After the chaos, traffic and noise of centro Roma, head to Aventine Hill for a wonderful break. Getting there is a little bit of a challenge (an uphill walk) but once you’re there, you’ll be glad you came. It’s quiet, peaceful, pleasantly calm, and gives you great views of the city. As you reach the [...]
Each year, the start of Spring is marked by the arrival of the azaleas at the Spanish Steps. For those of you who will be arriving in the next couple of weeks, here’s what you’ll find at the Steps. The azaleas bloom for about three weeks… enjoy!
With the height of season – and the heat of Rome – rapidly approaching, it’s a good time to talk about…. water! Rome probably has more public water fountains than any other city in the world. Yet visitors walk by them daily without even knowing they exist. Yes, you can get clean, great tasting, ice [...]
One of the most interesting sites to visit in Rome are The Catacombs. The catacombs are located primarily outside the city walls of the city. Roman law at the time – 2nd century AD – prevented burial inside the city walls. In the Pagan religion, death was celebrated by cremation. The early Christian rejected this [...]
Photo from Steve at Rome Underground Catacombe di San Callisto/Catacombs of St. Callixtus Via Appia Antica, 126 00179 Rome, Italy tel. +39/06/51301580 fax +39/06/51301567 Website: www.catacombe.roma.it Closed on Wednesdays Hours: 9.00 – 12.00 and 14.00 – 17.00 8 € full price; 5 € reduced fee (effective 01/01/2010) From The Christian Catacombs of Rome [...]
Catacombe di San Sebastiano/ Catacombs of St. Sebastian Via Appia Antica, 136 00179 Rome, Italy tel. +39/06/7887035 fax +39/06/7843745 website: www.catacombe.org Closed on Sundays Hours: 9.00 – 12.00 and 14.00 – 17.00 Currently, 6 € full price; 3 € reduced fee – projected increase 01/01/2010 The Catacombs of St. Sebastian were among [...]
Picture from www.vatican.va Catacombe di Domitilla/Catacombs of Domitilla Via delle Sette Chiese, 282/0 00147 Rome, Italy tel. +39/06/5110342, 06/5133956 fax +39/06/51354 61 Website: http://domitilla.soverdi.eu Email: info@domitilla.soverdi.eu Closed on Tuesdays Hours: 9.00 – 12.00 and 14.00 – 17.00 8 € full price; 5 € reduced fee The Catacombs of Domitilla are among the [...]
From http://www.santagnese.org/ Catacombe di Sant’Agnese/ Catacombs of St. Agnes Via Nomentana, 349 00162 Roma, Italy Telephone +39 06 861 08 40 Website http://www.santagnese.org/ Closed on Sunday mornings and on Monday afternoons Hours: 9.00 – 12.00 and 16.00 – 18.00 8 € full price; 5 € reduced fee (effective 01/01/2010) The Catacombs of St. [...]
The Vatican Museums – Musei Vaticani – are among the greatest museums in the world. The site is actually a collection of museums, all inter-connected. The museums display works from the immense collection built up by the Roman Catholic Church throughout the centuries. Visiting the Vatican is an incredible experience… but if you’re not prepared [...]
Continue reading about 20 tips on Visiting the Vatican Museums
The holidays are rapidly approaching… and in Rome, it’s already starting to look “a lot like Christmas.” Okay, so really it’s only a few stores but yes, there are Christmas decorations a twinkling! In the streets headed towards the Pantheon you’ll see STARS mounted in the narrow alleys. Rome is a WONDERFUL place to come [...]
For the next few weeks – at least until January 8th – tourists in Rome will get some “heavenly help” in the form of Tourist Information Assistants riding chariot Segways. There will be sixteen “chariots” operating in the city center, the Termini Train Station, and both airports. They’ve been nicknamed Tourist Angels and will be [...]
For travelers coming to Rome in November, please be aware there will be a closure of the Sistine Chapel on Saturday, November 21, 2009. The Pope is welcoming artists from around the world and they will be meeting in the Chapel. In a story posted on the Catholic News Service, Sarah Delaney wrote: “Pope Benedict [...]
There are many spots in Rome from where you can take INCREDIBLE photos. Many folks ask me where to go and get the best views…. so here is a brief list – I’m sure you’ll find others! From the top of the Vittoriano (Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II) Looking eastward from the [...]
For the past few days my wife and I did our own bit of traveling. We headed, by plane, to Monaco and Provence. What a contrast these two areas are – and what a contrast to Rome! We left via Blu-Express, a small Italian airline that departs out of Fiumicino (Leonardo Da Vinci Airport). We [...]
The Galleria Borghese is one of the most incredible museums in town. Featuring the “best ” works of Bernini and paintings from other masters, the Galleria is a “Must See” for art buffs. Unfortunately, the ticketing procedures for the Galleria Borghese are not as incredible as the artwork. If you plan to pre-purchase your tickets [...]
One of the most beautiful villas in Italy is certainly Villa D’Este. The Italian garden of Villa D’Este is included in the UNESCO world heritage list. There are more than 500 fountains in the garden. Also incredible statuary, and beautiful flowers. The gardens were created by Cardinal Ippolito II D’Este after the disappointment of his [...]
By Mike Simmons We had many day trip possibilities on this vacation but didn’t really spend much time away from Rome, with one exception… Orvieto. I had checked TA for lodging options beforehand and had narrowed it down to two B&B’s in the historic (as opposed to the modern) town. I had hoped to make [...]
One of the most incredible, but rarely visited sites in Rome, is Aqueduct Park (Parco degli acquedotti). The park actually hosts seven Roman aqueducts: Marcio, Anio Novus, Tepula, Mariana, Claudio, Iulia and Felice. These aqueducts took advantage of the natural hills of the area to bring water into the city. The Aqua Claudio reached a [...]
In a previous post we discussed the most popular “discount” card for sightseeing in Rome, the Roma Pass. Let’s look at what other options are available to you. Perhaps the greatest advantage of buying a “pass” is to save some money. Yet you can also use these passes to skip some of the longer lines [...]
Continue reading about Discount Passes, Cards, & Tickets in Rome
Many folks I’ve worked with have questions about those guys in the Gladiator outfits, seen at every major site in Rome. I always suggest they ignore the “gladiators” as many can be a little overbearing. This story speaks for itself. This following is an excerpt from the April/May 2009 edition of The Roman Forum, an [...]
One of the few discounts available to non-EU travelers in Rome is the Roma Pass. The Pass, currently priced at €25 (effective February 1, 2010) , has multiple benefits. First, it serves as a 3-day transportation ticket, good at all local metro, bus, and tram connections… and second, it acts as a museum or “site” card that gives you [...]
No doubt one of the most hotly debated topics on any Rome travel board is the question: Do I pay extra and purchase a “skip-the-line” ticket or do I chance it and wait in line to get into the Vatican Museum? There are many stories of 2-3 hours lines to get into the Museum and [...]
Continue reading about Vatican Museum – “Skip-The-Line” or Not?
Easter, April 12 this year, is rapidly approaching. I thought this would be a great time to talk about my experience in St. Peter’s last year – and if you’re coming, prepare you for the “scene.” This pictures below were taken at the Easter 2008 Mass. We had friends visiting from the States [...]
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