To skip Rome?

[yellowtotebag]

DP and I are planning a trip travelling to various places throughout Italy for 3 weeks. Neither of us have been to Rome (DP never been to Italy at all) but we are not majorly bothered about it - there are far more countryside and coastal places we would like to visit.

I’ve had a real split of opinions when saying to my friends that we might leave Rome off the itinerary. Some have said they didn’t really enjoy it that much and could see our point of view, some said that given we’d only be able to go for 2/3 days anyway we wouldn’t have enough time to make it worth it. But then some people have said we are crazy and that it would be criminal to travel around Italy without going to Rome!

What do you all think?

If you want to go to Sicily, go to Taormina, it's breathtaking! Very peaceful, nothing like the bigger cities.

I wouldn’t skip Naples - but I agree re Milan and Pisa, especially Milan.

Naples is something special imo - very atmospheric

@Notonetojudge

It’s a fabulous big, dirty but beautiful city. If you like cities, don’t miss it. If you don’t, there’s plenty of other stuff to keep you busy for the rest of your life, let alone 3 weeks.

This.

I have been to Rome a dozen times and adore it, but if there are other spots that appeal more for your first trip to Italy, see them first, it's going nowhere.

Rome is incredibly! I was blown away. Seems a bit silly to miss it.

I've been to various places in Italy but I really didn't like Rome it was very dirty and I felt unsafe on the buses like I was going to get my bag stolen . It's great for the culture but won't be rushing back when there are other beautiful parts of Italy. Milan is a gorgeous city IMO

I didn’t even notice it was dirty.

I love Rome, I prefer it to Florence. Wouldn't miss it unless it was a choice between Rome and Venice. Venice is my favourite.

I would skip Rome, and skip Pisa too. Florence is the most incredible place! Not to be missed.

@Honeyroar

I’d skip Florence in summer (love it in winter/spring).

I adore Italy, I’ve lived there, studied Italian. You can’t go wrong anywhere in Italy really. Rome is my favourite place in the world (and I’m a country girl, and also was an airline stewardess for over 20 years, so have seen a lot of places!)

Exactly this. Florence is a small city and it's absolutely rammed with tourists in summer. Go out of season, as far as possible.

Aaah OP I absolutely love Rome and if I had the means I'd literally grab you by the arm now and take you ... yes it can be heaving, dusty, noisy and all but it's stunning.

If you've only a few days think about a couple of priorities you want to see then leave lots of time for wandering around and just exploring.

If you can make time to see the city at night, it's very beautiful. We wandered to the Colosseum after dinner one evening to do this - it was obviously closed - and enjoyed walking around outside. Lots of other people doing the same so it felt very safe. The Basilica at night it also goose bump making.

Ahhhh, I'm always jealous when others go

I love Rome, I can't imagine going around Italy but not going to Rome! Whether you like it or not after being there, I definitely think it's worth going, there is so much to see, so much history, and I just love it as a city.

@JustJam4Tea

Rome is one of my favourite European cities, I loved it. Just avoid the super touristy bits if you don’t want to queue, or pre book or go later or early in the day.

But go, it’s amazing.

Great advice to do stuff early or late. I love early as it's less busy and I feel like a local walking to wherever we're off to and love having my morning coffee and pastry - at a stupid cheap price - standing up at the bar

Unless your going in August or July when even the locals avoid Rome I would go. Not a coty person at all but went in an October and it was amazing so much to see and do. One peice of advise avoid the underground it's deadly and not safe at rushhour even worse than London. In 2019 with 4 of us it wa cheaper in most cases to get a taxi from our central hotel to places like the Borghese. Colosium is amazing with a tour from the colosium staff. Book vis there web site not the very expensive private ones

If you want to queue jump, contact Angel Tours, before you go. Give them a quick Google. They're really good!

Please don't skip Rome.

I would also see Pompeii, Venice, Florence and Pisa (but only for one evening)

I'd skip Naples :)

Oh I left my heart in Rome. I fell hard for it. I wasn’t all that fussy for going but the other place we were looking at suddenly shot up in price. Rome seemed a good deal and my travelling companions favourite film is Gladiator so on that tenuous basis we went.

I spent the entire trip with my gob open either marvelling at things or stuffing gelato and suppli into it at an astonishing rate.

I went early February and I think that helped as it wasn’t very crowded and it pissed down the entire time making everything look fresh and shiny so my experience wasn’t a sweaty crowded dirty one.

