Rome tourism

Roman traditional food

chihie — 2010-03-24T15:34:09Z

Roman traditional food is mainly of working class origin and generally uses simple ingredients. Dishes have been enriched with the traditions of the people who came to Rome throughout the centuries.

Dishes
Dishes can be quite heavy but they are always very tasty. Among the famous dishes, you will find the rigatoni alla pajata and coda alla vaccinara, which originated from the necessity of butchers to use everything.
Romans' favourite meats are poultry and goat. Hence the dishes such as the famous pollo coi peperoni (chicken with peppers), which is associated to the mid-August 'ferragosto' celebration. Other local dishes include abbacchio allo scottadito (lamb cooked on the bone and eaten with your hands) accompanied by puntarelle con acciughe (a type of chicory served with anchovies) or carciofi alla giudia (Judean artichokes).

Cheese
Very good cheese is made around Rome: pecorino romano, which is famously eaten with fava beans.

Desserts
There are wonderful desserts, for instance maritozzo con panna (bun with fresh whipped cream) or frappe (sweet wavers) and castagnole (glazed chestnuts), which are traditional during carnival. And do not miss the Italian ice-creams, the famous gelati !

Tour suggestions in Rome

chihie — 2010-03-24T14:55:28Z

Three thematic tour suggestions...

The Rome of churches

St Peter's square
St Peter's basilica
Vatican museums(Sistine chapel,, Museum Pio Clementino, Pinacotheca)
Saint Peter in Chains basilica
Quirinal Palace
Trinità dei Monti
Villa Borghese gardens, Villa Medicis
Pincian Hill
Church Santa Maria del Popolo

The antique Rome

Venice palace
Trajan's Market
Imperial fora
Colosseum
Golden House (Domus aurea)
Basilica of Saint Clement
Roman forum
Palatine Hill
Maximus Circus
Mouth of Truth (Bocca della Verità)
Petroselli street
Theatre of Marcellus
Capitoline Hill, Basilica of St. Mary of the Altar of Heaven

The Rome of fountains

Piazza della Repubblica, Fountain of the Naiads
Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria
Barberini piazza, Fontana del Tritone
Sistina street, piazza Trinità dei Monti
Pizza di Spagna, fontana della Barcaccia
Pantheon, piazza della Rotonda, Fontana Facchino
Piazza Navone and its fountains
Piazza Campo dei Fiori
Farnese palace
Piazza Mattei, Turtle Fountain (Fontane delle Tartarughe)
Piazza Venezia
Trevi fountain

And more, not to miss !

Rome hills: breathtaking views
Museums of the Villa Borghese
Baths of Caracalla
Sant Angelo castle
Altemps palace
Trastevere quarter

How to go to Rome?

chihie — 2010-03-24T13:48:58Z

All roads lead to Rome!!!

By car:
Rome is well deserved by motorways so it easy to go to Rome by car.

By bus:
Going to Rome is a cheap way to go to Rome. It is accessible from most of the European cities.

By train:
If you take the train to Rome, you will arrive at Termini stazione which is located close to the city centre. You will find all public transports to go nearly everywhere in Rge number of hotels.

By plane:
A lot of airlines operate regular flights to Rome so you can easily find a cheap flight to Rome. There are two airports in Rome :

Fiumicino airport. From there you can take the train to Rome.
Ciampino Airport. Some buses will take you directly to Rome.

When to go to Rome?

chihie — 2010-03-24T13:16:27Z

What is the best season to go to Rome?

Rome is nicer in May, June, July and September.
In summer, there are many events : festivals, concerts, open-air cinema...and most of the Romans are away but Rome is hot, very hot.
In winter it does not often rain but the light is not as beautiful as during the other seasons.

Moving in Rome

chihie — 2010-03-24T10:46:29Z

By foot, by bus or by tube but in any case not by car!!!

There is much traffic in Rome and Italians have a "special" (some would say dangerous) way to drive. So you should avoid driving in Rome.

