Visiting Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and Colosseum
by goodfish
These 3 sites should be visited on the same day as they're in the same area and covered by one ticket price. To avoid the frustratingly long lines at the Colosseum, buy your combo ticket at the Palatine Hill ticket office (probably the shortest line) on Via di S. Gregorio 30. You can then choose to visit all three sites in any order you wish. As many visitors only want to see the Colosseum - or go there first to buy their combo ticket - having a ticket in hand will allow you, after a brief security check, to skip the long line and go to the shorter one (to the left of the long line). Tickets cost 12 euro or so, depending on special exhibitions at the Colosseum.
If wanting to know what you're looking at, you'll need to either sign up for a tour or bring a good guidebook as you don't receive any info with your ticket and there's no signage explaining what a particular ruin is and why it's significant. Audioguides are available for rent at the Colosseum (around 4 euro).
Bring water and sunscreen and wear the most sturdy, comfortable shoes you own as you'll be covering a lot of uneven ground and climbing steps! We did Forum first (it was free until March of 2008), then Palatine and then Colosseum as the latter afforded a little shade during the hottest part of the day. Then it was off for a sit-down and a cocktail in the park - see my Pavilion Bar tip under Things to Do.
Italian Bureaucracy
by mccalpin
Italian Bureaucracy can be dealt with if you have a sense of humor and understand how to play the game...it also helps to speak Italian pretty well but with a definite accent so that the bureaucrats know that you re a foreigner.
First of all, recognize that Italian bureaucrats are terribly bored. Anything you can do to make their lives more interesting will help. I once took two of my students down to Stazione Termini to ship their luggage to London. We found the office, and walked in past a long-haired backpacker who was arguing with a uniformed guard. The bored office manager listened to my request and slowly pulled out the forms needed to send the luggage ahead of the girls. He asked me in a disinterested way what I did, and I told him that I worked at an American university, and these were two of my students. He eyed them, and we carried on talking about the fact that they were really attractive and how it must be great working in such an environment, surrounding by really beautiful co-eds. I am SO grateful that the girls did not understand Italian, because even in the 70s, the conversation was not politically correct.
However, the entire time we were talking, he was filling out the forms. Soon, he was finished, and the total bill was a ridiculous 4,000 lire (a few dollars). We said goodbye, and as I and the two girls were leaving, we walked by the long-haired backpacker who was still arguing with the guard.
See next tip for another example...
Take A Side-Trip To POMPEII
by Krystynn
The once bustling and heavily-populated city was totally destroyed in the year 79 AD when Mt Vesuvius erupted without even a warning on the fateful night of August 24th. It's really tragic to see everything perish in a blink of an eye.
To reach Pompeii, you can either join a local tour from Rome or hop onto your rented car and head towards Pompeii via the Autostrada....
Photo: This is how the main street of Pompeii looked. Horse-drawn carriages used to ply the once-busy cobbled streets.
Public bus
by fairy_dust
To get to different places in town, there are public busses in Rome, and they're air-conditioned (although the AC isn't very strong). They can be crowded though, so like with any public transportation, watch your money. Public transportation is a prime spot for pickpockets and thieves.
good pizza place with a view
by marielexoteria about Angelino ai fori
Angelino ai fori is right on Via dei Fori Imperiali, on the same side as the Trajan Forums.
This is the one place in Rome where I felt comfortable enough (weather wise) to have lunch outdoors (because I get cold easily). Although half the patrons were tourists on their way to either Colosseum or Forum Romanum, we fell for the joie de vivre of one of the waiters, always looking glad and even singing for himself (and he seemed truly glad, not like putting a show).
When in Rome, I said I had to have 3 things: pizza, pasta and gelato. Here hubby and I had very good pizza and didn't get ripped off.
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Zucherro and Pavarotti, we think. Maybe?
Rome Buildings
View from on top of St. Peter's Basilica, Rome
Beautiful marbles again
