Rome: People Watching!
 

Some folks travel to enjoy museums, historical places, the food or culture or neat scenery, etc.

One of the main reasons I love to travel - whether abroad or in my home town - is to people watch and Rome to me is an excellent place for this - here are my favorite people-watching spots in Rome - what are yours?

Trevi Fountain:
The bestest bestest by far is the Trevi Fountains and people throwing coins over their backs and now taking selfies whilst doing it the Human Comedy at its best.

Piazzas - like the Pizza Navona with the famous statue but all kinds of stuff going on there - little kids batting a soccer ball around - old ladies selling bird feed for pigeons - buskers singing, etc.

The Spanish Steps
This is a mecca for foreign tourists and even though measures like banning picnicking on the steps still sees many folks taking a rest here - great views of packed streets down below.

The Vatican - St Peter's
Love standing and watching the clothes/morality police dudes at the entrance to St Peter's - telling ladies to cover their arms and legs and hair and men their legs or shoulders.

Termini Stations
Ah the Human Zoo on parade - all types hanging around and all types arriving by zillions of trains. A rather shady crowd often lulling around out front but it's inside where I love to sit far up the tracks, beer or wine in hand, and watch trains come and go - sometimes for hours.

The Colosseum Plaza
the area between the Colosseum and the Roman Forum - a plaza of sorts - love to see all the kitschy trinkets being hawked and those faux gladiators posing for pictures than extorting the folks for money - have not been in a few years so do not know that those fake gladiators are still there but anyone zillions of tourists coming and going is always a treat.

Any people-watching favorites of yours in Rome?

I like to watch the pickpockets on the #64 bus.

The Bar Farnese terrace on the Piazza Farnese.

>>Love standing and watching the clothes/morality police dudes at the entrance to St Peter's - telling ladies to cover their arms and legs and hair and men their legs or shoulders.<<

Covered shoulders and knees, yes - hair and legs, no.

Lee Ann

Ther is a small pza right in fron of the pantheon. And we have found that in the late afternoon one of the cafes provides small snacks (bites of bruschetta or pizza) when you order drinks (I love a campari and soda when it's hot).

This is a great place to people watch - not just tourists in and out of the Pantheon but by late afternoon also a lot of locals on their way somewhere. And there are a couple of churches nearby and a couple of times we have heard choirs (not sure if practicing or some late afternoon service.)

Bookmarking

It's been many decades since women were required to cover their hair, but in theory men visiting the Vatican are still supposed to wear long trousers. The guards are not consistent in enforcing the rule, but my adolescent nephew was turned away wearing calf-length clam diggers. Women just need to wear something that covers the knees.

That's interesting, bvlenci. We saw a number of men wearing knee-length shorts in St. Peter's when we were there in May. I think you're right that the rules aren't consistently enforced.

Lee Ann

The ground, I never tire of admiring the beautiful shoes that Italians wear. And for occasionally catching a young, beautiful, ultra-chic Italian woman get a stiletto heel get stuck in the cobblestones, it's such a great equalizer and it gives me just a little pinch of satisfaction.

Rosati at Piazza del Popolo

PalenQ must not have been to Rome for a while.

The Trevi Fountain has been undergoing restoration for two years. No coins being 'thrown over shoulders'. Coins still being thrown but over a high wall. It is not a place to linger, nowhere to sit and crowded as heck with people all disappointingly looking at a scaffold covered sculpture. Note - it's set to reopen first week of November.

No 'shady' people outside Termini. They've all gone somewhere else thanks to the high police presence.

The 'gladiators' at the Colosseum are actually Roman soldiers in costume. They're still around.

Never seen any old ladies selling bird food at Piazza Navona. I believe that was banned years ago as it was in Venice. It is still a great place to sit at a cafe with an outrageously expensive drink. Last week I was walking through and saw a gorgeous bride being photographed in front of the fountain. Makes a change from the mobs following cruise ship paddles and raised umbrellas.

The best spots to watch people are the unknown ones, like the little piazzas where high schoolers congregate before class, where business people get their pannini and jolt of espresso. They are not in the guide books and not inundated with tourists.

via dei coronari: We loved eating outside andd watching the young priests in training walk by as they were heading to/from their lessons. There was something deliriously moving in seeing that.

PalenQ - for someone from Meeeechigan you have a pretty weird concept of people watching.

The places you listed are mostly frequented by tourists and probably in your limited concept of life, Americans.

I have always thought that people watching should be essentially a local affair or perhaps you miss this.

Sipping coffee at a sidewalk cafe on Via Venneto . .

I have always thought that people watching should be essentially a local affair or perhaps you miss this.>

I dispute your definition - it can be both and yes I like watching tourists as much as locals - people are people but tourists can act so so silly sometimes.

Hook, line and sinker - you really enjoy seeing your fellow Americans embarassing themselves

Hook, line and sinker - you really enjoy seeing your fellow Americans embarassing themselves>

I am talking about tourists in general - not just Americans and there are also many other Europeans and now especially Asians running about - I said nothing about embarrassing themselves - that is in your mind - I enjoy seeing tourists having fun - marveling at the Sistine Chapel - tossing coins into the Trevi Fountain (yes currently closed) - struggling to get their sweaters over their bare legs at St Peters, etc.

No I do not enjoy seeing Americans embarrassing themselves especially though it is part of the human comedy for sure.