Rome

Museums and Galleries in Rome

The Vatican Museums (Musei Vaticani) has perhaps the richest collection of art in the world. It include Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and Raphael's four fresco rooms as well as the best of Roman, Etruscan, Greek, Egyptian, Assyrian and modern religious art, but are always crowded and a long line may be anticipated to get in. More information at www.vatican.va The queue for tickets is likely to be long but there is a way to jump the Vatican and Borghese Gallery lines. Log on at www.museumrome.com pay the fee and get a booking number . Deliver it at the ticket office in front of the queue and you're in. The other museums worth visiting: Capitoline Museums with wonderful Greek and Roman sculptures, Galleria Borghese with collection of sculptures and paintings, including Bernini's Apollo and Daphne. This museum also needs a reservation in advance to get in.

The home of one of the world's greatest ancient civilizations, this magnificent city is loaded with history, artistic and architectural treasures, piazzas, pizzas and the Pope.

Best Time to Visit

From Apr-May and Sept-Oct. In July and Aug is hot and crowded. Winter months are chilly but often sunny, and crowds and prices are both down.

Highlights

Apart from the vast numbers of lovely piazzas, Roman relics and gorgeous Rome churches you will want to see at least the mega-rich, independent state of the Vatican, its museums and the vast Basilica of St. Peters, the Colosseum amphitheater, the remains of the Roman Forum and its triumphal arches, the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona with its fountains, artists and cafés, Campo dei Fiori open air food market and the bustling narrow streets of Trastevere for a real Roman night dining experience.

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Things to do in Rome

Festivals and Events in Rome

Birth of Rome Celebrations - Every year, on the 21st April, proud Romans celebrate the birth of the Eternal City, founded by Romulus in 753BC, with a series of parades, gladiator shows and traditional Roman banquets. Long-burning candles cover the Aventine Hill and a firework display over the Tiber. Website: Gruppo Storico Romano Website

More Information about Rome

Comune di Roma Rome - a few thousand years of history (in Italian).
Roma On line Magazine virtuale di Roma (Italian/English).

Fori Imperiali di Roma Rome's Imperial Forums - the history of the age of Emperors, the history of Rome, sayings and habits of the Antique Romans.
The Roman Empire Illustrated History of the Roman Empire.

Entertainment

Teatro Olimpico has the best reputation for dance.
The Filarmonica is for ethnic and contemporary.
The Opera season runs from Nov-Mar at Teatro dell' Opera; in summer it moves outdoors (eg. Stadio Olimpico, Baths of Caracalla) and the prices come down.
Theatre: Teatro Agora holds a short season of international theatre in other languages, while the Colosseo Ridotto presents English language shows every week.
Live Music: The city's more in favour of jazz than rock with plenty of venues.
Check 'Time Out' for event info/listings. Ticket Office 'Orbis' is at Piazza Esquilino.

Cuisine

Rome has plenty of little trattorias that serve excellent meals at the right price, but don't expect much other than classic Italian pastas, pizzas, salads and excellent ice-cream. International cuisine or even wildly different Italian is hard to come by. Fast foods and sandwiches are common. The Trastevere area on the left bank of the river is very local and bursting with tiny eateries, while streets around Piazza Navona offer nice little places with reasonable prices. The oldest pizzeria is said be Da Ricci in Via Genova, the best is Dar Poeta in Trastevere.

Rome shopping

Rome offers some stunning high quality goods in original and imaginative designs and fantastic varieties of colors. Shoes, gloves and other leatherwear, cotton clothing, kitchenware, all stylish but reasonably priced.

Practical Tips

Getting around

Most of the sights are easily covered on foot. The metro/tube/subway system is efficient and useful for getting to the Colosseum, Spanish Steps and Vatican Museums. You can rent a bike or do the Dolce Vita thing and rent a scooter.

Airport Transfers

Arriving or departing Fiumicino airport

Transfers by bus - The connection with the domestic and international arrivals is carried out by COTRAL buses which leave from Roma Tiburtina railway station and stop at Piazza dei Cinquecento in front of Roma Termini railway station. The tickets can be bought directly in the bus. The other COTRAL connections with the airport leave from Cornelia station of the metro Line A and from Eur-Magliana Station of Line B.
To consult the list of the stops and for further information, go the web site www.cotralspa.it.

