Just a little more info and other Rome, Italy Things to Do Tips

By this point, everyone knows the colosseum. Here are a few things you might not know. The colosseum, forum and palatine hill are now on a combo ticket for 12 euros. You get 2 days to see all three sites. If you start at the capitoline hill and continue on through the forum you will end up at the colosseum. As you come toward the end of the forum, there is a path that goes off to the right, up hill. The palatine hill. Approaching the colosseum you will see several things. Vending trucks, people dressed as gladiators, sovenier carts and tour touts. If you want to take a tour, approach a tour tout or allow them to approach you. They are cheap and last about an hour. You don't have to leave the colosseum when the tour is finished, your ticket lets you stay as long as you like. Ignore the gladiators , who charge 5 euros for the privalage of taking their picture (with your camera). As for the vending trucks, they are over priced. They will sell you a soda for 3 euros. That is ONE CAN of coke, 3 EUROS!!!!! Just avoid them. Last is the souvenier carts, one by the entrance, one by the exit. These souveniers are very overpriced, but you can bargain with them. Once you get past the line to get into the colosseum, continue to the end of the main corridor you will see an elevator. Take this to the top for great views. Spend as much time as you like inside. While you're inside, don't forget to look outside. When you decide to leave you will go out the right hand side of the colosseum (if your back is to the forum). If you need to use the restroom, there is one if you head to the left. So just turn left and continue toward the "back" of the colosseum. There is a small building next to the wall, the restroom. It is never crowded and always clean.
The colosseum combo is covered by the romapass. With the romapass you get entrance into the three sites for 2 days and you get to bypass the lines. Just go to the line marked for tours and use your pass. The three sites only count as one site on your romapass.

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Address: colosseum
Directions: base of the forum, you cant miss it.

If you have just one day to spend in Rome and want to see as much as possible, here is an itinerary that might help. I will assume that you are coming from the termini staion so that is where this tour starts. From the termini, you can catch the metro to the colosseum station. If you choose to walk along the via cavour it is about 1mile. Do the tour of the colosseum and wander around the outside to get a feel for the building. From the colosseum, go thru the forum and up the capitoline hill. Visit the Capitoline Museums. Head to the Pantheon. ( 1.1miles from colo to panth). Go inside, then get a coffee and sit in the piazza and people watch for a little while. From the pantheon head to piazza navona. ( .4 miles). Look at the fountains and visit the St. Agnes in agone church. From Piazza navona head to St. Peters. ( .9 miles) Depending on the time, go into the vatican museums or just explore the wonderful St. Peters Basillica. From St. Peters head to the spanish steps. ( 1.25miles) Sit on the steps and relax for a while. From the spanish steps, go to the trevi fountain. ( .4 miles) Throw a coin over your shoulder to ensure your return to this wonderful city. This whole route is 5 miles. It can be done in a few hours. If you plan on exploring any of these sights, this tour will take most of the day. The colosseum is the only one of these sights that will charge an admission fee. It is 12 euros and includes admission to the palatine hill. Don't forget to stop for lunch and a coffee along the way. If you choose a side street cafe it will cost you less and be more authentic. This is a nice relaxing tour and will take you thru the heart of Rome. Enjoy the beautiul sights, sounds and smells of Rome....

