catrilliay

Okay, well what are people expecting exactly? Rome is a modern city just like Paris or London. When you go to a city like that ESPECIALLY during tourist season then that's what you get. Go during the off-season and you'll probably run into slightly smaller crowds and perhaps it will be less overwhelming.

DawnRainbows

I guess I have been very surprised by the reaction that people have had to Rome. It is my favorite city in the world, and it is my favorite for many of the reasons that people have listed as why they hate it.

I love its extremes. I love the fact that it is a modern city yet it does not ignore its past by compartmentalizing it and putting all its treasures in museums. I love the fact that the Colosseum and the Forum are not removed from the city, they are part of it. It is a city that lives in its past and its future at the same time.

I love the intense energy of the place. It feels like real people live there, unlike Florence which strikes me as a museum.

julie_Colorado

I find that I don't like places when I feel rushed. And if I spend enough time in a place, my perception can change considerably as the days go on. We spent a week in Rome - and that much too little. I can't imagine spending 1, 2 or 3 days in Rome. It would have felt quite overwhelming and I probably would have left with a negative impression.

jason888

Many, many years ago, when I was young (and that was a long time ago!),I spent several months in Rome as a student.

It was crowded, noisy, the traffic was horrendous, etc. etc. But...
living there I learnt that Rome is a big city with places that I loved and places that I disliked and even places which left me totally indifferent.

I would visit one church a day, big or little, and some of the tiny chapels are among my fondest memories of Rome. They were so quiet, so calming, and so much of what Catholicism is to the average Roman. The grandeur and lavishness of the Vatican seemed like a totally different city (which it is!).

I rode the metro and loved it, rode the buses and was indifferent to the bouncing around, but the buses were convenient.

I loved the lobby of the central library where all the books were, at that time, cataloged on cards so yellow with age that the words on some of the cards had faded away. I disliked having to hand my selection of books to a man behind a teller window and then having to wait sometimes up to two hours for him to return with my selections. By then the library was ready to close - for the afternoon siesta! But, if there was time, I would carry my treasury of books to the huge reading room and just pretend to read - my eyes were fixed mostly on the gorgeous room itself and on the other inhabitants. The books could not be taken out of the library, they were to be read in the library and then returned - I loved the respect that the Italians showed their books, the same respect as for the monumental amount of art and architecture which surrounded us.

I would spend the afternoon siesta time at a nearby cafe and read or write or just watch life go by. The waiters never drove me away or were rude to me.

THEN

Easter came and the entire city changed. Hordes of tourists appeared. Strikes started (do the Italians know how to time things or what?). The leisurely pace disappeared like icebergs meeting heat. The traffic, the noise, the dust, all increased exponentially. Garbage piled up. The metro workers went on strike, so the metro stopped running. The bus drivers went on strike, so the buses stopped running. My friendly waiters seemed so harassed and no longer smiled as they dashed around the tables.

The summer tourist season had arrived.

As my friend who lives in Paris recently wrote to me in June: "The tourists have arrived - sigh!" She didn't need to say anything more.

Morale of this story: go to Rome or Paris or London or Budapest during the off season. Particularly Rome, when the weather will be kinder.

kcw214

Hated it. Dirty and crowded and I walked my legs off (agree with whoever criticized the Metro). And I live in NYC. But I didn't when I visited, so maybe that was a problem. I want to go back to Rome when a) I have more money (we stayed near the train station and were dirt poor -- no taxis, no good restaurants, no shopping) b) I can go with my husband (went with some college friends who dragged me to Planet Hollywood) and c) I'm not at the end of an exhausting trip (a week in Italy, we had already done Venice and Florence)

jody

dawnRainbows expressed it wonderfully!It is a living breathing city!It is not Disney!

Our first trip to Italy was for 3 weeks ..the plan was Rome for a few days then off to somewhere else...we never made it . The city captivated us. Have been back many times and have ventured further but Rome keeps calling us back. The pace of the city..while fast at some times allows quiet moments

I need a Rome fix!

Huitres8

Rome can be a let-down because it is a huge city. I remember the first time I experienced it years ago and it was not at all like I had imagined it to be. But I have come to love it for its nuances, pockets of charm, out of way places, etc. In addition, there are a lot of wonderful day trips to take in and around Rome that make it a great place to stay. I will be there next month - can't wait!

JandaO

I wasnt horrified. I am going again in 2 months. I cant wait to go to the Trevi at night.

budg

This is a really interesting thread to read through. I am, however, amazed that some despise such a city. So many comments were made that the sites were so close to major roadways (i.e., coliseum, etc.). What I wonder, is did you expect the Italians to move these historical sites outside the city into one nice neat place, like Epcot Center where you can walk and walk without traffic or dirt? Americans are so used to the little history that we have being protected or set back away from cities that they don't realize that these other cities (outside the US) have been building these cities for centuries and centuries. I believe they did not have planning commissions on what would best suit tourists at the time.

I agree with one post that said that everyone's tastes and expectations are different. For some travelers, a limited service hotel is just like a five star and for others, they will find something to complain about at a five star hotel.

If you want to have a nice time on a vacation, you will make it that way.

Best hotel with view of the Vatican and city is the Rome Cavalieri Hilton. Highly recommend it for views, service, rooms, etc. They have free shuttle service to the center of town on the half hour in a new air conditioned mini bus.

amelia

Love this thread--it's a discussion not a discourse.

KAMG, Rome was to us the best example of expections=success or lack thereof.

It was our second city experience in Italy. Our first was a week in Florence, which was indeed shocking to us as people who tended to spend that very same week in Paris. We were so overwhelmed by the noise in Florence (yes, the quiet city)that it took until the end of the week for us to become accustomed to it.

