What to do in Rome when everything is closed
 

We've found out that one day of the four we have in Rome is August 15, when supposedly everything closes for the Assumption holiday. Any suggestions on what to do that day? We're staying near the Vatican. Thanks!

Walk, walk and enjoy having the city to yourselves.

topping<BR>

Another who says walk and walk.<BR><BR>We were just there the beginning of May and we walked the city each of the 4 days we were there.<BR><BR>Figure on about a half hour from the Vatican to the Spanish Steps, 15 minutes on to the Fountain of Trevi, 15 more minutes to Piazza Navona, 20 minutes over to the Wedding Cake and then the Forum and Colosseum.<BR><BR>I wouldn't walk them in that total time. Enjoy sitting around having whatever it is you drink. These are just walking times between major sites.<BR><BR>Have fun.

Thanks for the replies. I'm writing down the distances. Didn't realize how close everything is.

Walk alot-and eat gelato. I'm sure there must be at least one gelateria open.

Your main problem might not be that everything is closed as well as that everything is CROWDED! Usually museums are open on "Ferragosto" (that's the name of the holiday in Italian), and last year museums in Rome even closed at 11 pm instead of at 8 pm as the other museums do on Ferragosto. Here is the list of the museums of Rome that stayed open until 11 pm according to Italian press:<BR><BR>Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, Museo Etrusco di Villa Giulia, Galleria Borghese, Castel S.Angelo, palazzo Altemps, Palazzo Massimo, Terme di Caracalla, Domus Aurea, Pantheon, Foro Romano e Palatino, Palazzo Barberini e Villa Adriana (Tivoli).

Thanks! I've been searching the internet for this info & my guidebooks are rather vague about which holidays cause them to close. I'm guessing that if these museums are open, then we can expect the buses to run as normal. I'm wondering if any shops or restaurants are open or if we should buy our food the day before. My guess is that my guidebook is exaggerating when it says Rome shuts down, but I don't want to be unprepared. Thanks again.

Ferragosto is amain holidaym, therefore most restaurants will be open. Holidays are about having fund, having a good time, so why should the restaurants close on one of the days they could make lots of money from people spending their holiday eating and drinking? I do not know where you are from, but I, as an Italian, was astonished the one and only time I went to England (hope to go there again soon, though!) when I saw that nothing worked on sunday, here in Italy the concept is that on holidays people wants to have a god time, therefore restaurants and cinemas are more likely to be closed on monday than on sunday, on dsecember 5 than on Christmas and so on. Only the biuses might not work, at least for part of the day, and Rome is a large city: wear comfortable shoes. Everything else will be working as usual, except offices and factories.

Nobody mentioned that you could see one or more of the churches on the Feast of the Assumption!