Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 67 total)
  • What to see in Rome
  • footflaps
    Full Member

    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!

    scaredypants
    Full Member

    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

    brakes
    Free Member

    St Peters Basilica in the Vatican
    Vatican Museums

    footflaps
    Full Member

    Do they allow tripods in the Vatican?

    SaxonRider
    Full Member

    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.

    zippykona
    Full Member

    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.

    premier
    Free Member

    Just do as the Romans

    footflaps
    Full Member

    We had a lot of hassle from hawkers around the fountain. Stash your valuables and look well hard.

    My parents went there and my mother lost all her valuables, someone slashed her handbag with a knife and emptied it without her noticing!

    Wozza
    Free Member

    The forum and Colosseum are an absolute must.

    dannyh
    Free Member

    My favourite was Santa Maria Maggiore, but any of the four major cathedrals are quite something.

    vondally
    Free Member

    pantheon
    forum
    trajan column
    slightly unkempt circus maximus

    so so much

    footflaps
    Full Member

    some good suggestions…

    rogerthecat
    Free Member

    Get a good map and walk about, you trip over bits of history everywhere – fantastic city.

    yourmywifenow
    Free Member

    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

    yourmywifenow
    Free Member

    Double post

    AnyExcuseToRide
    Free Member

    The Parthenon is in Greece….

    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)…

    patentlywill
    Free Member

    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

    ChunkyMTB
    Free Member

    Take a picnic and go for a wander down the Appian way.

    crapknees
    Free Member

    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.

    freeagent
    Free Member

    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)

    johnellison
    Free Member

    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….

    Enjoy…

    footflaps
    Full Member

    I will wear my finest STW T-shirt. That should tell the crooks I mean business in a bearded single speed sort of way…..

    satsoma
    Free Member

    Does anyone have any recommendations of where to eat? Where is the best coffee/ice cream/pizza etc?

    zippykona
    Full Member

    I tried all the ice cream near the fountain and it was all lovely.

    tomlevell
    Full Member

    All based on going in June when it was a bit busy

    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.

    jota180
    Free Member

    Take some chill time, find a nice cafe/bar somewhere like Piazza Venezia, take an outside seat and just watch the chaos.

    😀

    ormondroyd
    Free Member

    The forum. Go and wander round the forum.

    ormondroyd
    Free Member

    If I recall, the Lonely Planet “self guided walking tour” was great too.

    Didn’t bother with the Vatican museums. Huge queue, not my thing. There are great museums everywhere that you don’t have to queue all morning for

    dannyh
    Free Member

    Take some chill time, find a nice cafe/bar somewhere like Piazza Venezia, take an outside seat and just watch the chaos.

    Sound advice – the road-side cafes are great. I don’t know if the pizza is actually any better there, but it seems so!

    ThurmanMerman
    Free Member

    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.

    Can’t wait to see it.

    ransos
    Free Member

    Trevi Fountain = A bit oh is that all

    I was there yesterday. I think you need a trip to Specsavers…

    glasgowdave
    Full Member

    Do a food tour. We went with this mob.

    http://www.eatingitalyfoodtours.com/

    A great way to see round a neighborhood, and the food was excellent too. History, sites and grub.

    D

    glasgowdave
    Full Member

    Oh, and the Vatican is worth seeing, but arrive early and be prepared to queue

    footflaps
    Full Member

    Booked a Vatican tour for Saturday, so don’t have to queue for tickets, just security.

    http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-Info/MV_Info_Servizi_Visite.html

    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.

    goldengus
    Free Member

    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.

    hammerite
    Free Member

    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.

    lunge
    Full Member

    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.

    footflaps
    Full Member

    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.

    Top tip!

    Dolcered
    Full Member

    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.

    tandemwarriors
    Full Member

    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.

    Rob

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 67 total)

The topic ‘What to see in Rome’ is closed to new replies.