I don't think indylady is coming back to read all of these opinions.

I clicked on her name and last year she and her sister visited Germany, she just may not be suited for Rome in the summer with the heat and crowds.

She did refer to herself and her sister as senior citizens at 55 and 61 and she didn't get berated, how did that happen? lol

indylady, if you do come back, don't worry, you don't have to like Rome!

<<The female desk clerk at our hotel was also a bit chilly at check in, but later on when we asked her how to find Campo di Fiore, she smiled and said, "Ah, you are going to have a good time," and gave us directions. >>

A typical tale, I think, Slangevar.

Many Romans (and many Italians I've come across) can be very much all business while doing a task, then very much all charm when off work or when the task is done. I think some of them (hotel clerks for example!) are quite busy creating a reputation for efficiency.

By the way, as to restaurants, I can recommend a "contemporary Italian/continental" place in Tratevere where not only are the staff quite warm and upbeat, but the chef will surely appear at your table to say hello. "Asinocotto", worth a trip.

I think some may be mistaking "indylady" with "Indytravel", who is long time contributor to the forum.

I believe that "indylady" and "njlady" are the same person.. if you click under her name you will see that she never posted before and suddenly there were her post reinforcings indy..negative perceptions about Rome..

Strange coincidence, indeed.

kismet., maybe they are sisters! I love this forum, intrigue around every bend.

You are right SeaUrchin, intrigue is the Spice of life..:)

No, indylady and I (njlady) are not sisters. We don't even know each other. Yes, it is a coincidence that we both had negative experiences in Rome. I wish our experience with the Roman people had been different and I sincerely hope it will be on our next visit...

ttt

As they say, if you don't like Rome, you are not looking - or shopping!- in the right place - the churches and art and history and shops-and the food!- cannot be found anywhere else. it makes me extremely sad for others when they miss that. I can not ever wait until I get to go back there-of all the places I've been, none draws me like Rome.
Leslie

>>indylady, I am sorry that you did not like Rome, but some of your comments seemed a little odd<<

Yes and no...it seems often that people who post about hating a place for weird reasons, never come back to defend/explain further their point of view. This, in my opinion, makes their original post even less valuable.

Stu T: I love your way of explaining the "work" of our travels. None of it would be as rewarding for me without the research and discussions. I love to learn about places I'm visiting.

Unfortuneately, we need some vacation time, too. But with limited time and resources, if I have a choice between the way I do it and vacation, I'll take the way I do it.

I talk to people who did not enjoy Italy, but then when I ask them about this or that, they seem relatively uninformed. I think some consider all travel a vacation, and thus their disappointment.

I have a client who recently told someone that the best part of her trip to Italy was relaxing by the pool in their luxury hotel in Tuscany. It was her first time to Milan, Rome, the Riviera, Venice and Lake Como, as well as to the luxury hotel in Tuscany. Go figure.

Rome sucks. My two sisters and I just got back from a month in Europe and swore we would never go back to Rome. It was just one bad experience after another. After the taxi driver left us of at our apartment which was across the street from the Vatican, We were followed by a masterbating derelict who followed us down the steps to our apartment door. We were running and screaming and of course no one came to our aid. But the screams did scare the guy off. When we finally got into our flea infested apt. we called the apt manager who said he would call the police but nothing ever came of it. When we would ask for directions the people were either rude of misdirected us. I am thankful I got to see some of the sights I'd always dreamed of because I'll never go back.

So suco, now you are blaming the city of Roma because a derelict followed to your apartment and you had the misfortune to have a fleas infested lodging..?

Just a FYI-the Chicago Tribune travel section(this spring) along with the AAA rated Italy as the number one destination for Americans overseas and Rome as the number one city they visited!I believe it as my flights are always packed to the gills..........

I have two great loves: Rome and Paris!
If you have to have them explained to you, you will never understand.

To all who love Rome: I love Rome, too and it's a wonderful city full of history, architecture, art and great food..... Nobody's arguing that. However, the point of this thread was the rudeness that we and many others on this thread encountered with the Roman people. Nobody is arguing that Rome is a wonderful city and a favorite toursit spot.

njlady:

The point of this thread was *not* "the rudeness of the Roman people". The OP called them "unhappy".

*You* called them rude, and you obviously find it necessary to do so again and again.

I suggest you go on to something else.

How can you be certain that these rude people were Romans? Thousands, thousands of immigrants from the Eastern and Balkanic countries live in Rome and they also speak perfect Italian..
Sometimes what you see is not the real thing..

Quote:"How can you be certain that these rude people were Romans? Thousands, thousands of immigrants from the Eastern and Balkanic countries live in Rome and they also speak perfect Italian..Sometimes what you see is not the real thing.."

Yes, immigrants, other tourists, etc. etc. can make a place unpleasant, but the fact that the folks doing the unpleasant things aren't natives doesn't make a person have to like the place any more. If, for example, Rome was overtaken by bands of roving, foreign soldiers who shot folks on site, it would be good advice to avoid Rome, even if the Romans were sweet as pie.

The typical tourist only has a few days in a given location....a week in one location is often considered "too long" by some. First impressions count a lot in every aspect of our lives. If the first experience is a deranged guy following you, the second is a flea ridden flat, and maybe the third is a sub-par meal....that would be enough to give lots of folks a bad impression of a city, even though that could be caused by only two people and a dog.

kismet: You ARE right - I don't know where these people who were "locals" were originally from. Odds are that some where originally Romans and some were not. I agree with you on that.

Zerlina: Yes "I" posted my opinion after the OP said Romans were unhappy. That was my experience and that's what people do on this forum. I'm not claiming my experience to be dogma but I'm not going to change it either. More over, why are you telling "me" to move on and not the other posters who rave about Rome??? They can continue to post but I have to move on to something elese? A little double standard I think. But in any case and FYI, I have already moved on, BUT when the subject comes up, I mentioned it as many times as necessary.