Sistine Chapel, Holy See

Note that you are not allowed to take pictures in the Sistine Chapel. Totally crowded all the time, so be prepared for masses of tourists.

They say the japanese company Nippon TV sponsored the restauration of the Michelangelo's Frescoes in the Sistine Chapel in exchange for exclusive media rights to the restored ceiling, which is why you cannot take pictures. It is quite crowded with people, but astonishing none the less. If you're in the neighbourhood, it's a must see.

Somewhere next to the outer walls surrounding Vatican, there is a condom dispenser machine (at least there was in 2006). It's an amusing detail, as the Catholic Church isn't exactly pro-(safe)-sex. Get your special souvenir from there :)

La Sagra del Vino
Via Marziale 5, 00136 Rome
Very good food, personnel and reasonable prices. Dinner for two with three courses and coffee + vine + drinks only 50 €.

Be there about 8 pm. (it opens at that time but normally it is full at 8.15 pm.) Of course you can make a reservation.

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Rome is an excellent place for history freaks like me as there are lots of things to see. Food is great as well. You just got to there!

You can buy beer from the souvenir shops which are located within or near the walls that surround Vatican. It tastes better than usual, because hey it's beer and u're drinking it in Vatican!

Great food nearby Termini, via Cavour 115 (or something like that) restaurant Gallo Matto.

A plaza surrounded by rather nice buildings, upon closer inspection revealed to be very old ruins protected with see-through barriers, with tons of cats hanging arround and chillin among the ruins! A definite must for serious cat lovers. The cats are fed and taken care of by volunteers, so they are rather happy and healthy-looking.
Eventho suffering from serious heat and overall too much Rome for the day-exhaustion, I spent quite a while hanging over the barrier and talkin to them kitties. Luv that place.

The statue of Giordano Bruno is worth seeing.

St Peter's Basilica is a must see. One can only be amazed how MUCH MONEY some can waste on something SO USELESS and -well- mostly just hidious. Climb up to the Cupola and see a nice panorama. 320 steps really wasn't so bad but remember to bring an extra bottle of water.

They have Latin expressions for all the modern things in Vatican City. So ATM's will display the following message: "Inserito scidulam quaeso" - "please insert card". That's completely bizarre!

A really comfortable four star hotel with rooms equipped with satellite television, minibar and good showers. Half of the rooms have also a balcony or even an own terrace. Absolutely wonderful place, the only minus comes from the harder than average beds.

Go very early to avoid the huge lines of tourists queuing to the museums. Also note that taking photographs in the museum is not easy (no flash allowed) and in the Sixtine Chapel you're not allowed to take photos at all.

If you're in a hurry and don't mind paying a few euros extra, you can get in without long queuing with a guided tour. There are people selling guided tours outside the Vatican and there's no need to book in advance. Not sure about the quality of all of them, but ours was good. You should use your common sense of course.

What a great city :)

Great city and great history! I've spent 2 weeks there and I haven't seen as much as I wanted to... so, it will probably be a "next time" :P
By the way, if you intend to visit Vatican or basilica San Pietro, San Givanni or Santa Maria... or that kind of stuff :D... you should not wear short shorts... :P I didn't knew that, so... Anyway, good food, and *really* good capuccino! Yammy!

The column is just a monument to tell the story of brave warriors and triumphes of the Roman men and emperor. The best way to study this column is to visit the "Museo Della Civilta' Romana" in the EUR the part of Rome created by Mussolini. They have made plaster copies of the column and divided it into many small parts so it is possible to admire all the figurines and carvings very close.

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A very cool church! There's a big hole in the ceiling where the light comes in from. Tons of people but still worth a visit if you're into ancient history and architecture.

A very famous and large fountain and one of the must see places in Rome. Many people though and many "salesmen" selling things like umbrellas. It is quite a romantic and beautiful place. Very much worth seeing!

I went to Rome mostly to see roman history and especially the Colosseum. It was very much worth it. There are plenty of guided tours quite cheaply available and you should take one to bypass the long lines of people waiting for their tickets.

Lots of ruins. You got to take the guided tours, otherwise you won't get much out of this. The English speaking guides are very good and tell great stories. Very much worth the money!

I didn't quite get this one. Perhaps it was because I was tired and it was raining, but I didn't see anything of much interest although I'm a big history enthusiast.

