Rome

[Longfordian]

Lads looking for a few pointers with regard to Rome .....bringing herself to there this weekend

Flying with Ryanair into Campino ....whats the best way to get into city centre from there .......?

Looking for a reasonably priced hotel close enough to the major attractions ...any recommendations?.....

[armaghniac]

When in Rome do as the Romans do......

One observation about Rome is that the market economy is broken, perhaps owing to Mafia or suchlike. if you go to a vendor near a major site you will pay ridiculous amounts for things, €6 for a can of coke or a €8 ice cream. Walk one block away and you get regular prices. This may be true to some extent in other cities, but in Paris or Madrid you pay 25% more outside the museum, in Rome you'll pay 300% more.

www.venere.it is a good site for Italian hotels.

[Billys Boots]

Longfordian, get as central a hotel as possible and walk everywhere.  Pick and choose what you want to see in advance, because you haven't a prayer of seeing nearly everything in a weekend.  Eating out is much cheaper across the river in Trastavere, and easily walkable.  Fantastic city, enjoy! 

I stayed in Hotel fortyseven, Via Luigi Petroselli (http://www.summithotels.com/hotel_horizontal.cfm?id=FCOFS), pricy enough but very close to everything.

[lynchbhoy]

someone told me that to get a great restaurant in Rome, you walked a block away from the main thoroughfare and any wee place you see then should be good.
I tried this twice and got better food at half nothing prices in comparison to the mad exp glitzy restaurant we went to one night where the food was no better than the wee side street places.
Trastavere area defo good for cheaper food and drink

[gerrykeegan]

As Billy's says pick what you want to see. We stayed in Rome for 5 days last year, and struggled to see it all. Be mindful that the Vatican City museum, where the Sistine Chapel etc is will have long queues. Go very early or very late if you want to save time. (if you see long queues, as in, back to the side of St Peters, then you could be looking at 90 minutes, it requires a minimum of half a day to see it. Climb the Basicilla at St Peters, and also go down to the Popes tomb, JP2's grave is there. I don't think the bus trip is needed, you can walk pretty much everywhere. Kiosks sell public transport bus tickets, You should validate them when you get on, no one does (only the tourists) Its very cheap.

[Tony Fearon]

Longfordian.

You could easily walk round the main sights in half a day. Try the Hotel Diplomatic (just across the Tiber, from the Via Del Corso). Its ten minutes either way to the Vatican or Spanish Steps (opposite directions) and is within easy walking distance of the Trevi Fountain, Colisseum etc, Pantheon, Piazza Navona. I was married in the Basilica di San Silvestro in Piazza Di San Silvestro (just of the Via Del Corso, Rome's main street) last September and took the wife to the Hotel Diplomatic on New Years Eve, was amazed at its convenience for all the sights.

You can get a bus from Campiano to Rome's termini for about 14 euro return (journey time about 30 - 40 minutes, and there 2 or 3 every hour) and the tickets can be bought on line or at the airport. The Termini serves both lines on Rome's underground metro which is very easy to use, and also very handy for all the main sights.

[gerrykeegan]

Longfordian

Please ignore Mr Fearon. Most of the sites require an entrance fee to be paid, hence he was able to see Rome in half a day.

[Tony Fearon]

To see the sights (I never paid to see the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps etc) would take half a day maximum, to explore them would, I concede, take a while longer. FFS On New Years Eve evening I walked round the lot.

[The Iceman]

if you went to see every church in rome it would take you over a year!
The main sights to catch are the Colleseum (sp) Trevi Fountain, Vatican (definitely climb the dome) The holy steps, the relics of the cross.  Now this might sound weird but I promise it will earn you serious brownie points - take your MRS to Assisi by train for the day - its an amazing little town that hasnt changed in years - its well worth the trip!

[Tony Fearon]

After tramping round Rome all day and maybe queueing for half an hour to get into St Peter's itself, there's not too many who would have the energy to climb the dome (and maybe having to queue to do so). I last climbed it in 1980 as a young lithe fresh faced student

The Irish College is worth a look.Near St John Lateran's (which is also the Pope's own Cathedral Church as he is also Bishop of Rome) and you can wander in and roam round the gardens and pool. Tony Blair and Cherie actually stayed here once a few years back, and the priest told me when he went up to their room at breakfast time (it was specially rigged at Blairs request with tv sets) Blair as standing admiring himself on the various sets from a range of broadcasters (Sky etc). True story.It was where I stayed on my first ever visit to Rome in 1980, the only downside is that you'r e bound to meet a crowd of aul wans from North or South, and more often than not, you'll meet someone you know.

[Star Spangler]

Rome - Ballymun with architecture.

[AZOffaly]

Rome is a beautiful city. Well worth doing the Coliseum tour and all that. The Trevi Fountain and Spanish steps, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's,

I love Rome, and plan to make many trips there, God willing

[gerrykeegan]

I climbed that dome last summer. I think the heat and the number of steps took it out of me. I proposed to the future Mrs Keegan! If your single stay away from it.

[believebelive]

Some of the lesser known churches are well worth a visit. Santa Maria De Popolo is beautiful.
Me and the missus spent four days there and it was not enough to see all we wanted. Colleseum is staggering and the pantheon is very impressive, both inside and out. To me though St Peters is just unbelievable. The sculpture and art work is amazing, read up on some of the history if you can it will make the whole trip more enjoyable. Plus if you can go and visit JPII grave - I found it very spiritual and I would not be what you would describe a dyed in the wool catholic boy.

Best european city I have ever been too and will def go back lots in the future.

[Star Spangler]

While in Rome, you should take the opportunity to view the resting place of the last Earls of Ulster and Gaelic Chiefs of Ireland.  Hugh O'Neill, his son and Rory O'Donnell are buried in the Franciscan church of San Pietro on the Janiculum.