<p>We have been going in and out of Italy for many years, but never to Rome. We are planning a 2 weeks vacation to Italy in June. We are renting a house by a seaside in southern Tuscany for one week.</p>
<p>My question is should we spend a week in Rome? H and D2 are bit of history buff. D1 and I are more into shopping, but D1 also likes museums. I could veg in a hotel and be perfectly happy. </p>
<p>If anyone has good restaurants, must sees and dos in Rome, I would greatly appreciate it.</p>
<p>Borghese gallery and museum. Barberini museum. For the shoppers: Via Condotti and the Via Del Corso.</p>
<p>We are thinking about going to Italy again. Where do you find out about renting a home in Tuscany (if I may ask)?</p>
<p>[Rental</a> Villas in Italy : Villas in Tuscany and more - by Tuscany Now Villas](<a href=“http://tuscanynow.com/]Rental”>http://tuscanynow.com/)
[Tuscany</a> Villas for Rent, Tuscan Villa Rentals with Pool & Tuscany Vacation rental, Italy](<a href=“http://www.yourtuscany.com/]Tuscany”>http://www.yourtuscany.com/)
[Tuscany</a> Villa Rental & Tuscany Villas & Farmhouses & Holiday Homes for Rent & Vacation Rentals in Tuscany](<a href=“http://www.holidayhomestuscany.com/]Tuscany”>http://www.holidayhomestuscany.com/)</p>
<p>I am working with the first one now.</p>
<p>Things to see/do in Rome:</p>
<p>Roma Termini train / subway station
Vatican
Coliseum
Roman Forum
Palatine Hill
Imperial Forum
Pantheon
Ostia Antica
numerous museums
Italian food
Ethiopian food
continuously running water fountains
random 2000 year old structures mixed in with more recent buildings</p>
<p>i must admit that the water fountains were very nice to have… carried a bottle and could fill up whenever I needed.</p>
<p>you don’t need a whole week-- but if you do go for that long you should definitely get outside of the city and go see ostia.</p>
<p>Agree, I loved Ostia Antica… and the Pantheon is breathtaking…</p>
<p>When you go to the Coliseum, guides will come up to you offering tours - take one! Not only will they give you the history etc of the place, but also you get to jump the huge admission queue! Yes, it costs more, but not that much and is worth it</p>
<p>(Reposted from an earlier thread)</p>
<p>(I’m a Roman history buff, but this is written from memory from my two trips to Rome, so some of the historical dates may be off by a few years)</p>
<p>Gossipy Details Beyond the Guidebooks to Pay Attention to When in Rome:</p>
<p>In The Forum</p>
<p>The Arch of Titus
The Romans built arches to commemorate some great military triumph. The Arc D’ Triomphe in Paris is a modern imitation of a Roman arch that was built by Napoleon. At one end of the Forum is the Arch of Septimius Severus - an emperor who was born in Leptis Magna (modern day Tripoli, Libya) and ruled in the early 200s A.D. At the other end is the Arch of Constantine - the first Christian emperor who lived about a hundred years later than Septimius. But in the middle of the Forum is a smaller but rather neat little arch - the Arch of Titus.</p>
<p>Titus was an able general and was also the son of the emperor Vespasian - a general himself who became emperor in the turmoil that ensued after the assassination of Nero in about A.D. 67. The arch was built to honor Titus’ victory over the Jews from their revolt in AD 68 - 70. As you walk under the arch, notice the carvings on the underside showing soldiers carrying booty out of the temple in Jerusalem - the huge menorah and other Jewish stuff. It was possibly during this sack of the temple that the Ark of Covenant finally disappeared, without which we wouldn’t have had all those Raiders of the Lost Ark movies 2000 years later. The sale of the booty from Jerusalem and the temple helped to finance the construction of the Colosseum, which was started in the reign of Vespasian and completed 8 years later in the reign of Titus. To this day, Jews will not walk under the Arch of Titus since it celebrates the destruction of their temple, which has never been rebuilt. The Wailing Wall in Jerusalem is the last vestige of the temple that Titus’ troops destroyed.</p>
<p>Titus later succeeded his father and became emperor himself. Like his dad he was honest and upright and a good administrator, but he died under possibly mysterious circumstances after only three years in office - the main suspect being his evil younger brother Domitian who succeeded him. The destruction of Pompeii by the eruption of Vesuvius happened during the brief reign of Titus.</p>
<p>The Temple of Antoninus Pius and Faustina (also in the Forum)
Antoninus Pius was the fourth of the Five Good Emperors who ruled Rome from approximately AD 100 to AD 200 - forming the absolute golden age of ancient Rome. The stalwart Faustina was the emperor’s beloved wife and she actually died first. He built this temple in her honor. When he died some years later his name was added to the inscription as well. They are described as DIVAE and DIVI respectively - the feminine and masculine forms of the Latin for “divine” indicating that both were elevated to be gods after they died. Only psycho emperors like Caligula and Nero had themselves made gods during their own lifetimes. But it soon became routine to deify any halfway good emperor after his death.
