"A first trip to Rome and beyond..." a Rome Travel Page by Erin74

Rome was an adventure from the start. I arrived in the middle of the big blackout. There was no train or Metro transportation, very few restaurants were open and general chaos seemed to be in full effect. After a couple of hours (and a good glass of wine) the lights came on and it all started to make sense.

I was eventually joined in Rome by several friends, but spent two days here on my own. It is an amazing city, with so much to see. I've highlighted my favorite things here and hope that it will help anyone who is planning a trip to Rome. The best thing I did before traveling to Rome was to very carefully check the hours and days that sights were open (many things are closed Mondays) and look into dress codes (shoulders and knees must be covered in churches!). This made deciding when and where to go much easier.

I was very surprised that everyone in Rome seemed to speak English. I still tried to use my paltry Italian, though. The Romans were, for the most part, very nice and very helpful. I had a great time in Rome and look forward to returning. After all, I did throw a coin in Trevi Fountain.