A Tourist Guide for Rome, Italy
Five Things You Will Love & Hate about Visiting Rome, Italy
Rome, the eternal city and my favorite capital in Europe. There is much to love about Rome, but there is even a few things you might not like. Regardless of the tourist hordes the Romans are wonderful people who enjoy life and love their city. So go and enjoy the atmosphere and wonder of Rome, Italy… But just to be prepared watch our video on the five things you will love and hate about Rome to get you started.
Five Things You Will Hate About Visiting Rome
1. Tourist Hordes: It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world and hence tourists are everywhere. So be prepared for long lines, pushed out of the way of other people’s pictures, overpriced restaurants, etc.
2. Expensive Hotels: There are not a lot of cheap options for hotels in Rome. Be prepared to spend.
3. Lines for the Vatican Museums & Colosseum: Be prepared for long waits. Or prebook tickets.
4. Lots of Pickpockets: Watch out at Termini, the metro, buses and all around.
5. Lack of Public Toilets: Pee at the hotel… that is my advice 
Five Things You Will Love About Visiting Rome
1. It’s ROME!!! The Art, Archeticture and Atmosphere! The Colosseum, St. Peter’s, Trevi Fountain… I could go on forever! There are so many sights to see!
2. Easy to Get Around Historic Sights: Compact city center. Lots of the sights are very close to each other.
3. Lots of Acccomodation: Yes it is expensive but there are numerous hotels and you will find something!
4. You Can Find Great Cheap Restaurants: Walk off the main streets and you will find great restaurants at cheap prices.
5. You Can Have Your Own Roman Moment: Lots of side streets, piazzas, and parks that you can feel away from the tourists and have your own Roman moment.
The Top Ten Sights to See in Rome
Top 10 Rome 1.St. Peters Basilica: The Home of the Catholic Church and all the pomp and circumstance that goes with it 
2.Vatican Museums: The Sistine Chapel, Michealangelos masterpieces and Rapheals and more Marble than you can shake a stick at.
3.Coliseum: The Flavian Ampitheater hosted thousands of gladiator fights, water battles and the deaths of millions of animals and almost a million people. Its a bit safer now, and definitely worth stopping by.
4.Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum: See where the emperors had their homes and where the Romans did their business. The ruins are fun to hike through and are great for kids to run around.
5.The Pantheon: See Rapheals burial spot inside the oldest standing Roman building in Rome. The architecture is amazing and a must to stop in on your way through Rome.
6.Trevi Fountain: Through a coin in to guarantee you come back to Rome, through in a second one for a wish. A third just is a waste of your hard earned money. This relatively new site in Rome is great for ice cream and kids.
7.The Spanish Steps: Located near the Spanish embassy this meeting point is fun for people watching and step counting.
8.Vila Borghese: The park and museum are great to wind a day away in Rome. Make reservations for the Galeria de Borghese as you cannot walk up. The park is great for kids, there are some rides and bike rentals for all ages.
9.Catacombs of San Callisto: See the first Christian cemetery in Rome. The burial place of 9 or more early popes and a pilgrimage site until the 9th century for Christians. This is now a nice visit especially on the weekend when the Appian Way is traffic free.
10.Walking through the city and seeing places like Travese district, Piaza Navona or any of the dozens of more palaces and museums in the city.
Advice on Seeing Rome in a Day
When in Rome it is good to plan your schedule for each day in advance so you can make sure to hit all the main sites at times that are not overrun with tourists (or at least not as bad). Also, be careful on the subway/metro and in large tourist spots as pickpockets run rife through the city. However, do not let that get you down! Rome allows you to explore the city on foot as the historic sites are all relatively (depending on how much you like to walk) close together. Our recommendation is to start at the Vatican Museums early in the morning and follow a path down to the Coliseum visiting numerous famous sites along the way. Follow us on our path!
The Vatican
Congratulations! Your first stop in Rome is actually a trip to another country! The Vatican is its own country technically formed in 1929, you can even find its own post office to send a letter home to mom to say you saw the pope! A very cool thing even if you are not catholic (which most Italians are). The courtyard itself is amazing and we recommend you take a look around and take in the magnificent architecture. Now when you head into St. Peter’s Basilica you will go through a airport style security check so do not bring anything bad with you. Inside you will see the glory of… The popes. Look around for Jesus, you will not see him too often. Just the cross occasionally, and above the front entrance handing the key to the church to the pope. (just a little observation). However, inside you will see such majestic sculpture and just plain magnificence. You can even take a mass or confession while you are there. Also, you can hike to the top of the Basilica and have a great view of the city.
St. Peter’s Basilica
Don’t Touch the Stuff!
