Rome's transformation
from a small Latin village to the centre of a vast empire is given below in a
nutshell :
The city
of Rome was founded in the district of Latium , South of the Tiber River. Latin
is the language of ancient Romans. Rome is traditionally
said to have been founded by the mythical
twins Romulus and Remus (the sons of Mars and
Rhea Silvia) on 21 April 753 BC. The twins were abandoned as infants in
the Tiber river and raised by a she-wolf (Lupa), before being found by a
shepherd (Faustulus), who raised them as his own sons.
Actually, Rome was
founded as a small
village on top of the Palatine
Hill (including the area where the present day Roman Forum is found - just next to Colosseum) sometime
in the 8th century BC; due to the village's position near Tiber river ,
Rome became a crossroads of traffic and trade. The Seven
Hills of Rome , East of the river Tiber form the geographical heart of Rome. Palatine hill is one of the seven hills. The other hills are the Capitoline, Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, Caelian and Aventine. The Roman Forum is a rectangular forum (plaza) at the center of the city of Rome. Citizens of the ancient city referred to this space, originally a marketplace, as the Forum Magnum, or simply the Forum.
To know more about Seven hills, read later in the article.
Rome or Roma in Italian, is the capital and largest city of Italy. It's the famed city of the Roman Empire, the Seven Hills, La Dolce Vita (the sweet life), the Vatican City. Rome, as a millenium-long centre of power, culture (having been the cradle of one of the globe's greatest civilizations ever) and religion, has exerted a huge influence over the world in its roughly 2800 years of existence.
This settlement developed into the capital of the Roman Kingdom,
led by a series of Etruscan kings, before becoming the seat of
the Roman Republic in 509 BC when the despotic king was overthrown
by the Romans and Rome became a Republic.
The origins of the Etruscans are mostly lost in pre-history, although Greek historians repeatedly associated the Tyrr-henians (name of the sea on the West of Italy is Tyrrhenia) with Pelas-gians. Diony-sius records a Pelasgian migration from Thessaly in Greek to the Italian Peninsula. They settled near modern day Tuscany.
Soon after becoming a republic the city of Rome took to the policy of Conquest to Carthage. Carthage in the modern day Tunisia in North Africa, built a powerful empire much earlier than Romans . In the first Punic war (Romans called Carthaginian Punici) between Romans and Carthage over Sicily, Carthage was defeated. They set the city of Carthage on fire and sold thousands of Carthaginians as slave. Hannibal Barca was a Carthaginian general, considered one of the greatest military commanders in history. His father Hamilcar Barca was the leading Carthaginian commander during the First Punic War.
In the early period of Roman history, Roman society was divided into 2 classes:
Patricians (aristocrats) and Plebeians (workers). Patricians were owners of
best plots of land. Plebeians were deprived of all rights. After the revolt,
against the Patricians, they were forced to give some right to the Plebeians.
At the time of Roman Republic, slavery was in vogue in Roman Society. After
conquering large number of countries a large number of slaves were collected
from those countries. They were state property and were employed in
mining, road building etc. They were sold in the market. Patricians and
Plebeians purchased them and employed them in agriculture. The slaves were
exploited like anything. Absolute dependence on the slaves led to the moral
decay of the Romans. Fight between gladiators and between a gladiator and a
wild animal became a very popular. In Rome Gladiators were those slaves who
were professional wrestlers. On holidays the gladiator show used to take place in amphitheatre
(Colosseum). Slave uprising took place at the end of 2nd century BC. The most
important slave revolt was that led by a slave called Spartacus. The fight
between Patricians and Plebeians & slave uprising weakened the republic and
enhanced the power of Army leaders.
Of them, Pompey and Julius Caesar deserve special mention. The rivalry for power grew between
Julius Caesar and Pompey. In a war between Caesar and Pompey, Caesar won and
made himself a dictator. Though he became dictator he introduced number of
beneficial reforms for all round development of Romans. Julius Caesar was
person of great insight.