Notice the Christian church which was later built right inside the ruins of the pagan temple. It was built in about the 6th century. And those huge bronze doors you see there are the originals, having stood there on their hinges for over 15 centuries</p>
<p>Inscriptions
Notice that many of the ancient inscriptions on arches in the forum and elsewhere contain the abbreviation SPQR. This stands for Senatus PopulusQue Romanum, meaning “(In the name of) The Senate and People of Rome.” It means it has the official stamp of the government. It is still used today - you see it in Rome on modern public works such as manhole covers and fire hydrants.</p>
<p>The Pantheon
Not to be confused with the Parthenon in Athens, the Pantheon is unique in that it is a temple dedicated to all the gods (pan = “all or every” + theos = “god”) instead of honoring the gods one at a time as was the usual custom. The temple you see was built by Hadrian (the third of the Five Good Emperors) to replace an earlier pantheon that burned down. The original was built ~130 or so years earlier by Marcus Agrippa, the emperor Augustus’s favorite general and side kick. The odd thing is that the inscription you see on the front of the building still credits Agrippa and not Hadrian, even though the structure that Agrippa built is long gone. It says: MAGRIPPA (other stuff) FECIT = “M(arcus) Agrippa made this.” (“Fecit” is pronounced “fekit”).</p>
<p>The wonderful thing about the Pantheon is that it is made almost entirely of concrete - very similar in composition to modern concrete. The Romans invented concrete and used it to great advantage. But like much of their advanced technology, the recipe for concrete was lost in the dark ages and was not reinvented for many centuries.
Many scholars believe that the current Pantheon was designed by Hadrian himself, since he was known to be a talented architect.</p>
<p>Hadrian was an interesting character - very talented, very literate. But he didn’t get along with his difficult wife Sabina. All agree that Sabina was a very disagreeable person, but the whole family situation was not helped by the fact that Hadrian seemed to prefer the company of good-looking young men. His favorite boy-toy was a Greek youth named Antinuous, who died under mysterious circumstances in Egypt during a trip down the Nile with Hadrian. Some suspect that one of Hadrian’s ministers or generals pushed the lad overboard. Some say it was suicide. It’s still a mystery to this day. Hadrian never really recovered from his grief over the loss. At Tivoli, the ruins of Hadrian’s villa outside of Rome, they have dug up a bunch of statues of Antinuous in various heroic guises: Antinuous as Pharaoh, Antinuous as Hercules, Antinuous as Apollo, etc.</p>
<p>The amazing thing about the Pantheon is the dome. Thanks to the use of concrete and some very clever design features, it was for centuries the largest unsupported (i.e. no interior columns holding it up) dome in the world from the time it was finished in the second century A.D. until 1965 when the Astro Dome was completed. Engineers in the middle ages were completely baffled as to how the Romans did it. How could that dome possibly stand up? In fact some medieval Church leaders proposed that, since the Pantheon was originally a pagan temple, demons must be holding the dome up. This despite the fact that the Pantheon was converted into a Catholic church in the middle ages. It was the only possible explanation.</p>
<p>The Spanish Steps
If you walk up the Spanish Steps and head to the right, you will pass by the building in which the poet Keats died. It has been made over into a museum to him and some of the other 18th and 19th century literary figures who lived in the Piazza Di Spagna area - Keats, Shelley, Byron, etc.</p>
<p>The Spanish Steps area is a popular hang-out for tourists, especially kids on backpacking tours. Panhandlers there can beg for your money in over a dozen different languages. I once got panhandled in Finnish because I was wearing a “Finland” t-shirt, but he immediately switched to English when he saw I didn’t understand.</p>
<p>Beware of pickpockets there too. In fact, beware of pickpockets all over Rome, especially gangs of little Gypsy kids. They will approach you waving things at you and making a lot of racket to distract you, while they surround you and one of them lifts your wallet. If you see a gang of Gypsy kids approaching, cross to the other side of the street. Do not let them get within 20 feet of you.</p>
<p>Food
