Exploring Rome
No specific activites are planned for accompanying persons, but Rome is full of interesting things to do, details of which are easily found on the internet. Just use Google search or Google Maps or TripAdvisor.
(Window) Shopping?
- The amazing flagship store of La Rinascente (Renaissance) has recently opened minutes from
Piazza di Spagna (The Spanish Steps) on the corner of via del Tritone and
via delle due Macelli. From the laser show history lesson of
the escavated Roman aqueduct in the basement to the top floor food area with
rooftop terrace bar and panoramic view even for the wandering tourist, it is
an amazing spectacle of all things Italian. Nearby are many shops from the
low to high end of the shopping food chain, as well as the famous steps
where tourists gather.
https://www.rinascente.it/rinascente/it
- Pompi on via della Croce (many lunch choices) has many flavors of personal
tiramisu servings, Italy's most famous dessert.
https://barpompi.it/dove-siamo/pompi-roma-via-della-croce/
and Venchi gelato is nearby, Italy's high end chocolate that never made it to the USA.
Tripadvisor review - Food shopping? Find a few special items to take back home
and choose from 18 restaurants to lunch at Eataly.
https://www.eataly.net/it_en/shops/rome/
- The morning market at Campo dei Fiori has lots of food
items aimed at tourists.
Yelp review
- Trastevere is full of small shops and restaurants.
lonely planet review - Mercato Centrale at Stazione Termini Railway Station is a new attraction for food lovers, and it conveniently located near the Sapienza University
http://www.mercatocentrale.it/en/rome - Take bus 38 from Stazione Termini or bus 80 from Piazza
Barberini to Rome's most accessible super shopping mall Porta di Roma
(Gateway to Rome) to see how Italians do malls. Lots of interesting stores
plus coffee bars and lunch spots and restaurants, plus Ikea. And air
conditioning!
Tripadvisor review
Museums?
When the heat strikes, museums provide an airconditioned escape!
- Everyone has heard of the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel, but
easier to digest is the incredible Galleria Borghese just a short walk from
the top of Rome's most famous street via Veneto, but you have to reserve a
time slot in advance. Worth planning ahead!
https://www.rome.net/borghese-gallery
- Museo di Arte Moderna (Museum of Modern Art) is just a short walk from
Galleria Borghese and really worth seeing.
http://www.galleriaartemodernaroma.it/en - Macro Museum of Contempory Art, only 10 minutes by Tram 19 from the
viale Regina Elena entrance of Sapienza university!
Tripadvisor review
- Maxxi Museum, interesting exhibits. Read about it. Accessible via public
transportation from Piazza Flaminia by tram (get there in Tram 19 from the
university).
http://www.maxxi.art/en/ - The Ara Pacis Museum, designed by architect Richard Meier, housing The Altar of Peace, one of the most important series of sculptures of Augustan Rome,
via della Ripetta near the Tiber river
http://www.arapacis.it/en - Not quite a museum: Palazzo degli Esposizioni, currently showing Italian
Photographs 1965-2018, on via Nazionale not far from Stazioni Termini
https://www.palazzoesposizioni.it/
Churches?
- St Peter's Cathedral (the Vatican!) is a must do destination, and if you
have the legs, climb to the top of the cupola for a beautiful view of Rome
after taking the elevator halfway up.
http://www.vaticanstate.va/content/vaticanstate/en/informazioni-utili.html
- St John's Cathedral (San Giovanni) is also worth a visit, easily reached
by Metro line A.
http://www.rome-guide.it/english/monuments/monuments_laterano.html - The Church of San Pietro in Vincoli hosts Michelangelo’s Moses
http://www.italia.it/en/travel-ideas/art-and-history/michelangelos-moses-at-san-pietro-in-vincoli.html - The
Jubilee Church [Italian
website] is a modern architectural wonder, unlike any church you have
ever seen before.
- Rome is full of churches with all kinds of art.
- Not really a church…the non-catholic cemetery of Rome is the evocative burial place of Anglo-American writers, artists, and poets, including John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley
http://www.cemeteryrome.it/about/about.html - Also not a church:
Catacombs! the closest one is on
via Priscilla.
Tourist gathering spots
Book in advance the Coliseum and Roman Forum on the internet but you can also walk by on a tour of classic Roman sights starting from the Metro B Colosseo stop. Besides the Spanish Steps already mentioned in the shopping section:
- Coliseum and Forum
- Piazza Venezia (glass elevator behind the large white building with the chariots on the roof)
- Campidoglio (and a museum)
- Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain)
- the Pantheon
- Piazza Navona
- Campo dei Fiori
Other?
- Movie buffs? Try a tour of Cinecitta', Italy's version of
Hollywood.Studios
http://cinecittasimostra.it/hours-of-operation-ticket-office-hours/?lang=en
Public Transport?
Bus/Metro single travel tickets are 1.50 Euros for 90 minutes. Buying individual tickets is
probably the most efficient way to go, but you can get
tickets for 1, 2 3 or 7 days. Look for the big T sign for "Tabacchi"
shops to buy tickets. the phone app Moovit will help you use the transit system
if you have internet on your phone. The city transit system has a website:
http://www.atac.roma.it/index.asp?lingua=ENG. [mobile
version]
Day Trips?
- Florence (Firenze) is less than 1.5 hours from Rome on a fast train and makes a great day trip. Florence is a very walkable city.
- Castel Gandolfo where the Pope has his summer home is only 30 minutes away (lunch?)
- 45 minutes: Villa Adriana in Tivoli: the Emperor Hadrian built this country villa for himself and his court, and it bears unique testimony to the grandeur and architectural and decorative characteristics of the period
https://www.coopculture.it/en/heritage.cfm?id=75
And on the hill above in Tivoli are the famous water fountain gardens Villa d'Este
http://www.villadestetivoli.info/storiae.htm
Palaces? [Art dense]
- Palazzo di Doria Pomfilij on via del Corso.
- Palazzo Barberini just up the hill from Piazza Barberini.
- More...