Advice - Rome and Naples

[CrackedHeels2]

I'm looking for advice, suggestions and recommendations please. We have booked a one week holiday in July - 4 nights in Rome, 3 nights in Naples. Staying centrally in both places. We are me are my husband (late 40s), son aged 21.

We flying into Rome and out of Naples and are keen to visit "sights".

Any help is gratefully received. Can we pre-book anything? Is this advised?

Thanks

I went via a cruise so it was all organised extras. I hope you enjoy your visit.

I loved Rome - wander, eat gelato, pop into random churches. look up places to eat, there's a lot of tourist traps (especially near the Vatican) and maybe eat a little bit further out. There's a door as you go through the Vatican museum at the end that the tour groups use to exit that means you get straight into St Peters.

Pre booking a Vatican tour is a good idea, the Villa Borghese was lovely. It'll be hot! We skipped the Coliseum as it was heaving but I think you can book a tour that skips the main heaving bits.

Naples - I haven't been for 25 years and it was dirty, run down, and you had to watch for pickpockets then. Bloody loved it.

My top tip for Rome is book a private tour of the Colosseum, the queues are terrible but we booked a guide with an art historian who took us straight to the front of the queue and then gave us a personal guided tour, which was really interesting and informative. I hate queuing so bought "skippa the line" tickets to the Sistine Chapel as well although you still end up shuffling through loads of corridors with thousands of other people to get to the chapel at which point guards with megaphones bellow at you to "BE QUIET" 😂

It’s a good idea to pre book tours, some areas get very crowded. If visiting the Vatican make sure you have something to cover your shoulders, women are allowed scarfs/shawls, men are not so your DH and son have to be wearing t shirts not vests.

Pompeii is worth a visit, check before you travel, it’s free to enter on certain days (I think it’s the first Sunday of the month but I’m not sure). You can get a trip up mount Vesuvius but be careful if you’re asthmatic, on windy days it’s not recommended as the fine dust can irritate. The view however is incredible.

The Colosseum and Imperial Forum is interesting. Definitely book with a tour group so you can skip the line.

We did the tour of the excavations of Nero’s golden palace. I loved it. You can book it here www.coopculture.it/en/products/domus-aurea-experience/

State run museums are free on the first Sunday of the month.

If you have time, walk down the Appian Way past the cobbled bit. It’s really atmospheric and much quieter.

As somebody from the Naples region I wouldn't recommend spending much time there, it's very run down. Eat the pizza, it's where it originated. I honestly would go visit the rural vineyard regions near to Naples.

You can get a taxi for an hour commute to the Amalfi coast but it will set you back €100 each way due to the mountainous journey. Don't hire a car in Naples the driving is mental, same as Rome.

Recommend Pompeii.

I'm assuming you are getting the high speed train to/from Rome and Naples?

If the budget allows book the Rome Vespa Tour - we did it with teens in October and everyone agreed it was the highlight of the holiday. It is about three hours and covers all the main sights from the outside (and a guided trip inside the Pantheon) with great live commentary. If you can, get the underground tour of the Colosseum - I am still kicking myself that we left it too late and it was all sold out

Rome is sublime - so walkable and something to see on every corner - don’t miss the Pantheon.
Naples, on the other hand, is a cesspit: we couldn’t wait to get out of it. Got robbed in broad daylight when a guy on a motorcycle cut the strap on my crossbody bag! Herculaneum is better than Pompeii

Much preferred Naples! Make sure you go to Herculaneum and not just Pompeii.

We stayed in Sorrento in November and did Pompeii and Herculaneum. Both fascinating, but we much preferred Herculaneum, so if you only have time for one of them, I'd do that.

We hired a car and driving was fine. But we went out of season so summer will be different. It will be extremely hot in July - I found Pompeii exhausting in November so can't imagine doing it in the summer heat.

Naples is my favourite city. Obviously you should visit Pompeii, but the archiological museum in Naples is amazing and holds most of the finds from Pompeii.

There is an underground Naples tour which is really good.

There are churches filled with artwork. Don't miss the statue of the veiled Christ, a true masterpiece.

