Two days in Rome...?

Question

I will be going on a cruise this week. I will be spending two of the days in Rome. Do you have a list of "Must Sees" for me?

Any useful tips?

Thanks

Answer 1

all those mentioned above

and please have dinner here, it is awesome:

http://www.trattoriatritone.com/english....

Answer 2

Vatican City, Colosseum, Roman Forum, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona are more popular places to see in rome.. but there are more to see and do.. going to gardens, shopping in rome are some..

just check what are the happenings in rome for your days there. may be some out door concerts available

Answer 3

If you have just a couple of days to spare, I’ll try to give you the pared down version of things to do.  I’ll give you a few options along with good places to eat, and suggestions for what a particular place may be known for. There are a couple of mandatory things you need to squeeze in, so I’ll work around those things first.

Duh, shopping!  Start where it counts, which is at the base of the Spanish Steps.  With the steps behind you, straight ahead will be Via Condotti…. Designer goods Mecca!  Don’t worry about the biggies unless you are just curious… Ferragamo Men’s is consistently good, skip the jewels… prices are outrageous.  As you work your way down the street, look for  Francesco Rogani on your right, at numero 47. LEATHER GOODS!  It’s a small store, but peek in the back, as there is another room that is all 50% off.  Sconti and Soldi mean  DISCOUNTS  and SALE!!!!

As via Condotti ends, you’ll run into via del Corso, which runs perpendicular to via Condotti.  Go right on via del Corso.  This is a major street with lots of shops with very reasonable prices.  The regular Italians shop here, as you’ll notice how the crowd changes from the designer-laden streets.  If your schedule permits or the mood strikes, you may want to poke around in the little shops that run parallel to via Condotti.  Via Frattina, and via Borgognona are great streets for menswear… have a gander for yourself.  Provided you end up back on via del Corso and have turned right, you’re headed toward Piazza del Popolo.  You must stop for a little something to drink.  Have a rest at either Bar Canova or Bar Rosatti.  This is a great piazza for people watching, so sit for a bit and check out the Italians and tourists.  Check out the church on the North side of the piazza… see the info on the church and it’s fabulous artwork inside.

If you can swing it, do try to have dinner in this area. You REALLY need to go to Nino’s, and you’ll need to have a reservation.  I know you don’t want to eat alone, but give this a shot.  Nino’s is an institution… everything is so yummy there, but I especially like the cannelloni.  Have the Antinori Pinot Grigio if you feel like white wine… that was standard issue for me.  The phone number is 06-6786752. You might swing by earlier in the day to make a prenotazione, as you will have passed it in your shopping travels if you snooped around the side streets.  You can’t miss it because there’s a huge, long neon sign …. NINO’S, via Borgognona, 11.

Another group of sights might start in Campo de’ Fiori.  If you go in the morning, you can check out the market… the whole piazza is buzzing with vendors hawking their goods.  Get to Antico Forno Campo de’ Fiori, in the piazza, no. 22.  Go ahead, get yourself a big, warm sqooshy, yummy hunk of Pizza Bianca. You will think you’ve died and gone to a happy, Italian heaven when you sink your teeth into what is basically thick, fresh baked bread with a smattering of olive oil and rock salt on it.  Sounds boring, but you’ll love walking around with that treat wrapped in paper warming your hand as you walk around the piazza.

If you’re in this area in the evening, you must have dinner at Filatti di Baccala’, which is at Large dei Librari, 88.  It’s on the other side of the piazza, directly across from my old street and down a bit on the left.  This place is an institution. No reservations here, but wait if you must, it is well worth it.  Have the fish.  It’s fried codfish, and it is the most delicate white fish you can imagine, deep fried in some delicious batter.  You order how many pieces you’d like. Two or three or four… I would eat the fish and not even worry about a salad, okay maybe tomatoes, but only if you must. Ask for the vino bianco alla spiga, which is the house wine that comes from the spicket. It has a little, light fizz to it, which cuts the fried fish just right.  If they don’t have it, your robust waiter, probably part butcher, part ex-con will bring you a bottle of house white wine.  Don’t sweat it, drink what you want and leave the rest, as it’s only about 3 euros.  Our waiter used to unscrew it for us like a master wine steward and would sniff the s***w top before he poured our first glasses.  

If you are in this area after dark, pop in to the Piazza Farnase, which is adjacent to Campo de’ Fiori.  The piazza has two fountains, but the real treat is that the French Embassy is in a lovely old palace on the side opposite the market.  Look up at the second story through the windows.  See the frescos on the ceiling?  They are so beautiful… I think I remember that they are Michelangelo, at least in part, or from his school, but they are amazing.  Have a little nip in that wine bar you see right by the palace.  Very civilized.

Ok, get up and get ready early if you’re going to hit the Vatican Museum. You really need to see it, but move at your own pace because it is huge and you could get bored if it’s not your bag.  Just make sure you get to the Sistine Chapel.  Trust me, I love most of what is there, but even I was sick of Madonna and Child paintings. The museum is closed on Mondays.

You might want to go to San Pietro… St. Peter’s Basilica, or you might decide you’ve had enough.  Either way, have lunch at Ristorante Arlu’ a San Pietro. It’s at Borgo Pio, 135.  Traditional Italian, all home made. This tiny little place has the proverbial red and white checkered tablecloths you’d wish for in an Italian restaurant.  Lasagna is like nothing we ever knew in America.  The pasta is paper thin layers through delicious sauce.  You won’t believe it’s called the same thing as that c**p our mothers tried to pass off as lasagna.  If you’ve walked your butt off, this is the place to try the tiramisu.  It is homemade and beyond heaven.

Maybe you can do the Vatican in the morning and the Campo de’ Fiori bit in the afternoon and evening. Not St. Peter’s, though, so you can go see the Pope out of his window in Piazza San Pietro, Sunday at 11.00 AM.

There should be maps in the hotel or around some of the touristy places. A general map would be helpful to you. Carry this sheet in your pocket and point to the place you’re trying to go, and they’ll point you in the right direction, more or less.

There is so much that I’m not telling you… Piazza Navona is a short walk from Campo de’ Fiori.  It is one of the most tourist-y piazzas in Rome, but the Bernini Fountains are beautiful.  Get cheesy t-s***s there.

The Pantheon is my favorite place in the city.  How did they make the roof so perfectly round?  How did they know? Raffael is buried there... amazing place...

Have fun.  Think of Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony, Galileo, Michaelangelo, DaVinci, and a million other magnificent men.  Think of your feet touching exactly the same places they touched and be a part of the history. Buon viaggio!

Answer 4

Trevi Fountain, Colleseum, Vatican, St. Peters Bacillica.

Answer 5

Colosseum, Roman Forum, Campidoglio, Navona Square, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, St. Peter's Basilica, The Sistine Chapel, Borghese Gallery (Galleria Borghese), Via Veneto (La Dolce Vita), Gianicolo, Pincio.