I've traveled to Italy many times over the past 20-years, it's one of my favorite places to visit and enjoy its culture. Rome in July will be hot can't understate it enough, combine the heat with the sheer volume of international visitors it can feel punishing. Best advice is to book what you really want to see as far in advance and be flexible & adaptable when plans don't work out. Not everything will go smoothly or without any hitches so try not to get too worked-up..you're on vacation.

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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.

This is important and is necessary even for layover travelers going through the UK.
ALSO, you will need to get a EITAS for travel in Italy and other Schengen Zone areas
Best to carve out some time ASAP, complete all the requirements and get it submitted. I've had both approved within 24-hrs of submittal so not onerous. Consider visitors into the US have to do a similar process.

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Originally posted by P250UA5:
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.

My favorite area in Italy is up North and Emilia-Romagna has a special place...in my stomach, as this is the heart of many of Italy's most popular dishes. A day-trip is possible from Rome BUT you will spend more time traveling than actually enjoying the destination. Best to spend a night or two there or, just save it for another trip when you can devote more time.

Travel in Italy is best left to the trains. The trains in Italy go EVERYWHERE, there's zero reason to rent a car unless you know the specific area you want to explore (far south, Dolomites...) the trains don't go. The train network is quite extensive and the frequency is impressive not to mention its incredibly cheap; the Italian citizens refuse to allow the train operators to raise ticket fares which are a fraction of what you pay in the UK, Germany or Switzerland.

Given the dates you provided 6/30 - 7/9 you have 8-nights to enjoy. Are you flying in & out of Rome? Are you thinking of spending your entire time in Rome or, are you looking to split your time somewhere else? Florence can be enjoyed on a day trip via train, it'd be a long day but it's possible; better option would be to spend 2-3 nights in Florence.

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Originally posted by corsair:
I've traveled to Italy many times over the past 20-years, it's one of my favorite places to visit and enjoy its culture. Rome in July will be hot can't understate it enough, combine the heat with the sheer volume of international visitors it can feel punishing. Best advice is to book what you really want to see as far in advance and be flexible & adaptable when plans don't work out. Not everything will go smoothly or without any hitches so try not to get too worked-up..you're on vacation.

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.

This is important and is necessary even for layover travelers going through the UK.
ALSO, you will need to get a EITAS for travel in Italy and other Schengen Zone areas
Best to carve out some time ASAP, complete all the requirements and get it submitted. I've had both approved within 24-hrs of submittal so not onerous. Consider visitors into the US have to do a similar process.

Thanks, I looked at the UK ETA last night, their FAQ is really unclear on if it's needed for layovers that aren't departing the airport [we have 4 hours in Heathrow].
Will look at the Italian EITAS as well, a brief search last night looked like a valid passport & verification that you weren't staying more than 90 days was sufficient.

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Originally posted by corsair:

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
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.

My favorite area in Italy is up North and Emilia-Romagna has a special place...in my stomach, as this is the heart of many of Italy's most popular dishes. A day-trip is possible from Rome BUT you will spend more time traveling than actually enjoying the destination. Best to spend a night or two there or, just save it for another trip when you can devote more time.

Travel in Italy is best left to the trains. The trains in Italy go EVERYWHERE, there's zero reason to rent a car unless you know the specific area you want to explore (far south, Dolomites...) the trains don't go. The train network is quite extensive and the frequency is impressive not to mention its incredibly cheap; the Italian citizens refuse to allow the train operators to raise ticket fares which are a fraction of what you pay in the UK, Germany or Switzerland.

Given the dates you provided 6/30 - 7/9 you have 8-nights to enjoy. Are you flying in & out of Rome? Are you thinking of spending your entire time in Rome or, are you looking to split your time somewhere else? Florence can be enjoyed on a day trip via train, it'd be a long day but it's possible; better option would be to spend 2-3 nights in Florence.

We're flying from IAH into ROM, via Munich on the trip out & Heathrow on the return. No direct flights from IAH to ROM.

