Rome 1st Time - Wish you'd known, tips, unexpected surprises
Oct 17th, 2015, 10:03 AM
#42
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The first time I was in Rome (pre Fodor's) I loved the things/sights in the city but absolutely disliked -being- there. I found it to be overwhelming.
Two things caused this: we had spent a lot of time in the quiet and quaint countryside so coming into Rome was a shock to the senses, and -more important- I was completely unprepared. I was not familiar with transportation options, opening times / Monday closures, etc.
Second trip we stayed for 5 nights in an apartment in the Jewish ghetto at the beginning of the trip. This time we found it stimulating and absolutely loved it.
What works for us is scheduling major / 'must do' sites as early in the morning as possible and leaving the afternoons open for the 'if we have time' visits.
We absolutely loved plunking down in outdoor cafés around 5:00pm and watch the world go by while sipping white wine or aperol spritzes. This is as much part of Italian culture as a visit to the colosseum. Its like a zen experience, finding your quiet zone while everyone around you hustles and bustles.
Do not be pressured to order every course at a restaurant. It is perfectly ok to have an appetizer or two, or just stick with the 'primi' pasta course without ordering a main 'secondi'.
Street food in Rome is awesome, have a slice of pizza or a little sandwich while sitting in a piazza.
I also drank from the fountains without problems. Great tasting water and cool.
Two things caused this: we had spent a lot of time in the quiet and quaint countryside so coming into Rome was a shock to the senses, and -more important- I was completely unprepared. I was not familiar with transportation options, opening times / Monday closures, etc.
Second trip we stayed for 5 nights in an apartment in the Jewish ghetto at the beginning of the trip. This time we found it stimulating and absolutely loved it.
What works for us is scheduling major / 'must do' sites as early in the morning as possible and leaving the afternoons open for the 'if we have time' visits.
We absolutely loved plunking down in outdoor cafés around 5:00pm and watch the world go by while sipping white wine or aperol spritzes. This is as much part of Italian culture as a visit to the colosseum. Its like a zen experience, finding your quiet zone while everyone around you hustles and bustles.
Do not be pressured to order every course at a restaurant. It is perfectly ok to have an appetizer or two, or just stick with the 'primi' pasta course without ordering a main 'secondi'.
Street food in Rome is awesome, have a slice of pizza or a little sandwich while sitting in a piazza.
I also drank from the fountains without problems. Great tasting water and cool.
Oct 17th, 2015, 12:03 PM
#45
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@marigross very good point! At the Doge's Palace in Venice there was a bathroom attendant walking around with a huge roll of toilet paper. I didn't figure out why until I washed my hands and discovered she was the only hope of getting them dried and she only gave you a few squares of paper if you gave her a coin.
@maitaitom enjoyed your blog!
@maitaitom enjoyed your blog!
Oct 17th, 2015, 12:53 PM
#46
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Wow. Thank so much for the wealth of information you shared here. I've been reading a lot of guidebooks: fodors, RS, eyewitness, frommers, etc. Very helpful on how to structure your days expecially knowing which sites need more time.
However, I really love real life travel experiences posts such as this from annhig:
-----exploring the tiny streets in the triangle between the river [the Tevere or Tiber] the cross Vittorio Emmanuele and the Piazza Navona. I could spend days round there.
eating fiori fritti. I could do that all day too.----
A favorite path or spot, best meal, a wine bar, getting to see the sistine chapel early, etc.
And of course all the other posts you all cared to share in this thread. Too many too mention. Thank you all.
What do you think about this two suites type accommodations?
www.navona49.com
or http://www.romeluxurysuites.com/marg...efault-en.html
However, I really love real life travel experiences posts such as this from annhig:
-----exploring the tiny streets in the triangle between the river [the Tevere or Tiber] the cross Vittorio Emmanuele and the Piazza Navona. I could spend days round there.
eating fiori fritti. I could do that all day too.----
A favorite path or spot, best meal, a wine bar, getting to see the sistine chapel early, etc.
And of course all the other posts you all cared to share in this thread. Too many too mention. Thank you all.
What do you think about this two suites type accommodations?
www.navona49.com
or http://www.romeluxurysuites.com/marg...efault-en.html
Oct 17th, 2015, 02:02 PM
#47
I can't add any tips to the wealth of information here, what a terrific thread.
We were there a few years ago for a week, absolutely loved it!
I'll just offer a couple of random observations among many that have stayed with me. One is that people will stand in the middle of a sidewalk chatting, and NOT move aside for others to pass. The first time it happened I was ready to sharpen my elbows, but decided, what the heck, life is good, I'm in Rome, I can step around them. I've never seen that anywhere before or since in our travels, but I saw it a lot in Rome. Where I come from, that would be considered very rude, and maybe it is in Rome too, but we experienced it many times.
