opaldog

Having just returned from our second trip to Rome in 2 years I realize that the purpose of the first trip was just to familiarize myself with the city for our second and much more satisfying visit.

Why was it more successful as a vacation? Some of it had to do with my conscious decision to relax and instead of fighting the crowds to join them. First, upon arrival we headed up to EUR and registered for the 4K fun run that immediately followed the Rome Marathon. We saw a part of Rome that we had not thought of visiting before this. We also managed to get ourselves from our apartment in Trastevere to EUR without a problem. Our registration included 2 teeshirts that are now special souvenirs.
The Fun Run was fun!! We were in a crowd of 49,000 people of all ages singing "Volare". It was a great start to our week in Rome.

We walked everywhere. I found that moleskin is a great fix for sore toes.

We found great places to eat; pannini's at "Aristicampo" on via della scala in Trastevere, Polenta with pork ribs at Al Fontanone in Piazza Trilussa, Ravioli with butter and sage sauce at Mirragio Club on via della lungara, roman torrone and easter chocolates at Valzani on via del moro. I could go on and on.

We didn't have a cell phone but were able to make cheap phone calls at the internet/phone/laundry place on via san francesco di ripa in trastevere. We also did laundry there.

We used the Standa on Viale di Trastevere for our grocery store and managed to save money by bringing food back to the apartment and resting up before we headed out for another of our many strolls.

We loved the Giancolo and the Orto Botanico which was right next to our apartment.

Ostia Antica is a great 1/2 day trip out of Rome. It only cost 1 metro ticket. Definitely go on a sunny day and just wander all over the site.

The Borghese Museum is awesome. The Bernini sculptures are beautiful. If I only did one museum in Rome it would be the Borghese.

We wandered in and out of dozens of churches. They are full of artwork and even though I am not catholic I truly enjoyed the experience.

We drank mostly house wine and Peroni and moretti beer with our cheese, salami, mortadello, prosciutto, and bread. We had a favorite cafe for our morning cappucino and occasional cornetti
; Cafe Settimiano at the entrance to via della lungara.

We flew Eurofly from JFK and had absolutely no problems. We were able to get exit row seats both ways. The flight attendants were very pleasant. The food, I have to say was about the worst airline food that I have been served, but who cares about that?

It was a great trip. I highly advise renting an apartment and just go with the flow once you get to your destination.

As always I researched for months and got many good ideas from this forum.

starrs

topping
I like the relaxing, "go with the flow" approach. Saving your TR for future reference.

amyb

opaldog, that is great advice. I too spent a lot of time on my first trip seeing as much as I could. WHEN (not if) I go back, I will do the Borghese and then wander in and out of churches, small neighborhoods, etc. You have the right idea! ;-)

wliwl

Nice report. I LOVE the fun run idea. How wonderful!

lvillinois

Saving for our trip, we are cyclists, any bike rides you know of? We ride on Lake Shore Drive in May when they close it to cars, it is awesome to experience Chicago's lakefront with no car noise...anything similar in or near Rome?

StCirq

It wasn't until my third trip to Rome that I got the hang of the city. The first two trips I was just overwhelmed by the chaos and bustle, I guess. It's now one of my favorites, but I had to relax and just let the place take me along with it to get to know it.

Samsaf

opaldog, it was exactly the same way with us! We enjoyed Rome the first time, but we LOVED Rome the second time we were there!

The second visit we spent more of our time just getting to know the city and soaking it all in. It's now one of my favorite cities in the world, and I told my husband the other day that I'd go back in a minute, even though there are still lots of other places we want to visit.

I'm glad you had such a good time!

opaldog

I certainly plan on returning to Rome. I know that I should try to see other places and will, but now I feel a familiarity for the city, especially the Trastevere area. It makes me want to go back and just hang out.
As far as bike riding in Rome, that's not something that I looked into. I did see people riding bikes, mostly scooters and motorcylces. I did read that you can rent bikes on the Appia Antica which is closed on sundays to traffic. We also saw people in the Borghese gardens riding what I would describe as bike carts. They rented them at the gardens. Maybe someone else reading this post would know more.

SusanP

Nice report, opaldog. It's my favorite way to see Rome, as well. It's my favorite place. Having spent 38 days there in the last couple of years, I haven't had enough and am going back in July. Can't wait!

Leely

I'm one who loved Rome from the start but can really see how you enjoyed it so much more the second time.

Would you mind providing a link to your agency and apartment?

Thanks for the report. Glad you had fun!

Vttraveler

For me, the third, rather than the second, visit to Rome was the charm.

I thought it was an amazing city for history and art on my first two trips but wasn't completely captivated. Last year our 16 year old son persuaded us to take him to Rome for a week. We rented an apartment in the Jewish ghetto area and had a wonderful time.