You can get great Italian food pretty much anywhere in Rome. Be sure to try a pizza. They do the crust differently there. It’s very thin and crispy, almost like a cracker. Restaurants always give you a basket of great tasting bread called a rosetti - a loaf that is roughly flower-shaped. It is identical to the charred bread found still on the tables of Pompeii, served nearly 2000 years ago.</p>
<p>Also try the linguini in white clam sauce. It’s wonderful in Rome. I’ve searched in vain for years to find a US restaurant that makes it half so good as they make it in Rome. I’m not sure if it is still true, but when I was there it can be hard to find a restaurant open on Sundays. If your hotel doesn’t have food service, you could be pretty much staring at McDonalds. There is one in Piazza Di Spagna. They are probably all over the place by now. Order a “torta de melle calda” and you will get a McDonalds hot apple pie</p>
<p>I envy you for your trip. I love Rome.</p>
<p>A few years ago son and I spent 4 days in Rome and 3 days in Venice. I didn’t feel like that was nearly enough time in Rome. Son and I are both history buffs.You can easily spend 3 days in the Vatican alone and still not see everything. We plan to go back next year and spend a week in Rome (hubby hasn’t been).</p>
<p>If you want a day trip from Rome, take the train to Pompeii. Even though it’s a bit run down, it’s still fascinating, especially if you are into history. We were glad we went even though it was pouring that day.</p>
<p>Also, the Vatican has an underground tour of some excavations and the crypt where St. Peter is supposedly buried. To keep damage to the area down, they only do a few tours a day. It’s called the Scavi tour. It books up way in advance and you can only make reservations through the Vatican. It was very interesting.</p>
<p>[Visit</a> of the Excavations below St. Peter’s Basilica](<a href=“http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/institutions_connected/uffscavi/documents/rc_ic_uffscavi_doc_gen-information_20040112_en.html]Visit”>http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/institutions_connected/uffscavi/documents/rc_ic_uffscavi_doc_gen-information_20040112_en.html)</p>
<p>If you get a chance, try to have dinner in one of the restaurants near the Pantheon. One of the coolest experience I ever had was eating dinner one night outside and looking up and seeing the Pantheon right across the square. Very surreal.</p>
<p>I’ve traveled around the world and Rome is still at the top of my list as most favorite and fascinating places.</p>
<p>coureur -thank-you so much for the write up. You are getting me very excited about the trip. I think based on what you wrote, a week in Rome is probably very worth while. I will look into taking a day trip outside.</p>
<p>What’s the best way of getting around Rome? We will need a car to get around when we go to the seaside, but would prefer not to have one in Rome. We are used to walking at Florence and Venice.</p>
<p>To do all that sightseeing, where would be the most centrally located place to stay? </p>
<p>It sounds like doing few guided tours maybe a good idea (we are really tour people), our kids would get a lot more out of it.</p>
<p>The best way to get around central Rome is to walk. At night, you’ll want to take taxis to/from restaurants, but walking is best in the day. If you get a Roma pass (recommended), you can also use the subway and buses, which can help if you are trying to cover some distance. An added benefit to walking: you’re guaranteed to stumble on some great sights along the way. I definitely recommend a guided tour of the Vatican - it is so large that this can be overwhelming to navigate on your own; a guided half day trip of the antiquities is also a good idea to help your get your bearings.</p>
<p>I meant to say we are not guided tour people, but we may get more out of it in Rome.</p>
<p>Rome has a pretty good subway system, although there are a few parts of town that are not well-served by it. I got around by a combination of subway and walking. I rode the city buses a few times too - you buy bus tickets at tobacco kiosks. They only time I resorted to taxis was once or twice when I was caught out in the rain.</p>
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<p>Correct. I recall one time I was walking from one place to another in Rome and just happened to stumble across the medieval church in which Galileo was tried and convicted for heresy by the Inquisition.</p>
<p>Scavi tour is booked MONTHS ahead. Start working on tickets now. IT IS UNBELIEVABLE. <a href=“http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/institutions_connected/uffscavi/documents/rc_ic_uffscavi_doc_gen-information_20040112_en.html[/url]”>http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/institutions_connected/uffscavi/documents/rc_ic_uffscavi_doc_gen-information_20040112_en.html</a></p>
