md, who doesn't - or wouldn't! (try to stay on the good side of a massagediva!)

Hi S,

One day we might visit Rome, instead of jus passing through, but I'm not sure when.

((I))

There are so many posts to this thread already, but I have to add my two cents! When DH and I were in Rome 4 years ago, we went almost as an obligation. We thought that there was so much history there and, since we were flying out from Rome back to the states, that we would 'do' Rome for 3 days and that's all there would be to it. DH had been there 20 or so years before and he hated it. To him, it was dirty, hot and a pain.

Before we went, I researched the city and made our itinerary, plus we made time to wander the streets. And I have to say that we both fell in love with Rome. We were there mid-May of 2002. The weather was a bit warm, but not oppressive. The city is beautiful. Yes, a bit dirty, but still beautiful. We actually found it quite magical. The difference for us, I think, is that I took the time to research what we wanted to see and therefore knew, to some degree, what we were seeing. We are going back to Italy in September for 4 weeks and plan on spending 4 1/2 days in Rome and I can't wait. I spend most of my time researching Rome and relatively little time researching Sicily and Umbria where we will also be visiting.

My advice is to research Rome and decide if what you find is appealing to you. Then wherever you decide to go, decide to have the opinion that you will be open to what you find. There may be current aspects of a location that are unappealing, but the longevity of a place and what it has meant to millions of people should count for a lot!

starrsville, you should definitely go where you want to go. That said, if you love NYC, I can't imagine that you wouldn't like Rome. I loved it, although I admit I enjoy cities as well as the countryside. I do admit that I probably wouldn't want to go in the very hot, humid weather, since I don't do well in that kind of heat. I was there at the end of Sept and then the end of March, so I missed that heat.

I will definitely be going back. There is just so much to see there... :-d

Starrsville cannot reply, as her screen name has been blocked---for no discernable reason.

If this is a game, Fodor's, the rules need to be explained to everyone BEFORE they are banned from playing. That is only fair!

ttt

Starrsville told JJ5 to shut up over on the US board thread about getting scolded by a houseguest. Perhaps there was a complaint?

well, I hope starrsville can come back and play!

My 2 cents:

I had visited Rome 4 times, with family when I was young and then with a girlfriend when in college. I liked it, but on a 5th trip to Italy a few years ago w/ then-husband, we didn't go. I felt I had seen it, and he was more interested in northern Italy.

One year ago, returned with friends. One had lived there and adored it. One had visited as a backpacking young woman and was neutral; she doesn't like big cities much anyway. Two had never been.

The results:
-The former "resident" was still insanely in love with Rome. She wandered around with a dreamy love-struck expression and started speaking Italian again.

-The "neutral" one had a great time and still regrets not riding off on that motorcycle with our adorable waiter for a night of dancing. She was hard to keep under control, that one!

-I loved it! Something just clicked for me on this trip. I felt so at home there. Went back again at the end of the trip for two more nights.

-The two "newbies" had mixed feelings. He found it fascinating but difficult. She found it completely overwhelming and exhausting and will probably never go back.

On the other hand, all 5 of us love Venice!

That's probably it--Starrsville discovered that the thread had been closed. However---that was hours ago, and those two have exchanged posts on another thread since.

Well, here's hoping that the mythic Fodor's Editor(s) will consider Starrsville's evening ban a full mote of punishment and restore her registration tomorrow. She is as valuable a member of this community as exists.

Hi Madison,

We haven't been to Rome yet either. Reading this thread makes me even more curious and more anxious to get there and experience it for myself! We're also hoping to visit Naples--have you read what I read about Naples?! I remain more anxious and curious than ever!

Twinkle twinkle little Starr how I wonder how you are! :-)

Starrsville,

Before my first trip to Italy 10 years ago, I had heard that Rome was just a crowded, dirty, polluted city with horrible traffic. So, I didn't care if we spent any of our limited time there at all! We were there just for 1 1/2 days at the end of our trip before flying home.

I LOVED, LOVED LOVED Rome! What a surprise! How amazing, so much of everything. The contrast between ancient and modern. I was absolutely blown away.


I couldn't wait to go back and finally did for 6 days on my last trip. Loved every minute of it.

Only you can decide - after you have actually been there!

Buon viaggio!

