Sciopero. It means strike in Italian, and the first word my Italian teacher taught us, in case we ever visited. After a month there I understood.
Also, the trains no longer run on time.
they never id. Rear Window: Making Italy work: Did Mussolini really get the trains running on time? | The Independent | The Independent
And, unlike countries where the trains do run on time, the Italians don’t want them to. They don’t want to live in a country where having a train run on time is more important that waiting for a little old lady to get on.
What impressed me was that know where the trains are, and tell you when they are expected. If ounly out airlines would do that.
They never did.
But complaining about them under Mussolini was not healthy.
Wasn’t it the place where the ancient Romans had sea battle reproductions? Because back in the day the spring which goes through the Bernini fountain flooded the area?
I love that technology; I’ve seen it used for buses, subways and trains in different countries and it’s just great. As silly as it may sound, when you’re traveling with one or two older women who have mobility problems, being able to tell them “sit down, it’s going to be a few minutes” and “it’s that one a couple blocks away, let me help you up” is very, very nice. It’s a matter of connecting the trackers which the buses and trains have anyway to display panels, and it costs a pretty penny to set up, but damn is it nice!
When you take the train, you buy the ticket at an ATM-like kiosk. There is another kiosk nearby where you validate the ticket. Don’t forget to validate your ticket.
You have a very packed itinerary so make the most of it. Buy your tickets for any museums you want to see online. Do it now. You can buy Colosseum tickets in advance too. This will save you hours of waiting in line. A couple links to get you started. Really. Don’t wait, buy them now.
No… it was originally the Stadium of Domitian, and dated from the mid-1st century AD, and was called the “Circus Agonalis”, meaning the “Competition Arena”. It was used for athletic contests and chariot races, etc… Historians think that over time somehow the term “agones” or “agone” meaning games or competitions morphed into “navone” as Latin turned into Italian.
Both of the fountains in Piazza Navona and the Trevi Fountain get their water from the Acqua Vergine aqueduct, along with the fountain in front of the Pantheon (I think) and several others. The water’s safe to drink and quite good as well, believe it or not.
Now - our visit to Italy was driven by the same motivator - my youngest spent a year studying in Florence. More than Rome even, our time in Florence was marked by long slow dinners. Prepare for it. It’s almost impossible to rush through a meal and you’ll be much happier if you plan to sit, discuss all the things you saw that day and plan for the next day while enjoying the slower pace of service and the amazing food.
The market in Florence is worth a wander through - plan for lunch there, there is so much food that you will be dying to try.
Your son might be interested in a Florence tour that specifically tracks the Medici family and their impact on the city. The climb up the duomo is well worth it for the view but the stairs are uneven, narrow and get crowded so definitely plan that for first thing in the morning. You can buy tickets for that online too to save line time.
Please note that as a traveller in Italy it is a requirement that you consume at least one serving of gelato each day. Look for the stuff that has muted colours it’s much tastier than the neon fake flavoured stuff.
It appears the Spanish Steps are closed for renovation. Check the linked webcam–it looks as though they are almost finished. Just nobody using them…
The site says the Trevi fountain had been closed but is back in business. All that old shit–patch, patch, patch!
To the OP: Have fun. Start saving for your next trip when you get back. It looks like there’s a lot more to see in Italy. But it’s been there a long time & will still be there later!
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No… it was originally the Stadium of Domitian, and dated from the mid-1st century AD, and was called the “Circus Agonalis”, meaning the “Competition Arena”. It was used for athletic contests and chariot races, etc… Historians think that over time somehow the term “agones” or “agone” meaning games or competitions morphed into “navone” as Latin turned into Italian.
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But it was deliberately flooded during weekends in August from the seventeenth century until the nineteenth century.
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Pisa is fine, you are going whatever folk say so enjoy. The whole complex of the Cathedral, Baptistry, Campanile (Leaning Tower) and Camposanto is greater than the sum of it’s parts.
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I agree. Pisa is a great place to visit, just so long as you’re the sort of tourist who would find it interesting even if it didn’t have a badly-built bell-tower. Frankly, anyone who visits it only to see the Tower deserves to be disappointed.
When we were there last summer Trevi was indeed closed up but they had a small platform an a piece of the fountain with water running so you throw your coins in the fountain. 
I had heard about the Spanish Steps being next in line for repairs but it was supposed to be ready by now. I guess (surprise, surprise) that construction is running late and they’re still closed. Which is a real bummer since we loved just hanging around on the steps after a long day on foot.
There’s a gelateria a block or two south of the Duomo in Florence named “GROM” that’s pretty solid.
Thanks all for the advice so far, the part about the trains not running on time is really going to be invaluable in regards to my wife’s sanity… she is a bit specific about things, so having her prepped for this will be good.
We will definitely be hitting the Piazza Navona, I think the same day as we do the Pantheon, which we are all eager to see. I would love to be there on a rainy day, but the forecast calls for hot and dry while we are there. And daily gelato is a given, but I do appreciate the advice regarding where to go, and how to avoid getting overcharged for it.
One question about Florence… has anyone used the Firenze card while there? Since we are going to hit the Uffizi, Accademia, Pitti Palace/ Boboli Gardens, and the Galileo museum, we figured that this may be the best way to go, because you can avoid the lines that way, and the cost about evens out.
OP, I can’t tell your dates of travel from your posts. It doesn’t look like you’re there right now; I thought of this thread this morning after hearing the bad news from Italy.
Thanks for the concern teela, we have a few more days before we depart.