We booked our trip last night, surprisingly had enough miles to cover 4/5 tickets, significantly reduced the cost.
Depart 6/30, short layover in Munich then on to Rome
Flying back via Heathrow on 7/9

Staying at a house in Rome, supposed to be walking distance to some of the popular tourist-y things.

We're going for a university graduation. We hosted an Italian exchange student back in 2018 & she's graduating college.

Those who've done Italy, especially in the summer, please drop your tips in here.
We'll have the family of our exchange student to get us around a bit, plan is to keep Rome as the hub and maybe venture a bit further out depending on timing/cost.

I'd really like to venture up to Maranello & see Ferrari, but not sure how viable that is as a day trip.
Looks like 4-6 hours each way by car, and a lot more by train.
Imola looks to be about the same, and Monza is even further.

Sounds like a fun trip! Hope your house has AC though.

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:
Sounds like a fun trip! Hope your house has AC though.

Yes - a coworker has been there three times in June and July. She said it can be quite hot there at that time of year.

quote:

Originally posted by WaterburyBob:

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:
Sounds like a fun trip! Hope your house has AC though.

Yes - a coworker has been there three times in June and July. She said it can be quite hot there at that time of year.

We confirmed with the host, house has AC & WiFi

Be certain to get a UK ETA (travel authorization) before you go. It costs about $20 per person. Be sure to do it on the UK government website not some 3rd party.

If you get delayed or for any other reason have to go through customs/immigration in Heathrow, you must have that ETA.

It is even possible the airline won't let you on the flight to Heathrow without it.

Hot AF, cooling towels and personal fan

AC is a must, be mindful of your stuff when you travel in Rome, no different than travelling in NYC, pickpockets abound.

Don't get a car unless you are going outside of Rome. A day pass on the subway is a great way to get around quickly from attractions, clean, quick and well marked, you don't have to be fluent, the indicators of locations are easily determined such as Colosseum, Vatican City, etc.

when you are at the Spanish Steps, take time for lunch or dinner at Ristorante Nino, get the Tuscan bean soup... Famous for it's soup.

https://ristorantenino.it/home-english/

Galleria Borghese. I can't recommend it enough. I'm not much of an art guy, but I was blown away at the collection, especially the scupltures. I have been describing them as if God himself had turned flesh to marble. Its been a long time since I was there so things may have changed, but tickets were free in 2010, but you had to reserve them in advance and you got a 2 hour time slot to visit. https://galleriaborghese.cultura.gov.it/en/

Dinner. It was a major culture shock that the city doesn't eat at 6 pm. It took us a few days to adjust, but 9 is going to be the earliest you want to eat if you want to get a taste of local culture. My favorite meals were at little places in the alley's. My favorite was at a place called Il Fico.

Download some audio guides. My wife and I downloaded Rick Steeve's guides for Rome and they were invaluable for being able to enjoy the city and its history. We had ones for the Vatican, the Colloseum, the Parthenon, the Forum.

It will likely be crowded. While I never had a problem, I was warned by many people about pick pockets and thieves. So be aware.


I loved Rome and would happly go back and I'm saying that as someone that typically despises big cities. The only thing I'd recommend that you can't do is to visit in Jan/Feb. The number of tourists is way way lower than in the spring/summer and all the sights are still there. I've been during both and in the Summer there was a line for just about everything.

quote:

Originally posted by Fly-Sig:
Be certain to get a UK ETA (travel authorization) before you go. It costs about $20 per person. Be sure to do it on the UK government website not some 3rd party.

If you get delayed or for any other reason have to go through customs/immigration in Heathrow, you must have that ETA.

It is even possible the airline won't let you on the flight to Heathrow without it.

United had an advisory about that. Said it may be needed even to transit through the airport on a connection.
Will be looking into it this week.

Bring your own Ice, apparently the person with the recipe has died.

Don't be afraid to eat as much as you can and want, the neat thing is you will come home and have lost weight.

quote:

Originally posted by fischtown7:
Don't be afraid to eat as much as you can and want, the neat thing is you will come home and have lost weight.

I'm a carbivore, I intend to

Rick Steves said that there are three expenses when going to Italy - travel, lodging and gelato. From personal experience, I think the gelato was my biggest expense during my 2-3 week trip there! You have been warned....

I was there during the summer, very hot. Watch out for the Gypsies they are thieves. Keep you wallet in your front pocket.

It’s hot! We stayed in a few places with no AC.

What time is your flight home? My flight was 0800 so what we did was put our luggage in a locker at the airport the day before the flight. We did all the typical Rome/Vatican stuff during the day.
Then we did it all again overnight. It was AMAZING walking around from midnight to 0600.

Such a different perspective from the hustle and bustle from the day.

Italy was Amazing.

What University are they graduating from?
The American University of Rome has the best views of the city there are. Way better than the touristy spots.
The campus is pretty locked down so you have to know someone there to get on campus especially to the roof of the buildings with the best views.

There’s a dress code for visiting The Vatican.
No shorts or dresses above the knee, shoulders have to be covered, no tank tops, etc.

It’s hot like you’ve been told, don’t even think about driving there it’s mayhem at best.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
It’s hot! We stayed in a few places with no AC.

What time is your flight home? My flight was 0800 so what we did was put our luggage in a locker at the airport the day before the flight. We did all the typical Rome/Vatican stuff during the day.
Then we did it all again overnight. It was AMAZING walking around from midnight to 0600.

Such a different perspective from the hustle and bustle from the day.

Italy was Amazing.

What University are they graduating from?
The American University of Rome has the best views of the city there are. Way better than the touristy spots.
The campus is pretty locked down so you have to know someone there to get on campus especially to the roof of the buildings with the best views.

I'd have to double check but pretty sure we have a 6am flight out to LHR then on to IAH from London.
She's graduating from the Rome campus of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

I spent 4 days in Rome late August 2024. It was certainly hot but manageable. We had a wonderful time.

In order to combat heat and pickpockets, I carried this bag every day with the exception of visiting the Vatican.

https://www.511tactical.com/push-pack.html

I could easily carry 5 waters or gatoraids. In addition, I secured my valuables in the inner hidden compartments and used the 5.11 carabiners to further secure the zippers. I certainly appreciated having it there as well as all my cruise stops the following week.

I've only been to Rome once and it was back when I was living in Can-eh-duh. They were having a heat wave so it was 10F hotter than normal and I practically melted. We took trains and cabs, and still managed to walk over 20 miles a day. Ended up getting a heat rash on my shins.

Warning - Your kiddos aren't used to crossing roads with traffic like Rome. It's a bustling major city, and people drive like running over tourists gets them points in a video game. Definitely need to walk with your head on a swivel.

It's really large and spread out (i.e. the reason for 20 miles walking despite taking trains and taxis). I was also appalled at how the Vatican oversells tickets (i.e. you have about 2 sq ft of space and rude ass Chinese tourists literally put their hands on your back) and of course the hyprocrisy of the commie Pope living surrounded by trillions in art in his fortified castle.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
Warning - Your kiddos aren't used to crossing roads with traffic like Rome. It's a bustling major city, and people drive like running over tourists gets them points in a video game. Definitely need to walk with your head on a swivel.

Thanks for that, forgot to mention in the OP that it's 5 of us. Me, my wife, and 3 kids [14, 11, 5]
I'm sure we'll cover a bit less ground as they tire out throughout the day.