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10 day Rome visit November 2010

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Seeking suggestions, lodging, activities etc
13 years ago, June 23rd 2010 No: 1 Msg: #113873  
B Posts: 5
I will be in Rome in early November of this year for about 10 days, want to rent a flat (suggestions?) and am looking for the "must do" activities ! I am also interested in day train trips out of the city. Any help and suggestions would be greatly appreciated - I have never been to Italy! Reply to this

13 years ago, June 29th 2010 No: 2 Msg: #114381  
N Posts: 1
I recommend 1 day of a private tour by a limo service. They are almost the same price as the tour buses but you can go anywhere and have a personal tour giude. You can try search for one on Google. I did this and got familiar with the city for the first few days and then took it by storm! Lodging, its best if you can find a local to host you as the tourist flats are very pricy.
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13 years ago, June 29th 2010 No: 3 Msg: #114422  
One of my best memories in Rome is when we got one of those free maps they give out in hotels and tourism offices and we just walked and walked and walked by the sights and attractions. We saw a lot and I really felt like I was getting to know the place better!

Sabrina
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13 years ago, July 2nd 2010 No: 4 Msg: #114669  
B Posts: 277
Villa Adriana is highly recommendable and can be done as half day excursion by local transportation. Pompeii can be reached via Napoli, as a day trip by train. Be aware that Rome is a very popular tourist destination and many of the sights have huge waiting time for tickets (Colosseum, Vatican museum for example) so you need to take that into account. Reply to this

13 years ago, July 6th 2010 No: 5 Msg: #115006  
B Posts: 58
We visited Rome a month or so ago. Found that the best accommodation option for us was to rent an apartment outside Rome and take the train in to town on the days we wanted to go. Found one close-ish to a train line that was well priced and it was much more cost effective even with the train tickets. A one week ticket allowed us to go in and out of town and use the metro as much as we wished.

The Tourist Info offices can be hard to find but they all have a good tear-off type map that will get you around. Walking was the best way for us to orient ourselves but they also have the hop-on hop-off buses that can be useful.

The queues can be a real nuisance but you can get some deals that give you advance tickets to some groups of galleries or museos. We tended to walk away from the long queues and go to another place returning later. Worked out ok for us but we did have a week there and thus a bit of time. Reply to this

13 years ago, July 6th 2010 No: 6 Msg: #115007  
B Posts: 5
Thank you all for your great suggestions. Airline tickets are purchased and are working to locate a flat to rent. Once we know where we are staying we can plan what we can walk to. Also want to take a couple all day out of town trips. Keep those suggestions coming! Many many thanks Reply to this

13 years ago, July 16th 2010 No: 7 Msg: #115834  
N Posts: 2
If your also wanting to do daytrips out of the city, I suggest that you fina a rental apartment near to the Rome Termini station. I have stayed in this area and it’s very convenient for the transport system. Have a look at this website http://www.city-apartments-rome.com as there are many on offer around the city. Enjoy ROME!!! Reply to this

13 years ago, July 26th 2010 No: 8 Msg: #116480  
B Posts: 15
Being near Termini might be good for traveling and doing day trips but it's nicest or safest area to stay to be honest. It might be some of the cheapest, however - to each his own. I suggest getting to know how the tram system works so that you can use it to quickly navigate around the city. Walk anywhere in Rome and your bound to have a good time and see wonderful things. So, hit the big tourist attractions and stop on the way to eat and dig the surrounding area. As far as day trips go - I suggest going to Assisi. I don't know what type of nightlife your into but Campo de' Fiori is a good place to start or stay. It's a big square with little bars surrounding the outside of it. Reply to this

13 years ago, September 2nd 2010 No: 9 Msg: #118612  
B Posts: 5
Many thanks for all your good suggestions, we have rented a flat on Via del Governo Vecchio - everything seems to be very close and we are excited about all that will be within walking distance - and especially with Piazza Navona just a block away. Am looking at booking a private limo service for a trip to the Amalfi Coast and have scheduled a cooking class with Diane Seed. Any and all suggestions are still greatly appreciated! 60 days and we are off! Reply to this

13 years ago, September 3rd 2010 No: 10 Msg: #118653  
Hi there,

Yay, 10 days in Rome! What a fantastic choice -- far too many people come just for a day or two, thinking that's enough time to "do" the city. As someone living here, I can tell you, it's not.

