Apres_Londee

I'm trying to put together my itinerary for Rome. I've been reading the boards like crazy and have found lots of excellent information, but I'm still feeling a little overwhelmed!

For background, this is a first time visit. I'll be in Rome for one week in late December this year. My sister will be joining me for the first half of the week; for the second half I'm on my own.

We'll be staying in a Realrome apartment on Via della Reginella in the Ghetto. Daily budget for food and incidentals is fairly low but flexible.

We both have an interest in history, particularly Ancient and early Christian Rome. We love museums. For the most part, I'm not a huge fan of Baroque religious art.

I should add that I'll be spending a week in England prior to Rome, so jet lag shouldn't be an issue (my sister lives in England so no problem there either)

I'm trying to "clump" things in a way that makes sense geographically but also time-wise. I'd like to allow for a generous amount of time at each site, but I'm unsure about the amount of time it wil take to get from place to place, either walking or by public transportation.

I'd really appreciate any input and advice you Rome experts may have to offer, especially any comments on timing and distance. Budget food recommendations are always welcome!

Here's what I've got so far...

<b>Saturday, December 27th:</b>

Arrive Ciampino Airport at 4:10 pm
Taxi to apartment
Complesso del Vittoriano- Picasso exhibit (closes 11:30pm) ~ <i>maybe</i>

<b>Sunday Dec, 28th:</b>

Pantheon (9am)
Museo del Corso- From Rembrandt to Vermeer exhibit(opens 10am)
Stop by Largo di Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary (open 12noon- 6pm)
~Lunch~
Roman Forum, Palatine Hill (open to 4:30pm)
Capitoline Museums (open to 8 pm)~ <i>maybe</i>

<b>Monday, Dec. 29th:</b>

Coliseum (8:30 am)
San Clemente (9am- 12:30pm)
~Lunch~
Vatican Museums (2pm-6pm)

<b>Tuesday, Dec. 30th:</b>

Santa Prassede (7:30am-12pm)
Museo National Romano- Palazzo Massimo &amp; Baths of Diocletian (opens 9am)
~Lunch~
Scavi Tour 3:30pm – 5pm

<b>Wednesday, Dec 31st:</b>

Santa Maria del Popolo (7:30am- 12pm)
Borghese Gallery (need to reserve slot- 11am?)
~Lunch~
Complesso del Vittoriano- Picasso exhibit (closes 7:30 pm)~ <i>if we didn't go on Saturday night</i>

<b>Thursday, Jan. 1st:</b>

New Year's Day- I still need to plan this day, i.e. which churches to see, maybe plan a self-guided walk

<b>Friday, Jan. 2nd:</b>

Still trying to decide whether I should leave this as a free day, or make actual plans (I'm interested in the Testaccio neighbourhood, and at the other end of town, St Agnes outside the walls &amp; catacombs, St Constanza, or Catacombs of Priscilla)

yk

OMG, Apres_Londee. Your itin looks like one that I would come up with (complete with opening and closing times).

I have nothing to add really. My last trip to Rome was 5 years ago, before I started on Fodors and writing trip reports.

You may want to check out the numerous Caravaggios scattered in churches all over Rome.

Can I join you there?

kybourbon

You should combine the forum and Palantine Hill with the Coloseum as they are together. Normally I suggest buying the Roma Pass (20&euro first thing which gets you free admission to two sites/museums (after that you get 50% off most other sites/museums)and 3 days of free transportation, but it has to be used on consecutive days. With your current itinerary, the pass would be a bit of a waste on Monday, if you started using it on Saturday. You still can probably get good value with the pass if you plan your days a bit differently. For example, if you used it one day for Coloseum/Forum/Palantine (that's 1 entrance regularly 11&euro and then next for the Borghese (regularly 13&euro then the pass more than pays for itself. To use it for free entrance to the Borghese, you must call for a reservation (you can't do it on the website booking although I think someone posted an e-mail that could be used). It might work for you to buy two passes, use one the first three days and then start the second.
http://www.romapass.it/?l=en

I would also schedule the Vatican Museum the morning of your Scavi tour so you don't have to go to the Vatican two days in a row. The Vatican is not part of the Roma Pass.

I really liked having the transportation card that was part of the Roma Pass because I could just hop a bus/tram/metro without worrying about buying tickets.

Apres_Londee

It's your organized trip itineraries that inspired me, yk!

I'm slowly learning as I go along...my first two trips to Europe (Paris many years ago and a 3 week multi-country in April 2007) I made really detailed, trip nazi-ish itineraries, was quite anal about sticking to them, and got frustrated when my plans got foiled (as they inevitably would be)

For Paris and London this year (my first solo trips) I had lists of things I wanted to see but was a lot more relaxed about things. It worked okay for Paris, but in London I got way too lazy.

So, I'm trying to swing back to other end of the spectrum, not too extreme but I want to have a more organized and structured approach to this trip.

It'd be great if you could come along! Not only would that be super fun, but I bet you could whip me into shape and keep me on track with my itinerary, too

The one Carravagio I really want to see is the Crucifixion of St Peter. I'm obsessed with the hands and feet in that painting.