We've got a house booked for the duration of the trip. Plan is to use Rome as the hub.
Good to know the train network is a good option. A quick look showed around 10 hours to Maranello. My opinion, that would make that an up and stay the night trip.

EITAS is not currently required for Shengen area travel. It is scheduled now for "late 2026" according to the web.

However, there is a biometric data gathering in place starting mid April. The first entry into Shengen will require going through the kiosk which will take a photo and fingerprints. After doing it once, my understanding is you'll just go through the normal line entering the EU. Once you're in the EU, crossing borders will be like it is now, l8ke crossing state lines in the USA.

The ETA in 5he UK is in force now. To enter the UK as a US citizen you must have it. Making a connection within Heathrow may require passing through customs & immigration, so you would need the ETA. With luck you would remain in the same concourse and not officially need the ETA, but you wouldn't be able to guarantee it. Even if the airline only uses one concourse, circumstances like a missed or cancelled flight could force you through immigration.

An airline might prevent you even boarding the flight to LHR if you don't have the ETA.

quote:

Originally posted by Fly-Sig:
EITAS is not currently required for Shengen area travel. It is scheduled now for "late 2026" according to the web.

However, there is a biometric data gathering in place starting mid April. The first entry into Shengen will require going through the kiosk which will take a photo and fingerprints. After doing it once, my understanding is you'll just go through the normal line entering the EU. Once you're in the EU, crossing borders will be like it is now, l8ke crossing state lines in the USA.

The ETA in 5he UK is in force now. To enter the UK as a US citizen you must have it. Making a connection within Heathrow may require passing through customs & immigration, so you would need the ETA. With luck you would remain in the same concourse and not officially need the ETA, but you wouldn't be able to guarantee it. Even if the airline only uses one concourse, circumstances like a missed or cancelled flight could force you through immigration.

An airline might prevent you even boarding the flight to LHR if you don't have the ETA.

Thanks, will do the UK ETA over the weekend, just to have it done with. Better to have it & be out the $100 and not need it, than run into an issue not having it.

You are probably close to the Monti district which you can walk to the Colloseum, Trevi, Spanish Steps...it's amazing to do this in the morning if you want to just see the sheer size and beauty. Roman food is not my favorite, but try to venture to Trestavere, or Campo de fiori. Food there is amazing.

St John Lateran is the most amazing basilica in Rome in my opinion, it is the only Archbasilica. Across the street are the holy steps...We've been to rome a half dozen times the last 10 years ish.

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Originally posted by davetruong:
You are probably close to the Monti district which you can walk to the Colloseum, Trevi, Spanish Steps...it's amazing to do this in the morning if you want to just see the sheer size and beauty. Roman food is not my favorite, but try to venture to Trestavere, or Campo de fiori. Food there is amazing.

St John Lateran is the most amazing basilica in Rome in my opinion, it is the only Archbasilica. Across the street are the holy steps...We've been to rome a half dozen times the last 10 years ish.

Thanks Dave, just sent you an email, partially related.

Looking at the house listing, looks like we're in the Quartiere I Flaminio area. Looks like that's northern Rome, maybe 5 miles north of the Colosseum.

The Vatican offered night tours when I was there several years ago. Would help beat the heat and the crowds as these were smaller group tours.

I bought our tickets straight from the Vatican's website.

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Originally posted by Skull Leader:
The Vatican offered night tours when I was there several years ago. Would help beat the heat and the crowds as these were smaller group tours.

I bought our tickets straight from the Vatican's website.

Will keep that in mind.
My boss just recommended viator for tour booking as well.
Quick look showed what seemed like reasonable rates.

I may actually be travelling around the same time. We are flying in but cruising back. It's been years, but yes, I remember very hot, though free water everywhere is a plus.

I put all of my cash and cards in a shirt with a zip-up chest pocket and left my pants pockets empty. If someone reaches up there, you are going to know. We also walked everywhere and avoided the bus. It was trains for most travel. At least last time I was there, I remember the train getting you anywhere you didn't want to go on foot, including the airport.

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Originally posted by P250UA5:

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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.

