Heading to Rome/Italy for a month, suggestions?

[Graham_A_M]

Hey guys, just planning a trip with my older brother to spend a month in Italy, and possibly Greece. Its his second time there, my first as I've never left North America before.
How do you guys feel about Cosmos vacations? They have a few decent tours available.

Basically both of these are $4k Canadian after flights out to Rome & Food.

http://www.cosmos.com/product.aspx?c...tin&trip=06480

^ Italy and Greece one.

http://www.cosmos.com/product.aspx?c...tin&trip=06370
^ Then this. We'd be booking a MUCH later return airfare, after spending at least a few weeks in Rome.
The problem is: hotels. Most two-three star ones are $200-300 per night, which makes a fairly expensive vacation; VERY expensive over a 30 day period.
Any decent hostels around the Vatican area, or near the Forum or Markets? Any links or info would really help, thanks a lot.
I'm quite a travel n00b so to speak.

[kaput]

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[Graham_A_M]

^Thanks very much! I'll check into those.

[Feruk]

I use hostels.com or hostelbookers.com. Rome has some cool camping within city limits.

Personal recommendation: if you're gonna spend a month in Europe, don't waste too much time in a dump like Rome. Northern Italy and the Greek islands are WAY better.

[Rarasaurus]

We really enjoyed Rome when we went. I'd say no more than a week though... The greek islands are nice we did Santorini and it was worth it. Venice is also worth it since you are in Italy and we also loved Florence. We also did Milan which was not that amazing and I wouldnt bother a second time around. When we visited Venice we stayed in Padova and took the train to Venice for day trips. Padova was also fun because it is a University town and has good nightlife. If you like history and sight seeing Rome is awesome for that and i do not agree it is a dump. I found northern Italy dirtier than southern.

[LUDELVR]

Originally posted by Feruk
I use hostels.com or hostelbookers.com. Rome has some cool camping within city limits.

Personal recommendation: if you're gonna spend a month in Europe, don't waste too much time in a dump like Rome. Northern Italy and the Greek islands are WAY better.

Yeah, I used that site and ended up "camping" within the city limits of Rome. Spent about 3 or 4 days there and that was suffcient. Hot as a motha there during August but did manage to shack up in Rome with a German bird...extending foreign relations! Sorry Graham, no vids of this one but heaps of photos of my trip. Ended up doing someting like a figure 8 around the mid to upper portion of Italy.

Had a blast but wow, so much walking!! Was thinking of going to Greece, but I reckon I'll go there next trip. At least Italy is out of the way.

[Graham_A_M]

^ Hey Leo, if you want to come with us this time even just for some of the trip (the greek portion if you want) sure come along! You're always a blast to be around.
Probably leaving around Sept or Oct, around there.

Yeah I knew you'd be up to your usual shenanigans LOL.
Feruk, how is Rome a Dump? I know its a shit-show when it comes to traffic, but the things I've heard about its immensely rich culture/history and lifestyle sure make it intriguing. Im not looking for an argument, just curious as to what you have to say.

[kaput]

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[Graham_A_M]

^ Yeah thats the whole idea exactly. I just want to chill in all these small restaurants and enjoy the wine & food.
Such a different pace of life & value system over there. It definitely yearns to be experienced. I've heard much the same things about all its ancient history at every street corner almost. Sure is incredible to me, as it would be an amazing change from typical culture-less "Rush Rush" Calgary living.

[Xtrema]

I forgot the site now but there are short term apartment rentals that's a step above hostels but cheaper than hotels.

But if you're after "encounters", hostel is a must.

[UndrgroundRider]

Originally posted by Graham_A_M
^ Yeah thats the whole idea exactly. I just want to chill in all these small restaurants and enjoy the wine & food.
Such a different pace of life & value system over there. It definitely yearns to be experienced. I've heard much the same things about all its ancient history at every street corner almost. Sure is incredible to me, as it would be an amazing change from typical culture-less "Rush Rush" Calgary living.

I've been to Rome about a dozen times over the past couple years, both for business and pleasure. You will certainly enjoy yourself, especially with the food there. However, I would echo what rarausaurus said, and limit your time in Rome to a week tops. On my first trip to Rome I even found a week to be too much. Everything is kind of the same in Rome, and waiting in line for hours at the tourist attractions gets tiring.

The great thing about Europe is that you can jump on a train and an hour later you're in a totally new country. I would definitely recommend checking out Switzerland and Germany for a nice change of pace. One of the things I enjoy the most on a Europe trip is relaxing on the train in a compartment (4-6 person private room) watching the scenery go by while enjoying a good brew. It's definitely the way to travel, fuck this airplane shit. Some trains on particularly scenic routes have observation decks as well. Unfortunately my routes have never put me on one of those, but it's on my list of things to do.

Depending on how long you have, I would space it out evenly over a few different places. Where in particular you want to go really depends on your tastes. Anywhere in western Europe will be great. Really enjoying yourself at these places is usually about getting off the beaten path. I would recommend renting a car for some of the trip (except in Rome), and making your way through the small towns and their pubs.

In Rome I would highly recommend a little Italian restaurant called Antropometico. Here is the Google maps link: http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&sourc...93.17,,0,12.69

It's fairly close to the Vatican. If you're walking from the Vatican to Castle St. Angelo it's only a short detour. The tortellini with sausage and creme sauce is HANDS DOWN the best I've ever had, anywhere. In fact, I was never a tortellini fan, until someone made me try it there. Now I stop there anytime I'm in Europe. It's that good.

The owner's name is Joseph, and if you meet him tell him you are from Calgary.

