Sign in with FacebookVia Varese 15, int. 6, Rome, 00185, Italy
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Loose weight - stop smoking - eat the carrot!
one of the store windows
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Il Colosseo
Hi,
Could anyone please tell me the rate of exchange? Also would we be better taking cash or a debit card (Nationwide)
Thank you Chris
You have not filled out your profile, but from Nationwide I assume you are British. 1 GBP is about 1.25 EUR. You will always get a better exchange rate when you use cards (interbank rate) and Nationwide do not charge for use. Changing cash, rate is a bit lower and most places you have to pay commission.
Agree with the previous poster. Use your card.
Go to xe.com for the latest exchange rate, it is constantly being updated.
Actually, I slightly disagree. Much depends on how long you are staying, of course. I always take cash, with card to pay the hotel and as emergency back-up. Cash and cards I do not need that day stay in the hotel safe, along with my passport (I carry a photocopy). That is the safest way in all big European cities (including London).
Go to the Post Office and exchange some pounds for euros before you go: it's commission free. Use your card only if you need more: remember you will be charged for its use. Check Nationwide's charges so you don't get a nasty shock on your return.
Make sure you tell your bank that you'll be out of the country. If you don't, they may well stop the transaction and that's an embarrassing hassle (a totally avoidable one).
I agree with Ranger. BUT, I have to add that one of the reasons is that where I live there is no such place as a curency exchange where you pay no commission.
Also using your cards gives you the benefit of wholesale exchange rates that the banks have.
It's not a matter of disgreement, just of what best suits the individual.
I take little cash really, because I use little cash.
But I wouldn't feel happy arriving without any local currency at all. The possibility of ATM hassles (power cut, computer fault, card not working, long queue etc etc) is not something I'd want to face after a flight and I avoid exchange booths because of the commission/poorer rate thing.
I do not wish to tempt fate by saying so, but this system has worked well for me everywhere I've travelled so far.
You'll eventually be totally saturated with art and history, and you'll have to stop once in a while to simply reflect on what you've been looking at. So much to take in all at once. Maybe that's why there are so many cappuccino bars and gellato stands along the streets. You should take a break now and then...relax... get ready for the next amazing and fantastic sight you are about to see.
Jonathan's Angels is one of the most bizarre bars I have ever been to. And even stranger is the toilet.
There is a fountain and a crocodile and other odd features - it is hard to describe - you will need to check it out yourself!
The bar is owned by an ex-circus acrobat, Jonathan, who is also a bit if an artist......the bar is decorated in paintings of the man himself, impersonating famous people - eg. Jonathan as the Pope, Jonathan as Napoleon etc
Any wall space not covered with paintings of Jonathan is covered with other quirky paraphernalia.
Via della Fossa 16, Piazza Navona, Rome.
Close to Piazza Navona, on small street near Piazza del Fico
This place is situated in Ostia Lido, the area of Rome that faces the sea. The name stands for Birrificio Ostiense Artigianale, or traditional Ostia brewery, and hints to the numerous buoys (in Italian: boa) you can see floating on the sea.
It is one of the few microbreweries of Rome, and makes two different beers. The menu promises a third beer soon, so let's wait and see.
When I last went there I tasted both the lager, which had a nice fruity aftertaste, and the bock, which was quite impressive in its body though not that much in taste and alcohol. The beers are not filtered and not pasteurized, which adds to the fascination of the place.
Prices were also reasonable: a litre of beer went out for 9 euros, which is less than you'd pay for a Heineken elsewhere nearby.
A peculiarity of this place is that they distribute toasted peanuts complete with shells (you can take a handful of them to your table from the bag inside). The result is that the floor is completely covered in shells at the end of the evening!
You can also watch the beautiful people of Rome from the pleasant terrace tables. The place is definitely worth another trip. Take it easy!
This is one of the place you shouldn't miss if you really want to taste the typical roman dishes! Taverna Trilussa is in Trastevere, the heart of the traditional romanity. Despite the name of tavern, this is a very famous restaurant (maybe a little bit touristic), with delicious food awarded with several prizes! I'd suggest you to try pasta, of course, in particular the "rigatoni all'amatriciana" or "spaghetti alla carbonara". You'll tell me!
My ever so coveted St. peters field trip was marred by the 3+ hour queue. It was the day after the bloody Italian holiday, so tourists who couldnt go that day spilled over into the next day the vatican opened. We started at about 12, and even once we got in at 3, it was very very crowded. In the Sistine Chapel, forget about it! The hall itself about the size of a grade school gymnasium, and the smart room designers thought it best to have a single door as the only exit. Result: about a hundred people bottlenecking, pushing, shoving, sweating, yelling in strange languages, groaning through this wonderful door. Took about 15 minutes to squeeze through the door.
Needless to say, it was rather difficult to enjoy the artistic masterpieces, beautiful architecture, and ornate beauty in the tour of the museum portion. But I will always have the pictures to enjoy, and just feast your eyes on those ones! The museum has a very impressive collection anitquities from Rome and even Egypt! St. Peters itself is the most amazing cathedral in the world without a doubt! All marbe, granite, ebony, ivory and all the most precious metals. This was the first breath of fresh air since it is so huge you can wander comfortably.
HUGE TIP: Skip on the tour guide approach. Look at it this way: You are paying like 7 extra dollars on top of admission fees, and then losing control over when and how you would like to enjoy one of the most important days in your tourist life. Without a doubt, the interesting history bites they recite routinely onto you as they herd your group through the masses is not worth it, because by the time you get there, youll be too tired to care.
Instead, i recommend arriving early about half an hour before it opens, and enjoying it with your own party.
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