June - July 2019: Rome
From zen2
Contents
Rome
Activities
Tier 1
| Destination | Description | Links | Cost pp | Cost total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trevi Fountain | Go very early morning if awake | 9 Things You Didn’t Know About The Trevi Fountain Wikipedia |
Take a coin to throw over your shoulder | 3 |
| Pantheon | Wikipedia | Free | Free | |
| Colosseum Roman Forum |
Colosseum Tour with Newly Opened Top-Level Access | Wikipedia | EU217 | |
| Borghese Gallery | Book at least a week in advance, if not 3 months Use Google translate to buy tickets Guided tour might be a good idea |
TripAdvisor Romewise |
EU58 | |
| Vatican Museums | Exclusive First Entry: Sistine Chapel & Vatican Museums Tour | EU152 | ||
| Papal Audience | Wednesday's 10am Tickets not required |
What it's like | Free | Free |
| Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore | Free | |||
| Appia Antica Regional Park | Hire bikes | TripAdvisor | ||
| Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II Ascensori panoramici |
TripAdvisor | EU10/Free | EU20 | |
| Capitoline Museums | EU15/13 | EU43 | ||
| Domus Aurea | Nero's Palace Only open weekends |
EU44 |
Tier 2
| Destination | Description | Links | Cost pp | Cost total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piazza Navona | Wikipedia | Free | Free | |
| Museum and Crypt of the Capuchin Friars | TripAdvisor | |||
| Church of St. Louis of the French | TripAdvisor | |||
| Mouth of Truth | Bite your hand off if you tell a lie | Wikipedia TripAdvisor |
Free/Donation | |
| Le Domus Romane di Palazzo Valentini |
Left Luggage
Termini ~ EUR24 for 3 bags/7hours Stow Your Bags ~ EUR17 for 1 large locker/7hours
On Arrival
- Buy knife/plate for picnics
- Breakfast foods
- Hand Sanitizer
- Water bottles
- Sunscreem
- Insect repellent
Shopping
Getting Around
Medical
Pharmacy
Farmacia della Stazione at Piazza dei Cinquecento 49 (T06.488.0019), Internazionale at Piazza Barberini 49 (T06.6880.3278) and Piram at Via Nazionale 228 (T06.488.0754)
The Rough Guide to Rome p33
Doctor
If you need treatment, go to a doctor (medico); try AlphaMed at Via Zanardelli 36 (T06.6830.9493; Mon–Fri 9am–8pm), a central medical practice with Englishspeaking doctors, or Tobias Wallbrecher at Via Domenico Silveri 30 (T06.638.0569; Mon–Fri 9am–1pm & 3–6pm), an Englishspeaking family doctor close to the Vatican. If you need to see a dentist, try Engishspeaking Absolute Dentistry at Via G. Pisanelli 1–3 (T06.3600.3837 or 339.250.7016), which has a 24-hour emergency service. If you are seriously ill or involved in an accident, go straight to the Pronto Soccorso (casualty) of the nearest hospital, or phone T113 and ask for ospedale or ambulanza. The most central hospitals are Fatebenefratelli on the Isola Tiberina (T06.683.7299), San Giovanni at Via A. Aradam 8 (T06.49.971) and Santo Spirito, near the Vatican
The Rough Guide to Rome p33
Budget
Estimated Budget
| Expense | Notes | Cost
|
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation | 850 | |
| Activities | 600 | |
| Food | 750 | |
| Local Transport | Airport Express(14/10) | 50 |
| Incidentals | 300 | |
| Total | 2550 |
Paid
| Expense | Notes | Cost
|
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation | 850 | |
| Activities | 471 | |
| Food | 0 | |
| Local Transport | 0 | |
| Incidentals | 0 | |
| Total Paid | 1321 | |
| Estimated Balance | 1229 |
Guide Books
Pincio Gardens
Frommer's Rome p2
Strolling at Sunset in the Pincio Gardens: Above the landmark Piazza del Popolo, this terraced and lushly planted hillside is the most romantic place for a twilight walk. A dusty orange-rose glow often colors the sky, giving an otherworldly aura to the park’s umbrella pines and broad avenues. The ancient Romans turned this hill into gardens, but today’s look came from the design of Giuseppe Valadier in the 1800s. Pause at the main piazza, Napoleone I, for a spectacular view of the city stretching from the Janiculum to Monte Mario. The Egyptian-style obelisk here was erected by Emperor Hadrian on the tomb of his great love, Antinous, a beautiful male slave who died prematurely. See “The Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain & Attractions Nearby,” in chapter 7.
Campo de' Fiori
Frommer's Rome p2
Exploring Campo de’ Fiori at Midmorning: In an incomparable setting of medieval houses, this is the liveliest fruit and vegetable market in Rome, where peddlers offer their wares as they’ve done for centuries. The market is best visited after 9am any day but Sunday. By 1pm the stalls begin to close. Once the major site for the medieval inns of Rome (many of which were owned by Vanozza Catanei, the 15th-century courtesan and lover of Pope Alexander VI Borgia), this square maintains some of its old bohemian atmosphere. We often come here when we’re in Rome for a unique, lively view of local life. Often you’ll spot your favorite trattoria chef bargaining for the best and freshest produce, everything from fresh cherries to the perfect vine-ripened tomato. See “The Pantheon & Attractions near Piazza Navona & Campo de’ Fiori,” in chapter 7.
