Rome, Italy

Author
Discussion

North3rn Monk3y

Original Poster:

234 posts

140 months

Wednesday 28th January 2015
quotequote all
We have never been Italy before, but as the flights were £60 return I couldnt resist!
Just after easter which coincides with out 10 year anniversary (man points +10).

Found a lovely 4* B&B not far from Bologne metro which has some amazing reviews on trip advisor, both of us really looking forward to it.

Bit nervous as I speak zero Italian, but hope to learn more than "my name is" before we go...

Anyway, anyone been? Any tips at all? specifiaclly around:
- getting around on the metro/bus
- best VFM way to see the attractions (colosseum is a must!)
- general foody tips, where to go/what to expect
- any must know phrases in italian to learn?


Also, will be flying from Bristol - anyone used their on site parking as I think we will probably drive over from Cardiff.

Taa,
Ben




Mobile Chicane

20,740 posts

211 months

Wednesday 28th January 2015
quotequote all
I wouldn't worry too much about not speaking Italian: IME Italians are very well versed in the languages in which they intend to rip you off.

Lovely country. Just hideously expensive for the tourist.

Wacky Racer

38,099 posts

246 months

Wednesday 28th January 2015
quotequote all
Make sure you see the Trevi Fountain....(Google it)

St Peter's Basilica, The Vatican...Magnificent architecture and paintings inside

Watch out for pickpockets, especially around the Colliseum...wear a concealed moneybelt.

Nobby Diesel

2,051 posts

250 months

Thursday 29th January 2015
quotequote all
there's quite few threads on here about Rome, so have a search to.

Train from the airport is cheapest transfer.
Get a guide for the Vatican, Basilica, Colosseum etc......it's possible to do a very long day around these. You will get passed the queues, but miss loads of the detail.
The Vatican is amazing. The colosseum is also incredible. You may need more than 1 visit.

Try to get away from the centre of the city, for dinner. We stayed at the Aldrovandi Palace which was in a lovely area. Lots of great trattorias and bars. So much cheaper and more atmospheric than the city centre.

steveo3002

10,494 posts

173 months

Thursday 29th January 2015
quotequote all
not many people we met spoke english apart from touristy stalls and tours etc

lots of pick pockets

very few toilets , will pretty much be resturants only and the train station where you have to pay , theyre also grim

it can be hotter than hell there, when are you going


Big E 118

2,408 posts

168 months

Thursday 29th January 2015
quotequote all
Rome is lovely and well worth a visit.

You can walk most of it and take in the sights and lovely food.

You can walk between the Spanish Steps, Trevi fountain (best seen in the evening), Pantheon (largest concrete dome ever) then on to the Roman Forum and the Colloseum. When you go to the Roman Forum you can buy a ticket that includes the Colloseum as well and gets you straight in past the very long queues.

Put aside a separate day for the Vatican, it's huge! The queues for the Vatican can be 3 or 4 hours long but if you buy a guided tour then you bypass these. There are usually people walking around St Peter's square offering these tours and also there are a number of offices near the entrance doing similar.

If you like seafood this restaurant is quite quirky but the food is great, it's mid priced http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g18...

Enjoy your trip.

dave0010

1,381 posts

160 months

Thursday 29th January 2015
quotequote all
Best place to start is the search function on PH forum. I went last year and all the hidden things and tricks I found on here made the trip amazing. So where to start.

Pre book tickets for the vatican. We did this and bypassed a massive Que.. You simply walk up a separate path and straight in.

You can pre book the colosseum tour. I did this by phone as you can book for a few extra quid to go behind lots of the sealed of areas. We went down into the basement and also into the middle of the Colosseum. We also got taken right to the top which is also only possible on the pre booked tour. I think it was around £20 each

The Trevi fountain in the day time like all the others is impressive to see. Try and go at night though, We went after midnight and there was maybe still 50+ people there but it was amazing.

Food, just rather eat at any of the restaurants or simple visit one of the thousands sandwich/pizza shops all over the place.

Maybe we were fortunate but we had no issue what so ever with pick pockets. Just stay alert I guess and carry backs on your front when travelling on the metro.

Everything can be seen on foot in the centre. Where comfy shoes, you will be walking miles without even realising it.

For me my favourite parts are the Piazzas, just sit there and have a drink and watch the world go past. Every man and his dog are selling paintings they al came to have painted themselves. You can get them cheapest towards the evening and just haggle hard. Ive got some great ones that I bought back and got framed.


North3rn Monk3y

Original Poster:

234 posts

140 months

Thursday 29th January 2015
quotequote all
cheers all!

We're going in April, fly out from Bristol on the 11th. Fingers crossed for 15deg, should be about right for strolling around and exploring.

In order to try and cut costs and make sure we don't have to queue, we'll be booking most of our tickets online and will plan a bit of an itinerary to make sure we don't miss anything.

I've been told to make sure I ask for a receipt "Posso avere lo scontrino" as tourists can be overcharged for food etc.