It'll be interesting to see the Conversion of St Paul, too- some major Freudian/Equus stuff going on there. I should do some reading up on it.

bachslunch

Looking at your itinerary, there are some things I didn't see that might be good to consider adding:

-St. Peter's Basilica
-Etruscan Museum
-Spanish Steps
-Trevi Fountain
-some of the major pilgrimage churches (San Giovanni in Laterano, Santa Maria Maggiore, St. Peter in Chains)

The first two would take up some time, the rest would be fairly brief and easy to fit in around your current schedule.

I wasn't taken with the Castel Sant'Angelo, but some folks think it's also a must-see.

If you want to add in a day trip, there's always Ostia Antica or Tivoli (see Hadrian's Villa and the Villa d'Este at the latter). Both are excellent.

adrienne

Is it only Baroque religious art or Baroque art that you aren't crazy about. It it's only the religious art can you overlook the religious part? It would be a shame to miss Bernini's ecstacies. I think the one in Trastevere (San Francisco a Ripa church) is even better than St Teresa. There are two other churches in Trastevere that are noteworthy: Santa Maria and Santa Cecilia.

Santa Maria Maggiore is near Santa Pressede and it's magnificent. In the same area is Santa Prudenziana. Very near the Pantheon is Santa Maria Sopra Minerva.

Palazzo Massimo, near Termini, was great - sculpture, mosaics, frescoes, beginning from the 5th century BC.

Apres_Londee

Thanks kybourbon. I had actually orginally thought of doing the Vatican all in one day. I wasn't sure about it, though, because of what I've read about the lines to get in.

I was hoping to get a morning Scavi tour, but just my luck we got put into a late afternoon timeslot.

If we went to the Vatican Museums on Tuesday morning, what time should we arrive? I think the museums open at 8:30am. Would 7:30am be early enough to avoid too long a wait in line?

I'm also wondering how much time should we budget for a look in St Peter's. Our interest would be in the art, history, and &quot;novelty&quot; of it, rather than any personal/religious significance.

I need to do a more detailed plan for the Vatican including the museums, but first I guess I should put the skeleton of this trip put together.

Apres_Londee

I've got Santa Maria Maggiore on the list, if there's time to fit it in with Santa Prassede (which is down as a must see for the mosiacs)

I'm making note of all church recommendations that can easily fit it around our basic plan. Part of what's so overwhelming is the sheer volume of things to see- and the more I read my Blue Guide, the more I want to see. It's been really, really hard to pare things down!

My plan is to make a bare bone skeleton of an itinerary of our minimum must-sees, and then flesh it out with other things that we'll pass along the way, like churches, the Trevi Fountain, and the Campo de Fiori.

I would love to go to Ostia Antica, but with only one week I don't think I have any time to spare outside of the city.

kybourbon

Oh my! I've just discovered that the Vatican now has tickets for sell on their website. This is great, but the session times out fast. I think it also states you must purchase within 5 days of use.
http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/...=26&amp;step=2

Apres_Londee

It's not really the religious aspect of Baroque art that I don't like, it's all the eye-rolling and finger-pointing and collapsing and sighing.

I hate to admit it, but I'm sort of ambivalent about Bernini's ecstasies. I wouldn't turn my nose up at them if I happened to be close by, but I'm not sure if I want to take time away from other things in order to see them.

If only I had a month!

Apres_Londee

Good find on the vatican tickets.

&gt;&gt;&gt;The cost of the admission ticket is 14,00 Euro + a reservation fee of 4,00 Euro.
The ticket gives you the right to visit the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel for the only day of emission&lt;&lt;&lt;

(emission-LOL)

&gt;&gt;&gt;The tickets may be reserved (with a maximum of 10) from 60 days before the date of the visit and they are not refundable.

The ticket also allows you to visit, within 5 days (including the day of purchase), the Historical Museum and the Noble Apartment of the Lateran Apostolic Palace according to the respective opening hours&lt;&lt;&lt;

Looks like some days in December are already &quot;sold out&quot; and there's no morning time slots available on the day I want. Poo.

SusanP

I've spent a lot of time in Rome, so I'll read this more carefully tomorrow, but given your love of mosaics and early Christian Rome, you really need to go to S. Pudenziana on Via Urbana. It’s just west of Santa Maria Maggiore and has the oldest Christian mosaics that survive from a place of worship, dated around 400. It would make a nice comparison to S. Prassede (Pudenziana's sister). For more details, skip to the Rome portion of my trip report:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35146132

kybourbon

That doesn't mean you can't go that day. Maybe they are only selling a certain number of tickets online. You could always book their guided tour (looks like they only have 10:30 tours in winter).
http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-In...zi_Visite.html

letsgo39

See the Forum,Palatine Hill and the Colliseum on the same day as they are located near each other.

kybourbon

You can visit St. Peter's after the Scavi tour. As you get back to the area by the Swiss Guards, just go up the steps and in St. Peter's. Don't exit where you showed your Scavi reservation to the Vatican employees because once you exit, they will not let you back in. They are very strict about it as people try to get in on that side all the time. They will make you walk around to the far side and go through security.