It may not be out of place to mention that Cleopatra VII Philopator was the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, nominally survived as pharaoh by her son Caesarion.Her father is Ptolemy XII. As a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, she was a descendant of its founder, Ptolemy I Soter, a Macedonian Greek general and companion of Alexander the Great. After the death of Cleopatra, Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire, marking the end of the Hellenistic period that had lasted since the reign of Alexander (336–323 BC).Her native language was Koine Greek and she was the first Ptolemaic ruler to learn the Egyptian language.Ancient Egypt has celebrated the birth of Cleopatra in the year 69 BCE . She is the daughter of Ptolemy XII but her mother is of unknown identity, it is supposed that her mother is one of the pharaoh’s sister, Cleopatra VI. The death of her father has earned her the throne to be the pharaoh; however, she had to be married to Ptolemy XIII, her brother. This is in accordance to Egyptian rule that a queen has to always lead with a king. There is much account of how ‘beautiful’ Cleopatra was. On top of the beauty, she is often dubbed as having a ‘charming voice’. It is often said that she is more of a diplomat than anything else. She is also of Macedonian decent, which they said, bore her of high intellectual power. She is skilled in nine languages and mathematicians.
After losing the 48 BC Battle of Pharsalus in Greece against his rival Julius Caesar in Caesar's Civil War, the Roman statesman Pompey fled to Egypt, a Roman client state. The Cleopatra and Julius Caesar connection was formed when Julius Caesar fled to Egypt in pursuit of his enemy Pompey.Pompey has already been executed by the Egyptians.
Julius Caesar is smitten by the woman delivered through a carpet; it is smuggled through Alexandria and is presented as a gift for the Roman leader . Cleopatra is then about 21 or 22 years old. Julius Caesar immediately recognized the potential of being lovers and allies.
The relationship could have been for love among any other. However, there are also political agenda behind the union. They are both leaders of influential and powerful nations. They have people under them, armies that could fight battles and win them. Both Rome and Egypt needs intellectual leaders.
Specifically, for Cleopatra’s side, she saw how a Caesar’s fleet could easily return her to power which he eventually did. Julius Caesar killed Cleopatra’s brother and husband, Ptolemy XIII when his army drove them away only to drown in the Nile. This was during the Alexandrian War. Julius Caesar made sure that Cleopatra is firm in her position as the leader of Egypt.
For Julius Caesar, the union will unite two great lands, Egypt and Rome. He has an ultimate dream that his children would someday rule this land. Julius Caesar could have also seen Alexandria as a strategic location for his battles and as time pass by, Egypt could also form a powerful army to help him in his conquests.
Cleopatra, though said to still be in love Julius Caesar, married her younger brother, Ptolemy XIV, to return her rule over Egypt. However, she was also married to Julius Caesar because Egypt allows polygamy. Cleopatra and Julius Caesar spent time in Alexandria. The Roman leader, however, is called for to lead his army to battles. He emerged victorious but returned to Rome instead.
Julius Caesar and Cleopatra also had a son, Caesarion. Julius Caesar brought his wife to Rome, with the great surprise of the Roman people. Out of respect for Julius Caesar, the people did not really give much attention to the fact that Julius Caesar married a foreign woman, albeit having a Roman wife . However, Caesar maintained a private affair with Cleopatra and produced a son, Caesarion (Ptolemy XV). Cleopatra traveled to Rome as a client queen in 46 and 44 BC, staying at Caesar's villa.
Some influential person of Rome were dissatisfied with the growing power of Caesar. To preserve democracy a battle of conspirators under the leadership of Brutus and Cassius assassinated Julius Caesar. After his death in 44 BC, civil war started in Rome and consequently Republic in Rome was replaced by emperors.
When Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC, Cleopatra attempted to have Caesarion named as his heir, but this fell instead to Caesar's grandnephew Octavian (known as Augustus by 27 BC, when he became the first Roman emperor).