Other words I know, which should keep me sorted:
Pizza
Pasta
Gelato

The thing thats "worrying" me most, is that I can't really identify what words may mean from just looking at them. German or French I can work out, but Italian I'm not sure of.

Our hotel is near a metro, so I think the idea will be to jump on and go to the Colosseum and start most of our days there. Is the metro similar to say, London Underground? ie ticket machines and automatic barriers?

Corpulent Tosser

5,459 posts

244 months

Thursday 29th January 2015
quotequote all
We have been three times and love it. We have only used the metro once, and a taxi a couple of times, the metro was to go to Stadio Olympico to see Roma play, everyplace else we walked, though we were always a little nearer the main attractions, near Piazza Barberini.
Walking around Rome is great as you just come across things, we found a marvellous piazza somewhere between the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain, I doubt I could find again, but if we had been using public transport we would have missed it.
We also found some great places to eat/drink just walking around
I am sure you will enjoy Rome.

dave0010

1,381 posts

160 months

Thursday 29th January 2015
quotequote all
Everywhere we ate all the waiters spoke pretty good english, yes its always great to learn some local words but its not a problem if you don't.

As far as the bill Id just ask for the menu first always and ask how much things are if there not advertised

steveo3002

10,494 posts

173 months

Thursday 29th January 2015
quotequote all
be aware pizzas can come plain- as in no tomato sauce , and they seem to enjoy eating cold pizza so make sure its hot if thats what you want

try and visit ostia , its a quieter with massive amounts of ruins to look at , some folk say its better than pompeii , its alot closer anyway

BoRED S2upid

19,644 posts

239 months

Thursday 29th January 2015
quotequote all
Rome is a small city that can easily be done on foot around every corner there is something to see. You will pass loads of churches pop your head into a couple they are incredible.

rich83

14,193 posts

137 months

Thursday 29th January 2015
quotequote all
As above... watch out for pickpockets especially on public transport.

Its an amazing place.

rdjohn

6,135 posts

194 months

Thursday 29th January 2015
quotequote all
I went June 2014 and it was not my favourite city break. The Trevvi fountain is being restored, but when we went you actually could see very little as selfish selfies were blocking the views. The downside of low cost air travel.

Touts are selling tickets for the open top busses everywhere, but it is actually not that great. As others have said, much better to walk this compact city. The buses are restricted on Sundays and holidays anyway.

Language was not a problem, food was great.

The queues for the Vatican were enormous so we arrived at 8am, with no delays.

My wife really enjoyed it, especially the shopping. The stuff is very nice, but not cheap.

Enjoy!

DJRC

23,563 posts

235 months

Thursday 29th January 2015
quotequote all
Wtf? It's Rome not frigging LA, it's only 2hrs away! You can go back next month if you miss something!
You don't need to learn any Italian except Si, non, va bene, ciao and preggo.

Just turn up, suck it and see. Have a much around the forum, pre book the coliseum see the Vatican if you must but you aren't missing anything if you don't. It's just a ceiling.

The Pantheon is work seeing for the entrance and to laugh inside at the pompous notices.

North3rn Monk3y

Original Poster:

234 posts

140 months

Thursday 29th January 2015
quotequote all
Never been to LA, can't afford it!
As "normal" as Rome may sound to you, its our only holiday this year so we want to make the most of it...

mybrainhurts

90,809 posts

254 months

Thursday 29th January 2015
quotequote all
Don't forget to ask what the Romans ever did for us.

Condi

17,089 posts

170 months

Thursday 29th January 2015
quotequote all
Just walk everywhere, its not far from place to place.
'Il conto' is the bill.
Dont eat in the piazzas - got 2 streets back and you'll save 1/3rd and get better food.
There is a nice little area if you walk down the river which is full of brightly painted houses. I forget what its called.
Go to the forum before the Collesumn. The same ticket covers the 2, but 90% of people go to the Collesum first, so the que is massive.
Visit places in the day and the night. Feel free to tell the people selling lazer lights to 'fk off'.
Yes, there are pickpockets, but if you dont look massively like a tourist you'll be fine.
Go visit the museum of crime - there are some fantastic mafia artifacts in there. Its free too, but not easy to find.

DJRC

23,563 posts

235 months

Friday 30th January 2015
quotequote all
North3rn Monk3y said:
Never been to LA, can't afford it!
As "normal" as Rome may sound to you, its our only holiday this year so we want to make the most of it...
Then turn up on spec and mooch round the place. You will learn far more the city doing that than anything else.

rcspeirs

178 posts

213 months

Friday 30th January 2015
quotequote all
"Is the metro similar to say, London Underground? ie ticket machines and automatic barriers?"
It's a relatively limited network. Be brave and use buses if you're headed somewhere out of walking range. Buying bus tickets is a palaver, you need to go into a local shop such as a newsagent to buy tickets. Then once on the bus you must validate the ticket on the machine by the door. Ticket buying process is a right royal nuisance, but the bus network is much more extensive than the metro. Spent a few quid on a guide book such as a lonely planet guide - it'll include the words for bus tickets - and include some maps so you'll get a feel for the geography if the city.
Enjoy the trip.