Rome Travel Guide

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WHOA. Alitalia's Flagship Lounge Now Includes a Flight Simulator

Where: Rome, Italy
May 17, 2013 at 3:00 PM | by | Comments (0)

Just when you thought ever-bankrupt Italian airline Alitalia was a last-choice option for crossing the Atlantic, they go and do something cool like debut a renovated lounge with all new bells and whistles.

The "Dolce Vita" lounge, located within Terminal 1 at Rome's Fiumicino Airport welcomes those flying Alitalia in Magnifica class, Business, Ottima or Comfort, plus those holding elite SkyTeam status. Alitalia has a total of 15 lounges, but this is the largest and thus, the flagship. Believe it or not, it only took them two months to complete the renovation, to reopen in early March.

So, let's get down to the good stuff! The Dolce Vita lounge now boasts a bunch of "Made in Italy" features, like furniture from B&B Italia, coffee by Illy, catering by Eataly, a wall mosaic by Bisazza, and Prandina lighting. "The Pilot Bar" serves up the aforementioned Illy and Eataly yummies, and the areas for work and relaxation will delight those with eyes for design. Still, we can't help but be most psyched for a massive new toy installed in the lounge: a Boeing 737 flight simulator!

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What Everyone's Buying in Rome: A Pin-Up Calendar of Priests

Where: Rome, Italy
May 15, 2013 at 1:07 PM | by | Comment (1)

Welcome to "What Everyone's Buying," a new series on souvenirs, wherein we investigate what tourist trinkets are the hottest selling in hotspots around the world.

How could a simple black & white calendar, with the simple name "Calendario Romano" cause such a titter among tourists? Simple—by borrowing the pin-up concept and applying it to handsome Roman Catholic priests.

Spend enough time in Rome and you'll begin to notice they're everywhere—the fathers in their conservative black vestments—having un caffe e cornetto next to you in the morning, or petting a cat on a windowsill. The calendar selects 12 (having a chiseled jawline is more qualification than being actually ordained) and photographs them in innocent occupation, though their eyes betray less than innocent thoughts. Preview all 12 months on the back of each calendar.

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The Four Roman Churches You Must Visit to Complete a Papal Pilgrimage

Where: Rome, Italy
March 25, 2013 at 9:06 PM | by | Comments (2)


St. Paul's Outside the Walls, a basilica you should probably check out

It's a crazy time in the Catholic Church right now. There are two popes! It's almost Easter! Spring Break means Catholic school kids are misbehaving!

WIth all the hubbub surround the Vatican of late, maybe it's time to go old school and score you some Indulgences, AKA "Get Out of Hell Free" cards. Indulgences were once granted by the Catholic Church for good deeds done and acts of humility, but eventually they became a commodity sold or gifted to those held in favor by a corrupt church, centuries ago. If you've seen The Borgias, then you have some idea of what we're talking about. Indulgences technically don't exist anymore, but they sorta still do.

In any case, there are a few ways of going about earning indulgences, if you're into that. One is to climb the steps of the Scala Santa on your knees and reciting the correct prayers, the Scala Santa being a marble staircase supposedly brought to Rome from Jerusalem, where it was the stairs on which Jesus met Pontius Pilate.

Another way of earning an indulgence is to visit Rome and make a pilgrimage to each of the four "major basilicas," all which happen to be within a quick walk or subway ride of each other in la città eterna.

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No Snack for You! Rome Threatens €500 Fine for Street Eaters

Where: Rome , Italy
October 8, 2012 at 1:15 PM | by | Comments (0)


Illegal snacking in Piazza Navona

What's the Italian for "no snacking?"

We have no idea, but travelers are about to find out as Rome has enacted a new law banning the activity of eating snack foods within the historic center city.

Si, vero.

Chow down on some cioccolato in vicino of the cobblestoned streets and you'll be liable to pay a fine, which ranges from €25 to €500, though what exactly you'd have to do to warrant the €500 penalty is not stated (perhaps pour a banana split on Neptune in the Fontana di Trevi and then lick it off?!)

It's a law that specifically targets careless tourists, and Telegraph UK explains where you'll have to keep that gelato gluttony in check:

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Three Must-See Filming Locations in Woody Allen's 'To Rome With Love'

Where: Rome , Italy
July 6, 2012 at 1:56 PM | by | Comments (0)

With his latest movie, To Rome With Love, Woody Allen is once again proving he's the master of turning a film's location into another character, just as he did with two of the most travel-inspiring movies of the past decade: Midnight in Paris and Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

To Rome With Love follows four different characters—a well-known American architect reliving his youth, an average middle-class Roman who turns into a celebrity, a young married woman drawn into an affair, and an American opera director endeavoring to put a singing mortician on stage—finding their way through Rome.

Check out three of our favorite Eternal City locations prominently featured in To Rome With Love:

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Is Rome's Famous Trevi Fountain Really Crumbling?

Where: Rome, Italy
June 22, 2012 at 9:59 AM | by | Comments (0)

We know the cash flow is tight over in Europe, but when it comes to maintaining some of the cultural treasures it’s probably a good idea to invest in a little upkeep. This seems to be especially the case in Italy, where we heard that the Colosseum is already feeling the wear and tear of over 2,000 years of tourist trampling, and now it looks like one of Rome’s other famous landmarks are beginning to show their age.

