5 Days in Rome

Ostia Antica - As good as Pompeii and much, much closer.

Colosseum - Amazing.

Forum - It's free and a good way to spend a few hours exploring a veritable mixture of ancient buildings.

Quick Tips:

Crossing the road in Rome may seem daunting as the cars and mopeds will not stop at the crossings unless they have traffic lights. Pluck up courage. Get eye contact with the approaching traffic and walk boldly across the crossing. Do not stop or hesitate otherwise the traffic will drive round you. Remember if you are returning home to a country where traffic stops at pedestrian crossings to stop using the Roman crossing method otherwise you will be squashed.

Pickpockets abound in tourist areas and on popular bus routes so be sensible and keep a good hold of your bag, even when eating at a cafe. Get your Colosseum ticket at the Palatine ticket booth near the Forum to jump the long queues at the Colosseum.

If the banana flavoured ice cream at your gelateria is bright yellow then it won't sell great ice cream (true banana ice cream is a browny grey colour!).

Best Way To Get Around:

The metro is quick and easy. See my getting around section for more information.

This apartment was chosen from the BestRent in Rome website: www.bestrentrome.com and costs from 130 Euros per night.

This is a two bedroom (+ 1 sofa bed) apartment a few minutes walk from the Vatican. It is situated on a quiet street opposite a school and therefore is not overlooked in the evening. It is close to a major shopping street and square containing a variety of restaurants and Gelaterias (see my journals on the restaurant Velando and ice cream parlour the Old Bridge for places to eat.)The apartment is a 10 minute stroll to the metro and is also very close to bus and tram stops.

We decided to rent an apartment in Rome rather than use a hotel because it was more economical than staying in a hotel, gave us more room and provided a kitchen where we could make meals, snacks and drinks if we wanted to but more importantly let us come and go whenever we wanted. This was useful for my parents as they could come back and rest in between the sightseeing if they wanted to.

With lots of excellent restaurants nearby, there is no need to cook if you would rather not but the refrigerator is handy for storing bottles of water to take on day trips.

The apartment consists of a well decorated spacious mirrored entrance hall with a large living area, satellite television and a DVD player. Two bedrooms (one double and one twin) are roomy and have spacious wardrobes and comfortable beds. There is also a double sofa bed so the apartment could sleep 6 comfortably. The bathroom has a separate tub and shower, a bidet, an electric hairdryer, and a washing machine. The kitchen is galley style with a dishwasher, gas cooker, microwave oven, freezer, and fridge. A small balcony overlooks the back of the apartment with views onto your neighbours.

The whole apartment has dark real wood flooring and period style furniture. The decoration style is perfect for the more mature tourist but because of the large amount of space would also suit a young or older family as well. Although it is on the fourth floor, the apartment is served by a lift.

Mr Bruno lives in the apartment downstairs and is available night and day with help and advice. He speaks reasonable English and was very helpful when we pestered him with questions. The apartment is very clean and whilst E45 is charged for cleaning, with the total cost of the apartment being so reasonable it is well worth the money. I was unable to find an apartment with such good facilities on the web for the price charged.

To make our stay even more enjoyable the staff at BestRent that we booked the apartment through were very prompt at replying to my e-mails, spoke excellent English and can arrange airport collection, trips, a free Italian mobile phone and parking at the apartment. What more do you need?

www.bestrentrome.com 

This restaurant is just off the beaten path near to the Vatican. Only a 5-minute walk from St. Peter's Square and the Piazza del Risorgimento, it is hidden down an unpromising looking narrow street that looks more like an alleyway than somewhere housing a restaurant serving tasty Italian dishes and with a very friendly and helpful service.

When we visited the other customers consisted of British and German tourists and a large table of locals including a Vatican priest. I always think that if locals enjoy the food then it will definitely be worth trying.

The service was quick, efficient and friendly and our hostess spoke good English and taught us how to say some Italian words such as delicious and tasty! The restaurant itself is small with only about 10 tables so booking may be required, but due to it's out of the way location it wasn't particularly busy when we visited on a Saturday evening even though the restaurants in the main square were busy.

Like most Italian meals there was an Antipasta starter including fish and meat dishes, a pasta course (Primi) with dishes such as ravioli, tortelli and also risotto and second (Secondi) dish with a variety of meat and fish to choose from. The desert menu pleased my parents with Zabaglione, hot chocolate pudding and peaches filled with chocolate being our choices. The wine list was extensive and not badly priced too. The menu had an Italian and English section so it is easy to translate the dishes if your Italian is not very good.

When we visited we were greedy and had all of the courses and whilst they were filling the dishes offered were not too large. If you are less greedy than we were then a starter, pasta or second dish plus desert would be sufficient. All in all somewhere we would definitely return to and recommend to others.

