tedgale

MY first reaction to your OP/ itinerary was "But when do you get to see ROME???"

Wandering and discovering are at least as important as crossing a museum off your list, IMO.

However eagerly planned and well researched your museum visits, I suspect that in 6 months' time most of these visits will be a blur. Just a blur.

Also I'm struck -- since you like ancient and early-Christian Rome and not the Baroque -- how your itinerary gives time to the Vatican and Caravaggio and the Borghese but misses some real jewels like:

A walk along the via Appia Antica
A visit to the Villa Giulia, which has great Etruscan art...

BTW: I would endorse the Capitoline -- the most diverse and the most approachable and fun of all the Rome museums, IMO. Pure pleasure from start to finish.

The Pinacoteca is the least of its charms, but there too you can see Caravaggio (and Velasquez and Tintoretto)

amyb

I hate adding to someone's itinerary, but a few noteworthy adds:

The Caravaggios...Santa Maria del Popolo you already know, but definitely stop into San Luigi dei Francesi for the two Matthews and Sant'Agostino for the Madonna of Loreto. Both are near the Piazza Navona and you'll be nearby several times.

Don't miss the Berninis in the Chigi Chapel in Santa Maria del Popolo.

The Michelangelo (Risen Christ) at Santa Maria Sopra Minerva is impressive but I'd almost recommend instead Moses at St. Pietro in Vincoli. After David in Florence, he is my second favorite Michelangelo work. You can get closer and see more detail.

Best of all, everything I recommend here is free entry!

heartofthesouth

apres, i was in Rome last December, also my first time. I honestly wouldn't worry about lines while you are there. The only line I ran in to was at the Colosseum and it wasn't long at all.

For the Vatican I woke up around 8 or 8:30 and walked from Piazza Navona all the way to the Vatican Museum. It had already been open for a quite a while at this point, but there was no line at all. We walked straight in to the museum. That is the major plus about going to Rome in December...the crowds are very few and far between!

I must must must suggest a restraunt to you though. I was on a very strict budget and went to a cafe called Anima Sapori right off of Piazza Navona. It was absolutely amazing and under 15 Euro per person. You can read my trip report at www.heartofthesouth.org. just go to the trips section and click italy. hope you enjoy and let me know if you have any questions. heartofthesouth at aol dot com.

Apres_Londee

Thanks so much to everyone for your suggestions. I've done a bit more fiddling. I think I will keep the Vatican Museum and the Scavi tour on two separate days afterall. Besides lack of time, we're also up against the Sunday being the last of the month and a Monday when pretty much all museums are closed, except for the vatican.

So here's what I've got down now for the first 3 days- the next 3 days I'm not quite so worried about because I'll be on my own, or at least I can worry about them separately.

<b>Saturday</b>

Arrive Ciampino 4:10pm
Taxi to apartment
Free evening for walking

<b>Sunday</b>

Museo del Corso (opens 10am)- Rembrandt to Vermeer exhibit

Forum
Colosseum
Palatine

Capitoline Museums (closes 8pm)

<b>Monday</b>

Piazza Navona, Pantheon, &amp; area

Vatican Museums (closes 6pm)

<b>Tuesday</b>

Santa Prassede
Santa Pudenziana

Museo National Romano (opens 9am)

Scavi Tour (3:30pm-5pm)
St Peter's Basilica (5pm-6pm)

Apres_Londee

I'm hoping we can fit in San Clemente on either on Sunday or Monday. Maybe play that by ear.

vivi

You've gotten lots of great advice!

I spent a week in Rome alone. The best tip I can give is to go inside any and every church you pass by that is open. It may look modest on the outside but I was thunderstruck every time I went into a church, even if it weren't &quot;famous.&quot;

Leely2

Sunday looks heavy (but I am lazy and getting lazier by the minute); Monday looks light. So if you can squeeze more in, squeeze on Monday.

But I'm sure you and your sister will find a pace that's best for you. I took my sister to Rome 3 1/2 years ago when she was pregnant with my niece. We had a wonderful time.

5alive

Hi, Apres,
You've done a lot of research so far and I would suggest you trust to your instincts.

