Rome What to Pack

Miscellaneous: Although things tend to cool off at night, if you're an American and used to air conditioning, you may find that it is well worth your while to bring a small battery-powered fan with you, or to purchase a slightly larger fan which has the appropriate plug for Italian current. I brought two of the former and we never did get around to buying the latter -- but we certainly would have been much more comfortable had we done so, and at minimal cost.

Luggage and bags: You can use a backpack or a wheeled luggage if you want, but you should never keep your money or highly valuable items in it because there are frequent cases of pickpockets and bag snatcher. Wheeled luggages, although are quite convenient in Rome, are noisy and difficult to drag along the cobblestone streets of other Italian cities. A lot of hostels do not have elevators. Please also note that buses in most cities are rather small and almost always crowded, so it is better to travel light and not let your luggage be a burden.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Depending on the season. However, it is always nice to dress well and polite, as some cathedrals will not let those who wear shorts or sleeveless shirts in. Wear shoes suitable for walking. The hundreds-year-old pavements are not good for high heels.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Just the usual travel stuff. I'd add something like wet tissues, too because public bathrooms in Italy do not provide toilet rolls.

Photo Equipment: The usual stuff. When you're in a beautiful city like Rome, you can take hundreds of pictures. From my experience, it would be better to use several memory cards than to put all your photos in one. Once my memory card went error and I ended up losing all the pictures from my trip. Also keep your expensive camera in a safe place.

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: If you are visiting Rome in summer, sunglasses, a hat and sunblock are necessary. If you're on budget, always carry a plastic water bottle because there are public spots where you can refill your water for free, or else you will have to spend over 3 Euro for overpriced mineral water.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Bring your most comfortable shoes (walking and dress) with you. You do a lot of walking in Rome and new shoes will most likely cripple you.

Miscellaneous: I took my old faithful worn in leather ankle length boots with me to walk around Rome and other cities throughout europe--best thing I ever did and my feet thanked me--I took a pair of black leather dress pumps with a low heel for evenings--they went with everything.
I never would pack new shoes to take on a holiday,remember if you are travelling long distances or do a lot of walking then your feet swell.
Thin soles are a no-no but then again those gel pads you can get will cushion your feet and work well.
True and tested shoes are the answer.
Enjoy Rome--Dorrise

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Many streets are cobblestone (San Pietrini) if you're wearing heels they may get stuck. A wedge or flat soled shoe is easier to walk in.

Miscellaneous: For any low wattage items you can just use an adapter. Get them cheaper at https://www.voltage-converter-transformers.com/plugadapters.html

I use them for my cell phone and laptop. Don't use these for curling irons (you'll burn your hair) or heating items.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Dont' forget to bring an umbrella if you're travelling between September and April. It can rain for hours in Rome.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Always take disinfectant or some disinfectant tissues with you, public toilets in Rome are often disgusting without any soap or water so you'll need it to clean your hands.

Miscellaneous: What to pack?

I do not pack lightly. Therefore I may not be the best traveler to ask because it appears as if I bring everything I own!

This is only speculation. I think because I travel with too much, it may have been why my bag did not arrive in Rome at the same time I did. Because my bag was heavy, it was left behind until a plane with a lighter cargo load departed for Italy.

There was a long line at the Alitalia lost baggage complaint desk. The process for filing a complaint was simple. It was 36 hours later when I was reunited with my clothes and other belongs.

With that in mind, it is a good idea to pack extra personal items in your carry-on bag. Some travelers take only a carry-on bag. If this works for you, it may be best. I could not feel comfortable with such a limited selection of clothes.

I would always recommend packing comfortable shoes. Wherever you travel, overseas or domestically, the best way to see any city is on foot. In Rome, especially Centro Storico (the historical center of an Italian city), the street pavement is made up of granite brick (always mistaken for cobble stone). The streets and sidewalks are uneven and can be rough on the feet, ankles and legs.

Luggage and bags: We each checked a large suitcase and had a carry on. One of our carry-on's was a backpack, which was extremely helpful to take with us while touring the City for a day. We were able to take maps, guidebooks, water and snacks with us in the backpack.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: It was winter so we had long pants and shirts. A Patagonia fleece of mine got a lot of wear. I do a lot of hiking and backpacking so I found hiking pants to be effective, especially since they have multiple pockets that zip up. They would probably also be good in summer since they are fairly lightweight.

We took too many dressy clothes. Other than the night at the opera, we did not dress up. Most others were not dressed up either.

Wear comfortable shoes as you will do a lot of walking and all on hard surfaces. We didn't wear the extra dress shoes that we brought.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Just the standard stuff. Don't bring a travel hair dryer. My wife's kept tripping the breaker at the hotel and was useless.

Photo Equipment: Digital camera.

Luggage and bags: any suitcase or duffel bag will do just fine; make sure you have a small bag or backpack with you to carry all the things you need to when visiting the sites (guide book, map, bottle of water, etc). I have a Travelon messenger style shoulder bag that traveled with me to 4 different countries already and that I could not take any trip without (I did not realize how good investment this bag was until I got it and started to use it on my trips).

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: A must are the following (especially if you travel in the spring, winter or fall):
- rain jacket with a hood (umbrellas will be useless if there is a strong wind-as it was when we were visiting). I love my 3 in 1 Columbia jacket and I think that a jacket like this is one of the best investments you can make!
- 2 pairs of good and comfortable shoes (you need the extra pair even if the weather is good; your feet may hurt at the end of the day and they may feel much better in a different pair of shoes the next day; just switch the shoes every other day)
- 2 pairs of pants (jeans may not be very practical since it takes a long time for them to dry if you get wet), 4 shirts, 1 sweater or sweatshirt, 1 hat and 1 pair of leather gloves (if you go there late fall or during the winter)

If you go to a concert or a nice restaurant, you may also need to pack a nice dress and a nice pair of shoes, and also a nice pair of pants, light jacket and nice shirt for the man in your life

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Take some basic stuff with you to last for 1-2 days. You can really get all you need while in Rome, but it is nice to have the basics with you when you arrive: travel size shampoo, travel size shower gel, travel size after shave; toothpaste and toothbrush, deodorant.
I also had some Tylenol with us and some TheraFlu (which we had to use, unfortunately, since we got soaked by rain few days in a row and we were getting colds).

Photo Equipment: small digital camera and a big memory card

Miscellaneous: good Rome guidebook (I had Rick Steve's with me), Rome map, IPod with Rome walk audio guides, an empty bottle of water (if you have a favorite one) to fill out and carry with you while visiting places.