Yes, make sure to just spend some time doing as the Romans do, sitting in their cafes, people watching. And if you don’t really know church history in depth or the endless variety of saints, you can reach a saturation point after a few churches. And can’t tell you how many times, for us, “rolling with some uncertainty” led to unexpected delights.
Re lookingforward’s #180–very true, and Rome is an especially great city for coming across unexpected delights.
I’m a foodie, I’m sure Italian cuisine excels in this area. So unless it’s really bad, I should enjoy it. I will pick one or a few things to see but not everything. My husband has seen Pompeii before when he was much younger with his family. I wonder if he wants to see it again.
During our June trip, S1 met up w a friend he hadn’t seen since the 8th grade in int’l school in asia. Friend now lives as an expatriate in Rome.
S1 went out every night w friend’s circle and experienced so much more of the local vibe.
S1 excitedly reported to us, “the kids here just hang out in piazzas at night and just talk-- it’s so cool!”
Something very important that I forgot to mention, in case the OP has not traveled yet: There was a defective lock on the women’s restroom on the lowest level of the Capitoline museum when we were there last. It locked, but could not be unlocked from the inside. It has probably been fixed now, but if you go there and you are going alone, I would try out the lock with the door open, just to be sure.
Also, there is a restaurant called the Otello alla Concordia in Rome, near the Spanish steps, which I recommend highly. It is inexpensive compared with other restaurants in Rome, has a lovely ambience even during tourist season in August, and had a number of large Italian families dining there, when we were there. Despite the fact that Tripadvisor currently rates it #3835 of #9790 restaurants in Rome (so you would otherwise probably not notice it), we really liked it.
I don’t have any connection with Otello alls Concordia. The host was very gracious when we were there, though, which made a favorable impression on me, aside from the food and price.
One word: gelato.
I am loving all of these suggestions and thanks. Restaurants to try are great!
I plan on lots of gelato!
@QuantMech …thanks for the restaurant recommendation. I’m going in 2 months and will put it on my short list!
A young woman was grabbed out of a group of visitors to the Colosseum recently. In front of everyone she was held at knifepoint ISIS style while the man who held the knife shouted Allah Akbar. When police came he ran and was arrested. In today’s Daily Mail - uk.
Deb, we stayed at the Nazionale–fabulous location, excellent breakfast. The walk from the hotel to the Pantheon will take you past many gelato shops, some better than others. Enjoy the research. :- ) Make sure to use the front desk as a resource to book dinner reservations.
I will heartily second the recommendations for Domus Romane and the Eating Italy walking tours. If you can book the food tour for earlier in your vacation, you’ll have a better idea about where to eat during the rest of your vacation. There are also some excellent apps and websites that do restaurant recommendations for Rome. Search for Elizabeth Minchelli and Katie Parla for details.
A friend highly recommended the “Pristine Sistine” tour to me. I pass on the recommendation to you. $$$$. Utterly worth it. You will get into the Sistine before the Vatican Museum opens to the public. You will get to spend 20 minutes in a nearly-empty (or at least uncrowded) Sistine Chapel. Then you will have an incredible guide to show you around the rest of the museum, or at least a fraction of it. D1 just did this tour as a splurge and she similarly raved about it. Don’t try to see any more art in the day after this, because your brain will be on overload. Check out Pizzarium afterwards to try what’s arguably the most creative pizza place in the city.
If you have a smartphone with data, it becomes very easy to catch buses all over the city. And the new version of Google Translate includes a magical feature where you hold up the phone and have the app auto-translate the Italian to English.
If you are not flying nonstop and you buy some good balsamic vinegar, remember to pack it in your checked bag. If you forget, the TSA folks will confiscate it along with your limoncello and your Italian nutella (which is slightly different than the US kind). Therefore, don’t buy this stuff at the airport. Happened to a coworker–I learned from their example.
We spent two weeks. It was not enough time.
If you go to Otello della Concordia, I hope you will like it! It was great for us, in August a couple of years back. It has been in the same location for a long time. You should take a look at some of the reviews, to get an indication of the best dishes to order.
SlitheyTove, I couldn’t like and helpful both! Thank you, such great information!
FYI. KLM/ AirFrance just announced a fare sale for late-summer thru early winter travel:
http://www.travelpulse.com/news/airlines/air-france-klm-introduce-low-fare-sale.html
I just booked my first tour. It was recommended that I book the scavi tour at the Vatican, excavation and the tomb of St. Peter as soon as I knew my dates.
After a bit of a misstep in that I couldn’t book it the day we were arriving (duh!), I straighten that out and am booked. Yea!
SO EXCITING!!!
Bumping up!
Conmama when are you leaving for your trip?
I tried to book the Domus Aurea Project yesterday but I can’t figure out if it went through or not. For anyone who tried to book tours through the coop.it I wondering if there is a lag between booking and the charge showing up on your credit card? The charge is not showing up and I did not receive an email conformation.
I’m trying to get my touring schedule together so I can start booking the tours I can, some things aren’t available to book yet.
Another question.
Neither of our credit cards have the new chip. I called the bank and they told me a chip card will not be available until next year. How important will it be to have the chip and pin credit card in Italy? My nephew just got back from Europe and he said he wished he had a chip and pin cc.
I can apply and get a new credit card but I’ve had my card for 30 years and hate to change things lol! Besides which card to get.
Deb922, I took two CC w/chips with me to France this summer. Boy, was I glad I brought two! I intended to use my AE for my purchases and brought a simple GAP Visa as a back up (also was chipped). Got there and for unknown reasons, the AE would NOT work. Tried it 3 times no luck. Called them, no explanation for it not working. Figured I had some how messed the card up but got back home and used it for gas the next day no problem.
That trusty no-frills GAP card got me through the trip. Foreign exchange charges were minimal IMO.
So my tip, bring TWO cards with you.
@deb922 …we are leaving in exactly 2 weeks! I am purchasing last minute items (including clothing…sheesh), and will start laying out everything next week to make sure I have it all. I even do a test pack - we are only doing carryon (plus the largest personal item I can bring). If you want my packing list (not clothing but other items you might need as reference I can give that to you).
You don’t need a chip and pin for everyday things (restaurants, hotels, stores), but you might need one if you do things like rent a bike, or kiosk related stuff. My Visa is a Chip and Signature, and from everyone I’ve asked IRL or here, that is good enough.
What we did finally do at the last minute is go ahead and apply for the Capital Rewards Card with no transaction fees (it’s the one Rick Steves recommends to get). The regular charge card transactions are $5 per transaction and then 3%…can you believe that! The no transaction charge is just that…not transaction fee. The first year is free, but the catch is it’s $56 per year after that…but still so much less. Plus, you can cancel it if you want.
I also am happier knowing that we have another charge card in case something happens. Just make sure it’s not from the same bank. So, we will use this new one, and our Visa as a backup. We will also have our debit card. Make sure you call debit and credit companies to let them know you will be out of the country and the dates.