Disclaimer: This stuff is the truth as I see it. These things have worked for me and I try to follow them. They might not work for you. If they don't, well, that's fine. Let me know if you observed, tried or learned something different from this.
Also, you'll notice I make references to expense accounts and expensive hotels and some other non-generic stuff. I originally wrote this page to help a group of folks I work with prepare for their first trip to Rome on business. However, I believe this information is useful to the general public, too. Finally, I have been traveling to Italy for years; some of the things I discuss here mention the Italian Lira, which of course is now defunct.
Any comments or questions contact:
Alan Zeleznikar
mailto: alan@alanzeleznikar.com
web: http://www.alanzeleznikar.com/ and travels.html
Copyright 2000 by Alan R. Zeleznikar
Nos morituri te salutamus.
Get about $100 or so changed at the US airport or during a layover (to kill time). This will be enough to get you from the airport into the city center and give you a little "float" to get something to eat or see a sight. There you'll be able to get more cash using your ATM card or by cashing traveler's checks. The exchange rate at the airport is awful but it saves the effort of finding a machine after you land.
If you forget or don't have the time, the money changer is just past the passport control area, near the baggage claim.
Use your ATM card or credit cards as much as possible. They work great and you get a very good rate. My bank also charges an access fee of $2.00 per transaction for the ATM, but even so, it's still better than what the rip-off "Change" places charge.
Euros are great. The exchange rate is basically 1 to 1. There ya go, that's all there is to it.
Tipping isn't usually done in a restaurant, but you can leave a little extra if the experience was a really good one.
Rome's airport (Leonardo da Vinci, aka Fiumicino) is well outside of town. You can get into the city center several ways; you can take a cab, ride the train or catch the bus (I suppose). I almost always catch the train into the town and take a cab or a hired car back to the airport, since I tend to leave early in the morning.
After you disembark the airplane you'll go through passport control if Rome is the first European destination you've landed in. Otherwise, you won't. Turn right to get to the baggage claim area. Walk back towards passport control but turn right when you see the escalator. At the top is the train station. Buy a ticket from the machine (LIT18 000, machine makes change in bills) or the ticket window and wait for the direct train to Termini station. Termini is Rome's main train station. There is another train that appears before the direct train, but it takes longer than the direct train. Don't take the non-direct train. Before you get on the train validate your ticket in the yellow box near the platform.
There is a downside to the Fiumicino-Termini train; the Termini arrival platform is several hundred meters (.25 miles) from the terminal itself; it can be a long walk if you have more than one bag (or one really heavy one). To make the hike easier the Termini folks have installed a moving walkway to get you from the platform to the terminal building.
Once you arrive at Termini you can take a taxi or the metro to the hotel. I've done both. I like the metro but a taxi is more convenient. You need a separate ticket for the Metro. Read the "Getting Around Town" section below for more Metro information.
If you want a taxi make sure you take a legitimate one. You will be accosted by drivers asking you if you want a ride when you are in the terminal itself. Ignore them; go to the legitimate taxi stand area. Walk out of the terminal building and over to the covered stand to your right.
If your hotel is within walking distance of the train station, exercise caution crossing the piazza. The gypsy kids are everywhere out in front and are very bold and persistent. Make sure you are paying atttention to what is happening around you; if a group of kids comes up to you (they might be holding pieces of cardboard or a small bundle that either is or looks like a baby), keep walking, stare them down and point at them (as if to say, "I see you, don't even think about it!"). If that doesn't get them to back off shout, "No!" or "Get away!" (or the always effective, "Get the f*ck away from me you little f*cking monsters!" - I use that one occasionally) and then push them away if they won't. Don't worry - Italy isn't like the US. They won't sue you, they won't complain to anyone but themselves and they certainly won't go tell the cops they were assaulted. They'll just mutter something like, "F*ck you" and walk away.
If you take a taxi from the airport the fare will be about LIT80 000 ($US40), maybe a little more, although I have had early Sunday morning rides as cheap as LIT67 000 ($US33) (so I gave the guy a LIT10 000 tip). Make sure it is a legitimate taxi and ask him how much it will be before you leave. He'll have a meter but he can give you an estimate. A legitimate taxi will be at the taxi area - an extra-legal driver will have a car parked somewhere waaaayyyy over there somewhere.
A new service has been recently added which is a shuttle van. it's actually very good and I recommend it. It was LIT110 000 ($US55) for myself and two friends together in November, 2000.
Do not rent a car. You'll see why once you get out of Termini and onto the street.
Take the metro or walk. The stuff in Rome of interest to tourists is all very close; remember, ancient Romans had to walk everywhere; the city wouldn't have worked if it wasn't compact and everything close.
The Rome metro isn't very extensive (every time they try to dig they hit some ancient Roman building foundation, stop construction and examine the find), but it is easy to use and cheap. It has only 2 lines and one station where you can change lines - Termini. There is only one fare no matter how far you're going. You buy a ticket from the ticket machine in the station. Put it into English mode (if that's the language you are most comfortable with) and follow the directions. Depending on the machine, it will even light up the appropriate sections as the transaction progresses to show you what to do. You want the single ride ticket (the BIT) for L1500.
Ticket machines take a large variety of notes and coins, but sometimes if you stick in a large note you'll have to buy a bunch of tickets.
Usually you will validate the ticket at the turnstile. Stick the ticket in the machine, listen for the time stamper. Remove your ticket and walk through the turnstile. Go to the track and wait for your train! Check the route map on the wall to figure out which platform you should stand on. Make sure you're on the correct platform. You can cross to the other platform without going through the turnstiles, so if you're on the wrong side just walk to the other one.