When Cleopatra learnt that Octavian planned to bring her to Rome for his triumphal procession, she committed suicide by poisoning, the popular belief being that she was bitten by an asp.
 |
| Rome empire under Julius Caesar 44 BC- source : wikipedia |
Rome again became the centre of
the Roman Empire from 27 BC to 285 AD. After
the assassination of Caesar in 44 BC the power passed into the hand
of Octavian, Caesar's grand nephew, who became sole ruler of Roman empire.
He assumed the title of Augustus . It is he who was the first emperor of
the Roman empire. He was born in 63 BC and died in 14 AD.
(https://www.scholaradvisor.com/essay-examples/cleopatra-relationships/)
During the reign of Emperor Constantine
(lived between 272 AD to 337 AD), the Roman empire became very vast and for its
smooth operation he built a new capital called Constantinople from where Easter
Roman empire was ruled, and from Rome - Western Roman empire was ruled.
He made Christianity the state religion. His
predecessors were engaged in inhuman persecution of the Christians. I have seen
the 7 storied underground caves in Turkey near Cappadocia, made by early
Christians to escape persecution.
The emperors who succeeded Constantine was
weak and Roman empire lost its former power gradually. Finally in 476 AD
the Barbarian king declared himself King of Rome and all that remained of vast
Roman empire was Constantinople or modern day Istanbul.
Beginning with the reign of Constantine I (306-337), the Bishop of Rome (later known as the Pope)
gained political and religious importance, establishing the city as the centre
of the Catholic Church. The city was sacked by the barbarians,
first in 410 and again in 455; after the fall of
the Western Roman Empire in AD 476 the
city withstood a siege by the Ostrogoths in AD 537 and a Saracen raid in AD
846, followed by its capture by the Normans in 1084.For almost a 1000
years, Rome was the largest, wealthiest, most powerful
city in the Western world, with dominance over most of Europe and the
Mediterranean Sea. Even after the fall of the Western
Roman Empire in 476 AD, Rome maintained considerable importance and wealth.
During the Early Middle Ages, the
city declined in population but gained a new importance as the
capital of the newly formed Papal States; Charlemagne, for example,
was crowned Emperor at Saint Peter's in 800. Throughout the Middle Ages, most
of the city's ancient monuments fell in disrepair and were gradually stripped
of their precious statues, ornaments and materials; However, Rome not only was
a major pilgrimage site but was also the focus of struggles between Roman
nobles, Roman Empire and the Papacy. In
1309 The Pope left Rome for Avignon, at the request of the King of France, and
the city plunged into chaos.
Following
the return of the Papacy (1377) from the Avignonese captivity and with the Italian Renaissance fully under way in the
15th century, Rome changed dramatically. Extravagant churches,
bridges, and public spaces, including a new St Peter's Basilica and
the Sistine Chapel, were constructed by the Papacy so that Rome would equal the
grandeur of other Italian cities of the period.
The city recovered quickly and in the
following 200 years, it became the centre of Baroque architecture; renowned
artists such as Michelangelo, Bernini and Caravaggio worked there while the new
St. Peter's Basilica was begun in 1506, only to be completed in 1626.
During the latter stages of the French Revolution - more precisely, in 1798 -
local revolutionaries inspired by the
new ideals rose against Papal authority and a Roman Republic was declared; the Pope was forced to flee
and the following year troops from the Kingdom of Naples entered the city, thus putting an end to the revolutionary
movement.
Between 1805 and 1814, Rome was also occupied
by Napoleonic troops.
In 1849,
the population - with the aid of patriots such as Giuseppe Garibaldi and Giuseppe
Mazzini - rose against the
Papal government and forced the Pope to flee the city and seek refuge at Gaeta.
A modern, democratic, Constitution was drafted and a new Roman Republic was
proclaimed.
The Pope then requested the help of the
French emperor, Napoleon III, who promptly sent an expeditionary
force: despite some initial setbacks the French troops overcame the
revolutionary forces. Goffredo Mameli,
composer of the current Italian anthem, was among the fallen.
