if you’re all set on your reservations, but I think 5 days in Rome is a bit much. I think 3 will do pretty well. If it were me, I’d split the 5 days between Rome and Florence. There are some really cool things to see in Florence, and being much smaller, would be a nice change from Rome.

Watch for the gypsy kids (they “attack” in groups). They are masters at misdirection and pickpocketting !

Hang out at the Spanish Steps. I think your 16 year old will enjoy this area the most (lots of local young people hanging out).

Gelato - no trip would be complete without ample amounts !
Hope this helps.

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If you’re going to the Colisseum, don’t stand in line for tickets there… go across the “street” and buy a ticket at the entrance to Palatine Hill. Your ticket gets you into both & there is usually a much shorter line at Palatine Hill.

If it’s open (it was closed for renovation when I was there) check out the Capuchin Crypt (Cripta Cappuccino (sp?)). Whole lotta bones, artfully arranged by the monks.

Vatican Museums - wow. Several miles of exhibits & galleries. Don’t try to see it all. You won’t make it!

San Clemente - a church built on top of a Temple to Mithras. Very cool site.

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If you happen to know Spanish, though, it shouldn’t be a problem. Everyone I spoke to in Italy knew one or the other.

Ditto. If you can take a train up to Florence, that’d be great. Rome has a lot of history and shopping, but I found exploring further afield more interesting.

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Not even thinking about a car. I’m planning on trains outside of Rome and feet and (maybe) busses inside.

Yeah, I’m trying to learn at least a little Italian. Dov’e il bagno?

I have the apartment for a week in Rome, so I won’t be taking any more than day trips outside. But I am thinking about Naples/Pompeii.

Thanks, this is exactly the kind of information I need!

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I’ll keep that in mind. I really can’t imagine me stopping for gladiaters, anyway. I heard there are a lot of cats there. Did you see any?

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I’ll definitely put those on my list of places to see. I really want to see some catacombs, and that Temple of Mithras sounds interesting.

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Lucky you staying in Campo de Fiori! You’ll find that people in the center are more than used to dealing with foreigners, and will be responsive to any attempts to communicate. I’d advise getting the metro rather than travelling by bus. There are lots of good places to eat around Campo de Fiori and Piazza Navona (but you are probably better off not eating IN Piazza Navona if you don’t want to pay tourist prices. This is a good place just off the Corso, (the main shopping strip)). You can get to Florence in under two hours from Rome, and train travel is relatively cheap . It’s well worth going, and IMHO a lot more appealing than the south. Ostia Antica (south of Rome) is worth checking out too.

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I did Pompeii as a day trip from Rome. Make sure you take the early train if you want to have a lot of time to wander around Pompeii (and possibly Napoli). Italians aren’t known for caring too much if a train arrives an hour or two late. If you do wander around Napoli, watch your back.

Have fun. Rome is lovely, and you’re staying in a nice area. And eat gelato.

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Most of the good art is tucked away in churches, so you can see it for free but you have to know where to look. I found Rick Steves’ book about Rome really helpful for seeking out the hidden treasures.

Whatever you do, don’t miss Santa Maria Della Vittoria, home of Bernini’s Ecstasy of St. Teresa. Totally amazing.

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Assisi makes a nice day trip by train from Rome. I think Naples/Pompeii is just a little too far for a day trip, even taking an early train. There’s just too much there and you’ll feel rushed. Get out to Tivoli to see the Villa d’Este (fountains fountains fountains) and Hadrian’s Villa (f you can- the public transportation to the site is not stellar).

Prepare to spend about half your food budget on Gelato- it’s addictive! Also, right near the Pantheon, there is a great cafe where you can get coffee slush drinks- they come with tons of whipped cream and are very rich. Mmmm. Forget what they’re called.

For cheap lunches, find a pizzeria- you buy it by weight, usually, not by the slice (they cut you a slice, as big or as small as you want)- it’s the cheapest and most filling cheap lunch in Rome, I found.

If you want to see cats, check out the Torre Argentina cat sanctuary at the Largo Argentina. It can be sad- some of these strays are in bad shape- but there are many many cats, far more than at the Collosseum. Another place with a cat colony that is also an attraction in its own right is the Protestant Cemetery.

