My girlfriend and I have our tickets for Italy next summer; we’ll be staying 9 days in Palermo, Sicily, and then three nights/two full days in Rome.
Any tips/suggestions for things that might not be on the usual radar? We’re both pretty keen on walking and experiencing as much of our environment as possible, and are comfortable with ‘winging’ it, so things/areas that are a little ‘off the rails’ would appeal to us.
I was in Rome 20+ years ago and remember being fascinated by the Vatican and the associated museums, so that’s one typical tourist thing that I’m contemplating.
The sorts of things I’ve been googling have been “weird tourist attractions Rome/Palermo.” I’m sure there is not a stone unturned by the vacationing masses, but smaller, more intimate pieces of history/culture appeal.
Also, what are people’s experiences with the airport, both in terms of travel to and from Rome as well as how long it takes to go through customs/immigration?
I highly recommend a guided Rome Food Tour. We did that last summer and it was a highlight. They took us to a number of places for food and wine, we learned a lot, we were stuffed, and quite happy!
I don’t have the info handy, but I will come back and post it when I find it.
Rome is basically closed in August. Everyone’s on holidays by the sea or in the mountains. If you’re planning to go anywhere, check in advance to make sure it’s open.
Writing to you from Rome where I live: there are some neat underground things to see here that aren’t usually on the tourist route. Given that you’ll be here in the summer, these will also provide welcome relief from the crushing heat and general lack of a/c.
Because of the passage of time and the relentless flooding of the Tiber, most of Rome is three or four entire building-height layers deep. Add to that the fact that most ‘modern’ (12th century up to baroque) churches were built on the remains of earlier places of worship, there are all sorts of fascinating things to be seen beneath the churches that have had their crypts excavated.
There’s the Basilica of San Nicola in Carcere which has a spooky 4th century church underneath it with the bones of ancient Christians strewn around, which itself was built using the pillars of three Roman temples (still visible in the walls); there’s San Crisogono in Trastevere which has a 1st century crypt under it which makes you feel like Indiana Jones; also in Trastever there’s a Roman condo excavated under the church of Santa Cecilia; then there’s my favourite, the three levels of the Basiclica di San Clemente near the Colosseum - 12th century church above ground, over a 4th century church, which itself is on top of a 1st century Roman alleyway that contains a temple to Christ and a temple to Mithras (they both being obscure ‘underground’ cults at the time) as well as someone’s backyard. Highly recommended, and all of them very cheap to see.
We were in Rome at the end of October and adored it. It can be filthy, disorganised and expensive but it has ludicrous amounts of charm.
One thing slightly off the radar but well worth seeing was the Ostia Antica. It is a quick and cheap metro and train ride from central Rome, only 30 minutes I reckon, but well worth it.
It is an ancient port and it is HUGE. It has pretty much all the stuff that Pompeii has, minus the dead people. Well preserved buildings, theatres, mosaics and sculpture.
One of my favorite sites in Rome was this Capuchin Monk crypt, decorated completely in human bones. It’s right in the middle of the high-rent district on the Via Veneto. If you are into the macabre, it is a must-see:
Thanks for the tips everybody; some very cool suggestions! I know August is sub optimal, but it was the only time the both of us could get away from work this summer.
The bulk of the trip will be in Sicily, where, as I understand it, things will be a little more open and happening than in Rome or other mainland locations. The brief visit to Rome is an unexpected addition based on the timing of our flights.
As a side note, jjimm, I didn’t know you were in Rome. Didn’t you used to live in Ireland, or am I confusing you with another poster?
That doesn’t gel with my experience of Sicily, which was chaos and quaintness in equal measure, but not a lot ‘happening’. There’s a lot going on in Rome, it being a large capital city and all - unless I’ve misinterpreted what you meant.
I did used to live in Ireland but I left. Met a girl from Italy and have been living in Rome for three and a half years now!
I think his point was that Rome empties out in August, but Sicily may be more of an August destination so more shops, restaurants, events will be open.
I really liked Trajan’s Market, which when I was there in 2003 you could just walk around unsupervised. Although I imagine it fails the “not on the usual radar” criterion since it’s a pretty prominent tourist site.
I was also surprised by how hot it was in June. My wife and I did a lot of walking, and we were just wiped out by the heat. But it was still an amazing trip.
Oh I see. Thanks, I hadn’t interpreted that correctly at all.
Yeah, a lot of stuff shuts down but the good news is that the city doesn’t really die in August. It’s mainly independents that will be shut: e.g. my local barber shop, enoteca, cafe and maybe half the restaurants and bars will be deserted for the month, but the supermarkets will be open and there will still be plenty of places to go out eating and drinking. And especially not the tourism centres - pretty much everything that serves tourists will still be running in August. The wonderful byproduct is that the traffic is mercifully diminished.
Edit: Trajan’s Market has recently been re-done and you can no longer walk around in it, but you can still get up close via sidewalks above it.
Ah, that’s too bad (although I can understand why they would want to limit access). I was just enthralled walking in and out of the shops and imagining people shopping there.
For Rome get out to Trastevere, easy to get to but off the beaten pathm (or maybe not so much nowadays… ten years ago noone went there). Very cool old neighborhood. There used to be some excellent restaurants there, probably still are. I remember going back to the same place after a 7 year hiatus and it was still there and just as good as ever – but as i said that was admittedly a while back. So just find out whatever is hot in Trastevere on the good food, they’ve always been able to deliver on that. There’s a Santa Maria church at the main square that is different and quite interesting compared to the main ones. The whole area is really cool, non-tourist oriented throwback to the old days and a pleasure to walk around.
Unfortunately Trastevere is now absolutely swamped with tourists congratulating themselves on getting off the beaten path. Partly because it’s so lovely to look at, partly thanks to the presence of a couple of American universities, and partly thanks to Woody Allen and his simply dreadful movie.
Now if you really want to get off the beaten path but within walking distance of the centre, I highly recommend Testaccio, just over the river from Trastevere. It’s not as pretty but is definitely more ‘real’ and has some of the best restaurants in the city. It also has Monte Testaccio, which is an entire hill made of broken amphorae, as well as Rome’s own ancient pyramid, and the Cimitero Acattolico (‘non-Catholic cemetery’) where you can find Keats, Shelley and Goethe among others. It’s a beautiful spot.
And another few hundred yards south on that side of the river will bring you to Garbatella, a locally Communist stronghold and another real down-home, working class district with a bohemian atmosphere and absolutely no tourists at all.
Yeah, it’s no longer free access.
Partly because it’s so lovely to look at, partly thanks to the presence of a couple of American universities, and partly thanks to Woody Allen and his simply dreadful movie.