Starting your day with a pop in the Vatican is great. But first hit the Vatican Museums in order to avoid the insanely long lines. They are open almost every day of the year (except the day after Easter as we found out). The chambers inside the Vatican are amazing and of course the most famous is the Sistine Chapel painted by Michelangelo. This master piece still inspires oooos and aaaaas that you will hear when you walk in. The chapel is near the end of the tour, so if you are there early in the morning go straight there then wander back through the museums to see the art and fantastic rooms.
The Vatican Museums
The Sistine Chapel
After leaving the Vatican you will notice a huge circle castle down the street. This is St. Angelo’s castle along the river. There are exhibits inside to stop in and take a look.
St. Angelo Castle in Rome
Walking through Rome is great as there are numerous squares (piazza) for you to enjoy lunch or just a cold drink and people watch. One of the best is Piazza Navona. This large square allows you to enjoy the noise, the quiet, the fun, the people, the artists, the “thes” that make Rome great.
Piazza Navona
Continuing along we find many more wonderful sites to see, National Roman Museum that has a wonderful collection of Roman antiquities. The museum is broken up into three separate parts so figure out which one is best for you. The largest collection is located near the Piazza Navona
As you keep walking through the city you will see numerous churches worth popping into, cafes that call your name, but if you can keep on moving you will head to the Pantheon. This is the best preserved Roman building in Rome. Built in 27 BC this impressive building now houses some of the most famous Italians out there (including Raphael). You will note when you enter that the ceiling has a hole in it, well that helps keep the building standing and has helped it keep standing since its construction.
The Pantheon from outside
The Pantheon from inside
Continuing on through the city you will come to Trevi Fountain. This 1732 construction has a bit of a good luck story to it. If you turn your back to the fountain and throw a coin in you will be destined to return to Rome. If you throw a second coin in you can then make a wish. Anymore coins are just throwing your money into a really cool water fountain.
Trevi Fountain in Rome.
Another nice stop while walking around and that is also popular for pictures, horse drawn carriages and pretty souvenir buying is the Spanish Steps. These steps take their name from the Spanish embassy that is located nearby. Be one of the hundreds of tourists a day who count the number of steps up to the top.
The Spanish Steps
Now we are getting to the cool stuff! At Trajon’s forum which is across the street from the more famous “Roman Forum” you can see the Vittorio Emmanuele II monument (the type writer looking building on the hill).
Trajon’s Forum and the Vittorio Emmanuele II Monument
Next we have the Roman Forum which is worth the wait in line to get in. Inside you can see the remnants of Rome’s historic past. There are temples, churches, archways, ruins and so much more to see. And the Palatine Hill behind has many of its own wonderful sites.
The Roman Forum
Inside the Roman Forum
And now we have reached the site you have been waiting to see since you were a little kid and first saw anything Italian. The Coliseum. Originally the Flavian amphitheater this wonder has been a gladiatorial playground, a fortress, a quarry and now a tourist must. Next to it is Constatine’s Arch.
The Coliseum and Constantine’s Arch
Inside the Coliseum (watch out for the cats)
There are many more sites to see in Rome and I personally love the city. Some other nice sites are the catacombs located a bit outside the center.
The Catacombs
Other Helpful Websites
Wolters World Visit Italy Country Page – What to See & Do in Italy
Wolters World Visit Rome City Page – What to See & Do in Roma.
Wolters World Tuscany Region Page – Top Ten Towns & Much More
Wolters World Florence City Page – The Heart of the Renascence
Wolters World Lucca City Page – A Hidden Tuscan Gem
Wolters World Pisa City Page – What to do in the town with The Leaning Tower
Wolters World The Veneto Region Page – What to See & Do in the Veneto
Wolters World Visit Venice City Page – The Best & Worst of Venice
Wolters World Visit Vicenza City Page – Palladio’s Playground
Wolters World Visit Verona City Page – Romeo & Juliette’s Hometown
Wolters World Amalfi Coast Region Page – The Most Beautiful Coastline in Europe
Wolters World Pompeii & Herculaneum Page – Information on these Historic Sights
Wolters World San Marino Country Page – Information on the Smallest Republic
Wolters World Ravenna City Page – The Best & Worst of Ravenna
Wolters World Rimini City Page – The Best of Beach-land Italia
Wolters World Learn Italian Video Series – Short series to teach travelers a few words and phrases that travelers will need while in Italy.
Wolters World Destinations – Choose from Numerous Countries, Cities and Regions to learn about what to see & do & Not Do while traveling.
www.italia.it – The Official Website of Italian Tourism
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/rome
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/rome/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g187791-Rome_Lazio-Vacations.html
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-191501769-rome_vacations-i
