dorabora

Hello all

We're spending a few days in Rome in a couple of weeks, and while I had managed to lay out a sightseeing plan that was satisfactory, your (wonderful) tips and reports, here in this forum, have made me want to include even more locations, resulting in a rather frantic criss-crossing of the city.

So, here is the original plan in brief:
Day 1 -- Gallery Borghese, Villa Borghese, Santa Maria del Popolo, Spanish Steps, Fontana di Trevi
Day 2 -- Vatican, St. Peter's, Pantheon, Four Rivers Fountain
Day 3 -- San Clemente Basilica, Colosseo, Roman Forum
Day 4 -- Day trip to Pompeii
Day 5 -- Appian Way, Catacombs (departing early afternoon)

This is our first visit to Rome and while we wouldn't want to miss the well-known sites, we'd still like to relax a bit.

Do you think we could cram anything else in, or exchange a site for another one?

We're staying near the Termini station.

Many thanks in advance for any feedback.
Dora

sjj

Assuming your hotel is OK, you made a great choice by staying near Termini and by grouping your destinations as you did. You can get to Piazza del Popolo and the Borghese stuff with one easy ride on the metro, and to the Vatican by another metro ride or by bus 64. Good planning!
If I may make some suggestions, think about seeing the Pantheon, the Capitoline Museums, the Ara Pacis, and some of the churches, particularly San Luigi dei Francesi and San Agostino for the decor and the Caravaggio paintings, and Sant' Ignazio for the ceiling. If it were me, I'd see these churches in preference to the Appian Way and the Catacombs. I also wonder if Pompei justifies the time spent in getting there. In any event, it looks like you know what you're doing. Have a nice trip.

Mimar

I'd skip the trip to Pompeii (it's a long day from Rome) and go to Ostia Antica instead.

I've never used the subway in Rome. We stay in the Piazza Navona/Campo dei Fiori/Pantheon area and walk to everything.

daveesl

The subways are great in Rome. I might also second the suggestion of skipping Pompei and going to Ostia instead (1/2 day), leaving another 1/2 day for major stuff like the Pantheon.

dave

Margaretlb

Dora, last October I spent 5 nights in Rome and 3 in Florence with my sister. Neither of us had been to Rome and my itinerary was jam packed. We managed to do more than you could imagine and although the report looks daunting, suffice it to say we are two women over 50 and not in the best physical shape and we did it all without dropping dead in our tracks. I did post the report on Fodors but it's kind of difficult to follow in the Fodors format. Here's a link to my report in Slow Travel which is easier to read and can be printed if you like.

http://www.slowtrav.com/tr/tripreport.asp?tripid=1158

We saw and did an awful lot yet I feel we did do justice to the sites we visited. My itinerary is very organized so there really is no backtracking and it's very efficient. We did not go to Pompeii or Catacombs as there is just sooooo much to see in Rome proper. I also missed the Trevi Fountain but we were in the vacinity a few times and just never walked in that direction but you could if seeing the fountain is impotant to you. I did book a few walking tours and there are links to the tour companies as part of the trip report and also a list of several really interesting books that you could read in preparation.

dorabora

Thank you all

I have to admit, the trip to Pompeii (nice as it may have sounded in the beginning) is starting to lose its appeal. It's certainly manageable by my estimate, but it is essentially one whole day away from Rome.

sjj,
I think we might follow your suggestion about visiting those churches, as we're suckers for those And I guess we could skip the Catacombs, especially if we hear back from the Vatican regarding our Scavi Tour.
But I do want to get to Appian Way if even for a short while. For some reason I'm attracted to that location.

Mimar,
A hotel near the Tiber would've been better no doubt, but due to budget and transfer reasons, we decided on one close to the station.


Thank you for the Ostia suggestion. Will look into it.

Margaretlb

Dora, further to my previous post, we managed to see 14 of the great churches in Rome and also were blessed to be able to take the Scavi Tour. We also stayed near Termini and found it to be a great location.

dorabora

Thank you, Margaret. Much appreciated.
We are also two women -- not too active either, but I guess we can handle quite a bit of walking, especially if it's being done around the Coliseum!

So far, I've printed out maps, purchased guide books, downloaded audio-guides... and I feel well-prepared to tackle any of the sites.
But is there a location where a guided tour would be considered almost necessary?
(It was my decision to go on this vacation without a group, so I'd feel somewhat responsible if we were to miss out on any fascinating details that would've been provided by our tour guides.)

KTtravel

I have been to the Coliseum several times but did feel I got more out of my visit the last time when we took the tour offered by the Coliseum by its official guides (not the ones standing outside.)

I haven't taken any other guided tours in Rome except for the Scavi Tour and still felt I was able to get a great deal out of the sites we visited by consulting our guidebooks.

I hope you are able to get the Scavi Tour. Have a great trip!

lucielou

Hi Dorabora

I know its a personal choice, but I personally wouldnt miss out on a visit to Pompeii , I thought it was fascinating, I have to be honest and say, I thought the Spanish steps and The Trevi Fountain were nothing special, but Pompeii was really interesting!

dawnnoelm

greetings... returned from Rome just yesterday - yet to do a trip report - I will say your plan looks a little packed to me? Transportation, crowding et took time... we did St. Peters/Vatican one day - and between getting there, getting back et - it took a good 4 plus hours -

We went to one Catacomb and that was enough and it did not take all day - a few hours -

I will do a full trip report in a few day - but we were there for a half day on Monday, Tuesday, Wed, Thursday and left early on Friday morning (btw, if you are flying out of Rome... do give yourself a good 3 hours).
have a great visit Dora - oh one more thing - I HIGHLY recommend Context Travel for tours - we used Presto and Context and context was amazing in both Florence and in Rome. We have Patricia for the Ancient City tour - she was the best guide by far. Truly delightful. If you do not do a guide, I feel like unless you are a historian you will be missing a lot of wonderful information.
have a great trip,
Dawn

dorabora

Thanks, Dawn.
We are indeed flying out of Rome, so do you mean we should leave Rome 3 hours prior to flight's departure?
Also, can you tell me briefly what was included in the Ancient City Tour and how long it lasted approximately?

