Rome
Thigh_burn
Posts: 489
Has anyone got any decent recommendations for Rome - either things to do, places to eat or bike shops dripping with Italy's finest engineering. Thanks in advance.
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The Villa d'este, a short drive away or bus trip, stunning (when fountains are working) especially in a evening, no pumps used all done with clever engineering and water pressure. Well worth the visit.All lies and jest..still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest....0
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How long are you going for?
The older I get, the better I was.0 -
The Pantheon is well worth a visit, the domed ceiling with a circular hole in the middle is just an incredible piece of engineering. Other places I like to see while there are Piazza Navona and the Forum. The Coliseum is ok but super busy most of the time.0
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Its Rome - you'll get a crick in your neck from looking around. Its architecturally and archaeologically bellisima.
The Colloseum (book a guided tour to get to see and hear about all of it), Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Vatican, Ostia, - it goes on and on and on. Too much too list. Every street corner has something to look at.
Its busy - yes, very, but you can walk most of it, then stop, get a tram or bus (buy tickets before you get on then you validate them in a little machine on there), stop frequently for espresso (do not ask for a cappuccino after 8 in the morning - its a breakfast drink - they will laugh at you) with little cakes and gelati.
Head out for dinner late and passagiata before and after. Eat where the locals eat - ask for recommendations dependant on where you are in the city.
Then you have the shopping. Take extra suitcases.
No matter how cool you think you are you will look ugly and out of place - Romans are so cool. Take very dark lensed sunglasses so you can't be seen looking at the most beautiful women in the world.
Everyone is pretty friendly unlike London so its tranquillo.
Get a guide book before you go and learn some simple phrases - all helps.
The wine, food and people are wonderful.
Where are you flying in to?
If you want I can scratch my head and come up with some more bits - our house is an hour away so we're pretty familiar with it. I also have a bluffers guide somewhere I can dig out for you.
Let me know.Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am
De Sisti wrote:
This is one of the silliest threads I've come across.
Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honoursmithy21 wrote:
He's right you know.0 -
Many thanks all.
To answer some of the above, I'm going for 4 days - flying out Monday morning, back Thursday afternoon.
A couple of dinners are booked. Vatican and Sistine tour already booked. @MF thanks for the tip re Colosseum, I'll do that. I usually find the Eater guides a decent rule of thumb for food so have noted a few of these places. I'd really appreciate any other thoughts.0 -
Many thanks all.
To answer some of the above, I'm going for 4 days - flying out Monday morning, back Thursday afternoon. Flying into Fiumicino.
A couple of dinners are booked. Vatican and Sistine tour already booked. @MF thanks for the tip re Colosseum, I'll do that. I usually find the Eater guides a decent rule of thumb for food so have noted a few of these places. I'd really appreciate any other thoughts.
I should add, particularly interested in anything that avoids the crowds.0 -
Cappuccino is OK before 11am.Superstition sets the whole world in flames; philosophy quenches them.
Voltaire0 -
Thigh_burn wrote:Many thanks all.
To answer some of the above, I'm going for 4 days - flying out Monday morning, back Thursday afternoon. Flying into Fiumicino.
A couple of dinners are booked. Vatican and Sistine tour already booked. @MF thanks for the tip re Colosseum, I'll do that. I usually find the Eater guides a decent rule of thumb for food so have noted a few of these places. I'd really appreciate any other thoughts.
I should add, particularly interested in anything that avoids the crowds.
Best way to avoid the crowds is to get off the internet (as every tourist is looking at the same websites, however smart you think you're being) and follow your nose, old skool.
Rome's quite walkable and most places are not very hidden away. It's usually fairly obvious what's actually hot and what's not.0 -
I took the wife for our 10th wedding anniversary but that was quite some time ago so things may have changed. We stayed here https://www.raphaelhotel.com/Welcome-to-raphael-Hotel-in-rome.htmand had our anniversary meal there as well. It was a bit pricey but an absolutely beautiful hotel in a nice area.
The Colosseum had huge queues but if you paid extra for an official tour you bypassed them (it was obviously a bit more expensive though). I also hired a chauffeur driven car from the airport which, though a bit more expensive than a taxi was well worth it as it took us in via the Appian Way and gave us the full tour guide act. As with all major cities, everything is pricey around the tourist traps and it's worth going a few streets off the beaten track for food and drink. We walked everywhere, it's quite a contained city but was hot going at the peak of summer when we were there.
The Villa Borghese is a nice place to find some shade and relax for a while with a picnic and have a break from sightseeing.0 -
Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am
De Sisti wrote:
This is one of the silliest threads I've come across.
Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honoursmithy21 wrote:
He's right you know.0 -
Unusually, what MF says above is corrrect except for the bit about the most beautiful women in the world. IMHO there is a greater concentration of them in Helsinki than in any other city in the world. That argument is however best left to The Bottom Bracket.Cannondale Synapse Carbon Ultegra
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The monkeys have a crypt?Matthewfalle wrote:Cannondale Synapse Carbon Ultegra
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A Roma pass is worth getting for the days that you're there. Covers transport on the buses around the city and includes entrance to around the first three(?) things you'd like to see, (eg Colosseum and Forum) and then reduced rate to others. Runs for 72 hours or whatever from first use.
It won't cover your transfer from the airport, get that booked if you haven't got it, it can be expensive otherwise.
This depends upon your budget though and mine was limited. BTW, I was at the other airport, Ciampino. The taxi drivers are supposed to take you (by law) for a flat fee into Rome to inside the Aurelian wall plus another stop but apparently won't and want to charge more. As a consequence they all stand around at the airport with nothing to do except transport Americans.
A trip to the seaside is nice at Ostia. And you can go to Ostia Antica on the way there or back. A huge place that used to be the harbour city Rome. Included on the Roma Pass too, as is the train which you get from the station closest to Pyramid. Surface line station, and that's a terminus if I remember correctly
I don't know if this still exists, but when I was there I think you had to pay to go into the Basilica. However, if you joined a special line and told them you wanted to see the "Holy Door", Porta Sancta, you could go and see that and then continue to walk around the Basilica for nothing. You had to know, and know what to ask, it wasn't publicised, and this was from the point around the barriers nearest to where it looks down the Via della Consiliazione.
Villa Borghese is nice as mentioned above, good views across Rome from there, and a great place to have a go on a Segue.
The older I get, the better I was.0