Janiculum Hill
Frommer's Rome p2
Climbing Janiculum Hill: On the Trastevere side of the river, where Garibaldi held off the attacking French troops in 1849, the Janiculum Hill was always strategic in Rome’s defense. Today, a walk in this park at the top of the hill can provide an escape from the hot, congested streets of Trastevere. Filled with monuments to 1 Garibaldi and his brave men, the hill is no longer peppered with monasteries, as it was in the Middle Ages. A stroll will reveal monuments and fountains, plus panoramic views over Rome. The best vista is from Villa Lante, a Renaissance summer residence. The most serene section is the 1883 Botanical Gardens, with palm trees, orchids, bromeliads, and sequoias—more than 7,000 plant species from all over the world. See “More Attractions,” in chapter 7.
Bernini
Frommer's Rome p3
Following in the Footsteps of Bernini: One of the most enjoyable ways to see Rome is to follow the trail of Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680), who left a greater mark on the city than even Michelangelo. Under the patronage of three different popes, Bernini “baroqued” Rome. Start at Largo di Santa Susanna, north of the Stazione Termini, at the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, which houses one of Bernini’s most controversial sculptures, the Ecstasy of St. Teresa, from 1646. Walk from here along Via Barberini to Piazza Barberini, in the center of which stands Bernini’s second most dramatic fountain, the Fontana del Tritone. From the piazza, go along Via delle Quattro Fontane, bypassing (on your left) the Palazzo Barberini, designed by Bernini and others for Pope Urban VIII. At the famous crossroads of Rome, Le Quattro Fontane, take Via del Quirinale to see the facade of Sant’Andrea, one of the artist’s greatest churches. Continue west, bypassing the Pantheon, to arrive eventually at Piazza Navona, which Bernini remodeled for Pope Innocent X. The central fountain, the Fontana dei Fiumi, is Bernini’s masterpiece, although the figures representing the four rivers were sculpted by others following his plans.
Appian Way
Frommer's Rome p3
Spending a Day on the Appian Way: Dating from 312 b.c., the Appian Way (Via Appia) once traversed the whole peninsula of Italy and was the road on which Roman legions marched to Brindisi and their conquests in the East. One of its darkest moments was the crucifixion in 71 b.c. of the rebellious slave army of Spartacus, whose bodies lined the road from Rome to Capua. Fashionable Romans were buried here, and early Christians dug catacombs in which to inter their dead. Begin at the Tomb of Cecilia Metella and proceed up Via Appia Antica past a series of tombs and monuments (including a monument to Seneca, the great moralist who committed suicide on the orders of Nero; and another to Pope St. Urban, who reigned a.d. 222–230). The sights along Via Appia Antica are some of Rome’s most fascinating. You can go all the way to the Church of Domine Quo Vadis. See “The Appian Way & the Catacombs,” in chapter 7.
Campidoglio
Frommer's Rome p5
Hanging Out in the Campidoglio at Night: There is no more splendid place to be at night than Piazza del Campidoglio, where Michelangelo designed both the geometric paving and the facades of the buildings. A broad flight of steps, the Cordonata, takes you up to this panoramic site, a citadel of ancient Rome from which traitors to the empire were once tossed to their deaths. Home during the day to the Capitoline Museums, it takes on a different aura at night, when it’s dramatically lit, the measured Renaissance facades glowing like jewel boxes. The evening views of the brilliantly lit Forum and Palatine are also worth the long trek up those stairs. There’s no more stunning cityscape view at night than from this hill. See “The Colosseum, the Roman Forum & Highlights of Ancient Rome,” in chapter 7.
Churches
Frommer's Rome p6
Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
One of Rome’s oldest and most striking cathedrals, this church dates from the 5th century. In the 14th century, the city’s tallest bell tower was added. Later in the 18th century a new facade was added. Legend has it that it was gilded with the first gold to arrive from the New World. See p. 182.
Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano
The oldest Christian church within the city walls, this landmark was for years the seat of the papacy and the heart of Christianity, a role played by St. Peter’s today, of course. The Emperor Constantine donated the land to the newly sanctioned sect of Christians in a.d. 314. In 1646 Borromini rescued the church from decay, creating a baroque basilica but with elements of the ancient structure kept intact. See p. 166.
Santa Maria d’Aracoeli
Visits here are tied in with trips to the adjoining Piazza del Campidoglio. First mentioned in the 7th century, the church today dates mainly from a.d. 1250 when it came under the Franciscans. The Tiburtine Sibyl was said to have told the Emperor Augustus to build an “altar to the first among gods,” and he dutifully constructed this aracoeli (Altar in the Sky). The first chapel on the right was frescoed by Pinturicchio, the Umbrian Renaissance master. See p. 167.
St. Paul Outside the Walls
One of Rome’s four grand pilgrimage basilicas, San Paolo Fuori le Mura was destroyed by fire in 1823 but reconstructed. The church is believed to have been erected over the tomb of St. Paul. The stunning windows appear to be stained glass but are actually made of translucent alabaster. See p. 186
Santa Maria Sopra Minerva
Built over a former Temple of Minerva, Santa Maria is Rome’s only Gothic church, dating from 1280. Before entering, look for the whimsical statue by Bernini of a baby elephant on the square out front. The last chapel in the church is filled with many treasures, notably a delicious cycle of frescoes by Filippino Lippi (last chapel on the right). See p. 170.