Rome Travel Guide

“Beauty will save the world” (Dostoevskij)

Rome is a city with almost 3,000 years of history and a population of 3 millions even if no more than 150,000 residents live in the historic center which has become pretty exclusive. Most Romans live in the ‘demi-center’ or suburbs and to find some authentic local life you have to shift aside and explore neighbourhoods such as Testaccio, Garbatella, Prati, San Giovanni.

There are 22 historic districts (rioni) and 35 suburbs (quartieri), the farthest of which is Ostia, 15 miles southwest between the Tyrrenian Sea (Mar Tirreno) and a huge pine groove (Pineta). It is easy reachable by the Metromare train in 30 mins from Piramide/Porta S.Paolo and is a perfect spot for relaxing walks on its sandy beach.

🌍 Ancient Romans combined the greek sense of beauty and the etruscan engineering skills to the latin common sense and pragmatism, spreading their shared knowledge around the Mediterranean in culturally unified societies. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Europe became a puzzle of states and the Popes formed the Pontifical one in a territory corresponding today to Latium, Umbria and Emilia-Romagna gradually replacing the Roman Emperors, establishing in art and symbols a continuity with them, ruling the city as religious and political leaders for long time.

In 1870, following the wave of world-spread revolutionary wars against secular dominations, Rome became part of a liberal non religious newly-formed country, Italy: a kingdom ruled by the Savoy until 1946 and then a Presidential Republic with two independent states inside, The Vatican and San Marino. Rome’s unique architecture is the result of all these ages!

Plan your vacation according to your taste remembering to…⛲ always bring a bottle with you since Rome is the city of drinkable water due to the long tradition of offering water (acqua) to its citizens, visitors, pilgrims and tourists. You’ll find several nasoni, small fountains with a big nose 🤥, scattered around and 3 of them date back to the late 1800s (Piazza della Rotonda, Via di s. Teodoro, Via delle tre cannelle). Apparently about 2000 fountains are in town!

EMERGENCY NUMBER FOR MEDICAL CARE (free for residents and tourists) OR POLICE IS 112

You can travel to Rome anytime since every period has its pros and cons.

The best weather is in Spring and Fall (10-27 C°) but those are crowded months, especially Easter week which I suggest to avoid.

Summer has lots of sunlight and sunny days but can be hot (20-34 C° with peaks of 39°), crowded and humid.

Winter can be a bit rainy and colder (5-15 C°) even if not usually freezing but this is the best time to visit the half empty museums and monuments. For this reason I usually suggest November and December to come to Rome due to the lesser crowds, not extremely cold days and Christmas lights decorating the streets, especially Piazza Navona with its Christmas stands 🎄

🚅Leonardo Express is the fast train connecting Fiumicino Airport to Termini railway station in 32 mins. It leaves every 15 mins and costs €14. A bus to Termini is also available from both Ciampino & Fiumicino Airports at €9.
There is no direct train or bus from Fiumicino to Ostia but they are very close (5 miles) and you can transfer by taxy or reserve a minivan. Ostia is reachable from Rome by train in 1 hour
Walking in Rome is the best solution considering that the historic center is not huge and the longest distance, between the Colosseum and St. Peter Square in the Vatican, is about 3,6 kms (2,2 miles). The main and longest street of Rome, Via del Corso, in the centre of the city is 1,5 kms (1 mile) and will give a way to measure distances.
Nevertheless you will find white Taxi stands in the main squares (Piazza Venezia, Piazza Risorgimento by the Vatican, Piazza Cavour, Piazza del Colosseo, Piazza della Rotonda, Piazza delle Cinque Lune, Piazza Barberini, Piazza G.G.Belli in Trastevere) with a reasonable taximeter in the car starting from €3 according to which you pay at the end, tipping the driver at your discretion
ATAC is the company that runs buses, trolleys and subway lines. A single ticket costs €1,5 and is valid for 100 consecutive minutes on a bus/trolley and a subway ride. You need to buy it before boarding at news stands, T-shops or subway e-machines and stamp it when you want to use it; daily tickets cost €6. Kids under 10 y.o. travel for free. Beware of pickpockets
Hop on & off Buses stop at Termini, Colosseo, Capital Hill, Castel Sant’Angelo (Vatican stop), Piazza Barberini, Circo Massimo, Via Ludovisi; they cost about 25€ and you can buy the ticket onboard
Take a ride in a mini ATAC e-bus: #119 from Piazza Venezia every 15/ 20 mins to the top of the Spanish Steps and down to Piazza del Popolo into the charming narrow streets of Rome before returning to Piazza Venezia (not on Sundays); #117 circular line from St. John in Lateran stopping by the Colosseum & Trevi Fountain; #115 from Piazza Paola to the panoramic Janiculum Hill
Don’t forget that with a 1,5 € Atac ticket you can take the freccia del mare train and reach the Archaelogical site of Ostia Antica (guided tour suggested) and the sandy beach of Rome in Lido di Ostia. Check my Directions to Ostia.