<p>We rented an apartment that looked over Campo di Fiori and it was much less than a hotel and MARVELOUS. <a href=“http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/campodeifiori.htm[/url]”>http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/campodeifiori.htm</a> Pretty sure we used Rome Rents. It’s been a few years.</p>
<p>We bought a ?Roma pass that included transportation and admission to a few museums.</p>
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<p>I agree…it was one of the highlights of our trips and one of those things that not many people ever do. And don’t be fooled into believing that the Vatican is only about the Catholic religion…it’s not at all. The Church ruled Rome for centuries and you will find more history in that place than you can ever fully absorb. The tours are excellent and well worth the time. </p>
<p>Once you get to Rome, you can pick up lots of 1/2 day or few hour tours. You really get a lot of the history and a lot of information you don’t get in the history books that way. We did several while we were there. Over the years, we have learned that short, guided tours are the way to go. We generally don’t do a ton of guided tours but a few here and there makes the difference between wandering around on your own and only knowing half of the history about a place and hearing all kinds of interesting facts - especially because tours are generally done by locals and you get great insight into what it’s like to live in a place. I can’t remember if Rome has one but the hop-on hop-off buses are generally convenient and if you get a good tour guide, quite entertaining.</p>
<p>We walked everywhere in Rome. We stayed near the train station (for a variety of reasons). When we go back I am going to look for something a little more central…though there are sights spread out all over Rome, so no matter where you stay you will be walking a lot.</p>
<p>The forums at Tripadvisor dot com is an excellent source of information from people who either live in a place or have visited it. I use it every time we plan a trip. That’s how I found out about the Scavi Tour.</p>
<p>Our favorite Vatican story: Husband and I were in the Secretary’s room (I believe). The floor had Stars of David in marble. I nudged my husband and pointed at the stars. (I am Jewish for those of you who don’t know…)</p>
<p>In the room was a tour from Ireland. They had to be from Ireland. They were wearing kelly green baseball caps and shirts. We wound up following them out onto a loggia to go to the next room. And we heard the tour guide speaking…Hebrew. </p>
<p>They were a tour from Israel. No question: the Vatican (and other religious sites) are not “just” for Catholics.</p>
<p>Thank you for the information. I am looking into it today.</p>
<p>[SlowTravel.com[/url</a>]</p>
<p>We stayed in [url=<a href=“http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/vr/review.asp?n=2098]this”>http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/vr/review.asp?n=2098]this</a> apartment](<a href=“http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/index.asp]SlowTravel.com[/url”>http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/index.asp) in Rome in 2005. Great location and great agency.</p>
<p>We had a terrific lunch at [Capricci</a> Siciliani](<a href=“http://www.tavernadelduca.com/]Capricci”>http://www.tavernadelduca.com/). Stumbled upon it, actually, walking from the Vatican back towards Campo di Fiori during a transit strike. Lots of other great meals, especially at Der Pallaro (although current reviews are not as good) and [La</a> Pollarola](<a href=“http://www.lapollarola.it/]La”>http://www.lapollarola.it/), near the Campo di Fiori.</p>
<p>[3</a> Millennia](<a href=“http://threemillennia.com/]3”>http://threemillennia.com/) is an exceptional sources for private (or small group) walking tours within Rome.</p>
<p>Ive taken over six trips to Rome and spent approximately a total of two months there. I feel as if I have hardly scratched the surface. Our last two trips we have rented an apartment. If you are staying a week, I would recommend this. Both times we enjoyed staying in Trastevere. Convenient location and plenty of rentals available.
A few of my favorite sites are the [Museo</a> dell’Ara Pacis](<a href=“http://www.arapacis.it/]Museo”>http://www.arapacis.it/) and the [::</a> Galleria Doria Pamphilj - Roma](<a href=“http://www.doriapamphilj.it/ukhome.asp]::”>http://www.doriapamphilj.it/ukhome.asp) .</p>
<p>I am dying to take the private night time tours of the Vatican(Sistine et al)—expensive(around 200EU) but supposedly fantastic. I had to cancel on my last trip.</p>