I hated rome.

Venice and florence are much more interesting.

@jamimmi

Unless your going in August or July when even the locals avoid Rome I would go. Not a coty person at all but went in an October and it was amazing so much to see and do. One peice of advise avoid the underground it's deadly and not safe at rushhour even worse than London. In 2019 with 4 of us it wa cheaper in most cases to get a taxi from our central hotel to places like the Borghese. Colosium is amazing with a tour from the colosium staff. Book vis there web site not the very expensive private ones

We've been in October a few times and agree with you there.

Also as much as I adore the city I also hated the subway and would always avoid too.

For our honeymoon we treated ourselves to a private car transfer to and from the airport. That was ace, our driver was pretty much a tour guide and we felt v posh bring in a top of the range Merc. Bonus was the driver looked like an Armani model and smelt divine

Obviously we weren't on top of the car, rather inside it.

I loved Rome, it is amazing, don’t miss it. I am not a city person and would usually avoid them, but I would make an exception for Rome. It’s absolutely full of interesting and beautiful buildings and historical sites. We didn’t make it to our chosen destination the first day as there were so many distractions on the way.

You have to go to Rome surely! In my opinion the best city in the world
One of the highlights of my life (and im not exaggerating) was a 7 am 7 mile run around Rome in 2018 ..... trevi fountain... round the colloseum.... along the tiber to the vatican..... absolutely flipping amazing!

I would do Rome but as a previous poster said Siena is marvellous - I found Florence lovely for Doumo the Uffizzi and lots else but in the summer - by golly it is hot. I actually prefer Siena to Florence . ( shuffles off )

Rome would be on my 'must do' list for Italy - haven't been for 20 years though because there's always somewhere else to see. But now I want to go back.

Florence was amazing - the view back over the city by sunset from the 'other' side of the river is just breathtaking. And the Duomo at night...

Tuscany is also beautiful - Siena, Lucca, Chianti and all the stunning towns in that area - stay on an Agroturismo if you can, and do a cooking course.

I love the mountains too - I've skied in northern Italy several times, and would love to go back in Spring/Summer - amazing scenery.

The Amalfi coast is beautiful, but I wouldn't stay in Sorrento - too touristy for me. But it's a useful base for Pompeii, which would also be on my 'must do' list.

If you're over towards Venice, Verona is worth a quick look while you're there.

Of the Lakes, I'd go to Como rather than Garda - I've only done the latter, but from chatting to other people, Como seems like the more scenic (although Garda was very scenic!)

If you've got 3 weeks, I wouldn't try and do Sicily too - it's huge. We had 2 weeks there, and only covered the south/eastern side - you could easily spend well over 3 weeks there! (Taormina is the one place I'd avoid, in contrast to the above poster - a big tourist trap in my view).

Good luck with your planning - it's such a lovely country, you'll have an amazing time.

@StrychnineInTheSandwiches

Pisa and Milan are skippable in my opinion.

I agree with this.

Rome is my favourite place in the world - been 8 times & still haven't seen everything I want to see. Be selective & plan ahead. I second the person who recommended staying in Padua, it's a lovely small city.

Love Italy - DS (22) and I were just trying to decide which bit we want to go in the summer as first holiday for 2 years (and since death of DH). We had a great time in Rome in the past - key was staying right in the centre (in an apartment in a fantastic thirteenth-century building), which made it all very reachable. One tip - if it is still possible - is to book night-time tickets to visit the Vatican - it was much less crowded.

Love Venice too (we've done it twice), but would go again in the Autumn rather than high summer. DH and I went to Florence when we were first together, about 25 years ago, then went again with teenage DS in the same trip as Rome (and also stayed in an Umbrian villa). We stayed in the same hotel each time. We were struck by how much the city had become a tourist-theme-park in the intervening decades. We all much preferred Rome - i think because the size means the touristy-ness is better absorbed.

Lake Garda is also a favourite - and the Italian alps. On our last Italian holiday we went to Naples (with day trips to Pompeii and Herculaneum) and then Amalfi coast. Naples was because DH was writing a novel set there - DS and I were not so keen, but it was very interesting. It didn't feel frighteningly rough, but the traffic was pretty terrifying. The Amalfi coast was amazing.

I think for the next trip we're planning on Sicily (I haven't been, but DS has and loved it) and/or Cinque Terre. Can't wait!