In 1860 Rome became again the focus of a
power struggle with the rise of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont (Island to the West of Italy),
which sought to unite the peninsula; after a series of battles, the Papal
States were stripped of all their Italian possessions except for Rome, which
remained under French protection.
However, with the outbreak of the
Franco-Prussian War, the French abandoned Rome, leaving it clear
for the newly-formed Kingdom of Italy to capture on
20 September 1870. Rome became thus the capital of Italy, and has
remained such ever since. The new Italian government started a huge campaign of public works; new districts, monuments and public buildings were built, while countless Medieval and Renaissance buildings were torn down to make way for the new street layout .
Following World War I, with the rise of Fascism in 1922 Rome's
face changed again: new districts, avenues and other public buildings were
built and ancient sites were feverishly excavated; in doing so, entire Medieval
neighbourhoods were bulldozed.
This trend was halted by World War
II, which dealt (relatively minor) damage to Rome. After Italy had
signed the Armistice, the city was occupied by the Germans on 8 September 1943
: despite heavy resistance from surviving units of the Royal Italian Army , these were crushed in a bloody battle near Porta
S. Paolo. Rome was finally
liberated by Allied troops on 4 June, 1944.
With the
fall of the monarchy and the creation of the Italian Republic in 1946, Rome
again began to grow in population and became a modern city. Today's
Rome is a modern, contemporary, bustling metropolis with an ancient core, that
reflects the many periods of its long history - the ancient times, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Modern
Era - standing today as the capital of Italy and
as one of the world's major tourist destinations. Today, the city is the seat of the Italian government and home to
numerous ministerial offices. Rome has 2.6 million / 26 Lakh inhabitants while its
metropolitan area is home to around 4.2 million/42 Lakh.
The language they speak in Italy is also largely the language of Florence.
Dante,who is from Florence, is often considered as the father of modern Italian
language. The reason being there was no one Italian language during the time of Dante. Dante wrote Divine comedy in local Florentine language spoken by the
residents of Florence (instead of Latin and shocked the world) ,which
language became the basis of modern Italian language.He considered Latin an
elitist language. It is often said that Italian language is the most beautiful
language since the Italian "intellectuals handpicked the most beautiful of
all the local dialects and crowned it Italian...for the longest time Italy
wasn't even a country. It was unified in 1861. Parts of Italy belonged to
France, parts to Spain, parts to church. So a scientist in Florence could
barely communicate with a poet in Sicily or a merchant in Venice (except Latin
of course, which was considered a national language). Today what we call French
is essentially medieval Parisian, Portuguese is Lisboan and Spanish is
Madrileno. That is not the case in case of Italian (Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth
Gilbert).
It is important to note that the per capita GDP of Italy of USD 30,000 is lower than major countries of Europe (e.g. USD 42,000 for Germany or USD 40,000 for UK) and the Italian economy is not in very good shape (Though 16 times more than India at USD 1850). So without any doubt price of everything in Italy will be more expensive. The population of Italy is around 60 Million or 6 Crore. The currency is Euro. The area of Italy at 300,000 sq km is little more than 3 times the size of West Bengal.
Get in
By plane
Rome has two main international airports. However Leonardo da Vinci /FCO is the main airport, - Rome's main airport is modern, large and well connected to the city centre by public transport.
Rome's Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport is also called Fiumicino (fee-yoo-mee-chee-no) airport simply because it is located in a town called Fiumicino 35 kms from Roma. It is a large and a very busy airport and the town of Fiumicino itself is a coastal town - just beside Tyrrhenian sea.
Once we got out of the Jet Bridge, we started following the crowd hoping they would lead us directly to immigration or baggage collection but surprisingly the crowd led us into a "room"... We followed (we were lost really cause English had suddenly become almost non-existent) and then the doors of the "room" closed and the room started moving! The "room" was actually a very fast train....So yeah the Fiumicino Airport has a train running between the "Arrival area" of the airport and the "real" part of the Airport. We alighted from the train and we were immediately in front of the baggage claim belt.