Our son was interested in Roman historical sites and not very enthusiastic about art museums so we saw places like the Palatine, the Baths of Caracalla, the Appian Way and Ostia Antica that we had missed on earlier trips.
We explored many churches on our long walks through the city and definitely got away from the crowds when we explored areas like the Gianicolo.

On our next visit I would like to spend some time exploring Etruscan history including a day trip to Tarquinia

Italy is such an amazing country that it is hard to resist the temptation to move from place to place, but we found that staying in Rome for a week was much more rewarding than trying to visit two cities in the same time period.

opaldog

The link to our apartment is http://www.sleepinitaly.com/files/apt_corsini.html We have used sleepinitaly twice with good results. We found the customer service (all done by email) to be excellent. We were met at each apartment; the first time we were met by the owner and the second we were met by a young man who was apparently working either for sleepinitaly or the owner of the apartment. I really enjoyed the apartment on via corsini. One note of warning to anyone interested in staying there; the apartment was a few steps above ground level. It had two large windows, one in the living room and one in the bedroom, that when open provided much light and was just above the heads of people on the street. The warning is that although it is a dead end street, right next to the apartment is the gate to the police barracks. There was pretty much a steady stream of traffic; motorcycles, cars, foot traffic in and out of the barracks. I didn't mind it and the windows did have outside shutters that could be closed. It actually made for some interest and certainly made me feel safe. On the other side of the street was the gate for the Botanical garden. We went in and wandered around one day. There is a small fee for entry. We found that we were located right at the bottom of the giancolo and had been walking right above our street earlier in the day. The Garibaldi statue on the Giancolo was above the street we stayed on. John Cabot University was around the corner on via della lungara as was Porta Settiamiana (sp).

The apartment was furnished in classic IKEA. I like IKEA, so that was fine with me. The bathroom was a good size with a shower and bidet. There was a hair dryer and converter. There was a kitchenette with stove top, refrigerator, and microwave. We made espresso in the small italian espresso maker. Most times we went out for cafe. The ceilings were high and the rooms were small to medium sized. The bedroom had a wardrobe and dresser and a queen sized bed and full length mirror on the wall. It was a very comfortable apartment. I would certainly stay there again.

sandi_travelnut

Each visit gets better and better. We had our 3rd in Jan.07 and it felt like we were home. We challenged ourselves to find the highest points around the city, to see the city from those vantage points at sunset. What a wonderful city for walking. I can't wait to go back.

mebe

opaldog, I enjoyed your summary of Rome.

For me, Rome was love at first sight.

We would step out of apartment and start wandering the city. We ended up at most major sights by accident. What a surprise to step out of a narrow street and find the Pantheon!

travelgirl2

On our first visit to Rome, I couldn't wait to move on to our next destination. I wondered why people raved about it so much.

On our second, third and fourth visits, the hustle and bustle and charm really grew on me. Now, I love it!

Not sure if this is where opaldog refers to, but the road in front of the Coliseum, going past the Forum, is closed to traffic on Sundays, so I think it might be good for bike riding. There are lots of people walking in the street as well, so maybe a slow leisurely ride.

Byrd

Thank you, opaldog, for your delightful report.

We'll be there in two weeks--our seventh visit to Italy, fourth to Rome.

We're visiting Orviewto, Assisi, and Rome, and are definitely "go with the flow" people.

Thank you again.

Byrd

opaldog

I appreciate everyone's kind comments. I made a concious effort to try and relax this trip and not worry about anything. I still kept in touch with home, but I didn't get upset about things I had no control over. I look forward to getting back to Rome.

mebe

opaldog -- your last comment about relaxing on your trip to Rome reminded me of our first full day exploring.

After we spent the morning at St. Peters we were famished and found a shop that sold pizza to-go. We were walking down the street, attempting to eat huge slices of pizza and not get run over by Vespas. It sucked.

We passed a cafe and saw the outside tables full of people eating plates of pasta, drinking wine, talking, laughing -- enjoying themselves.

I turned to my DH, and said "we need to start behaving like Italians, slow down and learn how to relax."

It was our last meal on the go.

roadlesstraveled

Thanks for posting opaldog. I agree, it is sometimes best just to go with the flow, especially in Rome.

mebe - my experience was just like yours. Love at first sight and when I first glimpesed the Pantheon, I broke into a huge smile and just stood there for a moment.

tcreath

We love Rome and agree that the second trip is better because you can relax more. We liked our second trip, but it was our third that we really enjoyed the most. By then we had already seen the major sights and just relaxed and went with the flow of things.

Great trip report!
Tracy