KTravel,
by the "ones standing outside"... do you mean the students who offer tours for a lower fee?


lucielou,
Thanks. I am definitely considering it. Will have to start my plan from scratch to see if I could still fit Pompeii in.

Margaretlb

I agree with Dawn regarding Context Rome. I did three of their tours. Classical Rome (also with Patricia, who was great); Roma Antica (with Adam-wonderful!); the Carravaggio Seminar ( guide was a Prof. at Temple Univ. and a curator for the NY Metropolitan). I believe the Roma Antica Tour was vital. We spent four hours on Palatine Hill,Forum and Coliseum and without the tour alot of it would have been just so many stones. Classical Rome was also interesting but a good guidebook and planning could accolmplish these sites on your own. The Pilgrim's Tour given by Anno Domini Organization was a remarkable three hours. Beginning at The Lateran Place and San Giovanni's, the Santa Scala and on to San Clementi. A wonderful tour and less expensive than other's at this high level of scholarship (this guide was also a Phd. of Ancient Roman Topography). If you're considering tours, I do humbly recommend you follow my link above to my trip report. I give full descriptions/impressions of the tours.

Margaretlb

Geez, I'd forgotten to mention a fourth Contex tour. The Vatican and St. Peters. Interesting but I believe this one we could have skipped. I was well prepared in reading about the Museums and Basilica beforehand so proabaly would have been the better guide for Sis and I. But, art study is my hobby. If you're not "into" art, a tour might prove helpful. Also, access to the Museums is alot easier on a tour since the Vatican changed it's entry times this year.

dorabora

Margaret,
thanks again.
I'm already reading your trip report. It is very helpful and since I'm looking up all the sites you mention, it'll take a while for me to read it all
Btw, a good meal is important to us, too, but with me being vegetarian, it's getting a bit tricky to find just the right place.

I'm looking into the Context tours at the moment, and although they are a bit pricey for us, I think I might take your advice on the Roma Antica Tour. And since both of you recommended Patricia, do you remember what kind of accent she had? English is not our native language and we find it easier to understand an American accent (rather that a proper English one).


Also, one more question:
Since we're going to be in Rome on August 5th, when the "Miracle of Snow" takes place in Santa Maria Maggiore, I thought it'd be nice to combine our visit to the church with this celebration. Does anyone know when during that day this happens? I think it takes place twice on that day, but I'm clueless about mass times.

dawnnoelm

Margret - so happy to hear you enjoyed Patricia as well. Interesting I would have passed on a tour guide through the Vatacian and St. Peters as well...but it could have been our guide - not sure yet - still processing through the entire trip.

Regarding the time out of Rome Dora - yes - we left at 7:30 am from the Spanish Steps area (btw, I should have stayed in Campo Di fori <sp> like everyone here suggested LOL. Anyway - we left yesterday at 7:30 am - there was no traffic at that hour in Rome (which I found interesting) but it still took a while to get to the airport and then every bit of time to go through all the different processes at the airport.

One more thing (I am sure you know this) but you have your reservations for the Gallery Borghese right? Oh - we rented bikes in the park and it was lovely... a really nice "break" from the crowds of the streets of Rome.

Also - even if you do not end up with a tour of Colosseo, Forum (again I really suggest you do) buy your tickets over by the Palentine hill entrance. Bring water - and know that the bathrooms are few and far between.

dawnnoelm

Dora - sorry - I am still very tired - look up Context Travels
http://rome.contexttravel.com/main/p...d_products=yes

That will tell you more then I can remember now

I really loved Rome. I hate cities but love the history and the art. I am planning on taking a course in Art history now... I loved Florence the most though... what a magical place.

dawnnoelm

Dora - Patricia was born in Oakland California but only lived here for 5 months - she has a lovely accent - English is not her native language though. I know it is pricey - our Vactacian one was as well - and I felt like I could have done without it.

Patricia is full of knowelge and a love of Rome with a very gentle but strong demenor - she led our tour very well - pausing at the right times et.

She is an archiologist and very delightful. Megan who emailed with me was wonderful as well (to set up the tour)

dorabora

Thank you, dawn.

I have allowed about 3 hours from hotel to departure time, and since we're planning on taking the express train, the trip will only be 30 minutes.

About the Borghese Gallery... yes, I do plan on reserving. As of a couple of days ago, their reservation system would only go as far as the end of July, so I'll have to check again in a few days.

I've heard of the "tip" to get the dual-ticket for Pallatine/Coliseum at the Pallatine, but what I'd like to ask is, after we get the tickets do we have to go back and enter from the Coliseum?

Thanks for the link and for more info about Patricia.

dawnnoelm

Dora - you can enter at the Pallentine. No problems. We went early tour started at 8:45 am and although that was early for my family on this trip - we were thrilled to be early. We did walk over the Colosseo as that is where Patricia started the tour.
When we left it was VERY crowded at the Colleso - so I am glad we started there - the Pallentine is open and large and not as crowded feeling.