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Address: heart of Rome

Dining in Rome is unlike dining in the U.S. Romans take their time with a meal so it can last up to two hours. The waiters are use to taking their time when they bring out the different courses. This is just the way it is done. Lunch and dinner is a time to relax and socialize with family and friends. The food is meant to be enjoyed and savored. Even when all the food is cleared off of the table, the waiter won't bring you the bill until you request it. Romans feel that would be like finishing dinner at a dinner party and then asking your guests to leave. It would be rude. Take your time, enjoy the food, have some wine and then request the check by saying "il conto, per favore."
Remember also that you will be charged if you eat the bread that is put on the table. This is not included in the cost of the meal but is an extra charge. Usually the charge is minimal, so if you would like bread with your pasta, enjoy. Just dont be surprised when the bill comes.
When you are eating out you should try the house wine at different restaurants. They are all unique and usually very good. If you ask for the house wine you will be brought out a full bottle. The restaurant will charge you by the glass, if you only drink one or two glasses. Usually it makes more sense to buy the whole bottle. If there are two of you, you can each get two glasses out of a bottle. When we ate at a restaurant near the vatican, the house wine was 3 euros a glass or 7 euros for the bottle. Needless to say, my husband joined me in a glass of wine for lunch instead of a soda. Ask the waiter how much for the glass or bottle so you know which choice to make.
These are just a few of the things I've learned that could make your dining experience in Rome a little nicer. Just remember, slow service is the norm and you are on vacation, so what's the hurry anyway?

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Directions: Most restaurants in rome and surrounding area

One of the best views of the vatican can be seen on the way up to the Knights of Malta Keyhole on the Aventine Hill. As you're walking up the hill there is a church on the right that has a beautiful courtyard. This church is Santa Sabina and is on the road of the same name. There is a large, ancient stone wall that surrounds the courtyard of the church and is the entrance to the parco savello. This courtyard opens up to a wonderful view of the city. You can see all the way to the Vatican on one side and the Vittorio monument on the other. The photo ops here are incredible.
Once you get your fill of those views, continue up the hill to the set of green doors. These are the doors that leads to the Order of the knights of Malta monestary. If you look through the keyhole you will get a surprise. The dome of St. Peters is perfectly framed by orange trees. It is lovely. So when your in the area of the circus maximus, and santa maria in cosmidin, take a little detour up the Aventine Hill. You won't regret it.

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Address: by the knights of malta keyhole
Other Contact: monorail@zbzoom.net

One of the nicest ways to spend an afternoon is to go to the baths of Caracalla. This is a huge complex with lots of areas to see including the ruins of the baths and a park. It is almost like a labyrith inside. A lot of the walls are still standing so you can get a feel as to the scale of how large the complex use to be . Some of these wall are three stories high! It is so amazing to be able to walk inside and be surrounded by history. There are areas where you are totally surrounded by the old walls and passageways. You can imagine how the building looked, as some of the decoration is still visable. Moldings and columns are propped against the walls. In some areas there is still tiling on the floor. In other areas, they have slabs of the decorative tiling leaning in the area where they were found. There is a beautiful park in the complex where you can have a picnic lunch and enjoy having the ruins of a beautiful historic building right along side of you. There are trees and benchs and gravel paths that invite you to take your time and relax, just as the romans did.
The entrance fee is 12 euros. They give you a map that helps you understand the different rooms that you see. We took a guidebook that had info on the baths with us, so we could get a more in-depth view of the whole area. It is truly an amazing way to spend an hour or two.

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Address: baths of caracalla.
Directions: On Via delle terme di Caracalla. You can walk from the Colosseum to the circus maximus then turn left to the Baths or take the metro to the circus maximus stop and head to the Baths.

When we go to the Vatican, we always visit the post office. We buy a post card or two and then mail them back to our home and our friends. Most of the time we arrive back home before the post card does. Its always fun to get mail from yourself and it's a great reminder of your vacation.

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Address: vatican
Other Contact: monorail@zbzoom.net

If you visit Rome, you must visit the Pantheon. It is an incredible building, both architecturally and artistically. There are so many things about this building to marvel at. 1rst- the dome and oculus. This was the largest dome in the world until the 20th century and is as wide as it is high. The ceiling is coffered, not only for looks but because it cut down on weight. In the center of the ceiling is the oculus, a 27 foot hole which allows light to fill the building and helps support the ceiling (it's a tension thing). 2nd- the portico. It is supported by 16 pink and grey granite columns. Thirteen of them are original, the three on the right were added in the 17th century. 3rd- the massive doors. These doors are made of bronze and are said to be original, but they were repaired so much by Pius IV that they are practically remade. 4th- the walls. They are 20 feet thick!! If you wander around the outside of the building you can see the arches built into the stucture to distribute the weight. 5th-the tombs. There are several tombs inside including Vittorio Emanuele II, his son Umberto and the painter Raphael. 6th- the marble. Most of the wall panels are original and are made of red porphyry, giallo antico and other marbles. The floor is a carefully crafted reproduction of the original. 7th- the fountain. The fountain in the piazza was carved in 1575. The obelisk of Rameses II was added in 1711. This building is in such good shape because it was turned into a church. This is lucky for us as we get to see the true grandure that was once Rome.

