Highlights of Central Italy
Visiting Rome
Love it or hate it, Rome is on everyone's itinerary when they visit Italy for the first time. Rome can be overwhelming, frustrating, tiring... and magical! It just depends on how you approach the Eternal City.
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The first few times I visited Rome, I found it exhausting. Like most other tourists, we tried to hit all of the major tourist spots and see them all. Trying to tour the Vatican Museums, the Colosseum, and everything in between is just simply overwhelming. You will be overwhelmed, exhausted, and ready to flee.
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I will give you seven tips to make your visit to Rome more enjoyable. And, like all lists, I urge you to choose which advice you choose to follow, and plan your trip according to your own tastes and desires. Because these are things that I have done to make me love Rome, and all are from the perspective of mine and Keith's experiences.
Colosseum, Rome
seven ideas to Enhance your experience in The Eternal City
Allow time for serendipity
Do some research ahead of time and pick out some fun shops that may interest you. Rome is full of speciality shops, etc. There will be something you will want to visit.
Visit a small museum that is not on the tourist "must see" lists. There will be Something in Rome that will spark your interest.
Visit Rome when it's not too hot. I spent two weeks in Rome in January and loved it!
Ask a local, or a very well-trusted, experienced friend who knows Rome well where to eat. Avoid anyplace with a "Tourist" menu.
Try wandering Rome without even intentionally visitng a famous Tourist Attraction.
Candle's Store Via Urbana 21
A solemn place, and, in my mind, one that I would not want to miss.
I can't resist commenting on my seven Rome tips. There is so much more advice I could give, but will leave it at that for now. But, I must explain a few things. Leaving some time in your schedule to pop into a shop, church, or whatever grabs your attention one of the best ways to enjoy your visit anywhere.
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As for major tourist sites, we have visited them all, and enjoyed some more than others. Just don't feel obligated to spend time on something that really doesn't interest you, just because someone says you must see it.
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There are so many wonderful little shops in Rome. Keith gave me a book entitled The 500 Hidden Secrets of Rome before I Spent two weeks there doing a humanitarian project with my daughter. We had mornings free, and wandered Rome. I had highlighted a number of places from that book that I wanted to visit. It turned out to be such a fund way to see Rome. Some of the shops did not turn out to be open, but we had so much fun exploring along the way! Just remember, Rome is a very big city, so you will have to be aware of which parts of the city you will be visitng as you choose your destinations.
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One of the places we discovered in the above-mentioned book was the SS museum where Italian resistance fighters were held, tortured, and eventually executed during the late years of WWII. It is a place I will never forget. There are many more small museums I would like to visit in future visits to Rome.
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I will update this section in the future. We have a couple of small tours planned with a Roman guide in the fall, and I will write about that here in coming months.
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When I was wandering Rome with my daughter during our January visit, we managed to serendipitously happen upon all of the major tourist attractions while we were heading toward some obscure shop or restaurant. "Oh, look, there's the Mouth of Truth!" "Oh, I think we're about to descend the Spanish Steps!" "My goodness, this subway stop popped us right out in front of the colosseum!" "What's that crowd over there? (as we were on our way to a bakery)... Oh, it's the Trevi Fountain!" It made the famous sites of Rome so much more fun, stumbling upon them, just as if we had discovered them for the first time, ourselves!
Priya Bennett with the Mouth of Truth.
More photos and information coming to this section soon!