By now loud Ciaos and Ciao Belles could be heard and I made a mental note of finding out the difference between the two.
Note:
Ciao-Hello or Goodbye
Ciao Belle - Hello/Goodbye Beautiful
After baggage collection, we got our immigration done and we were finally on our own...
Since Fiumicino is a little distance away from Rome, there are a couple of ways of getting to the Roma Termini. You could take a bus (70 - 90 mins travel time) OR a regional train (includes a train change) or take the Leonardo Express (dedicated, non-stop, fast train that runs between the Airport and Roma Termini).
By train, public and private bus
1. From the Leonardo
da Vinci/Fiumicino airport, there are two train lines that will get
you into Rome. The Leonardo Express leaves every 30
minutes to Roma Termini(Rome's central train station) (35 minute trip).
Tickets cost €14 . So if you are 3, it is possibly cheaper to take a taxi
and you get delivered to your door. Get your ticket stamped in a
yellow validation machine just before boarding the train: it will expire
90 minutes after the validation. It is
important to validate the ticket: otherwise, the train conductor could fine you
a substantial sum.
## Leonardo Express is a First Class Compartments and
hence if you are carrying a 2nd Class Euro Rail Pass, it will not work and you
will still have to buy tickets for the train.
## There is one manned ticket counter and 2 self-help
kiosks at the Airport from where you can buy tickets for the regional trains
and for Leonardo Express. The manned ticket counter was
closed when we landed as all shops and manual counters close by 6:30 to 7:00 pm
in Italy.
## Binari (bee-naa-ri) means platforms in
Italian. This word will be useful while travelling on your own in Italy. If
somebody tells you Binari Ocho that means your the train will leave from
Platform 8.
2.The Regional or suburban train does not stop at Termini. Get off
at Tiburtina , where you can connect to line B of the
Metro to go to Termini. Tickets are €8, plus €1.50 for a bus-tram-Metro
combo. The extra cost of the Leonardo Express is for the convenience of a
direct ride to Termini.
3.Terravision bus is probably the easiest and cheapest
( €6) connection between Fiumicino airport and Rome city centre,
but the journey takes 55 minutes. However you may have to wait more than
2 hours to catch one. The online "reservation" does not guarantee a
seat. The bus departs near Terminal 3 of the airport and arrives at
Roma Termini station
4.From Leonardo da
Vinci/Fiumicino, the public bus stop is located outdoors at
ground level, at the bottom of the Terminal 1 (Domestic Arrivals). You can buy
tickets at the tobacco shop in the Terminal 1 baggage area, with the blue
sign (Tabaccheria).
Get around
Roma Pass
If you'll be staying in Rome for at least 3 days, consider purchasing the Roma Pass. It costs €36 (or €28 for a 48 hour pass) and entitles holders to free
admission to the first 2 museums and/or archaeological sites visited, full
access to public transportation, reduced tickets and discounts for any other
following museums (that are included in the programme - e.g., the
Vatican Museums are not included). Considering everything (since I stayed only 3 days) I decided not to
buy the Roma pass.
We purchased Bus/ Metro pass from tobacco shop (Tabaccheria) on
the side walks.
Tickets
Tickets must be bought from a tobacco shop - look for the big 'T' sign, these
shops are plentiful , or from a news stand before you board the bus, Metro or
tram. Metro stops and bus terminals all have automated ticket kiosks, and major
Metro stations have clerked ticket windows. But we bought everything from
the Tabaccheria. Please note that the whole public
transportation network uses the same kind of tickets. A single-ride
ticket costs - € 1.50 : you can change buses, trams on one journey;
valid for 100 minutes. When you board the bus or Metro you must time-stamp
your ticket in the little yellow machine For a daily ticket (€6) to
be worth it, you would have to make 5 or more trips at intervals greater than
100 minutes apart on a single day.
Night buses could
be useful due to the closing of the Metro stations at 23:30 and the stopping of
regular lines of buses and trams at midnight.