You can also ride the busses but I don't do that very often; too many pick pockets, especially on bus #64. But the mini busses are cool; they're battery powered so they don't pollute, which is important in Rome these days.
Check out my more extensive list of Rome restaurants.
Eateries in Italy have operating hours that Americans might consider a little... weird. They aren't open all day, in fact they usually aren't even open all afternoon. Usually they open for lunch, 11:30 or so to 3 pm. Then they reopen for dinner at 7 or 7:30 pm and close again at midnight. Given the lack of turnover at the tables I have often wondered how they make any money, but that's not the point, I guess. A friend of mine who lives in Turino told me they make money even without the turnover because the profit margin on restaurant food is so high. I guess she's right.
There are various types of restaurants in Italy; restaurants, pizzerias, osterias, trattorias and tavola caldas, plus bars and cafes. They all serve food but the sorts of food they serve depends on the type of place they are. Restaurants are the fanciest and have the highest prices generally. You get the normal Roman fare in the standard Italian way. Trattorias are restaurants that are generally owned by family members. You can get a good meal with a decent menu choice at a trattoria. An osteria is like a pub or a small restaurant; owned by a family with only 1 or 2 employees. You get really good food at an osteria. A pizzeria is obvious. A tavola calda (which means "hot table") is a cafeteria style place where you get a filling meal for a very good price. You might have a choice of 2 or 3 main dishes, vegetables, pasta, something to drink. I had a really good lunch in a Perugian tavola calda one day.
These are generalities; many places call themselves one thing and are really something else. Who cares? We're all on expense accounts anyway! :-)
Italians don't each much breakfast. Maybe just a coffee and some kind of a light pastry. A larger breakfast is usually available in the hotel. Depending on the hotel we can get familiar foods like cereals, yogurt, orange juice and fruit. Most of the time the hotels we tend to stay at charge extra for breakfast, which is atypical at a smaller, cheaper hotel in the country.
Lunch is similar to ours. You can get wine with your meal and also of course bottled water. Fresh fruit is also available but Italians tend to peel theirs so you should do that, too.
Dinner is a longer affair than in the US. You are expected to stay for a few hours. Being in a rush will not really make the service happen faster.
The meal is ordered in courses. One may start with an antipasto, such as bruschetta (prounced broo SKAY tuh) or prosciutto e melone, which is Italian cured ham and canteloupe, which sounds weird but is very good. The first (il primo) is traditionally a pasta dish. The second (il secondo) is a meat or fish dish, then a salad then dessert and a coffee drink. You don't have to order a second (I rarely do). The salad comes at the end and is served with olive oil and vinegar. Salad dressing is not a concept they are familiar with.
Most restaurants will have waiters who can speak at least a little English and will help you. I've had some great times in Italian restaurants.
Coffee is a topic all to itself. There are many different coffee drinks. Caffe Italiano is also called espresso. Espresso is a small "shot" of very dark, rich, thick strong coffee. Typically you add several packets of sugar to it and then drink it one gulp. It has a beautifully creamy brown foam on top and a black-as-tar drink in the cup.
Caffe latte is espresso and milk, cappuccino is espresso and steamed milk with a little cinnamon or chocolate on it. While Americans seem to like to drink it in the afternoon, Italians won't drink capuccino after 11 am.
Gelato deserves an entire page, but briefly, here's the scoop on gelato! Gelato is ice cream, but it's not like any ice cream you've ever had in the States. The worst gelato is still really good. Gelato stores are all over the city and Italians eat it at all times of the year. Good gelato can be spotted two different ways; first, check the type of bin the stuff is in. If it's in a plastic or cardboard container, then they probably don't make it themselves. Second, check the banana flavor. If it's a bright yellow they make it out of artificial colors and flavors. Natural banana is a grey color. Pass on the store if either of these is true.
A gelato store that has a sign saying "We make our own" still has to pass these two tests; if you find a store that has a grey banana flavor in a metal tin you are a winner! Buy your gelato there and enjoy!
Non-paid infomercial: Giolitti's Gelateria is the place in Rome to get gelato. The guys behind the counter are rude bastards at times, but it is worth it, believe me. It's north and a little east of the Pantheon. Ask a local, they'll tell you where it is.
Speaking a little Italian goes a long way with the people. You should be able to greet someone, thank someone, acknowledge someone else's thanks and maybe even say "How are you?"
Italians like most Europeans tend to be a bit more formal than Americans. I think we make the mistake of being overly familiar in an attempt to be friendly. Italians are very friendly people, but they start out a little more slowly than we do.
"Buon giorno" means "good morning" and "good day."
"Buon pomeriggio" is used less often. It means "Good afternoon."
"Buona sera" means "Good evening" as a greeting. "Buona note" means "Good night" as a departure.
Do not use "Ciao" until you have become acquaintances. I let them say it first, then I know it's OK to say it to them! :-)
"Grazie" means "Thank you" and "Prego" means "please", "you're welcome" or even "after you" (when for example someone opens a door for you and says, "Prego" they are indicating that you should walk through first.
When you walk into a store or other establishment you should as a matter of course greet them with one of those time-dependent greetings. A quick, "Buon giorno, signore/signora/signorina" is the polite thing to say.
It is doubtful that you will have to do the "Italian greeting", but in case you meet someone who wants to, grasp their hands in yours, kiss each cheek lightly and quickly and say, "Ciao" each time. :-)
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