I will be in Rome on business in two weeks time. Our event is until Friday lunch time, though there might be a few meetings afterwards. I will leave on Sunday afternoon, meaning I have all of Saturday for tourist stuff. This is my first time in Rome.
What's a reasonable program if I'm there just one full day?
I'm mostly interested in antique history. I'm not particularly interested in the Vatican or other renaissance/baroque sights, unless there's something that's MUST SEE you guys recommend.
I guess Baths of Caracalla, Forum, Colosseum, Pantheon.
I would think a trip wouldn't be sound without at least see St. Peter's Cathedral which is much easier to get into than the Vatican. I'd look up online about when's best to go though to beat/manage queue time.
As was mentioned before, skip Circus Maximus. Just a field.
Quote from: Syt on October 04, 2016, 04:06:07 AM
I will be in Rome on business in two weeks time. Our event is until Friday lunch time, though there might be a few meetings afterwards. I will leave on Sunday afternoon, meaning I have all of Saturday for tourist stuff. This is my first time in Rome.
What's a reasonable program if I'm there just one full day?
I'm mostly interested in antique history. I'm not particularly interested in the Vatican or other renaissance/baroque sights, unless there's something that's MUST SEE you guys recommend.
Well, the Vatican is full of classical goodness so don't write it off immediately.
But, if you only have a single day, I would stick to:
- Pantheon
- Capitoline Museums
- San Clemente (mithraeum)
- Forum Romanum, add Palatine and/or Colosseum if you have time left.
After closing time, walk over the Circus Maximus and back along the Tiber past the Forum Boarium and the two little temples on the river bank. Then on to the theatre of Marcellus, columns of Trajan and Marcus Aurelius and the Mausoleum of Augustus, you can even get a glimpse of the Ara Pacis through the glass wall of the building it's in.
Oh and Palatine Museum. You can also see Arch of Constantine near the Colosseum.
St. Peter's Cathedral qualifies as a must-see. It's truly breathtaking and the view from the cupola is very beautiful. Augustus' Mausoleum is nearby for your antique taste.
The Forum and the Capitoline Museums are the best antique sites, followed by Pantheon and Colloseum.
Quote from: Maladict on October 04, 2016, 04:17:05 AM
Quote from: garbon on October 04, 2016, 04:14:49 AM
Palatine Museum.
Really? The old antiquarium?
Ah you are right, I was thinking of the Capitoline Museums but when I quickly typed that in, seemed directly in line with what Syt mentioned. As I recall Capitoline Museums have cool Roman stuff but also mix of era that Syt says he doesn't care that much about.
Thanks for the tips; I'm not completely against non-antique attractions, so please feel free to recommend, but I'm currently in more of an Ancient Rome mood. :)
Quote from: Syt on October 04, 2016, 04:29:22 AM
Thanks for the tips; I'm not completely against non-antique attractions, so please feel free to recommend, but I'm currently in more of an Ancient Rome mood. :)
If you're into late antiquity/early Christianity, add Santa Sabina and Santo Stefano Rotondo to San Clemente.
If you're strapped for time you could skip the Palazzo Nuovo part of the Capitoline Museums, but do take in the view from the Tabularium.
The Vatican can be done at night. Its when it looks it's best. The inside is nothing special.
Quote from: Tyr on October 04, 2016, 06:43:23 AM
The Vatican can be done at night. Its when it looks it's best. The inside is nothing special.
Yeah, the Sistine chapel is nothing special. :rolleyes:
Visit the Mausoleum of Augustus. Say hi to Livia for me.
If you prefer the Emperor Hadrian you can visit his tomb as well but people keep calling it 'Castel Sant'Angelo' these days.
Quote from: Valmy on October 04, 2016, 09:30:36 AM
Visit the Mausoleum of Augustus. Say hi to Livia for me.
If you prefer the Emperor Hadrian you can visit his tomb as well but people keep calling it 'Castel Sant'Angelo' these days.
Sad to have a gay lover in denial. :(
should you decide to go the Colloseum as well as the forum and Palatine: iirc those three can be done with the same ticket. So it's interesting to get your ticket at either forum or Palatine, rather than standing in line for the colloseum. Cause that is a mighty long line!
Even if you're not into Renaissance stuff, St. Peter's sheer awesomeness has to be reckoned with. I mean, christianity split because of the bill! :P
Hit up a local (tourist-free) restaurant.
With only one day, and if you're into classical stuff, I'd restrict myself to Colosseum - Imperial Forums - Pantheon - Capitoline Museums (if there's time). The Colosseum on a saturday will be ultra crowded, so consider getting the premium ticket that allows you to jump the queue. Save some time in the evening just to walk around aimlessly around the city center, in the Campo dei Fiori - Piazza Navona - Trevi Fountain - Piazza di Spagna general area. Have a gelatto or several (Giolitti and Della Palma, near the Pantheon - Piazza Colonna, would be my sugestions).
