Advantages: History, lots of things too see and so, food, amazing museums, Gelato Disadvantages: Too much to see, crowded around major sight, fear of being pickpocketed
...Nikki and I took to Rome in the period from July 2nd - 7th 2005. We targeted out places that we wanted to see during our trip. On our list was the usual stuff such as the Vatican, Pantheon, Piazza di Spagna, Colosseum, Forum, Capitol etc. With all of this on the list there was no rest for the wicked :-) Please visit my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com to see pictures from our trip. Get in touch if you have any questions or comments. Prelude
A couple ... ...and especially Rome. After all Rome is one of the classical destinations along with places like Paris, New York City, London etc. Our chance came when we were invited to a wedding in London. Planning the trip
Our initial plan was to fly from Stavanger to London to take part in a wedding and then use Ryanair to get to Rome and just book a hotel on the web. But after our trip to Japan we checked out Expedia options again. We ended up with a package ...
gard 18.09.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: exceptional Review of Rome (Italy)
Advantages: Beautiful City, lots of English speaking Italians, good food and excellent wine Disadvantages: Highly overpriced and expensive, not good with the current economic climate
...The Flight and Arriving in Rome Our flight from Gatwick with easyjet lasted less than two hours and was very clean and pleasent overall. We encountered no real problems, we had to wait a little while for our bags at the other end, and on exiting the airport struggled to find our driver to take us to our hotel (it was packed with male drivers, holding signs up with people's names on). However once we had found him, we had a fifteen minute drive to ... ...The Hotel: StarHotel, Metropole, Rome I was so glad that I decided to upgrade my hotel for a 4* and selected its a good position in the centre of Rome, and because we booked so early we also got a room upgrade to a superior suite. The hotel from the outside looked a bit grubby on arrival, but the entrance was very modern and clean. There were three lifts, internet access, the restaurant, a gym and a luggage hold. The bar also extended beyond the ...
becky_tredget 10.04.2009 (07.03.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Rome (Italy)
Advantages: So many amazing sights to discover, a truly wonderful city. Disadvantages: Tired feet and too much traffic
Rome is one of those places I’ve always wanted to see, and so I was ever so slightly jealous when my brother went last summer, followed swiftly by my parents when it was their Silver Wedding Anniversary in October. They all came back with tales of what a wonderful time they’d had and so I sat and listened and pretended not to be in the slightest bit jealous…. I’m not totally sure they were convinced.
Then in December, out of the blue, my boyfriend ... ...he’d found cheap flights to Rome on the Internet and wanted to book them as my birthday present. As you can imagine, I didn’t need asking twice (I always knew there was a good reason for loving him!!) and before I knew it, Christmas had come and gone, and I was packing for a five night stay in the chilly early February climate of Rome.
As we were flying Ryan Air, this wasn’t as easy as it may sound because they only allow you to check in 15kg of ...
dazy22 25.02.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Rome (Italy)
Advantages: A lifetime of sights to see, excellent transport, amazing ice cream Disadvantages: Very busy
...possibly the strangest hotel in Rome to stay in, the Hotel Giarda, near Stazione Termini, where they monitored our every movements through strategically placed security cameras, and the chamber maids had a good daily rifle through our luggage, but other than that it was well situated for exploring.
Here are my top Roma sights (in no particular order):
Vatican City: Even though this is slap bang in the middle of Rome, the Vatican is technically ... ...Crowe.
Other gems of Rome include:
Early evening on the Spanish steps (Piazza di Spagna), where people gather to sit and enjoy the sun setting and the scent of the beautiful flowers planted alongside the steps.
The Church of the Immaculate Conception (Via Vittario Veneto): a series of small chapels feature the bones and skulls of thousands of Capuchin monks arranged into mosaics.
Santa Maria in Cosmedin: a sixth century church with the stone ...
VC81 30.09.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Rome (Italy)
Advantages: coffee to die for, food to die for, architecture to..get the picture? Disadvantages: The graffiti, bad pavements and those skinny Italian women..ggrrrrr
...present of a trip to Rome and boy do my feet hurt. But it was rather wonderful!
I've decided not to do just a list of all the attractions like the Vatican, etc, but be a bit more basic, a bit more gritty, that is, my own experience and a bit more besides!
Getting There
We flew from Bristol with Easyjet, where you actually arrive is the difference. Most of the low cost airlines land at Ciampino, 20kms away, which is actually a military airfield! ... ...can travel from Paris to Rome on the train, if you do, make sure you get the route that goes through the Swiss Alps as the view is said to be fantastic!
You could of course drive, but highly unrecommended! You can only park with a permit and I'll tell you more about the traffic later.
