Thing to Do
Created by Ian Nolan
Mon 23/05/05 (day 2)
Rome in a Day?
Rome indeed can be done in a day, but set off early, come with a game plan and a fat wallet.
We caught a cab from our hotel, which was just outside the centre, to the Trevi Fountain where we began our first day. The foutain itself was striking, but we were mostly struck by the sheer volume of tourists at the renowned hotspot. We took some photos and decided we'd come back in the evening to see it in lights, as recommended by our helpful hotel receptionist-come unofficial tour guide. Like shameless stereotypical tourists, we bought a fold-out map of Rome, which i would highly recommend as the Italian sign-posts and road signs leave a lot to be desired. You can grab one from any corner stand at a reasonable price. Next we grabbed some pizza from a narrow side-street restaurant and planned our next move. Rome is teeming with restaurants to cater for the massive influx of tourists that flock to the Eternal City, but my advice would be to steer clear of the eateries and bars around the main tourist attractions. We later sat in a restaurant opposite the Pantheon, and shelled out £40 for a couple of glasses of wine and a frozen pizza.
Moving on, our next visit was to the world famous Coliseum. Easy walking distance, as everything seems to be in Rome, and we arrived again to a mass of mingling tourists. There were plenty of tours available and tourists amble around clutching information phones, but we decided not to use any tours for our particualr trip, as we wanted to do everything at our own pace. The entrance fee was nothing as it was a special culture weekend in Rome. We walked aorund this ancient structure, the very symbol of Rome, for a good 45 minutes, before retiring to sit outside on the surrounding hills, taking some photos and enjoying some of the breathtaking views over the rest of Rome.
Just a short walk from the Coliseum is the impressive Monument of Vittorio Emanuele II building, a monument erected in honour of an unknow soldier and still stands above most buildings in terms of height. You can freely walk to the top and enjoy impressive panoramic views of the entire city.
Next we ventured toward the Vatican City, passing through several piazzas of various shapes and sizes and we managed to stumble upon the Pantheon, another Rome attraction accompanied by a mass of tourists taking pictures. It's an interesting building with a rich history, apparently dating back to 7th century, seemingly in tact, which makes it one of the best preserved buldings in Rome. We sat at a restaurant overlooking the Pantheon for some wine and more pizza, the wine helping soften the blow of the above mentioned £40 bill.
We walked towards the river and crossed the bridge towards the Sistine Chapel and from here we took a few pictures of the impressive Vatican City from afar. The walk towards St Peter's Basillica is a lot longer than it looks to the eye, and you have to tackle all the street sellers and pick-pockets looking to make some money out of the thousands of tourists that pour into the tiny principality each day. By now evening was nearing, but we managed to get into St Peter's (free again) just as the sun was setting which illuminated the stain glass windows and made it an impressive visit. We left the Vatican quite impressed with all we had managed to see in one day, and thats without really rushing around. All the major attractions in Rome are walking distance from eachother, and the walks in between are pleasant because you just cant help stumble into another piazza or across another ancient structure. We walked back towards the famous Piazza Novona where we decided we were going to eat. We were warned that this is the most expensive place to eat and drink, but the atmosphere was great and well worth the extra euros. Constant musical entertainment from official street musicians that played songs on request for a small fee meant we were entertained, and the wine flowed nicely at £20 a pop, which isnt much more expensive than prices in the UK. Food on the other hand sets you back a lot further and a bowl of something vaguely resembling Carbonara and knocked up suspiciously quickly will set you back another £15/£20.
Planned Activities
Mon 23/05/05 (day 2) - Rome
Thing to Do
Thing to Do
Thing to Do
Thing to Do
Thing to Do
Thing to Do
Thing to Do
Thing to Do
I will be eating down the side streets as our hotel is by the Spanish Steps and said to be an expensive part of Rome.
How did you get to your Hotel from the airport?
There is a bus from the 2 Rome airports, often bookable on your flight and it's a bargain. There is also an express train from Fiumicino airport to Termini station in the centre of Rome, altho' a long walk down the station platform.
Taxis are white, usually air conditioned and not ridiculously dear on the meter.
It's v hot in Rome at this time of year so try not to cram in too much.
Rome hotels are generally expensive and some are very good. Go on personal recommendation or use the better chains eg Best western.
Beware of the 64 tourist bus to the Vatican, do not wear conspicuous jewellery, and don't carry around large amounts of money in yr wallet and never in a back pocket.
Fill up yr small mineral water bottle from the many drinking fountains not from the decorative fountains!
Why not avoid the main tourist traps and as Rome IS its churches visit some of the less well-known ones, nevertheless magnificent eg San Clemente, San Ignazio, The Gesu.
Get a good guide book before you go eg DK, Key to Rome, BECAUSE most Rome attractions, icluding the churches have erratic opening hours - long lunches for the staff - v civilised but not much good for the tourist, also many close Mon Tue or Wed or even all three!
Check out opening times in advance!
A lot of the smaller specialist shops are closed between 1 and 4.30!
As for food, there are little supermarkets in the most unlikely places and why not have a picnic in one of Rome's shady parks? Do not sit on the grass you will get bitten.
Rome is a brilliant city and what is more there are brilliant places to visit nearby I would recommend the Villa d'este at Tivoli. Ask at a tourist office for the best way to get there.
Buona Fortuna!
The people were amazingly friendly and the city itself is like walking around a huge living monument, there's so much to see. Around every corner there is something to discover.
As there were 5 of us we booked a cab from the Airport to the hotel for a fixed price. The driver took us in via a scenic route and suddenly we were alongside the Colosseum - wow! We visited everything over the four full days we had there. We were lucky to have a friend who lives in Rome and he took us off the beaten track to some beautiful churches and best of all to some fabulous restaurants most tourists will never go to, he also told us the ones to avoid! I can recommend "Tootsies" but am unsure whereabouts it is because we got a cab there and back, look it up cos it's worth it! Our hotel (Hotal Max) was right by the main terminal so getting back to the airport was easy and if you fancy an afternoon by the beach, it's less than an hour away. I can't recommend this wonderful city enough and am looking forward to returning this November.
Its a wonderful and beautiful city ...... a place everyone should see at least once in their lifetime.
Saluti.....