If you do only one thing in Rome, you must...

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I'm off on the weekend, but I really have no idea. My friends said the coliseum really is spectacular, so I'm probably set on that, but what about the Vatican? Also, any record store tips??

All I know is I want an ice cream.

― Mestema (davidcorp), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 13:46 (twenty years ago)

...follow what other people in rome do.

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 13:49 (twenty years ago)

the victor emmanuelle monument - aka the 'wedding cake' - is truly spectacular, esp. when almost stumbled upon coming down from the hills - this pic doesn't do it justice, but gives you some idea of the scale:

http://www.painetworks.com/photos/gm/gm0248.JPG

rome is one of the best cities in the world just to walk around in,w/out map or purpose - you'll come across something old and extraordinary around every corner (i did find the puny trevi fountain to be a bit of a letdown, tho)

― Ward Fowler (Ward Fowler), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 13:52 (twenty years ago)

"the typewriter"

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 13:53 (twenty years ago)

... look at the walls of the Sistene Chapel as well as the ceiling.

― Mädchen (Madchen), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 13:55 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, I think walking and pointing are pretty high on the agenda. I don't want to waste any more time queuing amongst legions of tourists than I really have to.

Scratch the fountain!

― Mestema (davidcorp), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 13:55 (twenty years ago)

No, you want a gelato! If you say "Hallo meester, can I have an iceee creeeem! Va bene quattro Ferrari!", you'll get shot by the mafia!

Also, have hot sloppy sex with a young busty nun in St. Peter's Square.

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!! (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 13:57 (twenty years ago)

trevi is good

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 13:57 (twenty years ago)

I'd say definitely go to the Pantheon.

The Keats museum is good too, if you're a fan.

― NickB (NickB), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 13:59 (twenty years ago)

OK, so maybe Trevi.

I saw the cast of Trajan's Column in the V&A last week. So beefy! Tempted to swerve past the real thing...

― Mestema (davidcorp), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 14:01 (twenty years ago)

Go to McDonalds.

― Pete (Pete), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 14:01 (twenty years ago)

Mc Don Aldo's.

― Mestema (davidcorp), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 14:02 (twenty years ago)

pantheon fo sure. trajan's wossname was all scaffolded up when i saw it. nice typeface tho

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 14:03 (twenty years ago)

"Buona sera! Uno quatro libbra e grande coke, per favore!"

"Voi come fritture con quello?"

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!! (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 14:05 (twenty years ago)

NOT GET AN AMOEBA!!!

(Sorry, I have a one track mind when it comes to Italy.)

― The Late Fear And The Potato Fear (kate), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 14:09 (twenty years ago)

I've been twice, once in december and once in january, it's a nice time of year to go. You might get caught in the rain quite a bit though. Yes, just wander around, it's such a beautiful city. The forum is neat and it's free too, and right next to the coloseum. Stay away from the touristy resturants in that area (or anywhere) though, go eat in trastevere. There are other rome threads here too.

― teeny (teeny), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 14:10 (twenty years ago)

also: not get your pocket picked

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 14:11 (twenty years ago)

Go to the Palatine Hill & forum. That was my favourite bit. If you go to the Vatican Museum, you HAVE to book in advance if possible because the queues are terrifying (maybe less so in winter).

― Markelby (Mark C), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 14:16 (twenty years ago)

Walk around the Aventine hill (look through the gates of the knights of st john of malta place and look across three sovereign states), great views of Rome and pleasant walking.

Eat Granita al Caffe from the place by the Parthenon.

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 14:23 (twenty years ago)

The only other Rome-ish is yours, Teeny, but I'd prefer not to have my thread result with my engagement, if possible!

― Mestema (davidcorp), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 14:24 (twenty years ago)

fancy a civil partnership?

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 14:27 (twenty years ago)

drink fresh piss from a passolini rent boy

― Queen GivemyregardstoPopeHitlerYouth, Wednesday, 25 January 2006 14:28 (twenty years ago)

youve got to go to the vatican. how can you not?

also they have this little prayer room with vatican bouncers outside. i swear they can spot non-catholics a mile off.

