Rome
 

My husband and I will be spending the month of January in Rome. We are renting a small apartment in Trastevere. Although we have been to Rome a number of times I know that some of you will have suggestions re. things to do/places to visit that we have not experienced. Here is my list of places we've seen - we will certainly go back to many of them but are always happy to see new things: Vatican, Castel Saint Angelo (sunset!), Forum, Capitoline ,etc, Quirinale, Villa Borghese, Domus Aurea, San Giovanni in Laterno, Chiesa San Clemente, the wonderful piazzas - Campo Dei Fiori, Piazza Navona, Pantheon - really all of those places not to miss - but there surely are many that we have missed so any ideas are welcomed as well as places to eat - we have an entire month to enjoy Rome! We also enjoy music but I could not find any concerts in the month of January. I'm hoping they exist but are just not listed??

Villa Giulia has a fantastic Etruscan collection.

I believe the Forum has new (newly uncovered) exhibits if you haven't been there lately.

Take the opportunity to do some day trips to nearby towns - there are many within anhour by train.

We enjoyed our visit to Ostia Antica - the old seaport city ruins.

Also, we were in Assisi for 2 nights and thoroughly enjoyed seeing everything there. A day trip there would be nice.

If you're going to be in Rome for a month, it might well be worth your while to buy an in-depth guidebook like the Companion Guide to Rome and, for places to eat, David Downie's Food and Wine in Rome.

For music events, check www.romace.it. The Italian version is as complete a listing as you're likely to find, but the English version hasn't been updated since August.

I highly recommend the Scavi tour under St. Peter's.

We enjoyed the National Museum at Palazzo Massimo alle Terme and Palazzo Altemps, the Baths of Diocletian, and the Ara Pacis.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Museum_of_Rome
http://en.arapacis.it/

Two things I've bookmarked for our next trip to Rome:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/22/ar...=2&oref=slogin

http://en.mercatiditraiano.it/

f you do a search for "rome churches", you'll bring up a number of great threads of famous as well as obscure churches to visit. Seems like everyone has their favorites. For example:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...e-churches.cfm

I enjoyed The Doria Pamphili Museum just a few weeks ago. I thought the audio guide was well done. A family member did the narration and spoke about growing up in the palazzo.

I really liked the Blue Guide to Rome. It weighs a ton but has detailed information on every museum, historical site and neighborhood.

Here are a couple of places I loved that I didn't see on your list of places you've already seen:

Palazzo Massimo alle Terme- it's modern and airy and well laid out, and the sculpture and mosaics are gorgeous.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Pa...imo_alle_Terme

Santa Prassede- the chapel of St Zeno is like a jewel box.

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/i...a-prassede.htm

Santa Pudenziana is a small, interesting church in the same area.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Pudenziana

Santa Maria Maggiore is a huge, interesting church in the same area.

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/i...maria-maggiore

All four of these places are easy to group together, they are within short walking distance of one another.

And don't count out visiting a place for a 2nd or 3rd time if you liked it the first time. We did that for our trip in September and found we saw different/new things the 2nd time around. (Trip report coming soon!)

bookmarking

How about taking the train up to Orvieto for the day...or maybe Florence? Eat at the Osteria del Pegno, Vicolo Montevecchio 8, reservations advised 06 6880725, a charming, welcoming osteria. Food is great too!

Here's what I just sent to maitaitom-have a great time:


Another vote for Orvieto. We did an underground tour and liked it but enjoyed walking around the town even more. Duomo is gawdgeous.

We passed St. Paul outside the wall on our way home last time and wondered how we could have missed such a beautiful church. Guess I'm in the minority but Ostio Antica left me cold after seeing Pompeii.

If you like Bernini, go to Santa Maria della Vittoria church. A replica of the main statue was made for the Dan Brown movie BTW. The church is exquisitely rococo (sp?). Another fave is St. Ignazio near Pantheon. St. John Lateran has incredible ceilings. Doria Pamphilj gallery is amazing-check for open days-Versailles in Rome IMHO.

Giannetta,
Sorry to intrude, but you haven't commented/answered my question about the hooks in Venice. I hope that you will.
(Bert's trivia)

Oh, I can actually offer a suggestion for something to do in Rome. Get "The Fountains of Rome" by H V Morton. There are fairly detailed maps and descriptions of just about every fountain in Rome. You can spend a wonderful two weeks looking for each one. I think there are about 50. If you cannot find the book, I could scan the maps and email them to you.

gianetta,

Lucky you to get a whole month in Roma! I also vote for a trip to Orvieto, but DO stay overnight. It's a beautiful town with much to see and do and fully worth a full day and night.

Also, on my last trip to Rome, I went out to Tivoli and visited Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este. Both were wonderful and I'm so glad I went. The fountains were a delightful highlight!