[LUDELVR]

Originally posted by Graham_A_M
^ Yeah thats the whole idea exactly. I just want to chill in all these small restaurants and enjoy the wine & food.
Such a different pace of life & value system over there. It definitely yearns to be experienced. I've heard much the same things about all its ancient history at every street corner almost. Sure is incredible to me, as it would be an amazing change from typical culture-less "Rush Rush" Calgary living.

Pretty much the only things in Rome are the Pantheon, the Collesseum (which surprisingly enough is smaller than the Saddledome!!), Foramo Romano (huge area!!), Trevia Fountain, The Spanish steps, Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel, which if you know where to go and how to get there, you can do in probably 2 days with some swift feet. If you want to take your time to do all those, 4 days max at most I reckon.

Definitely go to Venizia. Went there alone and I was still mesmorised! Beautiful place. Totally a place to bring a girl. I myself only fell in love with my hand!

I would skip Milano and Torin, nothing there really. Of course you have to go see the Leaning Tower of Pisa and take a photo. Everyone does the "hey look, I'm holding it up" photo, so try somehting new if you can! :



And after the entire half an hour you spend in Pisa, get the hell out of there cuz the rest is shite! haha

Also go to Cinque Terra! Awesome place. Spend no more than 2 days there, one night really.

If you're big into Shakespeare, go to Verona and spend a night. Go grab Guilette's titties and bugger off.

I'm probably forgetting more, but I'll have a look at my photos.

You can add me on facebook bro and have a look. I took heaps of photos, unfortunately nothing on my phone!

[Hakkola]

Originally posted by LUDELVR


I would skip Milano and Torin, nothing there really. Of course you have to go see the Leaning Tower of Pisa and take a photo.

And after the entire half an hour you spend in Pisa, get the hell out of there cuz the rest is shite! haha

Word, if you are close to the French border near the Med it would be a shame not to cross and go into Nice/Monaco, great fucking place! My favourite in the region.

[UndrgroundRider]

Originally posted by LUDELVR


Pretty much the only things in Rome are the Pantheon, the Collesseum (which surprisingly enough is smaller than the Saddledome!!), Foramo Romano (huge area!!), Trevia Fountain, The Spanish steps, Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel, which if you know where to go and how to get there, you can do in probably 2 days with some swift feet. If you want to take your time to do all those, 4 days max at most I reckon.

If you time the crowds right you can do it all in one day, on foot. I've walked that entire list, including the full length of the Vatican museum, and up to the top of St. Peters. We weren't even rushing, just kept a good pace, stopped for a few breaks, snapped a bunch of pictures and were on our way.

The tricky part is the Vatican museum. That line can easily be 4 hours long on the weekends. If memory serves, twice a month they have free admission. It actually goes very very quick on these days, since there is no stopping to pay. It just flows through.

This was also back when you could enter the forum from the west side. Now you have to enter on the east side, and it's all gated. That will add some time to the trip for sure.

[Graham_A_M]

^ Is the Vatican museum at all like in Angels & Demons?

Thanks for the suggestions everybody. I've redone the initial plan accordingly. Yeah I knew Pisa was a total bore. I didn't want go see it, but most routes touch on it unfortunately. Thankfully we wouldn't be spending anymore then an afternoon there. Even then, thats 3-4 hours more then I'd like to.

[Feruk]

Originally posted by Graham_A_M

Feruk, how is Rome a Dump? I know its a shit-show when it comes to traffic, but the things I've heard about its immensely rich culture/history and lifestyle sure make it intriguing. Im not looking for an argument, just curious as to what you have to say.

I actually expected Rome to be the peak of my trip as I love history, but was VERY dissapointed. Let me explain how it's a shithole:
1) You already mentioned traffic, but I will elaborate. Their metro is a joke because every time they try to extend it, they hit a new "historic" site. So they have two lines, that is all. Their bus drivers have absolutely ZERO concept of keeping a schedule. Their trains out of Rome I found to be at least an hour late. I won't even start on cars.
2) The people are straight stuck up little princesses who speak English, but won't speak it with you. This is however true for all of Italy.
3) Millions of tourists all over the place. Especially irritating are the Koreans who are afraid of the sun and all carry umbrellas to avoid getting a tan. You'll see their bus tours all over.
4) Everywhere you go, someone will try to scam you. Whether it's paying to just sit at a table, or their usual "bread" trick where they give you a few slices of bread at the start of your meal (free in Canada), and then charge you for it. In most places, the charge was only a few Euros, but one place actually tried to charge me 15 Euros for two slices of bread!
5) More of a minor irritation, but the streets do not follow any sort of logical grid.
6) What I like to call "Jawas" or "Sand People." I won't elaborate here, but if you want a fake or stolen purse, you can get one anywhere from them.
7) What REALLY ground my gears was they appear to have ZERO appreciation of their own history. The whole time I was there, it felt like they just wanted to tear it all down and build over it. There's even a small museum-like outdoor area where they talk about all the historic sites that have been lost because construction crews would just tear it all down with no respect for it.

I was very dissapointed. In my opinion, modern day Romans are just a fat lazy version of their ancestors with no appreciation for history.

Having said that, if you go at the end of May, there's like a cultural week where you can see all the sightseeing stuff for FREE!

[Altezza]

Skip Milan unless you're into shopping. I scheduled a stop in Milan just for the shopping. Rome is cool for all the historical sites and such, however, I had the best time in Florence/Tuscany. Just eating and drinking wine all day long. The scenery was astounding as well.

I agree with Feruk, the Italians are pretty stuck up. Waaaay worse than Parisians!