HO-HO Buses
A popular alternative to city and pre-planned tour buses are the hop-on/hop-off
buses; open-top double-deckers. There are apparently seven different companies.
An all-day ticket runs about €18/20, can be purchased as you board at any stop.
After lot of discussion with my wife, I decided not to buy it, since it won't be
economic for our short stay.
Tram
In Rome, there are 6 tram lines. These are
the remnants of a much bigger network (in fact, the biggest in Italy) which
opened in 1877 but was largely dismantled during the 1960s in favour of bus
system.
Metro
There are 3-and-a-half Metro lines: A , B , B1 and the new C line.
Lines A and B cross at Termini, while line C doesn't reach the city
centre yet.
Line A runs Northwest past the
Vatican, and then southeast. It has convenient stops for Termini
station ("Termini"), Trevi fountain ("Barberini - Fontana di
Trevi"), the Spanish Steps ("Spagna"), piazza del Popolo
("Flaminio - Piazza del Popolo") and the Vatican Museums ("Ottaviano
- San Pietro - Musei Vaticani").
Line B runs Southwest past the
Colosseum and northeast in one direction, but it also splits -
this is the B1 branch - at
the "Bologna" stop to go north to "Jonio". This line
has convenient stops for the Tiburtina ("Tiburtina") and Termini train stations, the
Colosseum ("Colosseo"), the Circus Maximus and the Aventine
("Circo Massimo"), the Pyramid of Cestius ("Piramide") and the catacombs of
S. Agnese ("S. Agnese/Annibaliano", on B1 branch).
The most important station is of course Roma
Termini. Roma Termini is a landmark in the centre of the
city. It houses the main train station, the metro station and even the bus
station. You can imagine how huge it is and how invariably convenient for
anyone and everyone trying to avail any of the public transports that Roma has
to offer to its citizens. If that wasn't enough, it has a fabulous
shopping area replete with outlets for Sephora, Kiko Milano and other fabulous
brands... We later learnt that all major train stations of big cities in Italy
have huge shopping arcades. Florence even had Mango and Victoria's Secret while
the Genova train station additionally boasted of a MAC Cosmetics outlet.
There are also some Regional train lines connecting Rome with other Italian cities and towns. But they take more time to reach the destination because of the number of stops where they stop. I used this train from Venice to Milan.
Tip:
In Italy, they add '-eteria' or '-eria' to the noun that they are
selling. A place selling Gelato is called a Gelateria, you know a pizzeria, a
cafeteria... Same way a place or kiosk sellingBiglietto (tickets) is
called a Biglietteria.
Italy has multiple police forces, the ones that I know of and came
across are:
1. Polizia di Stato (State police)
2. Carabinieri (Military trained police to fight organized crimes)
3. Guardia Di Finanza (Military trained police under the ministry of
finances, part of Europol, used as riot police and anti-fraud police)
4. Polizia Di Municipale (generally regulate traffic and also work again
petty crimes like pick-pocketing etc)
Non so Italiano (I'm not Italian ) is an useful
word to know in Italy
{Almost all the Italicized texts here under "Get In and Get around" are taken from a wonderful site : isimplylovemakeup.com}
Operating hours:
Sunday to Thursday: Metro lines A, B and C operate from 05:30 to 23:30.
Friday to Saturday: Metro lines A and B operate from 05:30 to 1:30.
Line C operates from 05:30 to 23:30.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Orientation
in Rome
Rome can be divided into several districts: the so-called historical centre is quite small - only around 4% of the city area - but it's the place in which most of the tourist attraction are located. It is home to Trevi fountain (famous for Fellini's movie) , Piazza Barberini, and Piazza della Repubblica.
Old Rome
The Renaissance-era centre of the city, with beautiful squares/piazza, cathedrals, the Pantheon includes piazza Navona, piazza Campo de' Fiori, and the (former) Jewish Ghetto.