The food in Naples is amazing and very good value. The people were much friendlier than the Romans.

In Naples Herculaneum is much better preserved than Pompeii so I would see both. We also went up mt Vesuvius is which was good but we went very early as it was so hot. Obviously lots of the attractions are outside so no air con but I'm not a fan of heat so it was hard for me.
Do be careful around safety and pickpockets but if you stick to touristy places it's fine.

Also is Naples there’s are amazing catacombs and churches and museums. And yes the people are much nicer than in Rome and omg yes, the pizza!

We stayed in the old town Trastevere when we went and walked across the bridge to get to where we wanted to go and navigated the underground easily.

Rome is beautiful but we hated the area near the main train station because that's very un Rome and has no character at all.

It's one of my favourite cities

We didn't pre book anything but do if that's what PP are advising as I went last century but do go to the Sistine Chapel it's beautiful - check the dates and times it's open

Maybe we were lucky because we managed to get into everywhere without queuing ( apart from having to queue a short while for the Sistine Chapel) I can close my eyes and still picture it to this day.

Do a Scavi tour of the necropolis under St Peter's. Its fascinating.

Rome is amazing.
The Catacombs & the bone chapel are a must

We did the Vatican but I'd never do it again, it's so busy and you're all crushed in like sardines

Oh - another thought - if you are dong Pompeii and Herculaneum (the latter is much better preserved but smaller) it is sometimes better to do it with a guided tour. I have done both ways and there were certain buildings which were only open if you had the guided tour - and they were some of the best bits

It’s fantastic you will have a wonderful time.

onr note of caution - in time don’t buy the frozen bottles of water the street vendors will try to sell you, sometimes quite forcefully. They take them out of the bins and refill and sell so you can catch some nasties. Buy water in sealed bottles from shops or refill your own if you can. Both places will be very hot. Prepare to be stunned by Rome, you walk round a perfectly ordinary corner and something amazing is right there.

Theres a fab sandwich type shop called pane e salami round from the trevi fountain, you will have to queue to get in but it’s great avd I haven’t been since pre covid but it was very reasonable.

we are going to both on a cruise again this summer, can’t wait.

Thank you so much everyone, it is so useful to have you co,,emits on things both good and bad. Lots to think about, plan our time and to book! Really grateful

The hop on hop off bus for 48 hrs in Rome was great value for us as we used it for our transport.

The same bus is a waste of time in Naples - took us miles out of the City. Food is fantastic in Naples.

Don't miss these in Naples:

museosansevero.it/wp/en/the-statue/

naplespompeii.com/capodimonte.html

www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g187785-d8342075-Reviews-Cameo_factory_De_Paola-Naples_Province_of_Naples_Campania.html

Teatro San Carlo - the oldest opera house in the world. Grab a show! If not, great to have a look and there is an amazing cafe across the street - rum babas are a must.

A day trip to Capri - about an hour on a hydrofoil.

This Italian site - Gambero Rosso is GREAT for food recommendations.

Am jealous! Will you come back and let us know?

I don’t know Naples, but in Rome you must see the Trevi fountain, the coliseum and the Vatican.
And you must obviously eat lots of pizza and ice cream!

4 nights in Rome is a ridiculously short time, so be very clear about what you want to see & book accordingly.
St Peter's is top of the list, imo.
But also allow time just t wander about, sit in cafes etc. Somewhere lime Trastevere is good for that.

You don't need to buy water at all in Rome. The drinking fountains are all over the place. Just refill what you've got.
As there have been far fewer Chinese and Japanese tourists due to COVID over the last few years, the queues to get into places isn't nearly as bad as it used to be, but I'd still book in advance. Just easier.
Eating out in Rome is as cheap as chips. You'll eat well if you choose trattorie serving typical Roman dishes: carbonara, amatriciana, cacio e pepe. Save the pizza for Naples.

As in every large city, avoid the area around the main station.

Travelling round Rome by metro is easy though you don't really need to tbh. Trevi, Navona, Spanish Steps all fairly close to each other etc.

Knights of Malta keyhole thing hasn't been mentioned. It's the famous view of St Peters through the keyhole of a monastery. Schlep up a hill to get there though.