Here's a 100 best list with some suggestions of things to consider
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...m#last-comment

From Trastevere it is an easy walk to the Jewish Ghetto neighborhood (over the Isola Tiberina pedestrian island). The Ghetto has a lot of good restaurants with traditional Roman dishes liked fried artichokes. More detail on this thread
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...to-in-rome.cfm

Two more of my favorites not mentioned yet: St. Pietro in Vincoli and Santa Maria Sopra Minerva.

gianetta,

Sorry, I missed that your trip is in January. I have no idea if the fountains at Villa d'Este are running in January. Better check that before going out. Hadrian's Villa is all outdoors and was lovely in Sept, but I don't know about that either in January!

bookmarking.

bookmarking.

i was writing a lovely response and my computer crapped out :(!!! Mean evil machines....anyway.....I was saying, what kind of music do you like? Though Rome is excellent for all opera and lots of other kinds of concerts, even Italian pop music, it's not so great for internationally popular bands. This year was surprisingly promising, but it's not often that Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Tori Amos, Franz Ferdinand, The Killers, and The Gotan Project all show up within a few months of each other, so don't go to Rome hoping for a Massive Attack show (these DO happen occasionally, but only occasionally) or Greenday or something. Anyway, the Feltrinelli bookstores have box offices with listings and I go there all the time, and you should check out the website for Circolo Degli Artisti Roma.....you'll be surprised what you'd find, and for cheap! (I dunno about you but was very happy joining them for Nouvelle Vague and Firewater).

Concerts aside, food and a whole month? Oh yes! So you definitely have time to daytrip to Monterotondo, a cute little town with a nice town hall/castle up a hill about 25km from Rome. Trains run frequently from Track 1 at Tiburtina station, and Friday is a good day to go since if I remember correctly they hold their mercato. From the station you just take the bus "up" to the historic center which is kind of obvious when you see it. That's where the mercato is, plus you can buy loads of home cooked goods and all there for a fraction of what it costs in Rome. For lunch or dinner, enjoy Trattoria Leone (or Ristorante, I can't remember)....anyway, type them into Google and you'll see and anyone in the center can direct you to it. Monterotondo is also quite visually beautiful and has lovely views so it's a nice day trip.....as is Tivoli, which others have mentioned, and honestly, some of my best Tivoli experiences have been in the dead of winter with no one else around really.

Ok, to eat....so you have time to travel around! Cool! Did you think of maybe renting a car for a daytrip or 2, just to some small towns and heifering out on cheap lovely food? If so, do say so and I can point you in some directions. One about 90 min from Rome is Castello dei Sorci (di Sorci? I think it's Dei but they're online anyway) in Umbria I believe....old castle, handmade daily dishes served banquet style, beautiful scenery, a tour of said castle, a giftshop, and it's "Haunted." And haunted by really good food....So totally worth it and lord knows the happy afternoons I've spent....

Closer to home? Sunday mornings at the Porta Portese market are the ticket and trips to Suppli on Via San Francesco A Ripa (right off Viale Trastevere), witgh not only roasted chicken and taters and great pizza by the slice but the best suppli/arancini in Rome, so take advantage.

Also on Via San Francesco A Ripa:
Ivo a Trastevere (Number #158) a nice selection, stellar pizza, super yummy and pretty cheap.

Augusto in Piazza Dei Renzi is a great authentic place that often has lines out the door on weekend nights and is a kind of "Whatever we're cooking" sort of place which is why I love it.....

For real REAL Roman food and no English menus...and lower prices....go to San Lorenzo. It rocks and you'll never eat better.

Sorry for my ranting, but happy travels and I'm always here for more specific info on places...hope it helped :)

Here are some of the "new" (to us) things we saw on our last trip to Rome that I would recommend:

The spectacular view of Rome from the Janiculum (Gianicolo)
Piazzale Garibaldi, followed by a downhill walk to
Trastevere via the Fontana dell'Acqua and San Pietro
in Montorio, with Bramante's famous Tempietto

the archeo bus tour out to the catacombs, the Appian Way and the aqueducts

Pinacoteca section of the Vatican museums

Caravaggio paintings in San Luigi dei Francesi

Baths of Caracalla

early morning walk along Via Giulia

Some things on our "to do next time" list:
House of Livia on the Palatine (it was closed this
trip)

Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza (only open limited hours
Saturdays and sundays)

Villa Farnesina for Raphael frescoes

Day trip to Tarquinia for Etruscan necropolis and
museum

Gregorian chant at Sant'Anselmo

Museum of the Crypts of Balto

Palazzo Massimo

San Prassede (Byzantine mosaics)

Santa Maria del Popolo

Plenty of good suggestions for experiencing Rome. Can I make a suggestion for experiencing Romans?
Head to the local shopping mall. Sure, there are malls back home, but not ones filled exclusively with Romans. Malls provide just enough familiarness that you can appreciate the differences, and but also enable you to focus more on the people than the environment.

Roma Est is a large shopping mall approx 15km to the east of city center.