3D Reconstructions are today an excellent way to visualize the ancient monuments and understand the history and evolution of a city like Rome.

I suggest to go at least to one of these 4 venues:

–Welcome to Rome Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 203 (an introduction to the history of the city) open all day everyday €12,50 adults, €10 reduced

–Le Domus Romane di Palazzo Valentini Foro di Traiano 85 (a modern building built over ancient monuments) €12 adults, €8 reduced open 9.30-18.30, closed on Tuesdays

–Viaggio nei Fori Via Alessandrina (an evening show in the Forum of Julius Caesar and in the Forum of Augustus) mid April until Nov. €15 adults, reduced €10

–The Ara, as it was Via di Ripetta 190 (characters, gestures, deities and animals come to life in 3D to illustrate with colors the origins of Rome and the family of Augustus). €12, evening shows only

Janiculum Hill’s 12 o’clock cannon fire (shooting blanks). This has been the way to regulate time and start the church bell ringing since 1847. Go by taxi or bus #155 from Trastevere; the athletic option is to walk uphill from Ponte Sisto along Via Garibaldi
CLIMBING SAINT PETER’S DOME: Enter as if going to the church, look on the right side of the porch for the sign cupola and take the elevator at the cost of 10€; be ready for a gradual ascent of about 250 steps; the view is amazing because this is the tallest building in Rome (136 meters). Descend into the church that you can visit now.

Take the Vittoriano panoramic terrace. Enjoy Rome’s charming skyline and spot the most famous monuments from the iconic ‘Altar of the Fatherland’ nicknamed ‘wedding cake’; Where: Piazza Venezia (walk the steps of the Vittoriano, enter the building, reach the backside and the glass elevator with the ticket office. open until 7.30 pm. €15 adults, free under 18
Visit the Capitoline Museums in Piazza del Campidoglio. Ancient work of art illustrating the history of Rome in the world’s oldest public museum (1471). No reservations required, €16 adults, €14 reduced. closed on Mondays. 9.30-19.30
Visit the Galleria Doria-Pamphilj, an aristocratic residence along Via del Corso 305, with audio guide narration by a member of the family. Open everyday 9 to 7pm; 12€, 8€ reduced.
Rent a bike, a segway or a golfcar in the Borghese Park at Piazza delle Camelie: explore Romans’ favourite park (100 hectars-250 acres)
Museo delle mura (roman wall museum) Porta San Sebastiano 18. Path along the walls and documentation. Free entrance, open 9-14, closed on Mondays
Visit the Catacombs of St Sebastian & walk/bike the Ancient Appian Way to the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella: reachable by taxi (15 €) or by bus #118 (from Colosseum weekdays or from Piazza Venezia on Sundays only) or bus #218 from Piazza di Porta San Giovanni. The catacombs are early Cristian cemeteries and offer guided tours every 30 mins w/out need to reserve; open 10-17, €8 closed on Sundays. Bike Rental on Via dei Cerchi (Circus Maximus)
Have an evening stroll and dinner in Trastevere. Begin your walk from the Tiber island and reach the main church of S.Maria in Trastevere open until 10pm exploring a lively medieval district almost completely untouched from the modern architecture
Mass in Latin and chants in St Peter’s Basilica every day at 5, behind the main altar (4.45 during weekends) or a Mass in the Pantheon (Sat 5 pm, Sun 10.30 am)
Castel Sant’Angelo: Built as the imperial tomb of Hadrian, it was gradually turned into a fortress, a prison and a papal residence in case of attack to the city. Nowdays it is a national museum that offers spectacular views of the Tiber and the city. Closed on Mondays