Quote from: Hamilcar on October 04, 2016, 01:38:31 PM
Hit up a local (tourist-free) restaurant.
This!
Syt, if you are not afraid of lonely out of the way dark alley behind a church: Da Tonino- Trattoria Bassetti, Via del Governo Vecchio, 18, 00186 Roma, Italy
Very Small, very local, not touristy, just enough English to feed you some good food. We were referred by the lady from the bed and breakfast we stayed at.
Even though it's not classical, I think it would be amiss for you to not visit the Capuchin Crypt. It's pretty metal.
Quote from: The Larch on October 04, 2016, 01:46:00 PM
With only one day, and if you're into classical stuff, I'd restrict myself to Colosseum - Imperial Forums - Pantheon - Capitoline Museums (if there's time). The Colosseum on a saturday will be ultra crowded, so consider getting the premium ticket that allows you to jump the queue. Save some time in the evening just to walk around aimlessly around the city center, in the Campo dei Fiori - Piazza Navona - Trevi Fountain - Piazza di Spagna general area. Have a gelatto or several (Giolitti and Della Palma, near the Pantheon - Piazza Colonna, would be my sugestions).
This is what I would do if I had only one day in Rome. If you're into the renaissance (Huzzah!) and the baroque St. Peters, the Vatican Museum and Castel St. Angelo would be a good day. If you're really into the baroque then do the Galleria Borghese and see the Bernini square with the fountain of the four rivers. If you're really into Lovecraft (:cthulu:) see the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna and witness (what he thought was) the horrors of Futurism (:o :o :o).
St. Pete's is extremely impressive. Tyr's kind of anti-Christian so maybe he should avoid churches.
Quote from: Razgovory on October 04, 2016, 06:18:11 PM
St. Pete's is extremely impressive. Tyr's kind of anti-Christian so maybe he should avoid churches.
St Peter's is perhaps the only part of Rome I didn't care for - just to big and showy.
But I recommend the "just go and find almost any random restaurant" advice - I had some fantastic seafood risotto at a hole the wall Roman restaurant...
Great tips, thanks. :cool:
I may hang with a colleague or two who also stay there. Our finance head's husband is coming; he's a huge history buff, so it would be fun to explore with him.
Watch out for the gypsy kids!
Quote from: Razgovory on October 04, 2016, 06:18:11 PM
St. Pete's is extremely impressive. Tyr's kind of anti-Christian so maybe he should avoid churches.
I like cathedrals. They're the main thing to see in most European cities.
St Peters though despite being the top cathedral isn't actually all that special. Just big
It's not a cathedral. :nerd: The enormous gold piece above the alter really impressed me.
Quote from: Tyr on October 05, 2016, 03:57:29 AM
Quote from: Razgovory on October 04, 2016, 06:18:11 PM
St. Pete's is extremely impressive. Tyr's kind of anti-Christian so maybe he should avoid churches.
I like cathedrals. They're the main thing to see in most European cities.
St Peters though despite being the top cathedral isn't actually all that special. Just big
Yeah right. It is quite impressive.
Quote from: Barrister on October 04, 2016, 11:43:55 PMSt Peter's is perhaps the only part of Rome I didn't care for - just to big and showy.
Too big and showy? Not a fan of the baroque style, I guess. :P Damned calvinists...
Quote from: garbon on October 05, 2016, 04:19:38 AM
Quote from: Tyr on October 05, 2016, 03:57:29 AM
Quote from: Razgovory on October 04, 2016, 06:18:11 PM
St. Pete's is extremely impressive. Tyr's kind of anti-Christian so maybe he should avoid churches.
I like cathedrals. They're the main thing to see in most European cities.
St Peters though despite being the top cathedral isn't actually all that special. Just big
Yeah right. It is quite impressive.
Indeed. Just big? St. Pete's has stuff in its tiniest side chapel that would be national treasures almost in any other country in the world.
To all the good suggestions already written, I add:
- Centrale Montemartini: it's an old power station refitted as a roman sculpture museum. Nice contrast of turn-of-the-century dark steel machinery and 2000-years-old marble (if you want a sneak peek, you can watch the first minutes of The Ignorant Faeries, a film by Ferzan Ozpetek. And, after the first minutes, you can stop watching it without regrets :-P)
- Take some time at home to study the Trajan Market beside the Forum, then go visit it; it's a very clever use of an area that was very limited in space, and one of the most interesting showcases of architectural techniques the Romans were masters of.
L.
If God were to reside in a building, that would be it.
Quote from: Razgovory on October 05, 2016, 07:44:19 AM
If God were to reside in a building, that would be it.