The other observation is about the traffic. I was prepared for it to be crazy and loud and nerve wracking for a pedestrian. If you put your foot out, be prepared for it to be run over, etc etc. I left convinced that while it appears to be chaos, it is actually an organized chaos. In a week, out and about every day and night, I didn't hear a single horn honk, or see even a single fender bender. Incredible! How does that happen in a city with so many cars and scooters, unless everyone knows and follows the rules?
Of course we had a hair raising 160 kph ride to the airport, kind of fun actually!
We were there a few years ago for a week, absolutely loved it!
I'll just offer a couple of random observations among many that have stayed with me. One is that people will stand in the middle of a sidewalk chatting, and NOT move aside for others to pass. The first time it happened I was ready to sharpen my elbows, but decided, what the heck, life is good, I'm in Rome, I can step around them. I've never seen that anywhere before or since in our travels, but I saw it a lot in Rome. Where I come from, that would be considered very rude, and maybe it is in Rome too, but we experienced it many times.
The other observation is about the traffic. I was prepared for it to be crazy and loud and nerve wracking for a pedestrian. If you put your foot out, be prepared for it to be run over, etc etc. I left convinced that while it appears to be chaos, it is actually an organized chaos. In a week, out and about every day and night, I didn't hear a single horn honk, or see even a single fender bender. Incredible! How does that happen in a city with so many cars and scooters, unless everyone knows and follows the rules?
Of course we had a hair raising 160 kph ride to the airport, kind of fun actually!
Oct 17th, 2015, 05:06 PM
#49
>>> because every "know" that they should book tickets before hand, so the line of the booked people in Colosseum is rather long. And I think I'm not the first person to say that.<<<
That hasn't been my experience using a pass (same line as people that pre-booked tickets). You have a separate line than people needing to buy tickets. It's never taken me more than a couple of minutes (including during high season).
You don't have to book tours to bypass lines. You can book entry only tickets whether it's the Vatican Museums, Forum or Colosseum. Most sites have audio guides for rent if you don't want to take a tour. Just be sure to use the official sites for entry tickets, not resellers. The official websites often don't take bookings more than 2-3 months in advance so you have to keep checking their websites until your dates pop up.
For the Colosseum, there is rarely a line to buy tickets at the Palantine entrance. Since the Palantine/Forum/Colosseum ticket is good for 2 days and gives you entry to all three areas(one entry to Forum/Palantine and one entry to the Colosseum)you can just buy your ticket at that kiosk.
That hasn't been my experience using a pass (same line as people that pre-booked tickets). You have a separate line than people needing to buy tickets. It's never taken me more than a couple of minutes (including during high season).
You don't have to book tours to bypass lines. You can book entry only tickets whether it's the Vatican Museums, Forum or Colosseum. Most sites have audio guides for rent if you don't want to take a tour. Just be sure to use the official sites for entry tickets, not resellers. The official websites often don't take bookings more than 2-3 months in advance so you have to keep checking their websites until your dates pop up.
For the Colosseum, there is rarely a line to buy tickets at the Palantine entrance. Since the Palantine/Forum/Colosseum ticket is good for 2 days and gives you entry to all three areas(one entry to Forum/Palantine and one entry to the Colosseum)you can just buy your ticket at that kiosk.
Oct 18th, 2015, 04:40 AM
#51
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Just returned from a trip to Italy which included 5 nights in Rome. I agree with all that has been said here. I would definitely pre-book the tickets to he main attractions so,you don't have to wait in line. In fact I found a tour guide company at the base of St. Peter's where I paid 15€ to skip the line to St. Peter's and also included the audio guide. So worth the money!
We stayed in an apartment through Hotel Mozart. The hotel was 1.5 blocks from the hotel so you had the amenities of the hotel (free wifi, breakfast and maid service to make up your bed daily). The hotel had a lovely rooftop bar and indoor lounge/bar area. This was located close to,the Spanish Steps.
And besides Trevi Fountain being under construction so is the fountain at the base of the Spanish Steps.
I believe in having the days planned but also believe in having some free time too to just enjoy the city and relax in an outdoor cafe with a nice glass of wine.
We stayed in an apartment through Hotel Mozart. The hotel was 1.5 blocks from the hotel so you had the amenities of the hotel (free wifi, breakfast and maid service to make up your bed daily). The hotel had a lovely rooftop bar and indoor lounge/bar area. This was located close to,the Spanish Steps.