― sunny successor (katharine), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 14:49 (twenty years ago)

be sure the ladies cover up when you go vatican-ing

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 14:53 (twenty years ago)

rent a scooter!!!!!!!!

(!)

― mitya and his passowrd, Wednesday, 25 January 2006 15:34 (twenty years ago)

THE PANTHEON! If I could move back I would if only for that building. It is stunning. For the city? Well just walk around. There should be no trouble with the q's, winter is not really a peak time. Do try and check out the Vatican museums, the villa borghese and San Pietro. San Pietro in Vincole (I think it's called) for the horned moses. Jesus there's so much.

Ideally my route after the museums etc would be Pantheon, Go to Santa Maria in (or di) Trastevere late-ish and then just around the corner is the most fantastic bar in Rome: San Calisto. Buy big bottles of beer and chat to people. It'll be cold so have plans for after but do check it out. It's a walk across the river but a nice area. L'Isola Triburtina is just nearby, (I had my 21st on it's banks) it's fun to walk around and leads you into the old ghetto. Have some lovely warm kosher food if it's early and then wander back towards the wedding cake to enjoy it at night, it glows! From there walk down towards the colliseum (well worth doing during the day) and take the tube back to the Spanish Steps. Choose from there if you want to find somewhere local or wander up to Piazza Navona and enjoy the sights there. From there you should be near Campo di Fiori which while (or because of!) full of foreigners normally has a pretty good buzz. If it's not what you want keep on walking through and go back to Trastevere.

I'll stop now. I can see all these places in my head and it's most depressing on a grey afternoon in Dublin!

― Kv_nol (Kv_nol), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 15:39 (twenty years ago)

There used to be a Tower-style all-purpose CD store just off the plaza in front of "the typewriter," but that's not very exciting/noteworthy, is it?

S: Pantheon, St. Peter's, the forum, strolling around Trastevere (might have better luck with record stores there)

D: lines for the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museum

Meh: Trevi fountain (beautiful but set in cramped and crowded surroundings)

Yes, gelati for sure, but don't sleep on the Italian packaged ice cream--i.e. the local equivalent of nutty buddies, etc. Their frozen treat technology is far superior to ours.

― Floyd the Barber (Floyd), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 15:44 (twenty years ago)

that's part of the idea of trevi, I think

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 15:50 (twenty years ago)

http://www.archidose.org/Blog/nolli1.jpg

nolli

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 15:57 (twenty years ago)

travestere

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 15:57 (twenty years ago)

The best kind of area for all the record stores is in San Lorenzo or the big flea market (sorry I can't remember the name! Maybe later...). Unfortunately San Lorenzo isn't on the actual Metro and quite a walk through a rather nasty area beside the main station (termini). Trastevere is easier to get to and would have a good mix.

― Kv_nol (Kv_nol), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 15:59 (twenty years ago)

what everybody else said about the pantheon -- i didn't expect to be affected by it the way i was. it's a beautiful building, and the sense of history there is more profound even than at the forum (which is also spectacular), because it's not a ruin, it's a living building right in the middle of the living city. it started raining while we were in the pantheon, and that was great too, the column of water coming down.

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 15:59 (twenty years ago)

...shoot the Pope.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 16:04 (twenty years ago)

Aw man I would LOVE to see that. Alright, screw this. ::Looks up ryanair::

"Have you ever been in a turkish prison?" (xpost)

― Kv_nol (Kv_nol), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 16:05 (twenty years ago)

This link is useful:

http://www.romaclick.com/Pages/Rome/Rome-guide/Rome-fairs.htm

The one I'm thinking of is:

ROMA Every Sunday, from dawn to 1.00 PM. "PORTA PORTESE". From Porta Portese along the via Portuense and adjacents. Mercato delle pulci.

― Kv_nol (Kv_nol), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 16:12 (twenty years ago)

it started raining while we were in the pantheon, and that was great too, the column of water coming down

Have they still not patched up the hole in the roof?

― NickB (NickB), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 16:37 (twenty years ago)

Lazy bloody mediterraineans...

