Buckeye(OH) said:
I stayed at Hotel Orazia, highly recommended. Very close to Termini Station as well as Vittorio Emmanuel which will put you on the line directly to the Colloseum and what not. Rome subways are easy to figure out, there's only two lines and they cross at one point.
No matter how long you spend there, you won't be able to see everything, the city is so rich in history, its mind-boggling. This was my second time there and I still missed stuff.
As for people from UofM, whats the point in wasting time arguing with ******s?
Thought I'd put in my 2 cents. I just got back from a "cultural/epicurial tour" of europe and it was wonderful.. .despite much drama. In rome I stayed in "Hotel Colors," which was one of the best hostels i stayed in, in europe. (They even make your beds... quite a luxery in the hostel setting!) Very clean, and they had clean kitchens that we used to make some good breakfasts.
When you arrive at termini station, the first thing you want to do is stuff your hands in your pockets. There are many pickpockets and "hawkers." Everyone knows this though, so just go with the flow and keep an eye on your stuff. We saw a person picking a bike lock and a police man stepped right behind him and said with a grunt "ahem hemm." It was very humourous.
As Buckeye said, the trains are very easy to use. Note that there are different locations to go on the local trains (subway) and the trains that take you to other cities. When in Italy, try out the many different bathrooms. LOL, you will be surprused to find that on the train, the toilet sewer leads directly on the train tracks! LOL! no joke. Also A good idea is to bring some sanitary hand gel. I'm not a germaphobe, but many places don't have soap, and you will feel much cleaner eating your pizza with "clean" hands!
The outside of the coloseum is filled with tour guides asking to join their tour. It will sound like a good deal, but once you pay them , you will have to pay an additional entry fee to get into the colloseum. Just avoid them as well, you can get an audio tour for much cheaper at the ticket booth. It would behoove you to bring a guide book (I used Let's go!) as their is a lot going on in the area. Right across the st you will find the roman forum, as well as ruins from nero's old palace. Also make sure and bring some water! Tiny bottles of water are available at a high price! Eat a big breakfast too, because food in this section of rome is over priced and low quality. You will find better eats outside the touristy section. If you find it, try Pizzeria Buffato's. It was our favorite pizzeria there! I guess this is a "local favorite"
-Mike B
Future CCOMer '09er
lmao
