Off to Rome this Weekend for my 42nd Buffday. OH has booked a hotel right in the centre, next to Trevi fountain. So what is there to see?
Having never been there, off the top of my head I only know a few obvious things, Vatican, Colosseum, Parthenon, Trevi fountain – but that’s about it…..
Any suggestions – good photographic spots would be especially appreciated!
There’s loads to see. Buy a book (L Planet or something) and see what tickles your fancy. Almost everything is rammed with tourists (or was in the springtime anyway, so early starts/late finishes are probably a good thing if you’re after good photos
Especially the Trevi. Tiny space, so go when it’s quiet – v early morning maybe
I think we should solicit Mr Woppit’s opinion on this one. 😉
More seriously, just wandering the steets is pretty amazing. I remember stumbling upon Trajan’s Column and having to pinch myself. I has studied it when I was doing my first undergrad, and never gave it a second thought until there it was, right in front of me.
If you like the history of civilisation, you will love everything about Rome.
We had a lot of hassle from hawkers around the fountain. Stash your valuables and look well hard.
Being a philistine I can take or leave the buildings but the ice cream .. Eat some for me.
Go on a Scavi tour, it is excavations under The Basilica, you can only book tours through the Vatican website, and there are very limited tours in very small groups. It is very interesting and shows the streets of Rome before the Basilica was built above it
But the Pantheon!!!! Holy crap, I was absolutely blown away by that building!!! I love architecture so like to go see buildings and this is certainly the most stunned I have been by any building, its nothing fancy really, its just the pure size and scale of it and the atmosphere, along with wondering how on EARTH did the Romans build that 2000 years ago???? HOW??? First building to be building from concrete that (albeit an slightly different form)…
Wander round trastevere and eat there one evening. We did that and walked all the way back to the hotel through the main part of Rome and just stumbled on the Trevi fountain. We strolled for about 2 hours and it was wonderful just soaking it up
Get away from the usual hotspots if possible. Baths of Caracalla is impressive, Palatine Hill good for a wander (and for views). Also, if you have a head for heights, take a trip up to the top of the Basilica Dome – Incredible views over the entire city and beyond.
As others have said – Pantheon is well worth a visit, would aslo recommend the colosseum/forum Romano.
The Vatican (St Peters + the Museums) are a full day, but well worth it – the climb up to the top of St Peters is fab aswell.
I’d agree with the advice about hiding valuables and looking well ‘ard, we didn’t get robbed (‘cos I look well ‘ard) but did get hassled a few times)
There’s the Castel Sant’Angelo too, which used to be the Papal residence before the Vatican. If you get chance to visit the catacombs too it’s well worth it.
Whatever you do, don’t try to look cool or “blend in”. You can’t. You won’t. You’ll stick out like a sore thumb. Which you will anyway, unless you are actually Italian….
Spanish steps = Yawn
Trevi Fountain = A bit oh is that all
Pantheon = Ace
Colloseum = Ace
All the ruins to the west of the collseum = Ace
Piazza Novona = Pretty good with plenty going on also there is a restaurant literally at the south entrance (on the path in) which was good but then I’ve never been to a bad eating place in Italy.
Vatican stuff = PITA as the queue is massive so a very early start needed. Literally had no time as stepped on train 30 seconds before it left after dragging wife through the Cistine chapel with only a glance at the ceiling. This was the second attempt to get in but the queue was back to St Peters square and 5 across the first time.
I remember stumbling upon Trajan’s Column and having to pinch myself. I has studied it when I was doing my first undergrad,
I’m off to Rome for the first time in Aug and Trajan’s Column will be my highlight.
As a Typography graduate in the early 90s it was revered. The inscription at the base is so perfect, so beautiful, that it was thought for centuries – right up until recently – to have been geometrically constructed.
Then someone twigged it was done ‘freehand’ by an absolute genius.
Opted for: Vatican Museums and Saint Peter’s Basilica (duration of the tour is 3 hours)
The tour follows an itinerary which includes: the Pio Clementino Museum (classical antiquity), the Gallery of the Candelabras, the Gallery of the Tapestries and the Gallery of the Geographical Maps (Renaissance Art), the Raphael Rooms, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica.
Palatine Hill was great, went in the summer. Lots of tours outside colluseum offer palatine hill tour aswell (only across the road nearly). We had an american tour guide who was very knowledgeable.
Agree with most of the above esp Zippykona’s advice for ice cream. The OH and I bought two ice creams with all the trimmings – €28. Nearly choked on it. Was top notch though.
There is a tiny restaurant called Dell’Omo just round the corner from Termini. It looks like a crap cafeteria but the food is stunning, dirt cheap and lots of it. Oh, and the wine by the carafe is very drinkable and also cheap.
There is a tiny restaurant called Dell’Omo just round the corner from Termini. It looks like a crap cafeteria but the food is stunning, dirt cheap and lots of it. Oh, and the wine by the carafe is very drinkable and also cheap.
We took a guided tour with an Aussie through the Vatican. bonus was queue skipping! and he was pretty damn funny.
I loved Rome, you can walk everywhere. Take a wander down the backstreets for some off the beaten track restaurants. All the wine we sampled was fab.
Visited for a day in November – utterly amazing. We got home then had to watch Angels & Demons again to see some of the sights, and realised we’d had lunch in the square where the cardinal gets drowned in the fountain.
Might sound a bit sad (waits for an STW culture slagging), but watch it before you go and it’ll fire your imagination for all the history you’re going to be immersed in.