It looks like a palace or something but actually it is just a very big monument that gives a nice view over the roman forum. See also the fun change of military guards!

Some old stairs that are famous for some reason. Not a big thing but many tourists go there. Have no clue why.

Some old stairs that are famous for some reason. Not a big thing but many tourists go there. Have no clue why.

I nice piazza, although the main thing for me was to go to the park above it and hang out there looking down at the piazza. The park was beautiful, you should definitely go there for a walk and coffee.

Definitely a must see place after dark. People gather here around musicians, performers and artists. In addition, it is worthwhile to walk towards Vaticane from Piazza Navona as it's filled with good restaurants, bars and cafes.

The most famous fountain in Rome (and perhaps the world?). Very much worth seeing!

If you're a history freak like me you want to see all the columns and other stuff that you can find in Rome. Aurelius' column is one of the biggest if not the biggest column in Rome and a very cool sight. There are nice cafes around the piazza too.

Best italian food was served in La Pace Del Palato during our weeks stay in Rome. In addition the atmosphere was pleasant and service very friendly.

A wonderful park in a middle of Rome, just around the corner from spanish stairs. This place is at it's best on winter time when grass is green and flowers are pretty. You can also hire a boat and row around the pond.

Also known as "the wedding cake". Visible from all over Rome, maybe the ugliest sight in the city.

Prepare some serious queuing in Vatican City. Well you could be lucky if you go there early in morning. Opens at 8 o´clock

Not the best of airports, though clean and adequate. Quite a small taxfree area. It was confusing trying to find where you return the rental car, there were no signs and eventually you had to go to arrivals first and from there on there were signs.

Nice and 'a must see', but a certified tourist trap none the less. A lot of tourists and a lot of people trying to force you to buy flowers and whatever. Just go there, take the photos and get out of there before you get robbed one way or the other..

Definitely worth the visit. Amazing how they could build something like this already centuries ago.

For those of you who are interested in seeing other religious sites, I have found a great website that offers Christian Travel. Take a look. You will find them at

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If you are searching an authorized professionals guide for tours in Rome and around, I think you could give a look to this site. Very useful for easy reservation to the Coliseum, the Vatican Museum.

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Best Ice Cream in the world. No contest.

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a must see

All roads lead to Rome and when you get there - remember to visit Bartolucci, unforgettable toy store. Toys are handmade using pinewood. Find it near Pantheon, Via dei Pastini 98

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REALLY nice sight! Have to see!

Beautiful place especially at a night-time

Perfect location, nice staff, beautiful and high rooms.
A breakfast is served to a room, so romantic!:)

We had to wait for hours in melting sun shine to get to Vatican and Vatican Museums but it sure was worth while. Even I recognized some of the masterpieces from long corridors and ceilings on continuous paintings.

you'll take wonderful pics during the afternoon in summer, with a blue sky, the statues look phenomenal

Segway and Bike Tours in Rome

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Wine Tasting experience in a typical wine bar located in the heart of Rome

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Part of trip "Interrail 2003"

We had a lovely 5 day trip to Rome years ago with my girlfriend. It's a great city, you can just feel the long history of it and all. We stayed in a hotel very close to Piazza Venetzia and that was a really good call. It's a very central location and thus it's easy to go where ever you want in the city.

I've collected some of the places we visited into this travel story, but I'm missing the most important one which was a great small local restaurant with fantastic food and a queue of locals outside waiting for a table in the cold winter weather. I can't recall the name or the location of the place anymore. :( It was a walking distance from Piazza Venetzia but that's all I know.

I'm a history fan so I found the city great, but some of the touristic sights are a disappointment even if it's Rome, so make sure that you don't go to the bad places if you're tight on time.

Looking back on it the only places I should have gone to were Forum Romanum, Colosseum and Vatican. The rest of the vacation would have been best spent in the cafes and restaurants. :)

Oh, make sure that the taxi drivers put the meter on!

Of course very touristy but also fantastic. Along with the Forum Romanum and Vatican the only must see sight in Rome. Make sure to buy the guided tour to avoid waiting in the lines. The tours are also very good, or at least the one I took was. It's just amazing to think how old the building is as well as how large it is and is still in relatively good shape. Just amazing.