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Strictly an armchair traveler here, but you might consider Ostia Antica. It was Rome’s seaport, but it silted up & was abandoned. Much has been excavated & it’s apparently a much easier day trip than Pompeii. This link even tells you which train to take:

www.italyheaven.co.uk/rome/ostiaantica.html

Also–there are various Rome Underground tours. Much of ancient Rome still exists below the modern city. This is one of the available tour; online investigation would probably be wise.

www.tours-italy.com/rome/underground.htm

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I don’t know about your travel philosophy, but I did Rome in two very hectic days… Lets see if I can recount.

Colleseum
Pantheon
Vatican Museum
St. Peters
Forum
Spanish Steps
Trevi Fountain

Okay, I suppose that was it, and it doesn’t sound like much, but if I were you I’d do one of those each day. Sure its not a lot, but to me, in my very own opinion, its very important to relax. And what better place to relax on a streetside cafe when you get the best people watching place on earth, a foreign country. As far as the language, i’ll put it to you this way. I went to a restaurant and ordered in the most simple terms “fish” “beer” “salad” I got a pretty cool salad, which I liked, a very good italian beer, and my introduction to pasta “frutti di mare.” Hehe. Not fish, but I was so happy. Nothing better than getting something so good. I think that would be the norm for italian food, is that it is usually something that is very good. A lot of foreign countries have foods that aren’t quite appetizing to foreigners, but I think the likelyhood of that happening in Italy is smaller.

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Actually I don’t think five days is enough in Rome! I was there for ten days, and I still didn’t feel like I had enough time to do eveyrthing.

Be very careful about muggers and pickpockets. They are fast and they work in groups to overwhelm you. I got away by hitting mine and running. Don’t keep ANYTHING in your pockets—get a wallet that goes around your waist or neck and wear it under your clothes.

The dollar is weak right now–or it was a month ago. Soda and water is very expensive. Wine is very cheap. You can find delicious pizza anywhere. Stay away from a place called The Autogrill on the Del Corso next to San Silvestro. The food is gross and overpriced.

Everything is within walking distance, BUT, the bus system is the greatest system ever. You can buy an all day pass at any newspaper stand or tobacco shop. They are 4 euro, they’re good all day, and you can use them on the bus and the Metro. Which means you can get anywhere you want in Rome in reasonable time. The taxis are expensive and scary. Avoid those if you can. Also, taxi drivers expect foreigners to tip 10%.

The Borguese Museum is un-fucking-believable. That’s where you will find Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne, The Rape of Persephone, and David.

A day trip to Pompeii is definitely doable! I left for Pompeii at 8, spent four hours at the ruins, and was home that night by 7:30. And it is so worth it. Seriously, I had my best time at Pompeii. It was just…I still can’t describe what it was like.

You can see everything in Florence in a day. I spent a week there and man, after three days, there just wasn’t much else to do. Also, Florence is much smaller than Rome, so you don’t need to worry about taking a bus. You can walk the whole city and see all the sights easily.

Now, they’re going to charge you for everything. Rome wasn’t so bad, but they’ll nickle and dime ya in Florence. Actually, I take that back–they’ll nickle and dime ya everywhere. The best thing to do is just go with it. $3.50 for a can of diet coke? Eh, whatever, you’re in fucking Rome! But nobody warned me about that, and so at first, I was a bit surprised. Be sure to check out as many churches as you can in Rome–They’re free, they’re beautiful, and they’re a great place to catch your breath. In Florence, they charge you. In fact, I didn’t see any churches in Florence because I refused to pay 4 Euro. You have to take a stand you know? That was mine.

They charge you to see the tower in Pisa and they charge you a LOT for a gondola ride in Venice. Both places are easily accessible by train from Florence or Rome. Always take the Euro-star. It’s a bit more expensive, but the trains are much, much nicer and very fast. Also, you can change your reservations on the Eurostar if your plans change. When I went to Pompeii my ticket home was scheduled for 7, but I was ready to go home by 4…so I just changed it.

The Italians are super nice and in Rome there are a lot of really hot cops you stand around all day and just look hot. If you ever get lost and need help, ask the nice cops. They’ll help. Because they’re nice (and hot). I don’t speak Italian or Spanish and I never had a single problem finding somebody to help me when I was confused and disorientated (it happened a lot).

The drivers are going to look insane. I know, they’re crazy. However, they will not hit you. Do NOT wait for an opening in the traffic, because they’ll never stop. You have to just walk out into the middle of the road–mostly without looking–and dare the drivers to hit you. They won’t.

