Today I was speaking to a client about my upcoming trip to Rome and Venice. She said she'd be interested in what I think about these cities. When I asked why, she said that when she was in Rome the scooter smoke was unbearable and the smell in Venice was pretty bad. So bad that it took away from all the good things about both places. I would like to hear any comments about this. Thank you.

I've yet to understand such complaints. I visited both Rome and Venice during July, when one would expect the smells to be at their worst, and never had a problem with nasty odors. <BR> <BR>Rome is a wonderfully dizzying city, and the vespas that drive by can make one crazed while crossing the street. I'm a NYer, and it took me a while to feel brave enough to cross the road in Rome. But never did I find the scooter smoke to be unbearable. I think your client must be hyper-sensitive. <BR> <BR>And the ongoing complaint of Venice and its smells never ceases to amaze me....I was there 2 summers in a row, and never noticed any smells from the canals. I'm sure there must be some moments when the tide is still and low, and the smells rise a little, but I really think that this is not the problem some people make it out to be. Perhaps it was a big problem once, but it's not a major problem now.

I disagree with the previous poster. I have found both Rome and Venice to be "smelly" on recent visits. I saw dead rats floating in the canals in Venice on an $80 gondola ride - that didn't exactly ruin the experience of Venice, which is always magical, but it certainly got a big note in my travel journal. And in Rome last summer I found the exhaust fume to be almost unbearable, walking around in July heat with that fuel smell in my nostrils all the time made it necessary for us to duck into gelaterie and cafés from time to time - it really was annoying. I wouldn't go so far as to say that it tok away from all the good things about Venice and Rome - it would be hard to do that - but I think for fairly novice American tourists who might be offended by such things, it might be useful to know. Having traversed Europe for more than 30 years, I can accept just about anything as long as I can see great art and meander little cobblestone streets, but for some people, this kind of thing could spoil a vacation, I suppose.

I'd go back to Rome and Venice in a minute! I loved both cities. Granted, I was there in March and then again in June, and was not put off by the smells or exhaust fumes. Hey, you are in unique and foreign cities. Don't let someone elses poor experiences color your trips. Go!

No smellier than the Charles River in Boston, the Mississippi through the center of the country, or the air in L.A. and New York.

Ugh, dead rats in the water would definitely give me pause, too. Maybe I was fortunate when I visited, since neither city was unbearably hot, and I noticed no bad smells....and perhaps my NYC nostrils are practically numb, anyway..but I guess the point is that European cities are not theme parks that has been purified for the sake of tourists, but rather living cities with their share of real urban problems. Just keep in mind what you're there for, and hopefully, you'll fall in love with these places like the rest of us. <BR>

Thank you every one. Paule, I'm sure I'll have no problem falling in love with these cities. I usually find something to love on all my trips. If I could survive the exhaust in Istanbul, I think I can handle anything.

I am hyper-sensitive to pollution and could not stand Florence for just one day during a mid-September visit due to the Vespas (and this a day after a lot of rain). But I have been to Rome in early November and Venice on 3 different occasions, 1x early September, 1x mid-September, 1x early June and had no difficulty in those cities at those times. <BR> <BR>The problame can easilty be solved by going in the shoulder or off-seasons.

<BR>It seems that smelly canals are an occasionnal thing. I read several complaints about that, but like many others I didn't have this problem when I visited Venice (twice). Good luck.