Take regional rail line FM2 from Tiburtina to Lunghezza. Catch the bus in front of the station. I don't remember the #, but it should be easy to find out. Do not try to walk it, trust me - the sidewalk ends abruptly after you've already walked for a several minutes.
http://rome.angloinfo.com/information/17/busses.asp (public transportation info)
http://www.romaest.cc/aperture.html (mall hours in Italian, but you get the gist)

I was glad I went there with only 3 days in Rome; it might be a needed change-of-pace during your 30 days. Be Warned: you'll be used to Romans speaking English in the tourist areas, not going to happen at this mall. But isn't that kind of the point.

Thank you thank you -all of you! So much to look forward to and many many suggestions that will be followed up on - train to Orvieto, which considering the dozens of trips we've taken to all parts Italy, we have NOT been there - it seems a must - "What? - you've never been to ORVIETO?! Bert - what was the question re. Venice "hooks in Venice?" I'm happy to answer it even if I don't know the answer ;-). I wonder if I can print this whole thread - I'll try - I want it with me in Rome.

Zerlina, thanks for the romace.com link. It looks as if I'll have to wait until we are there as there are no 2010 listings but surely when we are in Rome and i look into that site I'll find what I'm looking for - opera, chamber music, etc.

Dobermina, Monterotondo looks like a perfect day trip - love trains. I don't particularly want to rent a car but trains and buses are an adventure in themselves. We almost always rent a car so January will be a carfree month. - lots of other great ideas - thank you.

Well - I was telling my husband about the suggestion re. traveling by train to Orvieto..... He tells me we've been there!! So much for never having been to Orvieto - now I actually do remember as the is quite beautiful but the Duomo was dressed in green netting and was closed. We visited a small church where there were ancient frecoes unlike anything we'd ever seen - the church vicor/priest was so happy to see someone actually interested that he gave us special treatment in telling us the history of the church, the frescoes etc. OK - yes, we've been to Orvieto and we can certainly go back!

Here's a couple additional guides to Rome music venues. It's maybe a little too early for the listings at any particular venue to reflect January but you could check again just before you go.

http://www.timeout.com/rome/search/?tag_id=4286

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/ro...ment-nightlife

Enjoy planning your trip!

giannetta,

Yes, do go back to see the Orvieto duomo. I actually think the small church with the ancient frescos you visited was the same one we visited. When we were there, it was abaondoned and they had just recently discovered the frescos. The historical committee president was the one who showed us around. Fascinating!

Also, do you remember doing the underground tour, the well, the Etruscan tomb excavation site below the town?

Dayle, yes - I, too, think it was the same little church as the man who showed us around was excited about the discovery of the frescoes. We did not do the underground tour...another reason to go back as well as the duomo and a revisit to the little church.
Laurie_ann - I look forward to checking out your suggested website to find music; if not now, closer to our departure.
thank you -

Laurie_ann, I've just looked at the lonely planet...web address you gave me and there are listing of concerts in January! The concerts I saw were all at Santa Cecilia and looked as if there were quite a few we would enjoy. - SO I've put that web address in my little travel notebook - thanks again,

I hope it's not too late to add a thread with some really unusual suggestions: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ightseeing.cfm

Sorry this response is so late, giannetta. [Your thread dropped off the 'radar'.] You commented on my thread of Venice trivia about the 'lucky' hooks. [You can see things you have commented on, or you can click on my name and see my threads and things I have commented on.] Since you are Italian, I thought you might know a bit more about them than a non-Italian Fodorite.

My wife and I liked the ceiling in Sant'Ignazio, described here,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Pozzo,

Caravaggio paintings in churches all over Rome, and the Michaelangelo Moses in San Pietro in Vicolo. Also, if you go the Galeria Doria-Pamphili, don't miss the Valesquez portrait of Pope Innocent X.

Hi Gianetta - If you are interested in opera there is a 'Beautiful Operatic Arias' concert twice weekly (- Tuesdays/ Saturdays) throughout January at S. Paolo Entro le Mura church in central Rome.

You can view the programme at:
http://tinyurl.com/ydrqzrz

Hope this helps ...

Steve

Last October we went in Tivoli garden and the Roman countryside Castel Gandolfi summer pope residence then a full day in Assisi very picturesque village we used a private limo company puntcual and comfortable cars at reasonable cost.i highly recommend them the driver was Maurizio www.limoitalyrooms.it is the company name.Enjoy

Bob69 - As a new member you may not know:

Fodors has a 'no advertising' policy on this forum

The St. Peter in Chains Cathedral (San Pietro in Vincoli) I found to be very interesting. It is not far from the Forum area.

Not only does it have the chains that are purported to have bound Peter, it has an interesting scupture of Moses by Michelangelo, done in the year 1515.

One of the must places to visit which it is often overlooked is the Basilica of Saint St Clemente
this is no ordinary church because it has been built on top of ancient buildings which have been preserved in great part.Google more about this amazing place that should be included
in a visit to Rome.It is located at walking distance of the Coliseum.