Hi-first timer here.I have booked a room near the Pantheon/P.Navona area for 2 weeks in June.My hotel says it has WI-FI in the lobby and direct internet connection in the room (they provide plug).Can anyone explain to me what this means?Do I just bring my laptop and that's all?I know, I'm very stupid when it comes to computers. I want to be able to e-mail my kids every day, I don't have a world phone or whatever,which brings me to my next question. Has anyone here rented a phone from Context Tours (7 EURO per day).I was wondering how easy that would be.And lastly I guess,any advice for a 50 year old woman in Rome? I thank you so much. Beverly

Can't help with two of the questions but as for advice for a 50 year old:

Look up what interests you and make a very light plan to see some/most of your list. Keep track of opening and closing hours and days.

If any restauarant interests you (maybe from reading this forum) make a few notes. Take a map, if not buy one in the bookstore on the Corso.

Be adventurous and have fun.

Beverly,
I can't answer the computer questions either, but as a 50ish woman who has traveled by myself on several occasions, I can offer a suggestion. In both London and Florence, I looked up companies that do "walks" - usually 2-5 hour walking tours to various points of interest in the city. There are usually a variety of solo travelers, couples, and families on the tours and it's easy to begin conversations with people about where you are from, what you've already seen in the city, where else you have traveled, etc. It gives you not only some opportunity for easy conversation (something that is nice to have now and then when traveling alone) and possibly to meet another solo traveler who might be interested in doing another activity with you. When in London, I met another woman on one of the first tours I was on who was also traveling alone and we did some other tours together as well as seeing a couple of shows together that we were planning on doing individually. We still even e-mail now and then. I did a net search with the words "Rome Walks" and found a company (amazingly enough) called "Rome Walks" that appears to operate many of these kinds of walks on various themes. It looks like they are about 4 hours for about $40. Might be worth looking into!

Hi

Many times when it says that they have Wi-Fi this only means that they have this service but you might have to pay to access it. In Paris last year I brought my laptop and when I turned it on and started IE I got to a page where I was able to buy online access and this was not a service related to the hotel.

If you want some general advice about Rome feel free to check out my trip report with pictures and links on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/rome_italy.htm

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

Hi B,

Leave the laptop at home.

It is an expensive, easily stolen, fragile piece of excess baggage.

Buy an internatioanl phone card and call your kids.

Go to an internetpoint, byuy some computer time and email your kids.

For the cost of renting a phone for 2 weeks you could buy one.

Enjoy your visit.

Seaurchin..I will take your advice,thanks.
hb9542...very encouraging,I will look up "Rome Walks",I'm concerned I'll be very lonely at times
gard..I guess I'll ask my hotel to be more specific about their "Wi-Fi"
Ira...is an "internet point" the same as an internet cafe,and where are they?
Are they expensive?
Thanks all,for your advice
Oh! One more question(well,probably not the last). How much should I tip my driver who is taking me to my hotel from the airport and back (35euro each way)? Beverly

An internet point is a place where you can rent time on a computer; an nternet cafe serves drinks, too. They are not expensive in Italy and they are fairly easy to find in Rome.

re the tip, I give about five euro but I have them carry, load and unload my bags for me.

There are some internet points near your area, just ask at the desk and take your passport the first time for ID.

You can also take Enjoy Rome tours, I did and wrote it on my trip report, click on my name and it will come up, sorry I forgot the title. o solo mio I think.

We were in Rome for a week just last fall. There are internet places everywhere. I don't remember the exact cost, but we used them all the time and they were really cheap. There are also phonepoints or something like that all over. They are just like the internet places, only phones. They are really tiny places with only a few phones, so you have to look for the signs. They were 9 or 10 cents a minute to call the states. Since we weren't making lots of calls, that was cheaper than buying a new card for our phone. Also, it was very easy to use the point phones.

Hi B,

>How much should I tip my driver who is taking me to my hotel from the airport and back (35euro each way)? <

1-2E each way.

You do not have to tip the driver at all. If you do tip, please tip more than 1 euro which is really a bit chintzy in my opinion on a drive costing 35 euro. Above all, do not worry! I have been to Rome alone a number of times and there is nothing remotely threatening about the city in the areas which you will be visiting.