Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Pantheon Neighborhood:
The Pantheon anchors the neighborhood I like to call the
heart of Rome. It stretches eastward from the Tiber River through Campo de' Fiori and
Piazza Navona, past the Pantheon to the Trevi Fountain.
VaticanCity:
Located westoftheTiber,it'sacompact worldofitsown,withtwogreat,
huge sights: St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museum.
North Rome:
With the Spanish Steps, Villa Borghese Gardens, and trendy shopping
streets (Via Veneto and the “shopping triangle”), this is a more modern, classy area.
East Rome:
This includes the area around Termini Station, with its many recommended
hotels and public-transportation connections. Nearby is the neighborhood I call “Pilgrim's
Rome,” with several prominent churches dotting the area south of the station.
SouthRome:
SouthofVatican CityisTrastevere, theseedy,colorfulwrong-side-of-the-
river neighborhood that provides a look at village Rome. It's the city at its crustiest—and
perhaps most “Roman.” Across the Tiber River, directly south of the city center, is the Ap-
pian Way, home of the catacombs.
Within each of these neighborhoods, you'll find elements from the many layers of
Rome's2,000-yearhistory:themarbleruinsofancienttimes;tangledstreetsofthemedieval
world;earlyChristianchurches;grandRenaissancebuildingsandstatues;Baroquefountains
and church facades; 19th-century apartments; and 20th-century boulevards choked with
traffic.
Since no one is allowed to build taller than St. Peter's dome, and virtually no buildings
havebeenconstructedinthecitycentersinceMussolinigotdistracted in1938,Romehasno
modernskyline.TheTiberRiverisbasicallyignored—afterthelastfloods(1870),thebanks
were built up very high, and Rome turned its back on its naughty river.
Rome has two tourist information offices and several TI kiosks. The TI offices are at the
airport (Terminal 3, daily 9:00-18:30) and Termini train station (daily 8:00-21:00, 100 yards
down track 24, look for signs). Little kiosks (generally open daily 9:30-19:00) are near the
Forum (on Piazza del Tempio della Pace), on Via Nazionale (at Palazzo delle Esposizioni),
near Castel Sant'Angelo (at Piazza Pia), near Piazza Navona (at Piazza delle Cinque Lune),
and near the Trevi Fountain (at Via del Corso and Via Minghetti). The TI's website is
ht-
tp://en.turismoroma.it
.TheTIsdon'tofferroom-bookingservices.Ifacommercialinfo-cen-
ter offers to book you a room, just say no—you'll save money by booking direct.
At any TI, ask for a city map and a listing of sights and hours (in the free
Evento
booklet
withEnglish-languagepageslistingthemonth'sculturalevents).Yourhotelwillhaveafree-
bie map and may also have the free
Evento
booklet, saving you a trip to the TI if that's all
you need. The best map I found is published by Rough Guide (€9 in bookstores).