The website is in Italian but does give you an idea of the extensive menu and wine list, and shows photos of the restaurant. Meals served 12-3.30pm and 7.30-11.30pm Monday to Saturday.

The Old Bridge Gelateria is definitely a place to visit after a hard day touring the Vatican museums or shopping or even as a late night dessert during a stroll around St. Peter's square and neighborhood. It is good value too at only 1.30 euros for a two scoop cone.

Although it doesn't look like much this ice cream parlour always has a large crowd outside even at 10pm and many of whom are locals. The ice creams come in different sized tubs or cones and are heavenly. Our favourites were cioccolata (chocolate) and amaretto but there is just about every flavor imaginable. Italian ice cream has a reputation for being the best there is and the Old Bridge certainly lives up to expectations. I have only been home a day but already I miss the ice cream!

Boat trip down the Tiber to the Ostia Antica excavations - the old Roman town and port. This trip departs from Ponte Marconi which is south of the city and reachable by Metro (a bit of a walk) or taxi. The route to the boat pier (off a car park by the bridge) is littered with rubbish but don't let this put you off. The boat itself has lots of seating on deck and inside. The crew are friendly and whilst they can't speak much English they make up for it with humour and helpfulness.

The trip to Ostia Antica takes about two hours. Despite the fly tipping in places, the river is home to lots of herons, egrets and other wildlife. Tip: take a cushion if your bones are no longer young as the wooden seats get a bit hard after a while. Also take drinks and a picnic as no food or drink is available on board though there is a large restaurant and cafe at Ostia Antica.

At the excavation site entry is 4 Euros for adults and free for seniors and other concessions. Entry tickets can be bought when you board the boat. The site is very well laid out with toilets and eating places and a gift shop close to the entrance. The toilets can get busy though and like most toilet facilities in Rome, take your own toilet tissue and alcohol hand wash for when they run out.

The site itself houses the remains of the old Roman port of Ostia Antica. When it was in its heyday (about 600 years) it was a large busy port but due to the change in the Tiber's course and sacking from barbarians is was abandoned. It is amazing that this old Roman city isn't as famous as Pompeii as it holds the remains of an amphitheatre, roman baths with stunning mosaics, the forum with mosaics depicting the seller's wares and the remains of apartment blocks, houses, temples and statues. Everything is well preserved and labelled.

It is a hit with children and adults alike with plenty of places to rest under the large pine trees. The boat trip leaves 2 hours for the visit but to see everything properly you need much longer. We took this trip as a gentle introduction to Rome. If your want some ancient history at a gentle pace this boat trip is exceptional value for money.

The return time seems a bit flexible so don't make any plans to close to the advertised arrival time as you might well be late. If you need to get a return taxi there is a taxi rank on the right side on the opposite side of the bridge about a five minutes walk away or they can be hailed in the street.

As many other journal writers will, I am sure, tell you the Colosseum is one of the great sights of Rome and should be included on the sightseeing itinerary.

Just opposite the metro entrance it is in a good location for those unable to walk too far. The queues can be daunting and the waiting time can be long with nowhere to sit. A good tip is to walk to the Palatine by the Forum (entrance opposite the Colosseum past the Arch of Constantine)and buy your ticket for the Colosseum and Palatine in the small ticket booth there. When we visited, the Colosseum queue was extremely long but there was no queue at the Palatine ticket booth. Another tip is to visit the Colosseum later in the afternoon (it is open later than the Palatine). The tour groups have mostly left by then and the site is less busy. Save yourself money and don't accept the offer of a tour by a guide that may approach you outside the Colosseum. Instead sit or stand near to a tour group of your nationality and listen in. As long as you are not blatantly obvious about it they don't mind.

Taxi Taxi ranks can be found in most busy squares or shopping areas. The white cabs are metered and licensed. If you have any complaints about the cab driver take down the cab number and name (on the inside of the rear door) and call the number of the company (number on the side of the cab). We found the cab drivers helpful and trustworthy. Be aware that some unlicensed cab drivers will try and charge you more than the going rate.

Metro The metro is a good way of getting to many of the tourist sights. You can purchase a one day or three day metro ticket that is also valid on the buses and trams. You will need to stamp it the first time you use it. Thereafter just wave it at the ticket inspector as you walk passed their booth. Many Romans are very polite and will offer their seat to an older traveller. Something you don't see as often in the UK. Line C is currently being constructed and as a result Line A currently shuts at 9pm. There is a replacement bus service.

Trams Trams serve suburban routes and therefore they tend not to be of use to tourists.

Buses Buses are good for getting around Rome. Many guide books give the bus route numbers for the attractions, however, bus routes do change so if you want to get up to date information I suggest you get details from a tourist information office.