father and son exploring Rome — Father and son in the Centrale Montemartini

Kids Train in Villa Borghese. 30 min ride inside the Romans’ favourite public park. 10.30-19, 4€ each. Stops at Borghese gallery, pincio panoramic terrace, casa del cinema, zoo
A free visit at Rome’s Cat Sanctuary (I gatti di Roma) in Largo Argentina, 10 mins away from the Pantheon. Open from 12 to 4.30 pm everyday
Gladiator’s School: visit and training for kids who will use safe reproductions of the originale weapons. Via Appia Antica 18, open everyday 9.30 – 7pm
Biopark Piazzale del giardino zoologico 1. It is the Zoo of Rome, inside Villa Borghese, active in the education and preservation of the animal world. €16 adults,€13 children, open 9.30-17
Playgrounds at Castel Sant’Angelo, Villa Borghese (via veneto entrance), San Giovanni (Via Sannio), Trastevere (Piazza San Cosimato)
EUR Lake Central Park Passeggiata del Giappone, reachable with metro B, stop EUR FERMI
Puppet Show in Piazza Garibaldi on Janiculum Hill every Sunday at 10.30; it has been the historic kid show for 70 years. Then wait for the Cannon Fire at 12 (every day)
Civic museum of Zoology Via Ulisse Aldrovandi 18 (Borghese area). The museum is a center for scientific, culture and for the conservation, study and teaching of animal biodiversity. Closed on Mondays
Luneur Park Via delle 3 fontane 100. It is the oldest Italian theme park (1953) recently totally readapted for kids; splash zone during summer. Check website for time & prices. Reachable by metro B, stop EUR Fermi + 20 mins walk
Explora Via Flaminia 82, just outside Piazza del Popolo. (a space thought for kids between 1 & 11 years old. There is a space for the youngest explorers between 1 & 3 y.o. €8, €5 between 1-3 y.o. Open 10-17 Tuesday-Sunday

I suggest to rent an apartment or book your hotel in one of these neighbourhoods:

Monti (trendy & artistic today, close to metro B and the Roman Forum, this was in ancient Rome the working class neighborhood known as suburra): Mok’House, Hotel Caravaggio, B&B Domus Alberti

Trastevere (across the Tiber but still very central; vital and local): Hotel Carmel

Jewish Quarter (historic, interesting district close to River Tiber): Little Queen, Monte Cenci, B&B Portico d’Ottavia

Pantheon (historic and centrally located): Grand Hotel del la Minerve, Albergo del Sole al Pantheon, Hotel L’Orologio

Prati/Vatican (modern, close to metro A and the Vatican):Hotel dè Mellini, Mama Shelter Hotel, Hearth Hotel

Lido di Ostia (for a seaside escape): try the retrò Hotel La Sirenetta, the modern Fly Deco or the historic B&B Barocchetto Romano to enjoy the sandy beach and visit the Ostia Antica archaeological site, reachable by the freccia del mare train

Rome is a city with plenty of green areas so you can always find one according to where you are:

Villa Borghese (Romans’ favourite park)
Colle Oppio (Colosseum)
Courtyard of Palazzo Venezia
Villa Aldobrandini (at the end of Via Nazionale, this is a small portion of the historic villa built over the ruins of Constantine public baths)
Villa Celimontana (Celian Hill)
Giardini del Quirinale (in front of the presidential Palace)
The Botanical Garden of Rome (open everyday 9-18.30) is one of the best in Europe, run by Rome Botanics University that is charging € 8 adults, €4 6-11 y.o.

The three main commercial streets of Rome are Via Nazionale, Via del Corso and Via Cola di Renzo.

Ideally you could spend a full day covering all the three (4,5 kms) starting your shopping tour from Piazza della Repubblica (metro Repubblica) and walking down Via Nazionale to Piazza Venezia (1,4 kms). On the left enjoy a view of Italy’s National Monument called Vittoriano and nicknamed by tourists wedding cake. Turn right and take Via del Corso all the way down to Piazza del Popolo (1,6 kms). Along the way stops at the elegant mall Galleria Alberto Sordi (former Galleria Colonna) for a coffe or a snack (tramezzino) at its coffee bar and have a look at its elegant boutiques and Feltrinelli bookstore and videos. If you haven’t had enough…exit Piazza del Popolo and cross the Tiber River (Tevere) using the modern bridge Ponte Regina Margherita and have your final round along Via Cola di Renzo, probably the less touristy and more local of the three, to Piazza Risorgimento (1,5 kms) where taxi or the metro Ottaviano can bring you back home.

Piazza di Spagna, commonly and wrongly known as the Spanish Steps, and especially Via dei Condotti is the high fashion district whereas Via dei Borgognoni is famous for jewelery.

Sunday morning is the time for the huge flea market of Porta Portese in Trastevere with a bit of everything but beware of pickpockets and street gambling.

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