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Original poster

I'm going to Rome on Friday.Tell me your best tips.

55 replies

Mirage · 31/10/2006 20:00

DH & I are off to Rome on Friday for a childfree long weekend. I'd love to hear your best tips for sightseeing,eating & shopping.Are there any best buys or bargains to be had?Any attractions that aren't worth going to?
Thanks.

OP posts:
bluesky · 01/11/2006 15:22

Trevi FOuntain first thing in the morning before the crowds arrive.

Use the tourist double decker open top buses for seeing everything and being able to hop on and off.

We walked everywhere, you realise how close everything is.

Can REALLY recommend Angel Tours, who do small tours of the sights, english/irish young people do it, great fun, and of course NO queuing, ie the colloseum could have been 3 hrs but we swooped right in. They were recommended in the Sunday Papers, and they were fab.

Ditto dont go to the top of St Peters, arrghh! But you must go, it is a HUGE HUGE place. We also enjoyed the sistine chapel.

Have a great time, just wander ......

AitchTwoOh · 01/11/2006 15:45

aah well, then that's very un-italian of them to tell off a woman for fainting... i once passed out in Rome and came round to find about 50 people crowded around me. poor you...

DumbledoresGirl · 01/11/2006 15:46

I loved being on top of St Peter's dome! It wasnt that tight a space, the view is tremendous and the scale of the building is mind blowing!

SaintQuootiepie · 01/11/2006 15:49

Do as the Romans do...

AitchTwoOh · 01/11/2006 15:51

but surely you must have thought the climb up there was never going to end, DG? when we finally got up there were a bunch of hugely overweight german tourists who kept bumping people onto the railings. never had a fewar of heights before or since, but i really thought those Weebles would kill us all.

DumbledoresGirl · 01/11/2006 15:57

To be completely honest with you Aitch, I don't even remember the climb. I will never forget to my dying day the half way stage where you walk out on to the internal balcony thingy and I saw written in those huge (presumably gold?) letters the Latin phrase "On this rock I will build my church" - as a Catholic, I was blwon away by the hugeness of the lettering and the symbolism of the words - but the climb itself I don't remember. Ah yes, we did the first bit in the lift if I recall, so maybe that helped?

TBH dh and I are mountain climbers so steps don't phase us, or heights. I always make a bee-line for climbing big buildings - eg have done Sacre Coeur with dh and 4 kids since then, and will do St Pauls one day - amazed I haven't yet. Compared to Sacre Coeur and other such places, the space at the top of St Peters is huge.

And don't you remember how great the view was? And how amazing the size of the building was? Or is that just me?

AitchTwoOh · 01/11/2006 16:01

i'm sure the the view would have been amazing had i been able to let go of the door. amazing, and still largely obscured by fat germans.

DumbledoresGirl · 01/11/2006 16:04

PMSL at fat Germans. I can remember dh and I struggled for a long time to get a photo of each other standing on dome - the crowds were impossible and yes, I do recall some Germans amongst them!

sugarfree · 01/11/2006 16:05

You know what else is well worth a look at in Rome?
Italian men!

DelGirl · 01/11/2006 16:47

Too true sugarfree, i'm hoping to bag one when I'm there for Christmas!

The view from the top of St Peters is spectacular but flippin 'eck, it was hard getting there. I really think they should have warning signs tbh as once you go in, there's no way out until you get to the top and go down again. I bet some people have passed out doing that as well. Not sure i'd contemplate it again unless it was very quiet and I could stop on the way. I found some of the very low sloping ceiling a bit claustrophobic too. But having said all of that, was it worth the effort? Yes!td thf

Mummymonster · 01/11/2006 16:51

Oh you lucky lady!

Every thing in Rome is worth a look. The top of the spanish steps is beautiful. St Peter's is mind blowing and you have to do the Sistine Chapel, words can't descibe it's majesty.

The president's house is fab. An awesome building and the chaning of the guard is entertaining. The Forum and all the ancient roman stuff is amazing. The chapel made of bones is...odd but worth a look. The olympic stadium is fab, especially if you catch a game, just avoid the Lazio Ultras (well scary that lot)Oh Rome is so wonderful.

O can't comment on shopping as I was born without the shopping gene but there was a fab goth shop just off the piazza del popolo. DM's and crushed velvet shirts (black natch) a plenty. Like Leeds circa 1985! Basically I came home with goth shirts, football shirts, dried mushrooms and cheese! and a lot of memories.

