I just got back from a fabulous vacation in Rome and here is my take on what I heard before I left and when I saw when I got there.... <BR> <BR>1. You will never be ready for what Rome has to offer. When you arrive its like merging onto the freeway at 90 miles an hour in heavy traffic. Be ready, be prepared. Its a fast city. We took the train from the airport to Termini then got a taxi. It cheaper than a taxi from the airport! <BR> <BR>2. We never had trouble with gypsies or crime. Keep you money and valuables secure. Always be on your guard. <BR> <BR>3. Smoking is out of control. People smoke EVERYWHERE! In shops, restaurants, in the restaurant kitchen, on trains, in the hotel, airport and anywhere else they can. Forget about and enjoy you vacation. <BR> <BR>4. Forget about all the horror stories about scaffolding. Yes the entire facade of St Peters is covered, but the real treat is when you go inside.... The colosseum only has a small portion covered. Most of the bldg is visible. Its an old city they need to fix it! <BR> <BR>5. I really didn't noticed that many shops closed down from 1-4. By what the guidebooks tell you you would think that the entire city was closed for lunch! <BR> <BR>6. Eat during the prescribed times for lunch or dinner otherwise you may go hungry! Italians dine very late for dinner, usually after 8.00 pm! <BR> <BR>7. Whats all the whoop whoop about the Sistine Chapel? I think it was my biggests disappointment after the Forum. The Sistine Chapel was nice but you are hurded like cattle to get to it and have to walk miles through the Vatican museum, Gifts Shops and hallways to get into it. When you arrive it is packed full of people and is not a very personal space. St Peters was far more interseting and beautiful. Take the walk to the top of the dome for an amazing view of Rome! Dont eat around the Vatican, the food is awful and expensive! <BR> <BR>8. What is all the whoop whoop about the Forum? It was a dusty dirty area full of tourists, souvenir vendors and cats. See it then go shopping! <BR> <BR>9. The Trevi Fountain is a beautiful sight. Hold tight to you wallet. There are thousand of people around here to see it! Once again I don't think the best restaurants are in this area. <BR> <BR>10. If you arrive at the Tremini, get away from it as quickly as possible, Its a seedy area. Only take a taxi from the official taxi stand. Tell others offering you a ride "NO GRAZI!" Don't stay in a hotel in this area either. <BR> <BR>11. Whats with all the chinese street vendors that come in restaurant and try to sell you stuff? It annoying. Usually two or three will approach you while you are eating with roses and all sorts of nasty chinese junque. Reply to them with a firm "NO, GRAZI!!" or they will not go away. <BR> <BR>12. By all means eat eat eat. Every restaurant is a treat, every mouthful is heaven!! Dont expect to find any other type of restaurant other than italian or chinese. Who eats chinese in Italy anyway?? This is not a plce to eat on a diet. Italians do not know the meaning of LOW FAT. Funny but you will rarely see a fat Italian in Rome! I use the 'Cheap Eats in Italy' book and it had a lot of great suggestions. See my forum reply called 'Just back from Rome, Venice and Amsterdam, any questions? ' for my restaurant suggestions! <BR> <BR>13. I used the Cheap Sleeps in Italy ' book to find a hotel and stayed at the Hotel Due Torri. We loved it. The location of this hotel is in old Rome near the Piazza Navona and is perfectly centrally located for all sights. We never took public transportation and walked everywhere. This is not the Hilton! The hotel is old and the rooms are furnished with worn antiques but it is clean and most if all QUIET!! Best off all the bathrooms are totally modern with good showers and facilities. I think the A/C works bad but it wasnt hot while we were there. The staff is very friendly and informal. The prices are good too. There is a pic at&gt;&gt;&gt; <BR> <BR>www.hotelbook.com/static/welcome_14282.html#top <BR> <BR>Also, if the book says the Hotel is noisy, take their advise. Rome streets are noisy day and night. They are very narrow and sound echoes up every inch of them. <BR> <BR>14. Don't worry about the war, we saw no signs of resentment. <BR> <BR>15. ATM are perfect for getting Lire. Just make sure you have a 4 digit pin card. We never had a problem. There are ATM's in the airport. <BR> <BR>16. Be careful when crossing the street. This is not California and the pedestrian has no rights. Cars will not stop for you while you are in a crosswalk! The scooters and vespas are even worse! When traffic is heavy they will even get up on the sidewalk and cut through the foot traffic! This added with the fact that the streets are narrow marges pedestrian with vehicle in a way that you never imagined! Its sounds scary, but its fun. <BR> <BR>17. Gelato and Pastry. Eat as much of this as you can, if you don't you will be sorry when you get home. <BR> <BR>18. Espresso, drink as much of this as you can it will give you extra energy and get you through the day. Espresso is like nectar here. The Italians take a shot with a teaspoon of sugar, shoot it, have a glass of water and go on their way. If that is too strong try a macchiato which is espresso with a bit of foamy milk. If thats still too stong, get a Cappucino, but not after noon! Cappicinio is a breakfast drink!! If you are still squimish, get an Americano. If you stand at the bar and drink your espresso the cost is around $1.50. If you sit it can be as much as $4.00. <BR> <BR>19. Don't worry about using a rest room in a cafe even if you didn't make a purchase. By law they must let you use it and give you a free drink of tap water if you need it. <BR> <BR>20. House wine can be real cheap but can also be horrid. Look around and see if others are drinking it. A bottle of wine is not expensive compared to what American restaurants charge. <BR> <BR>21. We love Italian MTV! <BR> <BR>22. Try Montenegro Amaro after dinner. Its a yummy herbal after dinner digestive. You will be hooked. <BR> <BR>23. We walked everywhere and never got on a bus, taxi or train. Of course all we had left were booldy stumps, but we saw all the sights! <BR> <BR>24. Go to the Trasteve for dinner to see the real Italians. <BR> <BR>25.When speaking Italian, saw the word phonetically as it is spelled. If there is a vowel at the end of the word, say it. Say everything with passion and hand motions so they know what you are talking about! These are passionate people!! <BR> <BR>Well thats all I can think of can anyone else add to the l