Trajan's Market? The Knights of Malta do own a building there :tinfoil:
Quote from: Pedrito on October 05, 2016, 07:19:30 AM
To all the good suggestions already written, I add:
- Centrale Montemartini: it's an old power station refitted as a roman sculpture museum. Nice contrast of turn-of-the-century dark steel machinery and 2000-years-old marble (if you want a sneak peek, you can watch the first minutes of The Ignorant Faeries, a film by Ferzan Ozpetek. And, after the first minutes, you can stop watching it without regrets :-P)
- Take some time at home to study the Trajan Market beside the Forum, then go visit it; it's a very clever use of an area that was very limited in space, and one of the most interesting showcases of architectural techniques the Romans were masters of.
L.
Agreed on Trajan's Market, well worth a visit. :cool:
CM is great but a bit out of the way. Although you could walk to S. Paolo fuorio le mura from there.
Or the other way to the pyramid and the Protestant cemetery.
Visit a McDonalds and wildly wave your hands around.
Visit a local resturant and ask for the Olive Garden endless pasta special.
:lol:
Remember to speak loudly and slowly. That helps.
Since your are German, wear lederhosen.
Do not climb on the walls of the Palatine Hill to take pictures of the Circus Maximus, a very pissed off Italian will scream at you and ask you to leave.
Quote from: lustindarkness on October 05, 2016, 10:04:56 PM
Do not climb on the walls of the Palatine Hill to take pictures of the Circus Maximus, a very pissed off Italian will scream at you and ask you to leave.
Don't climb any walls :ultra:
Quote from: Ed Anger on October 05, 2016, 11:09:35 AM
Visit a McDonalds and wildly wave your hands around.
Visit a local resturant and ask for the Olive Garden endless pasta special.
I do quite like having a look at mcdonalds in different countries to see the local variations :blush:
In Germany it's a sausage sandwich.
Ok, we got our briefing for next week. The main location will be the Auditorium Conciliazione, a stone's throw from St. Peter's, with a few Wednesday events in a different location near the Trevi Fountain.
Cocktail reception at the OS Club, and the "Fun Night" event at Villa Miani on a hill from which you have a good view of Roma.
The hotel is about 200 meters North of the Parco Adriano where the Castel Sant'Angelo is, so touristening should be easy to do on foot.
Arrived in Rome. It's grey and rainy.
The hotel is named after Emperor Justinian, with meeting rooms names after various other emperors (Augustus, Caesar, Nero, Tiberius, Marcus Aurelius).
The rooms are spcacious, but the bathroom is tiny. Walked past Hadrian's tomb to pick up my convention pass.
The taxi driver gave us 1 receipt and several blank ones ("How many do you need?") :lol:
Quote from: Syt on October 18, 2016, 10:34:50 AMThe taxi driver gave us 1 receipt and several blank ones ("How many do you need?") :lol:
A few years ago, in a campaign against tax evasion, the Italian government made a big deal of making every transaction be registered and a receipt given, so I guess they're now overcompensating. :P
Enjoy your time there! :)
Spent most of today in meeting rooms in a buidng of the Papal Gregorian University (?). Very 70s/80s interior.
Had a cappucino with a colleague in a cafe near the location 200m off Trevi Fountain, but mostly serving locals. They didn't have change for a 10 EUR bill, though and then insisted that it was on the house. :)
After the workshop sessions we walked past the Trevi Fountain and took a taxi back to the hotel. Cocktail reception tonight. My feet hurt from standing all day.
If you have the time next time - my favorite part of last Rome visit was Ostia Antiqua - very well preserved layout of an ancient Roman Suburb. Ofcourse, not as magnificient as the Forum Romanum and the Pantheon, but very nice.
Vatican Museum was awesome.
Thanks for the tip. I definitely see myself returning here for short trips, because there's just so much to see and do. :)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Sack_of_Rome_by_the_Visigoths_on_24_August_410_by_JN_Sylvestre_1890.jpg)
Delta Chi pledge night.
God, I hope Syt wears clothing at the Vatican.
Quote from: Razgovory on October 22, 2016, 12:50:23 AM
God, I hope Syt wears clothing at the Vatican.
:blush:
Plan for today: walking via Angel's Bridge to Pantheon and Hadrian's Column to the forum. I hope something funny happens on the way.
Travelled back today. After the laid-backness of Rome the bickering and complaining East German pensioners at the baggage drop off were doubly sore to the ears.
Had a decent burger with buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto, tomato, and basil at the airport.
Quote from: Syt on October 23, 2016, 11:53:09 AM
the bickering and complaining East German pensioners at the baggage drop off were doubly sore to the ears.
I have no frame of reference for that. :mellow: Americanize, please? Would that be like elderly Florida retirees transplanted from New York?
Imagine elderly people whose facial expression is constantly as if you ripped a loud, stinky fart. Constantly complaining about how everything was better/faster/nicer in X, though home is nicest. Lots of it in sentences that sound like a humorless bureaucrat was their speechwriter.