You say tomato..I say to-mah-to. I will first say that if you have never been to Rome and have the opportunity, you would be a fool not to go. Having said that, I did NOT love Rome. I wish I had been able to stay a few days longer to see a few more things. It is an amazing city, the history, the buildings. People in that city walk under aquaducts that are thousands of years old as an everyday occurance. I was just awestruck. But, I just did not love it and it's not on my short list to return, which is why I'm sorry I didn't have a bit longer there.

I liked Rome very much and hope to go back, but I got in love with Florence :)

Rome shouldn't be missed and the time spent there is worthwhile.
I was just as happy to leave. My only regret was the Villa Borghese was closed on the one day we had to view it.

I don't know whether I fell in love with Rome, but I did find it one of the most amazing places I have ever been. The layers of civilization stacked on top of each other and laid bare for all to see, the sheer quantity of things to see, the massive size of the ruins, the juxtaposition of the modern and the ancient, it takes my breath away. I would certainly go back, but "fall in love"? I don't have the visceral attachment many posters here have to Rome. But I would not have missed it for the world, and I hope I get to go again.

I fell in love with Paris the first time I visited as a teenager and my opinion has never altered in my subsequent 20+(?) visits. I feel comfortable there – its like a home away from home.

I am fascinated by Rome and will always return, but I recognize that it is a “difficult” city for some to love. Sometimes I love Rome, sometimes I just adore it, but I will never stop admiring or visiting it. I love history and therefore cannot ignore that it was the centre of Western civilization for so long.

Interestingly, a colleague asked for advice on her first visit to Europe, which included both Paris and Rome. I warned her that she might not love Rome at first, from everything that I have experienced and read, but to persevere and at least try to enjoy it. Turns out she HATED Paris and LOVED Rome.

Anyway Starsville, you should not feel guilty about skipping Rome. Like you, I prefer the countryside and small towns to the big cities. I think Rome should be seen at least twice in one’s life, but feel it is best appreciated as a trip on its own, rather than being shared with other Italian experiences.

I am planning a two week trip to Italy (Florence mostly - couple of days in Venice and CT) and have been "waffling" about Rome. I don't mind big cities, and crowds don't really bother me, and I feel like I have to make ONE trip to the Vatican (though I am not Catholic).

Having been in Italy last year and not getting to Rome, I feel somewhat guilty about not really wanting to go this time..or more like...I will have to give up either the CT or Venice (and I have been to neither) for Rome...and I don't know WHEN I will get back to Italy.....

It helps to hear both sides - love and don't love it....but it also makes me more confused!!!

Keep posting!

I love Rome and feel so at home in Rome. But that is just me. And my daughter feels the same way, which is good since she married a Roman. But we all like different places and what is special for one person is a nightmare for someone else. I do enjoy large cities more than the countryside (although I enjoy the countryside for a few days).

My only suggestion is to visit Rome if you have not been there. And don't just give yourself a couple of days, especially if you have jetlag. Rome can be overwhelming especially if you are feeling in a daze due to a long flight or if you have been bouncing from spot to spot during an European trip.

With just a few days in Rome most travellers feel like they have to visit all the required sites and sights.

If you spend enough time in Rome to just relax and enjoy Rome, walk away from the touristy areas, slow down and just get the true feel of Rome there is a good possibility you will love this ancient, vibrant and beautiful city.

But most travellers do not have the time for this, especially US travellers, thanks to the short vacation time that most US employees have.

Happy travels to everyone!

Have been to Rome several times. Enjoyed the city as a teenager, since it was my first European jaunt. Loved it then. Went back 20 years later (after traveling around the world). Couldn't wait to leave, and stayed in my hotel room most of the time, because it was at least 2,000 degrees outside. I'm sure I'll return, but it will never be on my "top 10" list of favorite
places... maybe not even "top 50"!!

I have to add my two cents on Rome.I had a long vacation there over 25 years ago and although I have a history degree, I thought that it was interesting and alluring place but definitely "not my favorite city". It reminded me of New York City with the noises/dirty streets and too much congestion (and I am from Chicago).I generally enjoy the slower pace and smaller cities overseas when traveling.
During the past three years, I have been blessed to have the chance of flying to Rome several times a month for a short 20 hour layover.I have found during these past years that even if I do nothing but go to the grocery store,walk around,shop a little and then have a bite to eat-Rome seduces me.It has everything that could possibly annoy you but also has everything that says its magical. Even something as simple as walking along and seeing the red geraniums hanging out of the window boxes or little boys playing soccer in the street make me thrilled to be there. I still feel the "oh my God its the colosseum and the forum as our crew bus passes them each week!Although I studied in Florence for a semester in college and have traveled alot through Italy , the want of returning to Rome is almost addictive.
Starrsville-you don't have to visit Rome when going to Italy but I do think that you haven't seen Italy until you have seen Rome and experienced its seducing powers!