Use the Rome Metro aka Subway, it's the only way to get around Rome quickly, in AC and so you'll get enough time at each location, it's clean and easy to navigate, even if you don't speak Italian, you'll be able to tell what train to take to which stop.

You can pick it up at the Airport and take it right now to the center of Rome main Terminal (Termini) and route out anywhere. If that University is where I googled, then the Battistini station at the end of the Metro A line would be where you start if you are staying out by the University.

Link Rome Metro Map

From there you can get anywhere you'd want to go easily with just a few transfers at the Main Terminal

There is also a Rome Tourist Card, it gets you booked into the attractions and you don't have to stand in line with the Chinese tourists, you get to select times and it makes it easier. Kinda like a Disney Fast Pass for Historical Rome.

Link Rome Fast Pass

quote:

Originally posted by Fly-Sig:
EITAS is not currently required for Shengen area travel. It is scheduled now for "late 2026" according to the web.

However, there is a biometric data gathering in place starting mid April. The first entry into Shengen will require going through the kiosk which will take a photo and fingerprints. After doing it once, my understanding is you'll just go through the normal line entering the EU. Once you're in the EU, crossing borders will be like it is now, l8ke crossing state lines in the USA.

Yup, Fly-Sig nailed it, later this year is when its scheduled.
Those of us who've traveled to Europe enough over the last 5-6 years, have been teased with the implementation of the EITAS only for it to get delayed until another time. Just keep an eye on things, when it does go live, no doubt there will be a sorts of alerts and write-ups within the travel industry.

quote:

Roman food is not my favorite, but try to venture to Trestavere, or Campo de fiori. Food there is amazing.

True Roman food is off-cuts and offal, at first glance can be off-putting but, you travel enough and learn that the Italians and Spaniards are really good at turning something distasteful into something really good. I wouldn't normally order tripe but, I had a tripe dish in Barcelona that was spectacular, enough that I asked for more bread to sop-up all the sauce.

quote:

St John Lateran is the most amazing basilica in Rome in my opinion, it is the only Archbasilica. Across the street are the holy steps...We've been to rome a half dozen times the last 10 years ish.

Besides the Vatican, there's three other basilica's in Rome..while I'm not Catholic nor deeply religious I do appreciate history and architecture and checking out the Big Four is like going into a time machine. I love checking out the ruins of the Rome and all the history around it but these standing, functional structures is amazing to view.

As you start to allocate where you're going to spend your funds, a guided tour of the Vatican Museum is highly recommended; if anything its a relief to have someone you can bounce questions off of, and you avoid the insane ticket line outside. I've utilized Walks of Italy for past trips and been very pleased with their guides; there are others that are well regarded this is just a suggestion. Food tours are also very fun, Eating Europe and Devour Tours are well regarded operators, I've been looking to take a tour with Katie Parla as she's carved herself a nice niche as an American author and journo living in Rome. One thing to keep in mind is Viator is a massive tour aggregator but, they're not the operator, they're simply a resource site that small operators can utilize and contract their services.

So, I see that folding blades are a big no-no in Italy, 3 year max in prison.

Thoughts on a discrete self-defense option?

quote:

Thoughts on a discrete self-defense option?

Rome is awesome. Absolutely beautiful city with incredible history. It's been over 20 years since I was there, but I have some great memories.

It will be hot as hell when you're there. I agree with Black92LX...take at least one night and get out and see it under lights. It will be cooler, less crowded, and provide a whole new perspective.

As to day trips, it's a long way but Venice is really cool. I've never been to Florence but I've heard that's nice as well.

When you buy bottled water, make sure you're not getting the carbonated kind. It's popular over there, and not very thirst quenching. Huge bummer on a hot day when you're looking for refreshment.

Eat some street food. I remember there being some fantastic little hole in the wall places that we found, and the pizza was amazing. The worst food was at the expensive tourist traps.

Self defense tools aren't really a thing over there. Neither is violent crime unless you go stupid places and do stupid things. My recommendation is to just make good decisions and keep your head...you'll be fine. Even a small folder could cause you issues because you'll be going into tourist places and many of them likely have security checkpoints. Nothing will ruin a vacation like getting locked up in the Vatican brig.

