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General => General Discussion => Topic started by: MrBoom_shack-a-lack on November 10, 2013, 05:21:42 AM
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So for the first time ever i'm gonna spend christmas in a foreign country. My folks and I have booked a short little trip to Italy, Rome for a few days, 22th-26th to be precisely. Should be really interesting.
It's pretty convenient that the italians don't "celebrate" christmas eve until the 25th so the 24th most things should be open as usual, right?
So my italian friends or anyone familiar with Rome, I know there's tons of things to see but we're only there for a couple of days so if you have any must things to see or activities to do i'll be grateful.
Teatro dell'Opera is pretty near our hotel so we will probably go see an opera if it's not too expensive.
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I'm not sure how much of the ancient monuments are open in December, but must-sees are the Colosseum, the Forum, the Pantheon and the Capitoline Museum.
Also try to get to the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel - you might be able to catch the Pope's Christmas message if you're lucky.
Other famous landmarks include the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, Trajan's Forum and Column. If you're into shopping, Via del Corso has a lot of upmarket places.
I've been to Rome 4 or 5 times and it's hands down my favourite city in the world.
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Do as the Romans do.
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I second the post above...Rome is great, and you should find a lot of interesting things to do. It's one of those cities where history is right in your face, and you unexpectedly stumble upon cool things at every corner. And the food...let's just say I ran the Rome Marathon last year and gained all the pounds I've lost during training in just a few extra days in the city. Pasta and ice cream are an evil combination!
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Sorry, I meant to second cyberdrummer's post! :facepalm:
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It's great to see that my country still attracts people, despite all :metal
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Do as the Romans do.
Exactly :lol
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Yes, the gelato from Giolitti near the Parliament building is outstanding - especially the champagne flavour.
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My favourite gelato flavour is fiordelatte, hands down!
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If you've never been to Rome, I would suggest you just do the classic stuff.
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Do as the Romans do.
:lol
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It'll take you a good chunk of a day, but I'd recommend riding the bus 30 clicks East to check out Villa d'Este in Tivoli. It's a lovely bus ride (and it's a regular bus so it's only a buck or two) into very pretty country. The gardens (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_d%27Este#Gardens) were better than anything I saw in Rome. It's sort of the Italian Versailles, but the gardens are much better done.
Inside of Rome proper, The Vatican is the one thing I'd characterize as a must see. I really enjoyed Piazza Navona, as well. Be sure and go inside the duomo there. It's not quite St. Peter's, but it's stunning nevertheless.
edit: my understanding is that the Christmas masses at St. Peter's work on a lottery system, and as an foreign visitor you might get a slight preference. I don't even believe in any of that stuff, but I'd damn sure try to get a couple of tickets to attend a midnight mass. For all of their faults, the Catholics to ceremony well.
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Do as the Romans do.
:hefdaddy
I've never been. But I strongly encourage you to research beforehand any places you want to visit to ensure they're open during the holidays. F'rinstance, opera may not be.
Enjoy!
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I just remembered that there are one-day tours to Pompeii, a must- see in my book.
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What I probably enjoyed more than most of our days in Rome was our one-day trip to Ostia, which was the Ancient Roman port and is now a town of ruins. If you have the time and if that interests you, definitely do that!
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Do as the Romans do.
I actually made a point to do just that. Rather than booking an overpriced shithole in the touristy part of Rome, I booked an awesome yet very affordable room about 5 miles out of the city center. I got to stay and eat amongst the regular people, and it was only a 10 minute bus ride to Termini. On top of that, riding a bus in Rome is an experience everybody should have; it's a real trip.
And the best part of all was that every morning I got to ride the Labia Express into town. :biggrin:
(https://i385.photobucket.com/albums/oo299/000jesus/IMG00063-20090516-1043.jpg)
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Do as the Romans do.
:clap:
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:heart
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Kotowboy beat me to it. :lol :clap:
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Kotowboy beat me to it. :lol :clap:
Ha. It's the first thing I thought of when I saw the thread title.
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Thx for all the suggestions! :metal
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I'll second Piazza Navona, very awesome experience for an evening dinner. I guess outside eating might be out, though, given when you'll be there.
Give espresso (cafe) drinks a shot, there, all kinds of fantastic places at a cheap price.