Although your may not "love" Rome, I think everyone should see Rome. Traveling in my opinion is about the experience not necessarily about enjoyment. However, hopefully they go hand in hand more times then not. Rome is truelly an assault on your senses, its alive and always moving. If you have a shread of history or art loving in you, rome is truely a must see.

Ah dutyfree..what a wonderful description of Rome. I completely understand your feelings as they are mine also as well as my daughters. As my daughter has said more then once (the house that her husband owns in out of the historical center of Rome), she can just sit on the terrace and watch the world go by (non tourist), look at all the potted flowers, the street life that Rome offers..the day to day life. Beautiful, although of course the the governmental redtape is enough to make anyone pull their hair out, but somehow it all gets worked out.

LoveItaly-I loved your last line of your post about the Italian redtape.You are so lucky to have your daughter living there...what a great place to visit your loved ones.I must admit that Rome "drives me to cheap liquor" with some of its hassles but then one of the reasons I fly there so much is the great wine/seafood and pasta...........
I will say that Rome does not appear on my schedule in August as the heat does me in.So for those who have experienced Rome with the crowds and heat-give it another chance in off season as you will think that you are in a totally different city!

Hello dutyfree, actually my daughter and SIL live in the city that I live in which is in N CA. But they have a house in Rome which is vacant except when they are in Rome as my SIL's father died last June and his mother is in a rest home in Rome.

The heat and humidty, oh yes. My SIL's house in Rome has such very thick walls but no a/c..so you can imagine how it is during the summer months. And the redtape..there is some work that needs to be done..but it will not happen until the Rome City officials give their approval. That will probably take two years, lol.

I ageee with you dutyfree, if travellers visited Rome at the times of the year when it was not so hot and humid and crowded with tourist I too think that they would enjoy Rome more.

Make up your own mind. This is like trying to argue wether or not to like oysters if you have never even tried them.

Me, I love Rome; much prefer it to Paris.

Tips for Rome :
-Get a good hotel (if you can afford it), out of the tourist chaos around the Pantheon, Piazza Navona etc. The Aventine/Piazza Bocca dela Verita area is beautiful and it's fantastic to return to an air-conditioned hotel in a quiet tree-lined street at the end of the day.
-Do your 'must-sees' (Forum, Colisseum, Trevi Fountain, whatever) first thing in the morning...as early as possible...you'll enjoy them so much more then.
- Don't expect too much from the Trevi fountain and Spanish steps apart from tourist tat and 5 million American teenagers.
- stroll around the 'less popular' areas. We loved the Jewish ghetto and Trastevere. There are many other areas not so far from the centre where you'll avoid tour parties and hordes of tourists.
- take time for the parks. One of the highlights of our trip was a long picnic lunch on the Palantine hill, just staring over the Forum and sitting in the shade with our shoes off. Fabulous.
- It's hard to eat badly in Rome. If you're there for a few nights, have one night in a 'upscale' restaurant, and a couple in smaller pizzeria/trattoria. then you get the best of both worlds.
- Most of all....breathe it all in. Enjoy being in one of the world's great cities. Drink coffee at an outdoor table and watch the world go by. Listen to Italian and think what a fabulous language it is. Drink a prosecco in the Piazza Navona or Campo di Fiori before a late dinner and think how lucky, lucky you are to be doing this.

It's true what you say, the world is full of wonderful and amazing places...but Rome is certainly one of them.
I hope you do manage to visit, and fall in love with it...it's worth it ! :-)

MacSporran...that is all very good advice. We enjoyed our first two trips to Rome by following some of those guidelines. I really enjoyed Palantine hill and Borghese park. We found Sunday morning was a wonderful and sleepy time in the city to see the sights. We had the Pantheon almost to ourselves and the Piazza's and squares were fairly deserted.

We tried to cram too much into our last one day marathon visit this past May...it was too hot...too crowded...and we ran around like idiots. This is not the formula to follow and is a good example of why some people hate Rome. My husband and I both said if this has been our one and only Rome experience, we would have hated it...and it would have been our own fault.