I presume your Scavi tickets are locked in to Tuesday, which is why you're splitting the two trips to the Vatican area. But once you go, you'll see why people keep urging you to combine. It's more work to get over there.

For your visit, if you truly like ancient Rome I think you want to make a trip to Ostia Antica. About an hour away by local trains at most. Check Walter (ParadiseLost's guide).

I'm Catholic and love the art. On my first trip, I didn't get as tired of museums as much as baroque churches. I would read up and pick a few. However, I would stop in any with Caravaggios just for that part. Also, the only truly gothic church is St. Maria sopra Minerva, and the St. Maria degli Angeli is entirely different again, being converted Roman baths.

One book I found for my second trip is Frank Korn's A Catholic's Guide to Rome: Discovering the Soul of the Eternal City. If you prefer the ancient churches, this book will be helpful. Take a look inside the Amazon link: http://tinyurl.com/55t5jk

Vttraveler

Re multiple trips to the Vatican: it really is very easy/quick to get over there from the apartment where you are staying. You can walk over to the Tiber and take a #23 bus to Piazza del Risorgimento for 1 euro. I would keep to the p.m. plan for the Vatican museums to avoid lines unless you find a tour that works in the morning. You will definitely want time in the basilica and the piazza in addition to the Scavi tour

Things to add to the schedule in the central part of the city:
morning visit to Campo de'Fiori market

Piazza Navona

time in Trastevere, including mosaics in Santa Maria in T maybe going up to the Janiculum, too (all easy from the apartment, really a nice walk over the pedestrian Isola Tiberna)

Vttraveler

A few more random thoughts:
If you do an evening walk the first night to the Trevi fountain you should also stop off for the view of the forum from the terrace beyond the Campidoglio and explore the Ghetto neighborhood. When we stayed there in 2007 my husband came back to the apartment where our son and I were unpacking to announce we had to go out and see the illuminated Portico d'Ottavia and teatro di Marcello RIGHT AWAY.

There many good restaurants in the Ghetto. For a good inexpensive option we enjoyed Il Portico, right on Via Portico d'Ottavia around the corner from your apartment
There is a small supermarket near the apartment plus other smaller markets and bakeries

I think doing the forum, Colosseum and Palatine all on the same day would be a bit much. We did the first two one day, the Palatine the second day. The passes for all three are good for two days. I would allow at least 4 hours for all three. We took longer.

We didn't venture far into Testaccio but did take the #23 bus (catch it on the Trastevere side of the Tiber) to the pyramid of Caius Cestius and Protestant cemetery one morning then headed on to the Palatine entrance on San Gregorio by another bus.

For a visit to St. Peter's I would allow a minimum of an hour inside and more to admire the piazza/exterior.

The Rome tourist office has a booklet called The Streets of Rome which gives a lot of detail about many streets in the neighborhood near the apartment.

Another church near the Pantheon/P. Navonna is San Luigi de Francesi with 3 early Caravaggios of the life of St. Matthew

If the weather is good when you go to Piazza del Popolo, walk up to the Pincio gardens for a great panoramic view of Rome

Be sure to get a good guidebook with suggested walking tours.

Apres_Londee

Thanks again to everyone for your help. I truly appreciate all of the imput, and being able to think aloud really helps me get things straightened out and organized.

Vttraveler, I was hoping you would see this because I know you stayed in the exact same apartment! I think we may also have a similar siteseeing style- both my sister and I tend to spend a long time looking at things.

I remember reading in your other posts that you had split the Forum, Colosseum, and Palatine over two days. I think I may go back to that idea again...I know my sister and I will err on the side of spending more time, not less, at those sites and I'm not sure I want the &quot;pressure&quot; of having to plow through them all at one time.

(my sister actually read classics at university and was a Latin TA and all that, so god only knows how long she will want to take- knowing her she could end spending all day in front of a single pile of rocks)

One thing I'm having difficulty with is judging the distance between things from looking at maps. I tend to overestimate distances and walking times, as I'm a bit paranoid about underestimating them and making unrealistic day to day plans. I need to go hit via michelin for a while.

