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- TRAVEL
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- Europe
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- Italian Peninsula
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- Italy
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- Rome
THE ETERNAL CITY
The Metropolitan City of Rome is situated inland on the west coast of Italy on the Apennine Peninsula along the Tyrrhenian Sea within the greater Mediterranean. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the historic center displays this ancient capital’s 2500 years of history, flanking the Tiber River.
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Central Rome is divided into 22 rione, neighborhoods, each with its own highlights and characteristics.
I. Monti | XII. Ripa |
II. Trevi | XIII. Trastevere |
III. Colonna | XIV. Borgo |
IV. Campo Marzio | XV. Esquilino |
V. Ponte | XVI. Ludovisi |
VI. Parione | XVII. Sallustiano |
VII. Regola | XVIII. Castro Pretorio |
VIII. Sant’Eustachio | XIX. Celio |
IX. Pigna | XX. Testaccio |
X. Campitelli | XXI. San Saba |
XI. Sant’Angelo | XXII. Prati |
Basics
- Roma: Capital of Italy (and the region of Lazio)
- Languages: Italian and Romanesco dialect (efforts to preserve, vulnerable to extinction)
- Currency: Euro
- When to go: Spring and fall temperatures are most pleasant;
October to April prices are best, except for Christmas and Easter;
Summers (June to August) tend to be hot and humid and heavy with tourists - Airport: Roma-Fiumicino “Leonardo da Vinci” International Airport (main), Ciampino International Airport (secondary)
- Train Stations: Roma Termini Station (central), Roma Tiburtina Station (NE), Roma Ostiense Station
- Transportation: Metro, tram, bus, and local train passes — at the train station (24-, 48-, 72-hour, 7-day passes);
Vespas are popular forms of transportation: very walkable - River: The Tevere, Tiber River, flows from the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, running through Rome to join with the River Aniene then flows into the Tyrrhenian Sea
- Neighborhoods: 22 Rione of Central Rome (see map and table above)
- Safety: Rome ranks as a safe city, but be aware of fast-moving traffic and pickpockets, particularly in tourist areas and public transit areas, especially Termini Station
Rail
- TrenItalia‘s high-speed FRECCE trains from Rome take just under 1-1/2 hours to Florence and just over 1 hour to Naples, with service to all other major cities, like Milan and Venice. I found this Walks of Italy rail GUIDE to be very helpful.
- TrainLine rail app is a good resource for making reservations.
- Rail Europe is also a great source for making necessary train reservations—more travel information can be found in my post on an earlier trip: Northwestern Europe
- Our Eurail passes covered our train travel between cities and villages within our selected countries on the continent
- For local transport throughout Rome, we purchased unlimited 7-day journey passes at the train station, which include metro, bus, tram, and local trains—information guide HERE
- Metro maps were stored on our phones for quick reference, such as this one for Rome:
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Travel Guide: Vatican City
The world’s smallest country is also home to the Pope. However, not only Catholics make their pilgrimage to the Vatican, but people from around the world come in droves. Vatican City is a city-state politically separate from, but geographically surrounded by the city of Rome. The Vatican’s 3 main attractions Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and…