There are two metro lines which cross at Termini station and stop at the Colosseum, Piazze di Spagna, del Popolo and Repubblica and at the San Giovanni Basilica.
There are six tram routes running in Rome, and although they serve nearly all parts of the city, most of the lines serve eastern Rome to the east of the Termini railway station.
The best is to discover Rome by foot, there is something to see at every corner, and to take the bus, metro or tramway for long distances. They are very frequent and cost only 1 €. You can buy tickets in the stations, in newspaper kiosks or in the buses. They are valid 75 minutes for correspondences. Day tickets cost 4€.
Buses, metros and tramways operate from 5:30 am to midnight.
Night buses operate from 00:10 am to 05:30 am.

You will find the metro map below:

You can also take a bike to visit the Via Appia Antica whis is several kilometers long.

A bit of Italian vocabulary

chihie — 2010-03-24T09:58:47Z

Italians do not speak much English or other languages so it can prove useful to know a few words in Italian... But do not worry, Italians always find a way to make themselves understood!

hello : buongiorno (or ciao, informal)
goodbye : arrivederci (or ciao, informal)
yes : sí
no : no
please : per favore
thank you : grazie
you're welcome (after thank you) : prego
excuse me : mi scusi
I would like to go to... : voglio andare a...
hotel/pension : albergo/pensione
restaurant : ristorante
breakfast : prima colazione
lunch : pranzo
dinner : cena

Tourist passes

chihie — 2010-03-24T09:58:20Z

You cannot go to Rome without visiting its famous sights! Buying a pass will allow you doing it for a reasonable price.

The Roma Pass is an interesting option, as this pass (23 €, valid 3 days) gives free access to 2 museums or archeological sights of your choice, offers a privileged price for all the others and an illimited access to all the public transports for 3 days. For those who will spend the week-end there: mind most of the museums and sights are closed on Monday.

The Archaeologia Card (23,50 €) is valid 7 days. It includes the access to the palazzo Altemps, palazzo Massimo, Diocletian Baths and to the Balbi crypt, but also to the Forum, Colosseum, Palatino, Baths of Caracalla, Caecilia Metalla tomb and to the villa dei Quintili.

The Roma & Più Pass works 3 days and according to the same principle as the Roma Pass but it is also valid for the sights around Rome, transports included. It is a bit more expensive: 25 €.

You will find all the information online : www.romapass.it.

Museum of the City of Rome

chihie — 2010-03-23T20:54:18Z

Museo della Civiltà Romana in Italian...

The Museum of the City of Rome is located in the EUR quarter at the south of Rome. It is the most remarkable museum in Rome about the city history and so about the Roman civilization. For those who can hardly imagine the Antique Rome from the remnants, this museum offers very interesting reconstitutions. Numerous scale models allows following the city evolution, the monuments, the famous battles…You will not regret the visit.
The museum is located at 10, Piazza G. Agnelli. Take the bus 30, 170, 671, 714, 764, 765, 767, 791 or metro B station "Eur Fermi". Price : 6€.

National Etruscan Museum

chihie — 2010-03-23T20:54:15Z

Etrusco museo in Italian...

The National Etruscan Museum is a museum of the Etruscan civilization housed in the Villa Giulia. It has the largest collection of Etruscan objects in Italy. The master pieces of the museum are the Etruscan-Phoenician Pyrgi Tablets, the Apollo of Veii, the Cista Ficoroni and the Castellani collection...
The museo Etrusco is situated on Via di Valle Giulia in a Renaissance-style building of the Villa Borghese park, the Villa Giulia. Price: 4 €.

Capitoline Museums

chihie — 2010-03-23T20:54:09Z

The Capitoline Museums group the Palazzo dei Conservatori and the Palazzo Nuovo.

The Palazzo dei Conservatori shows ancient sculpture collections, mostly Roman but also Greek and Egyptian. It very interesting for people passionate by mythology and legends. The Palazzo Nuovo mainly presents sculptures.
The museum is situated Piazza del Campidoglio 1. Price : 6.5 €

The museum Barracco in the Palazzo della Farnesina ai Baullari presents antique, Greek, Roman and Egyptian sculptures.
It is located in a charming palace close to piazza Navona.