Just go and enjoy it

sugarfree · 01/11/2006 17:04

Delgirl,can you bring me back a tall slim housetrained one?Preferably in his early forties,greying at the temples,suited and booted with sunnies and a cigarette.
Thank you.

sugarfree · 01/11/2006 17:10

oh,and he needs to be able to talk dirty convincingly in English and Italian.

helenhismadwife · 01/11/2006 17:10

Hiya

I am really jealous DH and I went there on honeymoon and loved it. There is loads to see and do, loads of lovely places to eat.

There is a bus service that runs from the bus station that goes to all the main tourist attractions, you can get on and off at any point along the route it was well worth the money to see all the major attractions,from the bus and to orientate yourself we wished we had done it first because then you know where to go and where you want to go back to and explore more and where to walk to.

Hubby and I decided to visit the vatican we went to the bus station to get a bus and it was packed, we got to the vatican to find the reason it was packed was cos the pope was giving mass, it was a real experience and really made our day.

One thing to be aware of watch your wallet and handbag, unfortuantely on our last day dh had his wallet taken it was in an inside pocket that was really hard to get the wallet in and out of so we dont know how they did it. I guess that applies in any big city where ever you go

have a great time

Helen

fullmoonfiend · 01/11/2006 17:15

oh went to Rome with mia sorello when I was about 8 weeks pg with ds2 so couldn't drink
But had a beautiful time, and woud love to go with dh. It is very romantic and lovely. (though my sister and I had tremendous fun being chatted up constantly by every man we met, young, old - it's just a way of life and done with no sexual agression or menace...
We did all the usual touritsty stuff but also loved the giant flea market maggiesmama mentioned .

fullmoonfiend · 01/11/2006 17:16

Sugarfree - you trollop !
(Me and my sis had our photos taken with a posse of Roman policeman (they have adorable uniforms with little capes, but they all looked very sexy

sugarfree · 01/11/2006 17:27

I am,aren't I?

Original poster
Mirage · 01/11/2006 20:22

Wow,thanks for the huge response.I'm getting really excited about it now.Til I read your messages it really didn't sink in that we were actually going1

This trip is a birthday present from me to dh.I booked & paid for it in secret & told him on his birthday back in June,so we have been looking forward to it for ages now.

Keep them coming,I shall print them all off & take them with me.

OP posts:
mammaduck · 01/11/2006 20:27

The Catacombs are once seen, never to be forgotten.

Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli (just outside Rome) also amazing.

On a practical note, crossing roads in Rome is well-nigh impossible because they just ignore all traffic lights.

We found however, that all traffic stops to allows nuns to pass.

So if you want to cross the road, find a nun.

Or take it in turns to wear a habit for a day! ;)

mammaduck · 01/11/2006 20:28

buggered up , soz.

have a great time, mirage!

swedishmum · 01/11/2006 20:47

You'll love it. Sistene chapel has very restricted weekend opening times so check first. It was one of those rare cities that is just as you'd hope or better. Colissuem first thing - you see all the gladiators arriving in cars, smoking and talking on mobile phones - we got some surreal photos! We were very impressed by Colisseum - go early. I found the whole city romantic, despite having 4 kids in tow. Enjoy!

AitchTwoOh · 01/11/2006 20:54

that's funy, mammaduck, i love crossing roads in rome. you just find a zebra crossing, fix your destination in your sights and walk across with your head held high and shoulders back. the traffic just stops, it's a miracle. watch the old ladies and, yes, the nuns, they are the best at it.

lapsedrunner · 02/11/2006 07:18

Buy your ticket for the Colosseum at the entrance to the Palatine (hidden away at the Colosseum end of the Forum). It's a joint ticket anyway and there are no queues at the Palatine, you then walk straight to the front of the queue at the Colosseum.

Also would suggest apporaching the Colosseum by walking through the Forum first.

Mummymonster · 02/11/2006 08:35

Agree with finding a nun to cross the road! LOL

The traffic is crazy, tons of Fiat 500s and scooters everywhere and the parkin is mind bogling!

liath · 02/11/2006 09:19

If you are flying then I'd advise getting to the airport in PLENTY time - we had a nightmare flying back with the departure hall packed, delayed getting through security, no help from officials and missed our flight! This was a couple of years ago so before current restrictions presumably have made things even worse.

We had a fab holiday, though. There was an amazing ice cream shop near the trevi fountain called San Crispino (via della panettaria).

Have fun !