Petty crime/pickpocketing is a problem. I have a money belt that I use to carry my passport, other important stuff like my DL, extra credit cards, and insurance cards, and any large amounts of currency that tucks inside my pants. You're not ripping that off unless you take my pants, too. I carry a wallet in my front pocket with my credit card, a small amount of cash, and my bus pass. I figure if that gets stolen I'll have to cancel my card but at least I can get home. Just be alert in public, especially in crowds, and you shouldn't have to worry about that either.

It sounds like an awesome opportunity to do that with your kids! Have fun, take a bunch of pics, and share some here when you get back!

Thanks 92, good info.

Venturing out of Rome, I'd want to get north to Maranello, a quick search showed train changes in Pisa & another town, some sights to see on the way, but it burns 2 days in travel.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
Thoughts on a discrete self-defense option?

Violent crime is extremely rare, practically unheard of, the vast majority of criminality is pick-pocketing by gypsies & their urchin kids. For a long time I carried a Surefire E2E, not as aggressive as the E2D. Just be aware of your surroundings particularly tourist hot-spots (Spanish Steps) and where there's lines (Colosseum) and most importantly keep an eye on the critters attempting to create a distraction; usually its a mother & infant, while her other 6yr old is behind you digging into your pocket.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
Venturing out of Rome, I'd want to get north to Maranello, a quick search showed train changes in Pisa & another town, some sights to see on the way, but it burns 2 days in travel.

If you're hot to get up to Maranello, from Rome you're going to go through both Florence and Bologna as that might be the most frequent train line in Italy as there's numerous express train options. Both locations are amongst my favorites and worth the time to wander and spend time, highly recommended. There is a train line that connects Pisa-Rome however that is a lengthy line and you're taking the scenic route. One option could be take train to Modena get off there and either rent a car or just take a Uber to the Ferrari museum, upon completion, spend the night in Modena or Bologna. Next morning take train to Florence, store your luggage, enjoy dinner than train back to Rome or, just spend the night and return to Rome the next day.

We'll be in Rome in a couple of weeks. Getting tickets to the major sites is not easy. One almost must book a tour to get an advanced purchase ticket. The official websites sell out fast.

Crowds will be huge in July, with the size and age of your family make a plan for being inadvertently separated.

Pickpockets work in teams and use the crowds to their advantage. One makes the lift, the others run interference. I experienced a brazen attempt in Cinque Terre at the train station. Pare your wallet down to the minimum, carry it securely and unobtrusively. No back pockets.

The center of Rome with most of what you want to see is reasonably compact, but you will do an enormous amount of walking. I walk very fast, but Italians walk faster than most Americans jog. If your family is not ready, get them ready, or you won't see much.

Yes, it's hot. Plan to carry water, sunscreen, and a sun hat (yes, you'll look like a tourist, but Italians dress fashionably, not comfortably, so you'll probably look like a tourist anyway). For some unknown reason tours make stops in areas of direct sunlight, never shade. There will be some public fountains in the city center to refill bottles.

We chose a Segway tour of Rome. Kind of insane in the traffic, requires some athleticism, and is NOT kid friendly, but, wow, can you cover some ground. It looks goofy as hell, but it's a blast and it's a fantastic way to see cities. Segways are no longer being made, unfortunately, and tour operators are struggling to keep them on line.

If you're going to Maranello, try to visit the Ferrari museum. Its very well done. On my only trip to Italy in 2024, we visited Maserati, Ferrari, Lambo and Pagani. We just got a car for the day from the Bologna train station and did the loop. I was only able to get a tour at Pagani, which was amazing.

A lot of great advice in this thread. One other thing to check, make sure all travelers passports are valid for more than 6 months after your planned return date. If not, renew now.

We did a hiking trip on the Amalfi Coast and spent the last day and night in Rome. We thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Great food, friendly people and excellent sites to visit, enjoy.