Staying There
It's a capital city! Theres a huge amount of hotels available, from the first class to the down right disgusting! We stayed in a 3 star, which is know ...
Emma1973 26.03.2005 (28.03.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Rome (Italy)
Advantages: It's Bella Roma. Lots to do, great food, fantastic weather. Disadvantages: Tons of tourists, the loos everywhere and the money "problems"
...head south, to Bella Roma. Rome has two airports, and we used the less-interesting of the two, Ciampino. Still, when you only pay 1 cent plus taxes for a flight, you can’t be picky. Both airports have shuttle busses and taxis available (typical fare 50 Euros one way to/from the city centre), so getting into town’s not a problem. Neither’s getting around once you’re there. Head to a metro station, and buy a B.I.G ticket. Less than 2 quid, and it gives ... ...when to get off.
Rome has lots of things on offer. There’s <> The Spanish steps - lovely and quiet in winter, not so in summer if the postcards are anything to go by, and decidedly un-Spanish looking. Climb to the top though. It’s good exercise and will leave you in dire need of a gelato which is no bad thing.
<> The National Pasta Museum – I eat pasta at least 6 days a week, so it seemed like a good idea to go here and see what they could tell ...
zoe_page 13.02.2003 (26.03.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Rome (Italy)
Advantages: One of the great cities of the world Disadvantages: Noisy, crowded, expensive, very hot in Summer
I went to Rome last October with my girlfriend. We booked online at www.onlinetravel.com and stayed at the Spanish managed 'Melia Roma Aurelia Antica' hotel, a very modern 4 star establishment around 6-7 miles from Rome city centre. It cost us around £450 each for six nights b&b, return flight and taxi transfers. We definitely made an excellent choice. The fact that the hotel was located in a quiet, leafy suburban area made it naturally quiet and ... ...it.
Having arrived in Rome on the Saturday evening, we were naturally very keen to start our exploring the following day, and what could be better than the Vatican on Sunday morning! The weather was wonderfully warm and sunny and we took advantage of that by taking some pictures around the imposing St.Peter’s Square and the monumental St.Peter’s Basilica, Rome’s cathedral and the biggest church in the world. We went into the Basilica, saw part of ...
MarkLV 20.03.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Rome (Italy)
Advantages: It has everything! Disadvantages: Can get stuffy and full of tourists in the summer!
Everyone has preconceptions of Rome before they see her. Maybe visions of ancient Rome, or the Catholic Church, maybe the whizzing vespas around the Colosseum, but through whatever means, she is a city which has made her mark on the consciousness of Western Civilisation, through fair means or foul, and for all the expectations one has of Rome, she doesn't disappoint. I am lucky to be able to visit Rome both frequently and regularly, but each time ... ...the renaissance did not pass Rome by, not by any means, and a walk over to the Vatican will testify to that. Rome is eminently walkable, although there are some cobbled streets, stairs in unusual places, and hills which might spook even the heartiest walker! Rome is, after all, built on seven hills and this is a fact you can't fail to become increasingly more aware of as you wander around. It was only on my 3rd or 4th visit that I even ventured onto ...
womble 23.02.2001 (28.08.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Rome (Italy)
Advantages: Something for everyone Disadvantages: Beware sore feet and the cobbles!
We recently went to Rome for five nights (apologies I know it wasn't really a weekend) during September and had an absolutely amazing time in what was pleasant but not overpowering temperatures. TRAVEL AND TRANSPORT
We arranged the trip ourselves and flew into Ciampino airport on one of the low cost airlines. From the airport which was fairly basic but acceptable there were a number of options of how to get into Rome itself namely:
- coach direct ... ...week pass which covers all Rome buses (except the Tourist open topped route and the Tourist bus down the Appian way) and the metro as well as some trains - pretty good value for 16 euros. The Metro system is two lines which cross in one place (At the main train station) and as such has limited use for getting around Rome although trains are frequent. If you do use them beware of the pickpockets especially on the stations around the Coliseum.
The ...
fienthings 12.09.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Rome (Italy)
Advantages: Beautiful city.Wonderful architecture and monuments Disadvantages: So much to see and do. Expensive
...see and do in Rome that knowing where to start becomes something of a real Roman dilemma. In this fascinating city you can stumble across history at every step and major attractions are so many and so widely dispersed that it is not possible to see them all, if you are on a short visit. It is best to focus your attention on a limited aspect - say the prime attractions in the Vatican, Archaeological Rome and Monumental Rome - and allow at least a ... ...the leafy areas of northern Rome such as the Villa Borghese, the largest park in Rome, is an interesting foray, as would be a brief visit to the spa town of Fiuggi, about one hour's journey from the city centre.