And besides Trevi Fountain being under construction so is the fountain at the base of the Spanish Steps.
I believe in having the days planned but also believe in having some free time too to just enjoy the city and relax in an outdoor cafe with a nice glass of wine.
Oct 19th, 2015, 01:41 PM
#52
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I live in Italy, and Rome is one of my favorite cities in the world, so I go there often, usually several times a year. In the last year or two, there has been an absolute explosion in the number of visitors. Many of the things I've advised in the past are questionable now. I offered to show some American cousins around Rome this past June, and we visited both the Colosseum and the Vatican area, places I hadn't been to for about two years, because I now focus on the many little-known museums and archaeological sites, and on temporary art exhibits.
My cousins and I bought tickets to the Colosseum at the Palatine Hill, where there was no line at all. However, as someone said above, the line at the Colosseum for people with no tickets was definitely considerably shorter than that for people who had tickets (including those who had booked in advance, who are in the same line as those who bought tickets at the Roman Forum, etc.) That's not to say that people who had no tickets walked right in; both lines were very long. We waited 45 minutes to get in, mostly under a broiling sun. I was told it was because there's a limit on how many people can be inside at once (I think 2000 people), and the limit had been reached. Inside, it was very crowded, but not really unbearable. The Colosseum is not one of my favorite archaeological sites, and I myself would have torn the tickets up; I don't know if my cousins thought it was worth the long, hot wait, but they didn't seem to be in raptures about the visit.
I've also told people in the past that visiting St. Peter's Basilica at 5 PM or later would allow them to avoid the long queue to go through security. On this occasion, we arrived around 5:30 and the line stretched all the way around the huge square. My cousins had reserved a guided tour of the Sistine Chapel for the following morning (for five people). I had declined to go on this tour, as I knew (and warned them) that the crowds would be beyond my limits of tolerance. They didn't want to skip it. The next morning, when they got inside and saw the hordes of people, they left without even trying to find their tour group.
This same year, we were in Florence in April, and I was nearly crushed against a wall by a mob of people turning a corner in the wake of a tour guide.
I have noticed that there is a big increase in the number of visitors to Italy from various countries in Asia. (I also noticed this in Lucerne this summer.) It stands to reason that as standards of living rise, people from more parts of the world will want to visit the well-known cities of Europe.
For now, I'm not sure what advice to give visitors to Rome. One obvious piece of advice would be to avoid visiting in high season, which in Rome is from Easter to after All Saints Day, with a little dip in July and August, and a rise between Christmas and Epiphany. If you have to visit during this period, I would suggest avoiding the famous sights and concentrating on hidden gems. There are plenty in all of the tourist cities of Italy. For example, there are wonderful museums in Rome where there is never a queue, and even some where the guards outnumber the visitors.
My cousins and I bought tickets to the Colosseum at the Palatine Hill, where there was no line at all. However, as someone said above, the line at the Colosseum for people with no tickets was definitely considerably shorter than that for people who had tickets (including those who had booked in advance, who are in the same line as those who bought tickets at the Roman Forum, etc.) That's not to say that people who had no tickets walked right in; both lines were very long. We waited 45 minutes to get in, mostly under a broiling sun. I was told it was because there's a limit on how many people can be inside at once (I think 2000 people), and the limit had been reached. Inside, it was very crowded, but not really unbearable. The Colosseum is not one of my favorite archaeological sites, and I myself would have torn the tickets up; I don't know if my cousins thought it was worth the long, hot wait, but they didn't seem to be in raptures about the visit.
I've also told people in the past that visiting St. Peter's Basilica at 5 PM or later would allow them to avoid the long queue to go through security. On this occasion, we arrived around 5:30 and the line stretched all the way around the huge square. My cousins had reserved a guided tour of the Sistine Chapel for the following morning (for five people). I had declined to go on this tour, as I knew (and warned them) that the crowds would be beyond my limits of tolerance. They didn't want to skip it. The next morning, when they got inside and saw the hordes of people, they left without even trying to find their tour group.
This same year, we were in Florence in April, and I was nearly crushed against a wall by a mob of people turning a corner in the wake of a tour guide.
I have noticed that there is a big increase in the number of visitors to Italy from various countries in Asia. (I also noticed this in Lucerne this summer.) It stands to reason that as standards of living rise, people from more parts of the world will want to visit the well-known cities of Europe.
For now, I'm not sure what advice to give visitors to Rome. One obvious piece of advice would be to avoid visiting in high season, which in Rome is from Easter to after All Saints Day, with a little dip in July and August, and a rise between Christmas and Epiphany. If you have to visit during this period, I would suggest avoiding the famous sights and concentrating on hidden gems. There are plenty in all of the tourist cities of Italy. For example, there are wonderful museums in Rome where there is never a queue, and even some where the guards outnumber the visitors.