On Friday and Saturday nights, it seems the entire city of Rome goes out on the Del Corso for a walk. You’ll be able to reach the Del Corso easily. Join them! It’s awesome.

Be prepared to fall in love with Rome. I miss it every single day. I can’t even really describe why. All I know is that I want to go back and I feel like I’m in temporary exile.

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Oh, so much good advice. Thank you, everyone!

It looks like I’m going to need to play it by ear to see how much time we need in Rome. If it looks like we have the time, I’m considering both a day trip to Pompeii and a day trip to Florence. I was in Florence the last time I visited Italy, but I didn’t get to see the Uffizi, so a trip there might be a good idea. I checked the train timetables, and it looks like we could get up to Florence in an hour and a half. One day would be enough to see the Ufizzi, the David, and the Ponte Vecchio, then we could be back in Rome by evening. It’s certainly doable, but I currently have a two page list of things to see in Rome.

So, lots of churchs, gelato, and lots of money. One other thing I’m not sure about is tipping. What is expected in Italy? I’m booking a driver to get us from the airport to our apartment when we get there, which will cost close to 50 euros. How much should I tip him (or her)?

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Pompeii was definitely cool, but I liked Ostia Antica more. It was much less crowded, and though it wasn’t covered with lava, I still liked it because you could sense the hustle and bustle once held in this port city, which is actually not really on the water anymore. And San Clemente is so awesome, you keep going down and down through different churches and temples built upon one another. It’s like digging through the history of Rome.
Pizza is definitely the way to go for meals, cheap and delicious. Might make you not want to eat pizza when you get back, though, it’s just not the same.
I didn’t really have a huge problem finding people who spoke English, and if they don’t, just figuring out the key words is usually enough, and they’ll appreciate the effort. My big words were “aqua naturale” and “vegetariana.”
I wish that I could help with the tipping conundrum, but I went with a group from my school, so everything was paid for before hand, and I can’t really think of the break-down.

note next time you go to Italy, if you do again, I suggest Sicily or Sorrento/Naples. Two of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.

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Keep a lookout for nuns, particularly around the Vatican. I had no idea there were so many different kinds of nuns in existence. And keep your camera handy; I wish I’d had mine out when I saw 6 nuns packed into the tiniest street vehicle I’d ever seen; it was like a motorized wheelbarrow with one wheel in the front and two in the back and nun parts hanging out all over the place!

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[QUOTE=WVmom]
If it looks like we have the time, I’m considering both a day trip to Pompeii and a day trip to Florence. I was in Florence the last time I visited Italy, but I didn’t get to see the Uffizi, so a trip there might be a good idea./QUOTE]
When are you going to Rome? I’m going to be there from 15-22 March. I’m planning three days in Rome, and four in Florence, with side trips to Pompeii and Pisa.

The last time I was in Italy, I can recall cans of Coke costing 5,000L and a liter of vino costing 3,000L–I hope that price differential has survived during the transition to the Euro!

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Do go to the Ufizzi. But remember, like the Museo Borghese (I just know I’m spelling that wrong every single time I reference it and making an ass of myself), you must have reservations. I got lucky in both museums because it was the middle of january and there weren’t many tourists–but don’t count on that. Also the train rides from Rome to FLorence and Rome to Pompeii are beautiful…

Don’t tip in Italy. You get charged a water fee and a sitting fee. SOmetimes the sitting fee is the “bread and linen fee.” Not only that, but waitstaff make a living wage in Italy. The girls I was with couldn’t get it through their thick heads that they didn’t need to tip, and so was leaving up to 8 euro (after the fee of course) on maybe a 7 euro dinner. How dumb is that? Taxis do expect 10% (i honestly can’t remember how much we tipped our drivers from the airport. Oh, and brace yourself for that. The drive from the airport was the most harrowing experience of my life. However, I knew I had been in Italy too long when the drive TOO the airport was all kinds of fun), like I mentioned before, but you know the whole time I was in Italy I took a taxi only twice, and those were kinda emergency situations.

Also, don’t kill yourself trying to see everything. I was the only one in my group to make a point of not pushing myself hard. Guess who was the only person in the group who didn’t get sick? Halfway through our week in Florence, everybody including the professor, had a combination of bronchitus and the flu and needed to visit the hospital. I did not. I’m convinced it’s because I actually took it easy and enjoyed myself and didn’t push my body beyond its limits. DId I see everything? No, I did not. But you know what? I was in fucking Rome! SO what does that matter? I saw enough. heh.