• This topic has 19 replies, 18 voices, and was last updated 9 years ago by eskay.
Viewing 20 posts - 1 through 20 (of 20 total)
  • Rome – aside from the obvious
  • Pickers
    Full Member

    Mrs Pickers and I are off to Rome for a few days.
    Apart from the obvious touristy spots (that we’ll still go to), are there any hidden nuggets that we shouldn’t miss while we’re there?

    iain1775
    Free Member

    “Secret” keyhole view of the Vatican – well worth the pleasant stroll up the back streets
    http://thingstodo.viator.com/rome/the-aventine-keyhole-view-of-rome/
    More info/better directions here http://wikitravel.org/en/Rome/Aventino-Testaccio

    We took the open top red tourist bus and got off at the Circus maximus stop, short walk from there, don’t tell your other half where your going, just make her look through the keyhole, it’s quite an experience if you don’t know what you will see

    Tom-B
    Free Member

    If you’re going to the Colosseum buy your tickets from the ruins around the corner (can’t for the life of me think what they’re called!) 5 minutes queue as opposed to 2 hours!

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...
    Latest Singletrack Videos
    wallop
    Full Member

    Can highly recommend this restaurant:

    http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d1632970-Reviews-Il_Tempio_di_Minerva-Rome_Lazio.html

    Have a walk round Villa Borghese – very nice.

    jonba
    Free Member

    I liked this place and the grounds were nice. Still very much on the tourist trail but only for organised tourists as you’ll need to book before you go.

    http://www.galleriaborghese.it/borghese/en/edefault.htm

    lucien
    Full Member

    Night time Segway tour – only me, the Mrs and a guide who spoke excellent English and showed us sights / places / routes well off the main drag. Learnt so much about Rome and Nader the holiday

    yourmywifenow
    Free Member

    Go on a Tour of the excavations under The Bassilica it is very interesting, tour numbers are limited to 10 people at a time and only a few tours each day.

    Applications in writing/ e-mail only, google Scavi Tours and e-mail the Vatican for a slot.

    wrightyson
    Free Member

    Just don’t let those fellas in the “roman soldier” outfits have their photos taken with you. It gets awkward!

    ThurmanMerman
    Free Member

    Spent a week there last summer and did all the usual. Just wandering round and popping into *any* baroque church/basilica was mind blowing. They will blow you away. One moved me to tears.

    Cat Sanctuary at night. We were wandering back to our our hotel and stumbled across it.

    The Trajan Market museum is really good and well done.

    For me the museum in the Villa Borghese park was just astonishing. Buy tickets only in advance.

    As a typographer the Trajan Column was a bit of a pilgrimage and a highlight, too. Bit geeky, mind.

    Make sure you eat in Trastevere. Find the pokiest backstreet restaurant away from the tourists and enjoy the best Italian meal you’ve ever had 🙂

    Murray
    Full Member

    Vatican museum, roof of St Peters and Circus Maximus were the highlights for me. And the McDonalds at the Spanish Steps.

    woody21
    Free Member
    jimw
    Free Member

    I know it is one of the touristy spots, but make sure you visit the Pantheon. Just staggering

    julzm
    Free Member

    @tom B “the ruins” are the roman forum I think. Near the capitoline museum? That museum is something else. They have Marcus Aurelius original bronze statue on his horse.

    DO NOT be taken in by any tour guide that say they will get you into the Vatican ahead of the usual two hour wait. We were duped by mike from Ohio although I ended up getting my money back by completely calling him out in front of everyone else.
    Rome will blow your mind. It is an amazing place. I’m still baffled by how they managed to build the pantheon 2000 years ago.
    Also be careful about buying ice cream in main tourist areas, it can be very expensive…..20euros for two gelato for us.

    martinhutch
    Full Member

    Buy your Vatican museum tickets from here – no queuing.

    http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do

    We stayed in an apartment opposite the queue of people who didn’t. It was very long indeed.

    Pickers
    Full Member

    Excellent response, many thanks everyone. Some great suggestions

    eskay
    Full Member

    Take plenty of money!! I found it bloody expensive.

    zeffir
    Free Member

    Evening meal in the Trastevere lanes, does not get any better! Imo all the usual sights are all stunning, Roman forum one of my favourites. If you have the time then jump on the train to Orvieto, only about an hour or so and well worth going to- wee tour of Umbria, amazing church and of course some local refreshments! Trevi fountain beautiful, Spanish steps nice but you will get constantly pestered to buy flowers.

    tonyg2003
    Full Member

    I like the Castel sant’angelo amazing man made lump (originally Hadrians tomb) and the Partheon (amazing engineering even now).

    It’s obvious but the Forum is also impressive.

    Going on the 30th? Catch a Roma game?

    ChubbyBlokeInLycra
    Free Member

    visit the Pantheon. Just staggering

    find a place to watch the door and see how many peple duck when they look up and see the hole in the roof.
    The Sant’Ignazio Church, off via Corsa. try not to look at the roof, there’s a disk on the floor in the middle of the church, stand on it, look up and be amazed
    Check out the Caravaggios in the Santa Maria dei Poppolo at the top of the via Corsa
    Tickets to the Colloseum get you onto the Palantine Hill where the Caesars lived. Interesting enough but with some excellent views over Rome and the Forum. Below the Palantine is Circus Maximus, not much there but you try to imagine the Ben Hur style chariot races.
    How long have you got? A freccia rossa (red arrow, mach .25+) train will get you to Naples for a day trip = visit to Pompeii/Herculaneum

    eskay
    Full Member

    tonyg2003 – Member

    Going on the 30th? Catch a Roma game?

    We did this, saw Roma V Juventus. If you are a football fan then try to get along to a match. The atmosphere is like nothing you will have been to before. The fans are mental and just as entertaining as the match!!

Viewing 20 posts - 1 through 20 (of 20 total)

The topic ‘Rome – aside from the obvious’ is closed to new replies.