5alive

There are also several versions of &quot;mapquest&quot; for Europe to help you plan. I have used this one:
http://www.mappy.co.uk/

Apres_Londee

Thanks 5alive, I love mappy.

Vttraveler

When we visited Rome in Feb 2007 we had great spring-like weather which certainly made it easy/pleasant to spend a lot of time at the Forum and Palatine (and the Appian Way and aqueducts, the Baths of Caracalla and Ostia Antica). If you encounter bad weather you probably want to be flexible and consider indoor locations (We did not go to the Capitoline Museum on our last trip to Rome but we visited it on another trip and it is certainly has an amazing collection)

You probably are over-estimating travel time--the apartment is very centrally located. On the other hand, there is so much to see along the way to almost any destination in the historic center of Rome that it seems a shame to go at a really fast clip!

I gather you and your sister are willing to be up and about early in the morning. That is a big advantage. During our 2007 trip my husband and I went out early most mornings leaving our teenage son asleep in the apartment.

I really envy you getting ready for your trip. It occurs to me you will have an extra room in the apartment after your sister leaves (and even an extra twin bed while she is there)....

Seriously, if you have any questions about the apartment or neighborhood or logistics for getting from the apartment to other sites I would be glad to try to answer them.

Motorino

Great advice here from other Fodorites! You’ve got the sights.

Saturday night, apartment being where it is, is a wonderful opportunity to do the Rome circle walk to find bearings and timing.

Your apartment is very close to Pantheon (7 minutes). To Forum entrance on Imperiali it's 25 minutes.

Bring band-aids and VERY comfortable shoes. Or rent a motorino!

Rome is really made for walking. Romans are like penguins, the passeggiata has been part of the culture forever. The city was built to walk.

Here’s a circle walk for you, that you may use also New Years Day, when all the Romans will be on parade walking down the closed Via del Corso eating fava beans for good luck. We use variations off these streets every day we are in Rome.

Start by walking to Piazza Mattei, which is on Via della Reginella, then west on Via dei Felagnami straight across Via Arenula (where you see street car that takes you to Trastevere and the Cat Sanctuary right there in those ancient ruins) 3 minutes - keep going west straight down Via dei Giubbonari, to Campo de' Fiori. That's less than 10 minutes.

Detouring from Campo de’Fiori into Piazza Farnese. (1 minute) walk down to Via Giulia (5 minutes) to say hello to Michelangelo’s Arch. Take Via Giulia to the Vatican by making a right (30 minutes).

Walk back through Piazza Farnese to Campo de’ Fiori. If you don’t get stuck in Campo de’ Fiori, exit west on Via dei Cappellari for the longer route (10 minutes) to Via del Governo Vecchio and Piazza Navona, or exit Campo de’ Fiori north west side to Via di Pasquino (5 minutes) for quicker route to Piazza Navona and Governo Vecchio.

Either way you cross Vittorio Emanuele II, which to the west brings you to Vatican. (30 minutes)

On Via del Governo Vecchio you’ll find caffes etc. For dinner I would go off Governo Vecchio north on Via del Corallo to Piazza Fico for dinner at Da Francesco trattoria. Another good one off Governo Vecchio north on Via di Parione is Cucina Romana Virginiae.

After dinner I would stroll down Corallo making right along way to Via della Pace for a drink with the hipsters at Caffe della Pace, or continuing straight into the Piazza Navona on Via de Tor Millina. (5 minutes)

Christmas fair is on! From Via de Tor Millina, right there on the right is Fountain of the Four Rivers by Bernini.

Exit Piazza Navona opposite side on Corsia Agonale – cross the main street there Rinasciemento, take left, then first right – Via del Salvatore – walk straight and then you are in for the treat of your life when you see the greatest of Roman buildings, Brunelleschi’s inspiration for Il Dumo in Firenze, the Pantheon at night. ( 5 minutes)

If you stand in square, looking at Pantheon, the street to the left of Pantheon, running parallel – follow that straight, crossing Vittorio Emanuele, you will find your apartment, (7 minutes) passing the cat sanctuary on way home. But I wouldn’t go home yet.