Vatican
The independent Vatican City and its endless treasure troves of sights, relics and the Vatican Museums.
Colosseo
The heart of ancient Rome, the Colosseum, the Capitoline hill and its museums.
North Centre
Situated in the northern part of Rome, it is home to the Villa Borghese, the Spanish Steps.
Trastevere
The charming district south of the Vatican, on the west bank of the Tiber, full of narrow cobbled streets and lonely squares that served as the inspiration for artists such as Giorgio de Chirico. Now arguably the centre of Rome's artistic life.
South
Home to the Appian Way park, several catacombs, Fascist monumental architecture.
Ostia
A Roman district (not a separate town!) with a view to the sea and several beach resorts. Home to the ruins of Ostia antica, ancient Rome's harbour. It is one of the best kept secrets in all of Italy. It is not very far from Fiumicino airport.
Much of the attraction of Rome is in just wandering around the old city. You can quickly escape from the major tourist routes and feel as if you are in a small medieval village, not a capital city. Please remember in Rome, some of the best art isn't in museums, but in churches or in public and is free. There are more than 900 churches in Rome. Probably one third would be well worth a visit! You'll find the richness and range of decor astonishing.
Churches in Rome deny admission to people who are dressed inappropriately; you will find "fashion police" at the most visited churches ("knees and shoulders" are the main problem - especially female ones). Bare shoulders, short skirts, and shorts are officially not allowed, but long shorts and skirts reaching just above the knee should generally be no problem...however, it's always safer to wear longer pants or skirts that go below the knee; St. Peter's in particular is known for rejecting tourists for uncovered knees, shoulders, midriffs, etc.
Take a stroll in the area between Piazza Navona and the Tiber river in Old Rome where artisans continue to ply their trade from small shops.
Flea
markets
There are many flea market in Italy.
The one at Porta Portese (located near the Roma Trastevere train
station) is the biggest in city, and takes place every Sunday from 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM . Always remember that flea fairs are the only place in
Italy where haggling is allowed (to a certain degree).
Eat
Rome is full of good restaurants. Eat
like a Roman. In Rome you can ask for:
· Cappuccino
· Panino -
Generic word for a stuffed sandwich
· Pizza al
taglio - Pizza by the slice.
· Spaghetti (or rigatoni) alla
carbonara - A sauce made with egg and pancetta(bacon).
Pizza
Roman pizzas are very thin crusted, quite different from the
classical pizza made in Naples; they're also crunchier and have far less pizza
topping. Most restaurants serve pizza only in the evening. You'll have to
cut your round pizza (in Italy, the cook doesn't do that for you) with fork and
knife, which can then be eaten with one's hands; contrary to some travel myths,
there's absolutely no stigma whatsoever to doing it.
Pizza al taglio is pizza with a thicker crust and cooked in a large pan.
It is served by the piece - usually to take away - and is a good, cheap way to
get something to fill you up: point to the one you want and indicate if you
want more or less than your server is indicating with the knife. Unlike
Naples, pizza al taglio here is sold by weight (the listed
price is usually per 100 gm, known in Italian as an un etto, a
hectogram). Pizzerie al taglio (places
selling pizza by the slice) are the city's very own equivalent of a
fast-food joint and pretty much like the fish and chips shops in the UK,
they're a cornerstone of Roman life. Lasagne is another thing which
is found everywhere.Pizza al taglio helped us to keep our expense within budget and was our saviour !
.
Ice cream
Ice cream parlour or gelato are world famous . Another Italian
dessert tiramisù is world famous. We did not have much of these in
Rome. We had it in Florence almost everyday.
Pricing
You can get cheap food in Rome, Travellers, beware! The "coperto" and "servizio"
charges as per Regional Law are illegal in Rome and the Lazio
region. It is the charge for sitting on chair ! So always ask, before eating, if there is coperto ? I have paid it 3 times, during my stay in Italy.