That was great. Thanks. <BR>

Hi - I agree with almost everything you said... except about the Roman Forum. I LOVED the Roman Forum, and was not disappointed at all. I guess its each to their own, and I love the thought of wandering around ruins that were 2000 years old. On the contrary, I didn't really think too much of the Vatican. The bus system in Rome is quite efficient, but the tube is rather dirty/unpleasant. Again, we had absolutely no problems with gypsies, pickpockets, etc here (Barcelona was much much worse). I think common sense pervails here. The scaffolding is a bit disappointing, but is not that bad. Rome must be one of the most amazing cities. <BR>

Maybe I was tired the day i went to the Forum, or maybe I just wanted to go shopping..... You are right, it is amazing to wander a round 2000 year old ruins!

Oh I forgot one thing... <BR> <BR>Avoid the bus from the Termini to the Vatican..... Not only is it a cattle car, it is the most likely place to get pickpocketed!

Richard, just reading your post makes me want to pack-up and go. So glad you had a great time. I might add the only time I have been to Rome when it was NOT crowded was in January...but it was really cold. Also, the Sistine Chapel is more accessible if you bring a small mirror with you and look at the ceiling via the mirror. You can concentrate and avoid neck strain, too. Also, shopping and eating are two of the great joys of Italy...what style.

<BR>Richard - enjoyed your reading your thoughts on Rome and I do agree with many of them. I love the frenetic hustle & bustle of Roma. And yes, when crossing the streets, you are most definitely NOT IN CALIFORNIA! I grew up in the Northeast, so jay-walking is not foreign to me, but being a pedestrian in Rome is a daring & sometimes frightening experience. On my second visit (last month), I boldly strode across with nary a glance at the traffic or the other tourists cowering on the corner. NO FEAR - they will drive around you (now, you shouldn't cross directly in front of a car or vespa), but they are used to driving around folks rather than coming to a stop for any bi-ped traffic. <BR>Without a doubt, my favorite site in Rome is St. Peter's - Because I was here in Oct. '97, I've seen the facade sans scaffolding. Yes, it's a magnificient sight as you pass thru the columns and there you are in St. Peter's Square with all those statutes gazing down upon you. Then, the truly majestic moment occurs upon entering the Basilica and your head snaps up to take in the high ceilings and this amazing architectural marvel to behold. During my 1st visit, I made the climb up the 300 something steps for a grand panoramic view of the city. On this recent occassion, I just took the lift up to the cupola level and was content with the semi-bird's eye view (at this level, you're on the same floor as the statutes ringing the square - can't get very close, again a scaffolding issue) And you can also, walk inside of the dome - don't worry, the catwalk is protected by a 5 1/2 foot tall fence, so no one takes a header down to the floor far below. [FYI for photographers, I've taken several very interesting "blind" shots of the dome's interior by holding the camera at arms length above the fence & pointed in the general direction of the floor and or other areas of the dome. You don't know what you have until the pics get developed! <BR>I do love Italian cuisine, but I also do find the occasional foray into a Chinese restaurant to be a nice change of pace and view it as a pleasant "familiarity" (I view eating Chinese in other countries, somewhat as my personal McDonalds - usually I can read the menu, know exactly what I'm ordering, can rely upon the quality of the food & it's often very economically priced). <BR> <BR>