Apres_Londee

I should mention that my sister will be with me on Sat night, and Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. She goes home Wednesday, and I'm on my own Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Then I leave on Saturday morning.

The things I've got for Sun-Mon-Tues are the things she'd really like to see, so I'd like to keep them to those 3 days even if we end up switching them around.

We might drop the idea of the Picasso exhibit on Sat night, though, and instead plan to simply walk around (Trevi Fountain at night?)

Would this make more sense for the first half of the week? Is Sunday too crammed/awkward?

<b>Sunday:</b>

Santa Prassede (opens 7:30am)

Museo National Romano (opens 9am)- allow for 3-4 hr visit?

Pantheon (get a bus from the Museo National Romano?)

Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary (open 12noon- 6pm)

~home to apartment in Ghetto to rest/freshen up~

Museo del Corso- From Rembrandt to Vermeer exhibit(open 10am-8pm)

<b>Monday:</b>

Forum, Palantine, Coliseum (8:30am-4:30pm)- is 4 hours a reasonable amount of time to spend?

San Clement (3-6pm)- would it be too dark to see everything properly?

<b>Tuesday:</b>

Vatican Museums (open 8:30am)
Scavi Tour 3:30pm-5pm
St Peter's (closes 6pm)

Leely2

<i>We might drop the idea of the Picasso exhibit on Sat night, though, and instead plan to simply walk around (Trevi Fountain at night?) </i>

I think you said this was a first visit. If so, if the weather is nice and the mood strikes you, Rome is beautifully lit at night, particularly ancient Rome. If you're staying in the ghetto, no problem walking all over town to see as much as your eyes can take in, stopping when necessary for wine/other libations. Especially if you are spending most of Tuesday at the Vatican. Your sister will need some poking-around time.

<i> Forum, Palantine, Coliseum (8:30am-4:30pm)- is 4 hours a reasonable amount of time to spend? </i>

Yes.

<i>San Clement (3-6pm)- would it be too dark to see everything properly? </i>

Don't know, never have been, would like to see what others say about this.

<i>Vatican Museums (open 8:30am)
Scavi Tour 3:30pm-5pm
St Peter's (closes 6pm) </i>

That'd be be too much Vatican for me in one day, but while you're there do climb the dome. If I were you I might go to St. Peter's first, then the museum and then your tour. You could eat in the cafeteria if necessary. Get out by 5 and still have time for some serendipity and la dolce vita.

Have a great trip!

risab

Your itinerary looks good because you are seeing things relative to their locations.

Remember that a very big part of staying in Rome is being outside, too - the Pantheon is beautiful and even more beautiful at night. Don't forget the Trevi Fountain at night and walking through neighbhorhood like Trastevere, Campo Fiori area, etc. If your staying in the Ghetto you can walk by the cat sanctuary easily anytime because it is basically right there. It is a great location.

Definitely leave your last day free to go to areas you may want to explore more and be flexible. I'd opt to go to the Borghese Gallery early then hit the park and Piazza del Popolo in the afternoon - and go to the Picasso show after dark. If you are not going to the Picasso show the same day then you may want to do the Borghese Gallery later in the day so you can enjoy the brightest part of the day outside.

PeaceOut

I agree with kybourbon-- plan for the Vatican, St. Peter's and the Scavi tour on the same day; see the Coliseum and the Forum on the same day.

Yyou've left off many of the classic spots, as bachslunch points out. Perhaps your unscheduled days can catch those places.

For instance, Michelangelo's Risen Christ sculpture is in a church, I think it's Santa Maria Minerva (??). It's by the Pantheon. Worth a visit, if you like sculpture.

Here are two mid-priced restaurants I can recommend:

&quot;Later, for dinner, we headed to a restaurant where my daughter had eaten earlier that semester. It’s very casual and good, called the Maccheroni Ristorante at Piazza delle Coppelle, 44, phone 06 68307895. It’s very popular with locals and gets very busy. The service is friendly and the atmosphere is lively and interesting. About 47 EUR for two, with one-half liter of house wine.&quot; (near the Pantheon)

&quot;We had reservations to meet my daughter’s friend for dinner at 9:00. He had studied in Rome that semester and recommended his favorite restaurant in the neighborhood where he’d lived (near the Vatican side of Rome), called Il Matriciano, on Via dei Gracchi, 49- 61. (Reservations advised—phone 063213040, or 063212327)

&quot;It’s perfect for a more special dinner, but certainly not over-the-top. For three people dining, we paid just 103 EUR, which included a liter of house wine. We shared two appetizers, and two of us had veal dishes, one had just spaghetti. We each enjoyed coffee and dessert. It is a very, very friendly and pleasant place. We completely enjoyed it. &quot;

Have fun!

SusanP

As far as San Clemente, do you mean is it too dark if it's dark outside? That would have no bearing on it. You're going down through several layers of history. There is no daylight down there, so what time you go is not an issue.

After S. Prassede, you're very close to S. Pudenziana. You would probably have time to go there. I wouldn't plan on 3-4 hours in a museum, but that's just me.