Thanks C4T...all you say is true as well.
What I forgot to post was...don't make the classic mistake of the 'guide book' tourist. Rome isn't just the Colisseum, Pantheon, Trevi fountain, St Peters square etc.
Rome is also the outlying districts, the churches out of the way, the small parks, the countless neighbourhood restaurants and cafés, the evening strolls through neighbourhood streets, the footbridge over the Tiber and a million other things that people more knowledgable than myself could add.
It's only my humble opinion, but to love the city you have to throw away the guidebook (but not your map :-)), and just take the time to live it a little.
Even with only a few days there you should have plenty of time to do this.

Aaaah...I want to go back !

Macsporren-great thoughts on Rome ! I leave tomorrow for Rome and your tips have gotten me excited already so I will have a prosecco toast for you Weds. night around Piazza Navona.
LoveItaly-I have a great idea. Your SIL's house can now be the official "Fodors" timeshare house for regulars on Fodors.......Lucky you !I say lets start the bidding on EBAY now?

I absolutely love Rome! To be honest I expected not to like it. When DH and I planned our first trip to Italy he wanted to go to Rome and I wanted to go to Florence. We went to Florence first and did not like it. I'm not even sure why, but I thought it felt claustrophobic, very noisy and it just didn't do it for us. I found Florence to be much more chaotic and crowded and noisy than Rome. Because of this we were quite nervous about going to Rome, but as soon as we got there it felt like a breath of fresh air. It was love at first sight! We've been three times over the last two years and I still have a list of places to visit. There is just something about it that feels like home to me.

Having said all of that, even if one dislikes cities I think it would be hard to plan a trip to Italy and not include Rome. The sites alone are worth at least a few days, even if one doesn't like the city.

We all have our own likes and dislikes. I'm probably in the minority for disliking Florence, which is fine. To each their own.

Tracy

Sorry, I forgot to mention that we choose to travel to Rome during off season only, as we avoid the crowds and the heat. I have no desire to go to Rome in the summer!

And I agree with the poster above; if you take time to actually enjoy strolling around Rome, as opposed to running from one historic site to another, you will have a much better time.

Tracy

I think the weather could really kill a visit to Rome. If you're there when it's really hot and muggy, and then crowded with tourists to boot-- it wouldn't be much fun for me. We were lucky to be there in early May when the flowers were in bloom, not very crowded yet, gorgeous weather. It was everything I'd hoped.
Being there in late April should be beautiful, too.

You are so right...heat and crowds play a very big part in your comfort level and ultimate experience. The first two times visited Rome in the fall and had a lovely time. This last time it was very hot and crowded. I can not imagine enjoying a visit in the summer months.

tcreath...if it is any consolation..I echo your sentiments of Florence. There are some wonderful treasures but I did not care for the city itself. It has a very different feel than Rome.

LoveItaly & others - At first, reading the posts of those not overjoyed with Rome, I was a little dismayed because I am going there next year, but now I am really looking forward to it and know that I will love it. I am leaving on April 17th and will be there for six days. Hopefully the crowds won't be in full force and the weather should be cool.

My question is do any of you have a preference for where you like to stay, Via Veneto area or around the historical sites.

I agree, it is probably not even one of my 5 favorite places in Italy, let alone on a larger scale. I much prefer Venice or Florence & I won't even get into the 'non-city' areas.

But..you should do it once, if you've not been there (+ it is the easiest place to get flights to...).

Definitely in the historical center, defined roughly as within or just outside the triangle formed by the Pantheon, the Campo de Fiori and Piazza Navona. Almost anything you might want to see is within walking distance, and for the farthest points - St. Peter's and the Vatican Museums at one end and the Colosseum at the other - there are frequent busses. Exercise caution on the No. 64 to St. Peter's, familiarly known as the "pickpocket special" - although I've never had the slightest difficulty in numerous trips.

If you prefer something a little more out of the way, Trastevere near the Ponte Sisto, which is a pedestrian bridge that takes you to Campo de Fiori in about 10 minutes on foot.

There is nothing on the Via Veneto except overpriced shops and restaurants, and it is not convenient to anything.

LOL dutyfree, I have been having the same thoughts regarding my SIL's house in Rome. I don't know if everyone here could "put up" with his relatives though..there are seven other residences on the so called compound. Aunts, uncles and cousins etc.

Also, his house is full of all of the family personal belongings. At some point it needs to be cleaned out..but it will be awhile before that happens. And what a job that will be. Take care!

MacSporran, your first post on this thread put in a nutshell the good advice I was trying to put into words for friends who are taking their first trip to Rome this...August, arghhh. Thanks, you said it well.