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Address: piazza della rotunda
Directions: Rome city center

If you find yourself wandering down the via cavour, take a few minutes and stop into this church. Not only is the church beautiful, but it also houses two treasures. The first being the chains that held St. Peter during his two imprisonments in Jeruselem and Rome. These are displayed in a case under the alter. These chains are said to have miraculously fused together. Empress Eudoxia had the church built to house the chains.
The other treasure is Michelangelo's Moses statue. He is coming back from Mount Sinai with the commandments under his arm and frowning at the antics of his brethren in regards to the golden calf. On his head are two small horns, as St. Jerome had translated the word "Karan ohr" (rays of light) as horns. "Keren" in Hebrew can mean either "ray" or "horn". There is also a scratch on his knee where Michelangelo reportedly thought the statue was so lifelike he struck it on the knee with his chisel and said "Now speak!". It is a powerful sculpture and well worth seeing.

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Address: Piazza di San Pietro
Directions: As you are walking on the via cavour towards the forum there will be a steep, wide staircase on the left. Take this to the top and the church is right there. The church is closed in the afternoon from noon-3:30.

The grandure of St. Peters can only be surpassed by its scale. This building is so huge and everything in it so large, that it is hard to grasp. The facade is two storys and 360feet wide. There are 5 entrances into the portico and 5 more into the church. As you enter the church your eye is immedietly drawn to Bernini's baldacchino. The baldacchino rises 95 feet above the alter. It is huge! You cannot miss it when you are is the building. As you look up into the dome, you will see writing in black on a gold background surrounding the tops of the walls. These letters are big enough to read comfortably, without squinting. The reason for that is the letters are 6 feet high! The four medallions you see, where the columns meet the drum and containing the 4 evangelists, are about 25 feet high (8.5 meters).
This building is so amazing and for so many reasons. The first time I stepped into it, I was incredulous. We had seen some large churches in Rome, but this is larger than large. This is massive. We looked up and saw the writing but never realized there were people standing above the letters looking down at us. They are so high, you cannot even see them unless you look for them. It is only then that the true scale of this building hits you. You walk around wondering how high the ceilings really are, and how big are the mosaics that are above the alters. There is a great website that has tons of info on this magnificent building and is worth visiting if St.Peter's is on your agenda. It's stpetersbasilica.org It has the floorplan, photos, documents, discriptions, visiting info....

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Directions: St Peter's Basicila-Rome

When people go into St. Peter's basilica they do several things. They stare in wonder at all the marble used, the gaze at the baldacchino, they wander around to the different chapels and look at the alter, they see the tombs of the popes, but did you know......There are several things to do that aren't in all the guidebooks. If you walk down the center isle, just before you get to the baldacchino is a wall that has a bronze statue of St. Peter on it. If you touch and/or kiss the foot of St. Peter, it is believed he will bless you on this trip. The foot is worn down from centuries of people doing this. Another really cool thing is the large cross that hangs under a painting of clemens.x.pont. It is said if you touch this cross, all your sins will be forgiven. You can see on the cross where it has been touched for centuries. Another cool thing to do is to look for the ONE actual painting that is in the basilica. All the other "paintings" are really mosaics! We would stand a few feet from the "painting" and try to guess if it was the painting or the mosaic, then we would get as close as we could to see if we were right. These mosaics are so good that they all look like paintings. It's only when you are very close that you can see all the small tiles that were used.

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Directions: St. Peters basilica