Italy Travel And Hotel Guide

There are tourist information booths on arrival at Fiumicino (daily 8.15am-7.15pm; tel 06.6595.6074), and at Termini (daily 8.15am-7.15pm; tel 06.487.1270 or tel 06.482.5078), although the long queues that often develop at both of these mean you’re usually better off heading straight for the main tourist office at Via Parigi 5 (Mon-Fri 8.15am-7.15pm, Sat 8.15am-1.45pm; tel 06.4889.9253 or tel 06.4889.9255), ten minutes’ achievement from Termini. They have free maps that should - together with our own - be ample for finding your way around, although the rest of their information can be uneven and out of date. There are also information kiosks in key locations around the city centre (daily 9am-6pm). They too often have outdated general information but the staff usually speak English, and they are useful for free maps, directions and new information (opening times, for example) about nearby sights. You might be better off bypassing the official tourist offices altogether and going to Enjoy Rome , Via Varese 39 (Mon-Fri 8.30am-2pm & 3.30-6pm, Sat 8.30am-2pm; tel 06.445.1843), whose friendly, English-speaking staff run a free room-finding service; they also organize tours, and have a left-luggage service for those who take them. Their information is often more up to date and reliable than that handed out by the various tourist offices, and they will also advise on where to eat, drink, and party, if you so wish.

For what’s-on information, the city’s best source of listings is perhaps Romac’è (L2000, Thursdays), which has a helpful section in English giving information on tours, clubs, restaurants, services and weekly events. The ex-pat bi-weekly, Wanted in Rome (L1500, every other Wednesday), which is entirely in English, is also a useful source of information, especially if you’re looking for an apartment or work. If you understand a bit of Italian, there’s Time Out Roma (L2000, Thursdays), a weekly review full of listings as well as articles on the trendiest everything in Rome, and the regular arts pages of the Rome newspaper , Il Messaggero, which can be found in most bars for the customers to read, and lists movies, plays and major musical events. The newspaper La Repubblica also includes the ” Trova Roma ” section in its Thursday edition, another handy guide to current offerings.

Information kiosk locations

Spanish Steps , Largo Goldoni (tel 06.6813.6061) San Giovani , Piazza San Giovani in Laterno (tel 06.7720.3535)

Via Nazionale , Palazzo delle Esposizioni (tel 06.4782.4525)

Piazza Navona , Piazza delle Cinque Lune (tel 06.6880.9240)

Castel Sant’Angelo , Piazza Pia (tel 06.6880.9707)

Forum , Piazza del Tempio della Pace (tel 06.6992.4307)

Trastevere , Piazza Sonnino (tel 06.5833.3457)

Santa Maria Maggiore , Via del’Olmata (tel 06.4788.0294)

Rome on the Web

www.capitolium.orgThe official Web site of the Roman forums, with pictorial reconstructions of how the ruins would have looked in their day, as well as how they look now; material on life in ancient Rome; and even a live Web view of the forum.

www.catacombe.roma.it

Official site of Rome’s Christian catacombs, with visuals, historical descriptions, and explanations of ancient symbols - a good supplement to our own accounts if you’re extra keen.

www.comune.roma.it

Italian-language Web site of the Rome city authorities.

www.enjoyrome.com

Helpful site of the helpful Rome tourist organization, with information on accommodation and tours - and links to other favourite Rome Web sites.

www.gamberorosse.it/e/romausa

Nice site in English, detailing walks around Rome that take in Gambero Rosso’s speciality - restaurants and bars.

www.initaly.com/regions/latium

A quirky site that gives links, and subjective rundowns, on everything Italian - and in this case Roman.

www.roma2000.it

Everything about Rome in the Millennium, with comprehensive, if irregularly updated, information on all aspects of the city.

www.romeguide.it

The place to go whether you’re after a bus or travel tour of the city centre, a guide to a particular monument or gallery, even the chance to go on a “ghost tour” of Rome.

www.vatican.va

Slick, multilingual Web site of the Holy See, with material - some still under construction - on the Vatican Museums, the institutions of the city state, its newspaper online, and a calendar of the whole of the Holy Year’s events.

www.venere.it/home/lazio/roma

Probably the best site for accessing the Web pages of those hotels that have them - and booking rooms online

Category: Rome