psy_dr

Message: We're honeymooning in EUROPE (Paris, Venice, Florence & Rome).

We'll be in Rome May 17-20.

I want to know every favorite thing from each of you incredible Fodorites (I've only been on Fodor's for 2 days & I'm hooked!)

give me info on your favorite:

restaurant/street/market/shop/museum/church/cafe/bakery/chocolate store/gelato shop

i can't wait to read your replies!!!!
THANKS!
-olga

ira

Dear psy,

>I want to know every favorite thing from each of you ....<

Now is the time for you to learn to use the "search this forum" feature.

Enter each of your destinations in the box.

Start doing your homework.

Have a lovely visit and a great honeymoon.

ira

PS,

This link should be helpful:

Helpful Information: Italy 2
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34568596

Patrick

I see you've posted several of these requests for different cities. Since you're new here (and yes, I know how easily it is to be addicted) let me tell you about an even better way to get these answers. Some people will probably post some answers here, but please realize that these requests pop up frequently, so many people grow tired of listing the same things over and over again, that they have already described numerous times before.

If you look above at the search function, you can enter something like "favorite gelato in Rome" and then click for Italy and you will get dozens of previous posts. Some of those threads listed may have other things as well, or you may see one titled "best gelato in Rome" and it may easily have 25 or more responses. If you enter things like that for various cities you will get a whole lot more responses and ideas than you are likely to get just from this one request for all those things.

Have fun -- the search function should not be overlooked!

TexasAggie

good advice from ira - there is a plethora of info on the best restaurants, museums, etc. in Rome.

That said, don't miss a night walk by the Coloseum, Roman Forum, and Capitoline Hill - they are illuminated and stunning at night

Leely

I agree with the advice of the above posters.

But I will say that for all your cities one of my favorite things to do is just to wander and poke around. I usually find out when museums, etc., will be closed and when they're likely to be (less) crowded, and I do try to hit highlights/must-sees.

But never at the expense of wandering (in Venice, Jewish ghetto--wide canals and a more relaxed vice, in Rome Trastevere, Piazza Navona areas), in Florence the Oltarno, in Paris practically anywhere!).

If someplace you pass looks like it has good things to eat or drink, stop and eat or drink something. If a church you walk by is not on your "list" and looks interesting, why not go in?

Have fun.

Leely

"a more relaxed vice"

Ahem, I met vibe. But vice works too.

psy_dr

thank you for suggesting the search function in the forums...i've already been doing my research (internet & i have fodor's & dk books for each city)- but i've found this forum to be full of interesting people & people who have recently been to Europe...i thought it would be nice to find out what favorite things people liked from each of these cities.
i know the usual sites for each city & the restaurants recommended in books, etc, but sometimes real people can offer info on places not found in these books. maybe off the wall tours or things off the beaten path, places locals go (not places everyone reading my travel books will end up at).
thank you for suggesting the search function & for the other recommendations!

chocobon

Remember...it will be CROWDED there in May. Do the tour of Nero's Palace near the colosseum. See the baths of Caracalla. Make a reservation to do the Villa Borghese. Visit the Spanish Steps before 9:00 AM, (before the throngs arrive), and stand in front of the church at the top of the steps and look out over the city. Make an EARLY trip to the Vatican; the Sistine Chapel is a must and the lines are VERY LONG. Go to the top of the dome to look out over the city from there...awesome. See the Trevi at night. Dine in Trastevere and walk the winding streets after. Spend plenty of time with a guide in the forum. Go below the upper church of San Clemente to see the subterranean sights; remains of Roman dwellings. Want more? Make certain to carry the Fodor's Rome pocket guidebook.

DRJ

Want a romantic evening? The Hotel Russie's outdoor drinking and dining areas are spectacular. Russie is upscale and is located about halfway between Piazza de Spagna and Piazza Popolo on, I think, Via Margutta. Don't be intimidated by the aura of the place. On a pleasant evening enjoy a couple of drinks and if you feel flush eat in the garden with a string quartet playing. Nothing like it in Rome.

xverso

I was in Rome in May last year, and it was ideal! It's always going to be touristy but it wasn't overbearing, and the weather was great wihtout being too hot.

For gelato, you HAVE to visit Gelateria Giolitti on Via Uffici del Vicario (near to the Pantheon), it serves quite possibly the best ice cream on the planet! You buy your ticket at the till and then order your gelato at the bar, you can get 3 flavours in a chocolate-dipped cone topped off with whipped cream (they'll ask if you want "panna&quot for about 3EURO. The queues look quite daunting but they go down very quickly.

A couple of churches I would like to suggest: Santa Maria Sopra Minerva just round the corner from the Pantheon (are you seeing a theme here!) is breathtaking, and hosts relics of St Catherine of Siena. Sant'Ignazio di Loyola is a beautiful Jesuit church nearby, but it's not for the squeamish as the walls are adorned with the bones of Jesuit martyrs I think!

I would also like to agree with other posters who have reccomended Trastevere. Without a doubt my favourite quarter of Rome, it's very peaceful compared to the tourist traps (for sightseeing the church Santa Maria in Trastevere is beautiful) but at night it comes into its own. On one street it can be alive with local nightlife, but turn a corner and you could be in the most intimate, romantic restaurant having dinner al fresco.

I hope you have a lovely time on your honeymoon, by the sounds of it you definitely will!

xverso xxxx

massagediva

I agree with the suggestion to get to know the search function. You will find more recommendations than you could possibly read in one sitting!Happy researching.