One of the must see places in Rome according to many guide books. Yeah, it's a big fountain but that's it. Nothing you can't live without. Lots of tourists, lots of expensive ice cream and people selling you crap like umbrellas (if it's raining).

A remarkable piece of cultural history. A stunningly big building offering also great views over Rome if you take the time and climb to the top. The climb is a bit high which is good - there are less tourists. :) Do make it to the top. Definitely worth it.

The museums and especially Sistine chapel are great but very very crowded. Go early. The Sistine chapel is the only thing you'll remember afterwards though and you can't even take photos of that. It wasn't bad but I would consider twice before going.

One of those places you need to stand on once in your life. Enough said.

They're famous but I don't think they're worth seeing. Sure walk past them if you have the time but they are just stairs.

One of the short stops during our "see all the basic sights in Rome" day. A nice column. :)

A pretty big building with no purpose what so ever. Next to Piazza Venetzia. It's just a decoration. You can't go in. Gazillions of tourists watching the change of guards and climbing to the top. Not much point in that.

Definitely not your average quite Piazza. Lots of traffic. Nice bars though.

Again one of the supposed must see places in Rome. Nothing much to it. Yeah, it's old and all that but still. It's nice for sure but not one of the things you'll remember years after coming back from the trip.

Nice park area. Definitely worth it if you want to escape the urban Rome. We went here just to walk and eat ice cream. :)

One of the bigger piazzas but rather touristic. Well, so are a lot of places in Rome. :) This one is still quite nice and quiet. We went here just to see it and have lunch in one of the many restaurants close by. Nothing special to it. It made a nice stop on our way to Pincian Hill, otherwise wouldn't really have been worth all the walking.

Perhaps the biggest flop in the whole of Rome. I went there to see something great but it was nothing, just a . Definitely not worth the time, even if it is close to Colosseum.

Something you'll see while visiting Colosseum. Nothing special to it.

The best place to visit in Rome. Definitely. Take the guided tour. It's worth it even though if you've read history. The guys giving the tours are very good and they know their stuff.

I lived there 4 months and still didn't see everything. Best city in the world.

An unforgettable excursion from the Civitavecchia seaport to Rome

“ An unforgettable excursion in Rome”

Some fellow travelers were excited about their arrival at the Civitavecchia
(Seaport of Rome). They had planned this trip to the Eternal City for over a
year and wanted to be sure that each port of call made during the cruise experience was enjoyed to the fullest.

So they decided to do a little research to locate a company that
could provide an excursion for the day - with the intention to go to Rome.
As you can imagine, there were a number of limo, shuttle and taxi services
eager to serve tourist needs - the tough part, which company to choose?

They asked a few fellow passengers while en-route to Civitavecchia seaport
whether they had any recommendations of excursion providers for the day.

As they suspected, for most others they met, this was their first time
visiting - and they needed help as well! They did, however, find a couple
who had been to Rome or Civitavecchia seaport previously and remembered the name of the Rome limousine company they used - and they highly recommended them.

That company was www.tiberlimo.it - based in Rome.

Without dragging this account on and on, all I have to say is that my
acquaintances were provided absolutely fantastic, professional services with
a beautiful Mercedes C class “Mercedes Top Class” to boot!
They arrived on time and provided a 7-hour excursion to Rome and managed to fill every hour with the perfect mixture of sights and sounds as well as a great lunch to match. If you,
your family, wife, girlfriend, or whomever you may be traveling with is
considering Civitavecchia seaport to be one of your ports-of-call, and you
have the time - I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Tiber Limousine based out in of Rome.

They will be sure to make the most of your time in Rome - it's guaranteed!

Their website again is www.tiberlimo.it.

In December and January when the Tiber river is really high, this is one of the points where it gets at its highest. Scary but fascinating.

It's definetly worth it going down to the front of the island and all the way down to the river bank. Then you can actually get an impression of how much water and force there is in this river. Also makes it quite diffiucult to imagine the the ships that sailed upstream (of course then, the walls of the Tiber river wasn't there and the whole area was like the Everglades...).

This is a very interesting place: on one side is wehere the shopping street Via del Corso explodes into chaos, and on the other side is where the Italian government has one of their main offices, it explodes in press corps, paparazzi and crazy politicians. The column is a copy like everthing else in Roma.