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Are Bits and Pieces of Rome's Colosseum Starting to Crumble?

Where: Rome, Italy
January 5, 2012 at 9:53 AM | by | Comments (0)

If you’ve been thinking about visiting Rome in 2012 you might just want to confirm things sooner than later—especially if you want to visit the Colosseum during your trip.

It’s not like the ancient Colosseum is being relocated or demolished, but there is a little bit of a concern that the thing is starting to crumble. Obviously it has seen its share of history, and 2,000+ years of wear and tear is starting to show its effect.

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Keep the Gum in Your Mouth to Keep Rome Clean

Where: Rome, Italy
December 20, 2011 at 9:20 AM | by | Comments (0)

We knew that the City of Lights didn’t enjoy chewing gum, and now it sounds like the Eternal City feels the same way. Rome would love it if you’d dispose of your gum properly, but if you just need to toss it on the sidewalk—c’mon people—they’re planning a new initiative to clean it up.

Recently the cleanup started in and around Largo Argentina—that’s one of the spots with plenty of historic ruins (and feral cats)—as crews and volunteers hit the pavement prepared to scrape and scrub the sidewalks. According to some city officials responsible for garbage collection each gum removal costs like one euro—um, really—so it sounds like a pretty expensive undertaking.

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It May Look Modest, But This Could Be the Best Gelato in Rome

Where: Via della Panetteria 42, Rome, Italy
December 19, 2011 at 4:41 PM | by | Comments (0)


When we’re in Rome, we like to do what the Romans do and eat a lot of gelato. In fact, one of the great things about Italy is the art the culture that eating ice cream isn’t just a tourist thing.

One place we’d heard a lot about, but never visited, was Il Gelato di San Crispino, tucked away on a back street behind the Trevi Fountain. When we say tucked away, we mean tucked away; there’s only a tiny sign announcing its presence.

But it’d probably be overrun if it was any more exposed. Because the gelato of San Crispino is superlative. Only fresh ingredients are used—no preservatives, nothing frozen, only seasonal things—and boy does it show.

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The Newbie Traveler Treads the Cobblestones of Rome

Where: Rome, Italy
September 1, 2011 at 12:19 PM | by | Comments (0)

What would your life be like if you hadn't yet traveled to Europe? If you'd spent years reading travel novels and fantasizing over guidebooks, but hadn't made the big leap? This is the case for Andy Miles, who in his late twenties is embarking on his first trip to the continent and walking us through the emotions and observations of a true Newbie Traveler. Read his previous adventures and follow along all week as Andy takes us along on his inaugural Euro journey.

I know Rome is a big deal, but having the opportunity to see it up close and personal gave me new perspectives on life, time, and how many things in this world are temporal. The Roman ruins have such a presence that they emit a feeling of history, and even if you didn't know much about Rome, you'd know that something very significant happened there.

After getting settled at the hotel, we decided to go downstairs to find something to eat. Instead of just winging it on our own, we figured it'd be a good idea to ask the concierge for a suggestion. I sauntered up to the desk and asked, "Is there some good Italian food around here?" As the words were leaving my mouth my own internal dialogue was "ARE YOU REALLY ASKING HIM THIS RIGHT NOW?!" Thankfully, he just laughed and said, "Of course!"

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The Newbie Traveler Leaves His Smoking Jacket Home for the Night Train to Rome

Where: Rome, Italy
August 31, 2011 at 12:15 PM | by | Comment (1)

What would your life be like if you hadn't yet traveled to Europe? If you'd spent years reading travel novels and fantasizing over guidebooks, but hadn't made the big leap? This is the case for Andy Miles, who in his late twenties is embarking on his first trip to the continent and walking us through the emotions and observations of a true Newbie Traveler. Read his previous adventures and follow along all week as Andy takes us along on his inaugural Euro journey.

This was the moment I had been looking forward to for months. A night train from Paris to Rome. It just felt too good to be true. I expected to chugga-chug through the French countryside, gazing upon family-owned wineries untouched by modern innovations for hundreds of years, sheep on rolling hills and romantic stone archways. In my fantasies, I'd do this while sipping Perrier and conversing with my fellow passengers in the dining car—while wearing a velour smoking jacket, of course.

Later, after an Old Fashioned or four, I'd wrap up my conversations about the current European economic climate and retire to my room for an evening turndown service graciously provided by our train car's attendant. An assortment of Italian chocolates to leave my palate with a taste as sweet as the evening had been? Yes, please!

Unfortunately, the night train to Rome was nothing like that. Nothing at all.

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Need an Italy Vacation Rental? How About Berlusconi's Sex Castle?

Where: Rome, Italy
February 16, 2011 at 1:36 PM | by | Comments (0)

He has property inside and outside of Milan, a palazzo in Rome and a villa in Sardinia, and yet all these lovely locations aren't enough to host Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's retinue of call girls. According to the Telegraph UK and intercepted communications, Silvio's dalliances have lately been focused instead on a rented 15th century castle just outside of Rome—the Castello di Torcrescenza.

What Berlusconi hosts there are "dinners" with former Playboy models and other beautiful women, likely prostitutes procured from various sources he has, sources which are now being publicly named. Thus, we can only believe the his castle "dining" is over and you can look into renting the place for your next wholesome family vacation in Italy...or for other things. It does sounds nice:

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