First, yes, you absolutely must see the Forum and Colosseum, Pantheon and Trevi Fountain, Vatican and Piazza Navona. But Rome also is chock-full of off-the-beaten path, amazing things to do that hardly any other tourists know about. Just a handful of examples include:
-the Baths of Caracalla, the ruins of enormous 3rd-century AD baths just a short walk from the Colosseum;
-the Basilica of Santo Quattro Coronati, a 12th-century church with gorgeously preserved 13th-century frescoes, also near the Colosseum;
-the Borghese Gallery, my favorite museum in Rome, a 17th-century villa that boasts some of the most important sculptures and paintings by Caravaggio, Raphael and Bernini -- no trip to Rome is complete without visiting here, but remember you must reserve;
-theBasilica of Santo Stefano Rotondo, most famous for its grotesque 16th-century frescoes depicting martyrs being killed in creative and horrible ways.

Second: When you do go to see those must-do's on anyone's itinerary, remember not only that some can have long lines, but that they can also be very confusing (i.e. forum/Colosseum) or overwhelming (i.e. Vatican) without a guide. I do some work for a company called , which is different from other tour companies in that all the group sizes are small (less than 12), the guides are passionate and well-educated, you will NEVER have to stand in line (some companies say this, but not all are telling the truth), and the prices are good (they include your ticket fees). As well as tours like the ancient city and Vatican, there are some neat tours like the Pristine Sistine (you get into the Sistine Chapel before the general public can, meaning absolutely no crowds there!), an underground Rome tour (which includes the catacombs!), and a small churches tour.

Third: Day trips! Some of my favorites are to Orvieto or to Spoleto, both gorgeous Umbrian hilltop towns; to Naples and Herculaneum, a smaller, more-manageable and I think more rewarding version of Pompeii; and to the ruins of Ostia Antica. If you've never been, also consider a day trip to Florence, taking the fast train.

Phew! Hope that helps. For more ideas, check out my insider's guide to Rome at
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13 years ago, September 26th 2010 No: 11 Msg: #119734  
You are staying right in the middle of the action, a GREAT CHOICE for a first-time visit! This is the perfect way to soak up the Eternal City. There i some good advice up above and I hope I can add to it.

Take some time to visit the unknown gems that make this city unique:

-The Galleria Colonna is open to the public once a week (Saturday mornings). Sumptuous residence of the Colonna family for 23 generations.

-Not far from your apartment is Gelateria del Teatro where you can watch gelato-making in action and taste the results for yourself. One of Rome's very best.

-I work with Rome Illuminated tours and I know that some destinations can be navigated on your own but a well-chosen guided tour will take you to see things you may otherwise miss. Schedule an Underground Rome private tour with guides or a similar company.

-Also near your apartment you can find hidden ruins of the site of Julius Caesar's assassination. Go into the Teatro di Pompeo Hotel or Grotte del Teatro di Pompeo restaurant to see ruins of the 1st-century BC Theater of Pompey where Caesar met his demise.

-If your apartment doesn't have a private terrace, go around the corner to the Hotel Raphael and enjoy their sunset views.

-For excellent wine and food, walk across the Ponte Sisto bridge to Ristorante/Enoteca Trilussa


You have enough time for an excursion or two during your stay. The Amalfi coast is beautiful but only choose an excursion to Amalfi if you don't mind a very long drive (expect to spend 6 to 8 hours in the car). Most tour companies offer this service but be sure to choose a reputable one.

Staying a little closer to Rome with a rental car (trains are not convenient to these three destinations) you could visit the spectacular renaissance villa and gardens at Tivoli, the Villa d'Este; explore the golden-age emperor Hadrian's Villa, aslo near Tivoli; take a short drive north to Viterbo--between Rome and beautiful Orvieto--and soak yourself where Michelangelo did, the Terme dei Papi hotsprings.

Easily accessible by train is the tremendous and fascinating archaeological park at Ostia Antica (45 minutes by train) and, of course, Florence (1 hour 20 minutes by high-speed train).

I hope this helps as you get ready for your trip.
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13 years ago, October 1st 2010 No: 12 Msg: #120119  
There are so many sights to see when you visit Rome, another famous and essential sight is Vatican City. Take a stroll through this magnificent work of ancient times taking in the Vatican museums of Greek and Roman exhibits from ancient roman civilizations. In the Vatican City you can bask in the magnificence of the restored Sistine Chapel where you can witness the outstanding work of Michelangelo - this piece of art on the ceiling of the chapel is something that must be seen for any tourist. Reply to this

13 years ago, October 7th 2010 No: 13 Msg: #120563  
My favourites in Rome are San Clemente where you see three levels of Rome. The private museum of Doria Pamphilj. Ostia Antica you can get to with a 1Euro ticket from Piramide station. Hadrians Villa is lovely. The food market at the Trionfale in Rome is fantastic. Have a good time!
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