Drink
Coffee
What foreigners erroneously call "espresso" is just
plain coffee, and is more commonly just referred to as caffè. Cappuccino is
well known outside of Italy, but it is considered very un-classy and quite
disgusting to order one after 11 AM (and certainly during or after a
meal).
Wine
and water
House wines (vini della casa) are almost always drinkable
and inexpensive (unlike, say, in the UK). Italians don't usually sit
outside cafés drinking a glass of wine and watching the world go by - this is
actually something foreign tourists do! Wine is supposed to be served along
with (usually, important) meals: it's not something you'd drink everyday. Also
- when eating pizza Italians prefer drinking beer or a Coke or just a glass
of water.
Water is free at countless
fountains in the city. Not only the water's very fresh and good,
but it comes from the famous springs scattered throughout the Lazio region - it
is perfectly safe to drink. If you carry an empty bottle, fill it up for the
rest of the day; look for the drinking fountain and
you save money by refilling your bottle.That is what we did precisely and never had any health problem.
Sleep
Near Termini there are many small, fairly inexpensive, hotels that are
popular with individual travellers. We
stayed near Termini.
Talk
In Rome, English is widely spoken . Most Romans, however, always try to be helpful with
the tourists by giving some basic indications - , it is wise to speak slowly and simply.
Romans regularly interact with
foreigners and tourists - it shouldn't be hard to find friendly help, provided
you know some Italian; as for most every place in Italy, just be polite and you
won't have much trouble.If you hit someone
with your luggage or shoulder while walking on a street, say "sorry" (mi-s-cusi )
Pickpocketing
Rome is generally a safe place, even for women travelling alone. There is very little violent crime, but plenty of
scams and pickpockets that target tourists. Since Rome is incredibly
popular as a tourist destination, a
great deal of pickpocketing and/or bag or purse snatching takes place -
especially in crowded locations - and pickpocketers can get pretty
crafty. A 2010 study found that Rome was second only to Barcelona for pickpocketing of tourists. Many people lost their belonging even near Pisa (near Florence)
As a rule, you should pretty much never carry anything very
valuable in any outside pocket . As in any other big city, it is
better if you don't look like a tourist as far as possible. Though I was
scared of pickpockets nothing of that sort happened to me ! Also, beware
of thieves — they will use the old trick of one person trying to distract you
(asking for a cigarette or doing a strange dance) while another thief
picks your pockets from behind. Bands of kids will sometimes crowd you and
reach for your pockets under the cover of newspapers or cardboard sheets. It is
generally a good idea to be extremely wary of any strange person who gets too
close to you. If someone is in your personal space, shove the
person away. Termini (the main railway station), the
central stops of the Metro and Trevi fountain are well-known for pickpockets,
so take extra care in these areas.
Remember that hotel rooms are not safe places for
valuables. You don't need to be paranoid, just keep your eyes open and use
your common sense! But since I am from India, we are always on our toes and it
is better to assume, that you are in India.
10/10/2016
We had a nice kitchen in our apartment with stove, and free salt and oil. We had breakfast at our apartment with bread, egg and butter.Today
our plan is to go to Roman forum and Colosseum.With the help of a Bangladeshi, we
bought the metro tickets from the Tobacco shop on the sidewalk and took a metro
to go to Colosseo metro station. Always start at the Roman Forum instead of
the Colosseum. There is rarely a line at the Roman Forum. Pick up or purchase
your tickets there and when you are done with Roman forum, you can skip the
line at the Colosseum, since you already have your ticket (One ticket entitles you to visit both the places). The Roman
Forum has no shade, so bring an umbrella or hat in the summer.
The Seven Hills of Rome, East of the river Tiber form the geographical heart of Rome.To the modern visitor, the Seven Hills of Rome can be rather difficult to identify. In the first place, generations of buildings constructed on top of each other and the construction of tall buildings in the valleys have tended to make the hills less pronounced than they originally were.
The seven hills were first occupied by small settlements. Rome came into being
as these settlements acted together and turn them into markets and forum. The Roman Forum used to be a swamp.
