Italian Holiday - Rome

With over 2,500 years of recorded history behind it, Rome has a plethora of things to see and do. If you're interested in the ancient world, the Colosseum, the Roman and Imperial Forums, and the Pantheon are mandatory. Is the baroque era more your thing? Visit the Villa Borghese for baroque art and culture. Obviously, a stop by the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain are both good photo opportunities, and you should reserve at least a full day to see Vatican City.

Quick Tips:

Get a combination ticket to the Colosseum and Palatine Hill at the entrance to Palatine Hill; there will be shorter lines and fewer people to get in the way. Book yourself on guided tours of the ancient sites, because the guidebooks don't really give you enough information to understand what you're looking at and you probably won't hear the more colorful stories of ancient Rome.

Best Way To Get Around:

Because they don't want to disturb the ruins, the city government has decreed that the subways won't pass through the area around the ancient ruins of the Colosseum and the Forum. The "Colosseo" stop on the metro will drop you off about 4 blocks from the Colosseum, and that's about it. The metro does stop close to the Vatican, but the most reliable way is by bus. If you prefer, trolley nos. 3 and 8 also stop at the Vatican and the Colosseum respectively.

If you choose a taxi, make sure it is a certified cab (with the light on top and everything) Unmarked cars advertising themselves as taxis are uncertified and will most likely take you around the block 10 or 12 times before going where you want to go to drive up the meter.

A newer hotel in the north end of the city, near the Villa Borghese, this richly appointed hotel features spacious rooms, courteous staff and a wide variety of services. Its 183 rooms provide ample space for any size group and feature air-conditioning, satellite and pay TV, in-room safe, minibar, and soundproofed walls (my wife and I only found out after two days that we had teenagers on one side and honeymooners on the other, so we appreciated the soundproofing). We didn’t take advantage of the overnight laundry service, but it is available, as is Internet access in their business center.

The concierge desk provided us with ample resources to schedule tours, and the staff at the front desk were extremely helpful in navigating the sometimes infuriating system of roads, subways, buses and trolleys that are in place to get you from Point A to somewhere near Point B. Our only complaint is that we didn’t receive the wake-up call we requested and were lucky we had thought to set an alarm on my wristwatch, or we would have missed our 5:30am flight home.

On the premises is a fully-stocked bar and a restaurant, La Mascagni. We didn’t have dinner there, but it is where one has the complimentary continental breakfast every morning, serving sliced meats (bologna and parma ham, primarily), sliced cheese (I’m sure they were Italian cheeses, but I’m no expert--the Swiss-like cheese was possibly Gruviera, and there was what looked and tasted like a firm mozzarella), several pastries, including bagels, croissants, and pain au chocolat (don’t really know if there’s an Italian equivalent), as well as custard and fruit tarts and fresh fruit. Regular drip coffee is available, as well as juice and milk, but if you want a cappuccino or latte, you’ll have to ask for it and pay extra (we managed to get a couple cups for free before we knew we were supposed to pay for them, because the waitstaff were too busy to keep track of us before we left).

The final touch of excellence to our stay were the brown bag breakfasts we received at 4:30am on our last day; the front desk kept track of our flight times and knew we were leaving early, so they had a croissant sandwich, a juice box, some fruit, and a hard-boiled egg in a paper sack for each of us waiting down in the lobby when we checked out. I would definitely stay there again!

The Colosseum was begun by the Emperor Titus in 80 AD and completed by Domitian. It was the first permanent amphitheatre built in Rome and originally known simply as the Flavian Amphitheatre (after the family of emperors under which it was built). Designed to hold between 50,000 and 100,000 spectators, it is a marvel of engineering, with three tiers of vaulted arches supporting stands, much like a modern stadium, featuring a distinct style of column on each level (ionic, Doric, and corinthian). It was originally clad in marble, but after the fall of Rome in the 6th century AD, the marble was torn off to get to the metal rods supporting the cladding for use in weaponry and other metalworking.

The existing structure has been buttressed in modern times with brickwork and metal bracing to support it against earthquakes and the passage of time, but it is remarkably intact. The stadium floor was originally made of wood and covered with sand (or arena in Latin, which is where we get the name for a sporting venue), but is obviously missing now. Beneath the arena was a vast staging area where gladiators dressed and prepared for the fights, and where exotic animals were kept prior to battle.

I would recommend arranging for a guided tour, for there isn't much information available there unless you buy a guidebook, and the details are rather scant even then. There are tour guides offering their services outside, but they are hit-and-miss as far as quality or historical accuracy.

Think a bunch of ruins are boring? Hardly, if you realize how important these buildings were to the ancient world; this was the nerve center of Roman society for over 800 years, beginning with the first stirrings of the Republic through the Imperial Age until the fall of the Roman Empire in the 6th Century AD. It started with a small temple dedicated to Vesta, the goddess of the home and hearth, where the communal flame was kept lit by the vestal virgins (who were greatly honored and served for 30 years, after which they could marry and live more or less independently wealthy for the rest of their days, but if they lost their virginity before their term was due, they were placed in a crypt with a loaf of bread and jug of water and walled in forever) Gradually, more buildings were erected as the area's importance grew, until it became the social and political center of the city of Rome.

Here, you'll find temples dedicated to the major gods of the Roman pantheon, meeting halls where political and financial leaders of the day met and discussed policy and the news of the day, as well as the spot where Julius Caesar was cremated by order of his successors Mark Antony and Augustus and numerous monuments were dedicated to the military glory of the emperor's Titus and Septimius Severus.

You'll also find crowds of other tourists here, as well as roving bands of pickpockets, so be wary, and plan to see the area early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Bring plenty of film, and I would recommend getting a guided tour through your travel agent or the concierge of your hotel, because the guidebooks simply don't tell you enough to make you appreciate what you're looking at.

Originally a temple built in 27 AD by Marcus Agrippa to honor all gods, the renovated building was appropriated by the Roman Catholic church in the 6th century AD, probably one of the reasons why the building is one of the few intact structures from the imperial era: it has been continuously maintained and protected for most of the past 2,000 years. The dome atop the structure features a marvel of engineering - the oculus, an open skylight that offers the only natural lighting. Inside are monuments and tombs housing the remains of several popes and important political figures, as well as the Renaissance master Raphael.

Even though this is one of the best-preserved pieces of Roman architecture, don't forget it's still a functioning Catholic church, with regular services, so be aware that it's not always open for tourists. It's often crowded on the weekends, so I'd recommend visiting during the week.