― Kv_nol (Kv_nol), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 16:40 (twenty years ago)

Stick your hand in that mouth thing like Audrey Hepburn. Or, not.

― Archel (Archel), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 16:51 (twenty years ago)

If I had to skip something on account of time it would be the vatican, the forum/palatine/coliseum area is much more fantastic. Maybe just go to St. Peter's (wich was a shorter wait then the vatican museums) & see the Pieta which is way better than the sistine chapel anyway.
I experienced the best shandenfreude ever when the very
t-shirt/shorts/fanny-pack american couple ahead of me were turned away by the swiss guard. Check out the nearby gift shops for great pope kitsch.

― Annabelle Lennox (Arachne), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 17:07 (twenty years ago)

Like a white and gold balaclava woven from the pubic hair of the pontiff?

― Mestema (davidcorp), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 17:12 (twenty years ago)

I do anticipate a high density of senior American tourists at the Vatican, most likely stating the obvious at volume 10, dressed in ball-caps, aviators and chinos.

I love those guys.

― Mestema (davidcorp), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 17:18 (twenty years ago)

More like: anything imaginable, but with a holographic image of the pope on it. Also, pope-soap-on-a-rope.

― Annabelle Lennox (Arachne), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 17:30 (twenty years ago)

Is any of the circus maximus still left? I went to the Roman chariot racing place outside Tyre (or was it Sidon), and it made me think that chariot racing places are where it's at.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 17:42 (twenty years ago)

The track of the circus maximus was still there when I visited in 2000. I was surprised at how small it seemed. Someone was walking his dog around it.

― Jaq (Jaq), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 17:47 (twenty years ago)

Sistine, I meant. A degree in Italian and I can't even get that right, ffs.

― Mädchen (Madchen), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 17:47 (twenty years ago)

yeah, walkind around the circus maximus is awesome. people hanging out in the infield running their dogs and stuff. (xpost--also, what jaq said)

find cheap mom and pop-run restaurants off the main drags and eat your ass off for practically nothing while there. i went there sick and with no appetite and i'm still convinced it was the food that healed me.

also, the crowds suck but the colliseum is pretty amazing to walk around in and imagine them filling it with water for ship battles and whatnot.

and gelato. pistachio. another life-saver.

― andrew m. (andrewmorgan), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 17:52 (twenty years ago)

If you don't have time to visit a museum you can see great art in some of the churches. Most of them close for a few afternoon hours but you won't have to deal with the lines and registration of some of the museums. Personally I recommend the Caravaggios in Santa Maria del Popolo at the Piazza del Popolo. Santa Maria Sopra Minerva and San Luigi dei Franceso also have great art.

― Donald Dasher, Wednesday, 25 January 2006 18:06 (twenty years ago)

Hey Mestema - why don't you "do the pope"? ( By that I mean meet with him.)

― Mr. Latham Green (hanle y 3000), Thursday, 26 January 2006 21:46 (twenty years ago)

there is so much you must see there! It's all packed close together (except the aquaducts which are amazing!) There are tons of foutains of note (including Trevi) all buildings mentioned up thread and then there is the Santa Maria Basilica, the spanish steps, and near the forum and collusem there are english speaking students everywhere who know the history of everything and will give FREE or a for a small gratuity walking tours of it all. Also, the Vatican is FREE entry on the last or 1st friday of the month - check on the Web for details but that is a real time commitment, but still a must see. Also something i found wonderfully mind boggling is there are public drinking fountains all over the water just runs constantly and the fountains are still fed by some of the aquaducts built somewhere around 300BC! the water travels about 50 miles thru the limestone and comes out of the fountains fresh clean and cold. People fill up their bottles and just keep on walking. what an amazing feat of engineering and what a beautiful city. Have a wonderful time.

― Wiggy (Wiggy), Saturday, 28 January 2006 03:00 (twenty years ago)

twelve years pass...

https://mymodernmet.com/scale-model-ancient-rome/

this 1:250 scale model of ancient Rome looks amazing.

― calzino, Tuesday, 3 April 2018 11:08 (eight years ago)

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