Travel To Rome Italy

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Rome the eternal city, with magnificient monuments to see,– the Forum, Coliseum, Castel Sant’Angelo, Vatican, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and Spanish Steps. There are many ways to see them, but the best way is to live like the Romans and tour the city like them, on a bicycle or as they call it the bicicletta.

This is the popular way of life in Rome and in keeping with their drive to reduce air and noise pollution. However it is not advisable to try this on a weekday, but early Sunday morning when the Romans are still slumbering, you can rent a bike and discover Rome. The Villa Borghese is an ideal place to explore on a bike. It has museums, galleries, a riding school, a grassy ampitheatre. Another great place to explore on a bike is Villa Doria Pamphili, the largest park in Rome with fountains and summer houses. The city center is closed to autos every second Sunday from May to September and this is an ideal time to bike through Rome.

Rome has many bike rental shops that can outfit you and your entire group for a reasonable sum of money. You can hire bikes by the hour or for the entire day. All you need is a drivers licence or a copy of your passport. However they do not rent out helmets. If you want to ride your own bike, you can and there are many bike repair shops in case you have a problem.

Rome Transportation

Rome has an extensive network of trains that pass through its central railway station Termini which connect it to the rest of Italy and Europe. Its second largest railway station Roma Tiburtini is being upgraded into a high speed railway.

Rome has three large airports, the Leonardo Da Vinci for commercial flights and the other two handle military and private aircrafts.

When in Rome it is advisable to keep a lot of time in hand while traveling by roads since public transportation is not very good and moreover, the roads have bottlenecks and one can be stuck in a traffic jam.

Things to see in Rome

The Colosseum or Il Colosseo to the Romans started as the Flavian Amphitheater, and could seat 50,000 spectators and ecompasses six acres. It is huge and though has seen numerous earthquakes and fires, its ruins still look grand.

The Pantheon is a superior engineering marvel. No building so ancient (it dates back to Emperor Hadrian in 125 AD) has survived the ravages of time.

The Roman Forum is in a valley between Palatine Hill and Capitoline Hill, the Forum Romanum is one of the foremost archaeological sites in the world. It was once the center of political and cultural life for the Roman Empire.

There are many other places to see, the gardens, the fountains and even the cafes. Every visitor has his or her own favorites to see. Spend some time and discover your own favorites.

Since this is a hot favorite among destinations for travelers in Europe the hotels rome scene is full of a wide variety. You can find chain hotels, restored mansions and even picturesque villas and apartments on rent for travelers.

In Rome, be assured that you will be well fed at a reasonable expense. The menus are simple, and traditional. Chefs swear by ancient recipes of Apicius who was the chef to Emperor Tiberius. You will get fresh, traditional and great tasting food even in the simplest of eateries. However, if you stop to eat near the Vatican, the food will be very expensive.

If you are buying souvenirs, haggle and bring down the price. Never pay what is listed, because the price tag is a rip off.

For the longest time my wife had wanted to visit Italy, so finally, for our 20th anniversary, I decided to surprise here with a long weekend trip to Italy, I had trouble deciding between Venice and Rome. I remember she had always wanted to visit the Piazza di Spagna, since seeing some pictures in a magazine a few years ago, so I eventually decided upon Rome. I wanted everything to be perfect for this anniversary, twenty years is a long time to be married and I wanted to make this something special. I looked for a luxury hotel, something that would provide us with privacy as well as comfort. Purely by accident I found a short term rental website, which specialised in luxury Rome apartments What I read changed my mind, and I just knew our own private apartment was the way to go, this would allow us more space and freedom than a conventional hotel, and provide us with privacy, in a home from home kind of atmosphere.

The apartment I chose was truly stunning, it had a large balcony, which gave a scenic view of much of the city, it is appointed lavishly, and has every luxury I could have imagined. Best of all, it was located only a few footsteps from the Piazza di Spagna, which my wife would adore. I am sure she will also enjoy shopping in this delightful neighbourhood. Personally I am looking forward to eating real authentic Italian food, in such great restaurants as Nino, and the informal fish restaurant Quinzi e Gabrielli, which I have wanted to visit for a long time, as it is owned by an old friend of mine.

On the morning of our anniversary my wife was taken totally by surprise when I told her to pack a bag, we were leaving for Rome in a few hours. Being only a short plane flight from London, it only took us a short time to travel. The Rome apartment I had chosen turned out to be far better than I had hoped for, the beautiful furnishings and luxurious decor made us feel very special, my wife loved it. She was also quite taken with the fully equipped kitchen, and talked about trying out some real Italian cooking, although we were far too busy enjoying the charming sights of Rome for here to ever get around to it.

I would thoroughly recommend that anybody visiting this jewel of a city, consider a short term apartment rental, it really is a great way to spend your time away from home, offering privacy and freedom in much greater quantities than found when staying in a hotel. We had a fantastic anniversary, and we are planning to return again to Italy next year, maybe to Venice this time, and I will definitely be looking for an apartment as our accommodation on this next trip. I booked our free Rome apartment through a website, it was painless and simple, and I am glad I decided to give it a try.