The Vatican area across the Tiber, directly west of downtown Rome, is reached by subway A line, get out at Ottaviano. If you travel by the number 30 tram, disembark at Piazza Risorgimento.You can also travel on the number 64 bus which terminates ...
ashford 23.06.2000 (19.10.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Rome (Italy)
Advantages: The sheer romance of the place Disadvantages: It's a busy romantic place
...found this single classification for Rome before trying to talk about each place I'd visited, I might not have put forward such short - you may have noticed that I'm usually more gobby than that - and seemingly uninspired opinions. Still. I've pacakaged them all together here, which should make for easier reading, and hopefully fewer potential just "helpful" votes :-)
Rome itself is quite a small city, but it has some 300 palaces and almost the ... ...the full impact that Imperialist Rome had on the rest of the world, so I would suggest watching both "I, Claudius" and the film "Gladiator" as a more entertaining way of finding out).**
Legend has it that Romulus and Remus (parents: Mars and a Vestal Virgin) were abandoned on the Palantine Hill, found, reared by a she-wolf and Romulus went on to found the city of Rome. History itself backs up the claim that the site and probable date of 753 BC are ...
Salgirl 27.04.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Rome (Italy)
...of the great things about Rome is that despite its size the historic centre is relatively small and compact with most of the sites of interest within walking distance of each other. With the Tiber to the west of the centre only the Vatican and Trastevere are on its west bank with all the other main sites to the east. Rome most well known geographical features are the seven hill, The Palatine, Capitoline, Aventine, Caelian, Esquiline, Viminal and ... ...best way to get around Rome is on foot so make sure that you have some sturdy walking shoes especially as many of the roads are cobbled and you also have those hills to contend with. Add to that the fact that every time you cross the road you take your life into your hands and you may find yourself taking the long way round some of the large squares to avoid crossing the four lanes of traffic that shows no sign of stopping even if there is a crossing.
...
atticusuk 03.05.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Rome (Italy)
Advantages: Sites, food and culture Disadvantages: Noise, crime and its too busy
...500 years of it, but Rome has over 2000 years of it making you see why it is called the eternal city.
Depending on how long you intend on going to Rome, you will need to decide beforehand on what sites to see. Firstly there are the ancient sites. These include the Collosium, Forum, Catacombs and Domus Aurea (which may be closed due to structural repairs).
Secondly there are the renaissance sites such as the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps and ... ...shops around Rome and a particularly good parade leads directly from the Spanish Steps.
The best way to visit Rome is to pair up different sites. Some may need a day to see e.g. Vatican. But some such as the Spanish Steps should be done in the morning and the Trevi Fountain should be seen at night, ( very romantic). Review of sites: Vatican
This essentially is one of the most impressive sites in Rome due to its sheer grandure. It comprises of two ...
kingchrislake 22.04.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Rome (Italy)
Advantages: Lovely Place Disadvantages: buses too crowded
...back at 1.45 PM to Rome and we reached around 5 PM as the one which was leaving earlier was more than double the price. We just refreshed ourselves and roamed a bit near the station and the Piazza Della Republic and we walked down to Quirinale.
The Third day we decided to take the day travel card which is valid till 12 in the night. The Day travel card is available in the shops which sell tobacco. It only costed us 4 EUR per ticket and is valid ... ...to the Colosseo, San Pietro and piazza cavour. The bus routes were mentioned in the map. We managed to enquire and find out the buses which go to the places where we wanted to go and it was not much complex. The Vatican City and the St Peters Square is a very lovely place and very memorable. Just imagine the place and how ancient it is. That itself was thrilling. The fourth day we went to the Vatican museum and the 16th Chapel. If I start describing ...
bpg2504 29.04.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Rome (Italy)
Advantages: a great way to see Rome from an entirely new perspective Disadvantages: some scooters are of dubious quality - be sure to check yours beforehand
Finding ourselves in Rome in August 1999, and having been there two weeks ago to see all the usual stuff, we decided to do something more daring. Cobra, the proprietor of our youth hostel, soon got us going. He set us up with a "connection" of his, in a scooter rental shop very near the Termini (main train station). There were four of us, so we ended up renting two 50 cc scooters for 24 hours. The price was around 60,000 lire ($26.60, £18.59) per ... ...rental period involved dashing through Rome at night, going to all sorts of shady areas one would never think of visiting on foot, once the sun had gone down. We also passed the Colosseum and the Piazza Venezia, impressively illuminated by golden light, before returning home at 0300. In all our travels, we only had to fill up once, for 12,000 lire ($5.32, £3.72). We had a problem with a loose left panel of the seating area, which we miraculously ...
Marechal_Grouchy 18.01.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Rome (Italy)
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