Oct 19th, 2015, 01:56 PM
#53
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The Borghese Gallery is not near the top of my list of favorite museums in Rome. I should say as a partial explanation that I'm not particularly enamoured of Baroque art, and that Bernini is really not one of my favorite sculptors.
For ancient art, including sculpture much better than anything Bernini achieved, I would advise the Capitoline Museums, and Palazzo Massimo alle Terme. Palazzo Altemps has a lot of ancient sculpture, but not much of great value. Many of the statues were "repaired" in early modern times by sticking an arm without a torso onto a torso without an arm, or by ordering modern replacements for bits that were missing from the originals.
For Renaissance art, the Barberini Gallery and the Corsini Gallery are great choices. Also, the Villa Farnesina, which isn't an art gallery but has frescoes by Raphael on the walls of some of the rooms.
The Vatican Museums has great ancient, medieval, and Renaissance art, but the crowds make a visit absolutely unbearable to me. I've been there four times, but never managed to avoid the crowds. I would only go back on a Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday, in the depths of winter.
There is also great art in many of the churches and palazzi of Rome.
For ancient art, including sculpture much better than anything Bernini achieved, I would advise the Capitoline Museums, and Palazzo Massimo alle Terme. Palazzo Altemps has a lot of ancient sculpture, but not much of great value. Many of the statues were "repaired" in early modern times by sticking an arm without a torso onto a torso without an arm, or by ordering modern replacements for bits that were missing from the originals.
For Renaissance art, the Barberini Gallery and the Corsini Gallery are great choices. Also, the Villa Farnesina, which isn't an art gallery but has frescoes by Raphael on the walls of some of the rooms.
The Vatican Museums has great ancient, medieval, and Renaissance art, but the crowds make a visit absolutely unbearable to me. I've been there four times, but never managed to avoid the crowds. I would only go back on a Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday, in the depths of winter.
There is also great art in many of the churches and palazzi of Rome.
Oct 19th, 2015, 01:58 PM
#54
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Not sure if it has been mentioned, but ALWAYS carry a packet of kleenex (and a few coins), because not all restrooms have toilet paper.
If you are going to Rome next year, be aware that it is a Jubilee Year so the crowds will be increased, especially at the Vatican.
If you are going to Rome next year, be aware that it is a Jubilee Year so the crowds will be increased, especially at the Vatican.
Oct 19th, 2015, 02:29 PM
#55
"... including sculpture much better than anything Bernini achieved..."
Anything that Bernini achieved? Anything? I think you should have stopped after saying you're not particularly enamored of Baroque art.
Of course, you don't have to go to the Galleria Borghese to see great works by Bernini. They're all over Rome.
Anything that Bernini achieved? Anything? I think you should have stopped after saying you're not particularly enamored of Baroque art.
Of course, you don't have to go to the Galleria Borghese to see great works by Bernini. They're all over Rome.
Nov 5th, 2015, 05:28 AM
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<i><font color=#555555>Anything that Bernini achieved? Anything? I think you should have stopped after saying you're not particularly enamored of Baroque art."</font></i>
I totally agree.
I love the classics, but I also love Baroque. The Borghese Gallery is one my favorite galleries in the world. I never miss a chance to visit. I feel the same way about the Vatican.
For someone to dismiss Bernini's genius talent so easily, without any intellectual thought or artful consideration, just goes to show that opinions on the internet are like a-holes, everyone has one.
I totally agree.
I love the classics, but I also love Baroque. The Borghese Gallery is one my favorite galleries in the world. I never miss a chance to visit. I feel the same way about the Vatican.
For someone to dismiss Bernini's genius talent so easily, without any intellectual thought or artful consideration, just goes to show that opinions on the internet are like a-holes, everyone has one.
Nov 5th, 2015, 08:10 AM
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Hate to break it to our art "experts" here, but Rome is full of sculpture greater than anything Bernini achieved. Bernini, as I recall, was inclined to legendary braggadoccio, but I think even he might have agreed with what I just wrote and bvlienci's balanced comment.
All that said, I personally quite enjoy Bernini's bravura style -- had one of his statues as a screensaver for years -- even though I think the interesting Villa Borghese is now ovverated among Italy's museums, except for it being a crowd pleaser.
All that said, I personally quite enjoy Bernini's bravura style -- had one of his statues as a screensaver for years -- even though I think the interesting Villa Borghese is now ovverated among Italy's museums, except for it being a crowd pleaser.