Transfer by train - The Rome-Fiumicino service departing from Termini railway station takes about 30 minutes to reach the airport without intermediate stops. As an alternative it is possible to take Sabina-Fiumicino line (FM1) which stops in some of the main Roman railway stations (Tiburtina, Tuscolana, Ostiense, Trastevere) usually every 15 minutes, and on holidays, every 30 minutes. To check the times, visit the web site: www.ferroviedellostato.it

Taxi - From and to the airport the cost of the service is 40 euro, baggage included, for a maximum of four passengers, for all the destinations inside the Mura Aureliane which delimitate the central area of the city. For different destinations the cost will be indicated by the taximeter on each taxi, to which the baggage fee shall be added. City of Rome taxi cars are white and can be recognized by the sign "TAXI" on the top and by the identifying license number on the doors, on the back and inside the car.

Arriving or departing Ciampino airport

Low fare airlines fly to this airport, 15km south of downtown Rome. Learn more on www.adr.it/Ciampino/

Transfers By bus - The daily connection by public transports between the airport and the FS Roma Termini rail station is carried out by the COTRAL/SCHIAFFINI buses. The ticket costs 5 euro and it could be bought directly in the bus. For information go to the web site www.schiaffini.com The connection is, furthermore, carried out by the SITBUSSHUTTLE and TERRAVISSION bus lines, that connects the airport to Termini rail station with an average time of 30 minutes. The cost is 6 euros. For information go to the web site www.sitbusshuttle.it and www.terravision.eu

Transfers to and from Ciampino airport to Fiumicino airport

45 minutes journey carried by Schiaffini Travel, Tickets are sold on the bus. For information go to the web site www.schiaffini.com

Train Station Warning - In Stazione Termini, you'll almost certainly be approached by touts claiming to work for a tourist organization. They really work for individual hotels (not always the nicest) and will say almost anything to sell you a room. Unless you know something about Rome's layout and are savvy, it's best to ignore them. Ignore the taxi drivers soliciting passengers right outside the terminal; they can charge as much as triple the normal amount. Instead, line up in the official taxi stand in Piazza dei Cinquecento.

More Information about Rome Airports: Aeroporti di Roma

Day trips

Try Ostia Antica for ancient Roman ruins, Tivoli for Hadrian's spectacular Villa Adriana, fountains and landscaped gardens (40kms out of Rome); medieval Viterbo with its great town wall and nearby Bomarzo's tranquil, wacky sculpture garden Parco dei Mostri, Terracina for big, calm, uncrowded white sand beaches or Sperlonga for the full Italian beach resort experience. Further away is Naples, the ruins of Pompeii, Sorrento and Capri, all a part of unforgettable Amalfi coast. However you should at lest leave a couple of days to visit the area.

Recommended

Special Visitors Cards

ROMA ARCHEOLOGIA CARD - Euro 20,00 and valid 7 days includes the entrance to all the sites of the Roman National Museum, to the Colosseum, the Palatine, the Baths of Caracalla, the Tomb of Cecilia Metella and the Villa of the Quintili. The card can be purchased from the ticket counters of each site, except for the Tomb of Cecilia Metella and the Villa of the Quintili, and also from the Visitor Center of Rome Tourist Board (APT) in Via Parigi 5.

APPIA ANTICA CARD - Euro 6,00 - valid 7 days includes the entrance to the Baths of Caracalla, the Tomb of Cecilia Metella and the Villa of the Quintili.

Reserve in advance

Magnificent ruins of the Domus Aurea (Golden House) built for Neron after the fire of 64 A.D. The villa extended for a square mile between the slopes of the Caelian and Palatin hills. Via della Domus Aurea - Giardini di Colle Oppio Hours: 10.00am-4.00pm from Tuesday through Friday. Reservation compulsory: phone 06 39 96 77 00 On-line booking: www.pierreci.it

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