Also right there to the left is Santa Maria Minerva – in front is ancient and baroque mix, Bernini elephant with an Egyptian obelisk on top - Pulcino della Minerva. Ask your sister to translate the Latin there on the base.

If you still have legs, walk opposite direction toward Campo Marzo, then on to Piazza San Lorenzo, and on to Via dei Condotti. (15 minutes)

There a few good gelato shops along the route, plenty of nice boutiques and a real pleasant walk.

When you get to Via Condotti -take right to Spanish Steps. Walk down Rome’s high fashion runway to Spanish Steps ( 7 minutes)

From Spanish Steps to the left is Piazza Popolo, where among other sites is a wonderful Leonardo Da Vinci exhibit. (10 minutes)

But tonight I would take right exiting Piazza Spagna winding my way to Trevi Fountain (10 minutes) Now it will be late which is best time for photo here. Turn off flash and use back light.

Exit Trevi on Via de Crociferi, or Via della Muratte if you like street markets, to the Via del Corso, which will be closed New Years Day and packed with people.

Cross the Via del Corso, taking right then left into Piazza Colonna –The Column of Marcus Aurelius, a Doric column with a spiral relief, built in honor of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius and modeled on Trajan's Column. Built in 200, it still stands on its original site, the heart of Rome in front of Palazzo Chigi – one of our favorites. (5 minutes)

From there you can head toward your apartment (15 minutes) by going down Via di Sant’Ignazio by winding way toward Pantheon or toward Vittorio Emanuele cross to Ghetto.

Do try to inside Sant Ignazio to see how “Dome” is work of art regardless of its Baroqueness. Excellent restaurant in front of Sant’Ignazio. Between Column and Sant’Ignazio is Via di Pietra, with an ancient temple under restoration.







Monday: you’re apartment is in that area. Every day when you wake up consider walking north on Via della Reginella to the Pantheon. Wake up with a cappuccino, macchiato, or other coffee at a Roman caffe like Sant’Eustachio or Tazza d’Oro, both just around the Pantheon. Then you can stroll across the street to Campo de’Fiori (5 minutes) to see market and get on with day. Or walk across street to Piazza Navona ( 5 minutes) and walk down Via dei Coronari to see some wonderful shops for jewelry, fashions, antiques, and things. The Christmas fair in Piazza Navona will be on every day.

On Monday morning be sure to walk toward Spanish Steps. Via Margutta is a very pretty street with galleries and shopping, and of course Via Condotti. Great spot for lunch there is Settimio all’Arancio. After lunch cross Tiber and you are 10 minutes from Vatican.

At the end of the Vatican Museum tour (4 hours + for us) is the Sistine Chapel. When you are looking at the back of the Chapel, then to the right there is an exit that says “tour groups only”, go through, down big stairs, and you are on side of St Peter’s Basilica. Here you go right inside without any line – inside Basilica on the right is Michelangelo’s Pieta. You may want to see it again Tuesday. I know you are not into Baroque art but Bernini’s Alexander VII is a Basilica highlight.

I think splitting forum into 2 days is a good one. It may be cold, you may get rain day of rain so it makes sense to work in into 2 days. We end up walking around there for hours.

Buon Viaggio.

Apres_Londee

Motorino, thank you so much!

There's a part of me that would <b>love</b> to rent a scooter (I was a bit of a daredevil as a child) but of course I wouldn't dare. I remember, though, in Florence being quite impressed with the young women driving their scooters in high heels.

But you've given me and everyone else some marvelous walks and I think I will stick to those instead! Thank you!

And thanks to you too, Vttraveler. I'm finally starting to feel &quot;happy excited&quot; instead of &quot;stressed-out excited&quot;. And you're right, I think I'll have 2 extra single beds for a couple of days...how much they would fetch me a night, I wonder?

Venezia123

Save yourself some money ,don't take taxi from airport take the airport shuttle ,You can buy your ticket before you go on line ,They take you right to the hotel and you can have them pick you up when you return you can set that up at the same time.

Vttraveler

We found public transit to the apartment to be quite convenient. Local train to Trastevere station then #8 tram. Tim Pearson @ Realrome can give you detailed directions. It would take longer than a taxi of course but save some money