Rome in late February

[ProjectGainsborough]

So excited - never been before!

What do people recommend packing? It seems like average temp is about 9c and reasonably unlikely to rain.

Also any shops that I shouldn’t miss?

Thank you, wise ones!

Sensible shoes that are comfortable for walking in. You will walk miles and everywhere is on cobbles. I bought trainers with the thickest soles I could find and they were a godsend.

Otherwise, unless you are staying in a £££ hotel, it is not a very glam place, loads of people are tourists and dressed for practicality. There is someone clutching a map looking lost on every corner.

Dressed up Italians are often looking loud in a way most UK women would struggle to pull off.

Shopwise, I did spend I lot of time staring outside Valentino while DH stood about looking baffled. However there is sooo much to see and do in Rome, v little shopping happened.

Take lots (and lots) of money. Food and drink are costly especially with the exchange rate.

In Feb I think I'd be going 3/4 sleeve tops under a leather jacket, jeans, comfortable trainers.

I've been in march, warm in the day, freezing at night. Locals were all wearing floor length padded coats whilst DH was in shorts. (How to look like an obvious tourist!)

Dammit, really PN? I had fantasies of a) cheap pizza and b) the sort of sartorial people watching (drooling) I experienced in Florence.

Yes Anna they can be very stylish IMO sometimes too much! ( though the men are elegant) . I would take layers to wear and look a bit stylish, not typically tourist!

Just like any big Italian city, you can eat for most budgets, do your restaurant research first - there are some lovely little traditional places tucked away once you get away from the tourist hotspots.

I wouldn't say the food and drink was overly expensive at all contrary to @PNGirl, just stay away from the main tourist hotspots, everything was very reasonable we found, we actually ended up having a lot of euros left over as everyone had told us how expensive it was and that wasn't our experience at all.

We went in December and I was fine in jeans, trainers and a thick jumper. I had a lightweight long wool coat and a leather jacket with me too but didn't wear either a lot, all the walking means you don't get too chilly. Take layers, and maybe buy yourself a lovely big wrap scarf while you're there.

My top tip would be to go to the Trevi fountain in the early hours rather than in the day. We went at 2am and it was still lit but totally deserted other than some armed guards.

In terms of food, do your research. If you want to eat appalling pizza for lots of money, any restaurant on the Piazza Navona will be glad to take your money. Or around any of the main tourist sights.

However walk 50yds off the main street and there will probably be somewhere serving exceptional food for half the price.

I spent a lot of time on Tripadvisor, looking at where to eat in Rome articles and looked at a few food blogs. Apart from a couple of times when we were just starving and had to eat at the place in front of us, we ate exceptional food but it would have been really easy to eat terribly.

"Sensible shoes that are comfortable for walking in. You will walk miles and everywhere is on cobbles. I bought trainers with the thickest soles I could find and they were a godsend."

This ^^ with bells on. We didn't find Rome particularly expensive. Our hotel was quite a walk from the main sights, and we had a fab restaurant right opposite.

"In Feb I think I'd be going 3/4 sleeve tops under a leather jacket"

I wouldn't be warm enough with that. Highest daytime temperatures are 14 degrees at that time of year. I didn't see many exceptionally well dressed people while we were there. As we were sightseeing we mainly saw other tourists, all dressed for serious sightseeing. I would also assume you might get some rain.

Great tips, thanks all! I like the idea of a moonlit stroll to the trevi fountain.

Think I need to find more places off the beaten track as crowds make me cross.

We went there in October. I can reccommend Osteria Barberini for dinner (fairly pricy but fab food) and the church of San Pietro in Montorio for beautiful painting. Follow the road on up the hill for great views of the city. As mentioned wear flats or chunky heels - the cobbles are impossible to negotiate in heels!

Whereabouts are you staying? And how long?

Wittering about Rome is literally my favourite subject

I've been twice and found an average beer, bottle of wine, coffee and sandwich were more expensive than Vienna, Prague, Barcelona, Madrid, and Paris. It was comparable to Dublin and Venice for me.

Deffo some sensible shoes and lots and lots of money!! I love Rome.

Weather wise it won't be that different from the UK in autumn so layers and a good waterproof just in case. If it happens to be 30 degrees that week you can buy sun cream when you get there!

Went to Rome and Paris in 2017 by the way. Rome was cheaper than Paris (which I now think is the most expensive place on the planet!) but exchange rate was better when we were in Rome. Basically, Europe feels more expensive these days because the £ is weak. At least you can use your mobile for free now!

We’re staying in Campo de Fiori Anna and there only for a weekend. Please do tell me all you know - I know nothing!

So I have comfy shoes and a lightweight mac. I guess I need to say ‘ciao’ to my dreams of wafting around feeling stylish (which is what I like to pretend I am, when I have the opportunity to be unsmeared in child-snot and other bodily fluids).

Keep it coming - not S&B, but any good novels set in Rome so I can soak up a bit of the atmosphere beforehand?

You’ll love it. Rome is my favourite place ever and we are going back in a few weeks as part of our honeymoon in Italy.
If you want to see the big sites book skip the line tickets in advance. A weekend is no time at all (it would take a lifetime to do Rome justice) so why waste any queuing to get in places?
Rick Steves has some good itineraries for short stays.
Also, I echo someone else above: it’s not that expensive. I love Pietro’s Restaurant near the pantheon for authentic but reasonably priced cuisine!

Ooh, Campo di Fiori is where we stayed! There are great places to eat there - however under no circumstances eat on the Campo voice of bitter experience

Places we liked to eat were Ditirambo, Grappolo d'Oro, Osteria da Fortunata (the women sit in the window and make the pasta all evening). Il Forno Campo di Fiori is an amazing bakery and Antico Forno Roscioli is nearby for pizza and also a great restaurant.

You have to walk down the Via del Giubbonari to get most places and it's packed with little shops, if you are after shopping.

Not sure about Feb but we found Rome a place where it v much was worth buying tickets in advance for attractions as queues can be massive. The Forum is really interesting to wander about, I would say more so than the Colisseum (you go in, it's big, you walk round, that's it).

We did the Vatican at the crack of dawn but it fills up fast. I spent a fortune on tickets for skip the line to the Sistine Chapel. Our guide took us straight there, rushing past everything else and there were about 20 other people when we got there By the time we went back later in the day in was a crush.

Our favourite place to eat was Al Forno della Soffitta in Via Piave. It was opposite our hotel and was really handy and with delicious food.

I went february half term a few years back and the weather was a freekish 17 degrees. T shirts and non stop gelatos were the order of the day.

Agree that good shoes are a must.

Even though there are loads of people though, I've never found the crowds that bad as everything is built for crowds, if you see what I mean. So the other day I was crossing tower bridge and getting claustrophobic because of the number of tourists lining the pavements, but in Rome, well, for instance, the Colosseum was literally built to hold thousands of people so it never feels crowded.

We went to Rome in late Feb a couple of years ago. Was awesome. It was 14 /15 /16 degrees, so on the cusp of going out without a coat.

I'd recommend prebooking a collisium tour if you can. And prebooking tickets for the Vatican. Rome is a great place for a w/e.