Does this mean we didn't like/love Florence. No, not at all. It just took us a looonnng time to grasp it. Perhaps it was our expectations.

Speaking of expectations, we had
heard over and over again that Rome was worse.

Well, we steeled ourselve for aural onslaught, and to us (probably because of our pre-trip anxiety psyche), Rome was quieter. We had a hotel by the Pantheon, we kept our windows open, and we slept. Somehow, I heard the bells of the churches and not the motorcycles this time.

Again, we are persons who walk the streets of Paris and weep because we have to leave in two days. Well, my youngest was 10 and we walked the streets of Rome one hour before leaving before our flight and just sobbed.

I think your post KAMG has wonderful validity. Travel is about experience. If every city were the same to every person, why try anything new! It would then be, "Haven't been there, but why do that."

tongsa

I loved Rome....liked Florence better!!
The sights, the food, the place and even people-watching was fantastic.

And, now that we are on the subject, found Paris disappointing... high expectations, perhaps. I found the South of France esp. Provence much more enjoyable.

Cheers

teach905

After 14 days in Italy, we spent 4 days in Rome. I was shocked at how much I loved it. To me it had everything that all of the other towns we visited had. I do believe the location of your hotel is critical. I would rather have a plainer hotel in the big middle of things rather than a nicer place, farther away. Do give Rome another chance. I was not crazy about Venice until our last day there. We roamed away from the tourist areas, and I found the Venice so many people talk about. I will definitely give it another chance.

Diane

2058

KAMG:
Could you tell me more about Hotel Oxford? My husband and I were thinking of booking rooms there, based on one friends recommendation. How far is it from the major sites? What were the rooms like and how was the service? Please advise..

lilleyl2

KAMG, I guess you and I, along with a few others form the small minority that did not particularly like Rome.

Let me hasten to add that I love Roman history and civilization--I even took Latin for 3 years in high school and had a minor in Latin in college. However, I did not like the agressive panhandlers and dishonest waiters and cabbies he had to deal with.

Of all the Italian cities we saw, Rome was our least favorite. I loved Bologna, Florence and what little I saw, Sorrento.

I like to think that I am open to all sorts of experiences, having travelled and lived in different parts of the U.S., travelled to Canada, and England before going to Italy. My response to Rome was, more so what than Florence. At least downtown Florence and BLQ were cute, but Rome is just a big city with the Vatican, St. Peter's and a few cute sections around Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, and a bunch of rocks around the Forum.

Lil

RufusTFirefly

lilley--you just can't predict how a place will strike you. I don't like Florence at all, and I love Rome. I guess it's a matter of each individual's background, life experience, and personality coupled with the particular things that happen in a particular place when they happen to be there.

Giovanna

Agree with Rufus. Different strokes for different folks so to speak. But I must say the word "cute" never came to mind to describe any part of Rome. And "lots of rocks" to describe the Roman Forum?

I remember being horrified by a comment a fellow passenger made on a Mexican cruise we took years ago. She asked which place we visited when in port. I replied we had gone to Tulum. She looked rather disapproving and said she had chosen Cancun, because after all Tulum was just a pile of rocks. I suppose I had the same reaction to Lilley's comment.

CarolA

I am one of those who just did love Rome. Italy overall I adored. Rome.... I don't think I have to go back.

My biggest disappointment was the Vatican Museum. I felt like I was CRUSHED with the masses. There was no way to step back and look at the art and the prattle of hundreds of tour guides was a bit much! I loved the Sistene Ceiling, but everything was just a blur. I then went to Florence and saw how the MUCH smaller Uffizi handles the crowds. My verdict was that the Vatican is more into getting my money then ensuring a pleasant exprience.

I would go back, but... I don't have to go back.

I did find the bus system easy to use. I used the subway until a particularlly difficult ride with a man who wanted me to know just how much he liked me. (Details are not suitable for public print LOL!)

michigandra

I am glad this thread was resurrected, my first trip to Italy (Rome, Florence, and Venice) in June (with my husband) is approaching (fast, but not fast enough!). While I certainly know and knew that everyone has a different reaction to each travel destination, this thread has emphasized the visceral reactions that people can have. Yes, I knew that Rome is a modern, living, breathing city that also happens to have truly ancient structures and sites, etc., but getting so many people's impressions has painted a vivid picture for me, in a way that so many guidebooks have not and really cannot. Thank you, all!

Looking forward to getting my own impression, as well as my husband's, and comparing those with those I've read here.

Retired_teacher

Attention 2058...
My husband and I stayed at the Hotel Oxford in March of 2002. It is a charming small hotel in more of a residentiall area away from the hustle and bustle found around the tourist sites. It has a cozy bar area and a small restaurant with a fixed price menu where we enjoyed two dinners after busy days of sightseeing. It is air conditioned and has satellite tv and internet and fax service. The facility had been recently remodeled, it was clean and nicely decorated. We found the staff to be friendly and very helpful in answering our questions. There are metro stations about eight blocks distance near the Museo Nationale and the Palace Barberini Galleria Nationale. We found that we could walk down the Via XX Settembre safely late at night as there are govenment buildings along this avenue with small block houses and armed guards providing our own private security force so to speak as we returned from the historic area.

lilleyl2

Giovanna, I described the Roman Forum as "just a pile of rocks" because that's how it struck me, considering how the Italian (or Roman) government kind of left everything as they were. I remember seeing a painting of the Roman Forum in the 17th or 18th century, with cattle grazing amidst the ruins. I got an impression that the Roman Forum was treated like an open air park, unlike the Imperial Forum, where you have to pay to go in to see.

In contrast, I didn't get that feeling from Pompeii, but that might be because it's an archaeological site.

Lil