Very nice post, Richard! I agree with you, say, about 90% <BR>Since you haven't used any form of transportation, I'm just curious to know which of the following you didn't visit (reputed to be major sights by just about all guides)? <BR>-San Giovanni in Laterano <BR>-San Paolo Fuori le Mura <BR>-any Catacomb on Via Appia Antica <BR>-Terme di Caracalla <BR>-Museo Borghese <BR>-Museo Nazionale di Villa Giulia <BR> <BR>Paulo <BR> <BR>

Richard, you deserve Fodor's best writing award. We'll be in Rome in October, and I hope we have as much fun as you did. Thanks for the notes, Joe

Richard--Kudos! Not only were you very informative, but also you have given 'first time travelers' like myself the ability to sort through the hype. The knowledge that I can walk off my plane and take the train to Rome without difficulty is priceless since I will be navigating on my own--also your advice concerning food, gypsies and siteseeing is great and will alow me to make the most of my two day stay--thanks

Yes Cheryl, you can get off the plane and follow the sign to the train station easily. Just watch for the signs to the train and look for the little office selling tickets to the Termini Station. You can try to use the automatic machine but I think going to the ticket room is easier, especially if you don't read Italian! The track departures are clearly marked. When you get to the Termini Station look foir the Taxi signs and head directly for the Taxi stand outside. Only get in an official car marked "TAXI" and take no offers from any of the guy trying to sell you a ride. If the driver doesnt turn the meter on ask him how much it will cost to your hotel and make sure you know about how much that is (maybe no more than $20). This is still cheaper than taking a taxi from the airport which can be a fortune and lessen the amount of money that you can spend for food! <BR> <BR>If you have to pause in the station, do it with your back against a wall. I always find that to be safer. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>Its really not bad in the staion, its jsut no damn good!

My typing is jsut (just) no damn good either! why doesnt this thing have spell check??

Has anyone ever tried Cynar? Its an artichoke flovoured aperitif from Italy...

I am leaving in 2 hours for Europe and will arrive in Rome June 1. Thanks for the wonderful info you posted. I have been there a couple of times before but still found it helpful. Especially for my grand daughter who will be there for the first time.

Richard--thanks again for the train info--I am working on my italian but I will go to the ticket office just the same--the thing I'm really concentrating on now is packing light since I will have to carry and manuever like I belong --I'm certain my years of walking in Manhattan will come in handy-you know--fast walk--looking all the while like I know where I'm going, but inside saying where am I?! My biggest concern is when I am bogged down with luggage--I think it is easier to be distracted and therefore a target--maybe I'll practice at Penn station a couple of times before my trip--anyhow--thanks again--September seems like a long time away but I know it will be here before I know it--also don't worry about the typing--we all will muddle through the mispelling to listen to your sound advice-ciao!

Cheryl-- <BR> <BR>I am sure you can take care of yourself if you live in Manhattan, its really no different, just faster. Where are you staying in Rome? You could always ask you hotel if they can arrange transportation. Some hotels have a service. Pack your stuff in one of those suitcases with wheels, you willbe glad you did. The you just pick up and go. <BR> <BR>I was in europe for two weeks and we walked all day from 10am-11pm with a break for lunch, dinner and a nap.I ate whatever fell in front of me, the fattier the better, and I lost 7 lbs! Must have been all the walking! <BR> <BR>

Richard--I live just across the rive in NJ, but I'm in the city often--I am considering getting a bag that meets carry-on requirements with wheels of course--I have one with wheels but the width doesn't meet the new carry-on rules--I figure I can save time waiting for my bag and just roll on out of there-another reason for packing light--either that or I'll have to learn italian and start weightlifting I am staying at the Hotel Locarno in Piazza de Popolo--they are kinda small but I will check to see if they have a service--I'm looking forward to the food too!

Richard-- <BR> <BR>Thanks for the great post! I just returned from two weeks in Cologne and London on business, have 4 days in the States to do laundry and repack and am off to Hamburg and Rome, also on business on Monday. I've not been to Italy before, so your tips were very helpful! I always try to do at least a bit of sightseeing-and I'll actually have all of the weekend to enjoy Rome. <BR> <BR>

Cheryl-- Be careful that the size of you luggage meets the new carry on rules, especially if you ar flying on united. They now have new slots at the security checkpoint which will not allow oversized luggage to pass thru. If it doesnt fit, they make you check it!! By the way if you plan to do laundry in Rome, forget it there isnt a laundromat to be found. But I also found that hotel charge a lot less to do laundry than those here in the US.

Richard--I'm going to try to carry as much 'drip and dry' as possible--wrinkle free stuff too--I've checked out a few different suitcases--the 21" or below seem are advertised to meet carry-on standards--thanks again