Which Walking Tour is Best...for me?

Q&A  - First Timers and Worldly Travelers

I’ve never been to Rome before, and I’m overwhelmed. Where do I start?

One of the best orientations to the city is a stroll through the historical center, with its narrow streets and breathtaking vistas of piazzas, fountains and ruins. But why not put your map away for two hours and let one of our expert, local guides lead the way? Their explanations, stories and helpful tips will make for a relaxing walk that will bring the city to life, taking in not only the major sites of the city center but also a few hidden gems easily missed by the casual tourist.

Campo di Fiori

Pantheon

Join our one of our Twilight Walks, which runs everyday except Mondays and Wednesdays at 5 or 6:00pm  Adults 30 euro, students 25 euro. For more details, visit our website www.romewalks.com.

I’ve seen the Colosseum, the Vatican, and the Pantheon and I want to see something besides Rome’s biggest tourist attractions. Where should I go?

It is practically impossible to run out of fascinating things to do and see in the Eternal City. Rome Walks offers 10 group walks and 19 private walks so that you can continue to discover different facets of the city. You don’t have to be an art-buff to enjoy our For Art’s Sake Walk, but you may end up becoming one after visiting some of the finest works of Renaissance and Baroque art in the world with one of our art historians. These masterpieces are not behind ropes in crowded museums, but are hidden within the walls of quiet churches, each with its own unique and layered history of papal patronage, religious significance and artistic and architectural treasures.

Santa Maria sopra Minerva

Caravaggio - St. Matthew & the Angel

Piazza Sant Ignazio

For Art’s Sake Walk, available on request (minimum 2 people) 3 hours. Adults 65 euro, students 45 euro. For more details or to browse our other walks, visit our website     www.romewalks.com.

3 Things to eat in Rome in Winter

Can You Say TAROCCO?

Three Things to Eat in Winter in Italy

plus Carnival Treats that Come only Once a Year

Blood Oranges

Supposedly the orange first arrived on the Italian peninsula in the 17^th century, brought back from the East by a Jesuit priest. Today the Tarocco blood orange is the most popular orange in Italy for good reason. Grown in Sicily, it is juicy, seedless, easy to peel and usually sweeter than the more intensely red Moro and Sanguinello varieties. Mounds of brightly colored oranges are the highlight of fruit stalls during the dark winter months. Packed with nutrition, they have more Vitamin C than navel oranges (or “blonds” as the Italians call them), and the flavonoids that contribute their distinctive red hue also provide a sizable dose of the precious antioxidant anthocyanin. Enjoy as a snack, a dessert, freshly squeezed into a pulpy juice that can be ordered at any coffee bar, or try in a Sicilian salad of oranges, sliced bulb fennel, and black roasted olives.

Carciofi alla Giudia

Artichokes

Chilean poet Pablo Neruda once wrote an “Ode to Artichokes” comparing them to armed warriors with tender hearts. Both fall and spring varieties are cultivated in Italy, which boasts the largest production in the world. The Romanesco artichoke, harvested from February to April, is used for succulent, deep-fried “Carciofi alla Giudia”, a classic staple of restaurants in the Jewish Ghetto in Rome. While kitchen hands are busy shucking and cleaning the vegetables in the back,  perfectly stacked pyramids of artichokes set in front of the restaurants advertise the specialty to passers by. Equally delicious are the tender and flavorful “Carciofi alla Romana” braised in broth, olive oil, garlic, parsley and mint. A word of warning: the Italian word for artichoke, “carciofo”, can be used informally to describe a dull, foolish man.

Caldarroste

Chestnuts

Castagnaccio

Although November is the month for the chestnut harvest, in wintertime as well vendors of hot roasted chesnuts can be found all over Rome, selling their toasty wares in paper cones. For many Italians, the appearance of chestnuts in the markets marks the beginning of autumn, and also explains the presence of skillets with holes in kitchenware shops; these curious pans are used to roast le castagne over a fireplace or even on stovetop burners. Because of their rich nutritional content, they have been referred to as “the grain which grows on trees”, and indeed are also dried and ground into chestnut flour, which is used to make Castagnaccio, a savory pudding dressed with pine nuts, raisins, olive oil and rosemary.

Carnival Treats

Frappe

Castagnole

Two of the most common carnival treats in Rome can only be found in period of Carnival in February and are synonymous with cold weather, costumed revellers, parades and confetti.

Frappe, also known as Bugie (lies), Chiacchiere (chatter), or Cenci (rags) are ripply, crispy, flaky sheets of deep-fried dough dusted with powdered sugar or drizzled with chocolate.

Castagnole resemble donut holes:  dense lumps of sweet cake, often flavored with a hint of citrus, that are deep fried or baked, soaked in rum or Alchermes and rolled in granulated sugar.

Tip: when buying sweets in bakeries or pastry shops it is customary to purchase by weight. The most common unit of measurement is the etto, or 100 grams, (plural etti).

Getting Around: Best Deals to and from Rome Airport

NAVIGATING ROME 

The Easiest and Cheapest Ways to Get from the Rome Airport to the City

Until recently, travellers landing in Rome’s main airport in Fiumicino had only two options for getting into the city: train or taxi. But now there are alternatives that could be more convenient. Here are a few insider tips to help you decide.

The Leonardo Express train  runs every half hour to and from Rome’s Termini train station at a cost of 14 euro one-way. 

Although service is guaranteed even during strikes, in November 2012 copper theft (a not uncommon occurrence and frequent contributor to train delays) caused the line to shut down and created chaos for travelers. Another factor to consider, especially for those with lots of luggage, is that this train arrives at a track 500 meters (1/3 mile) from the main train station and connections to taxis and public transport.

Taxis are a convenient, if pricey, way to reach your destination. Rates increased in 2012 and the fixed, all inclusive fare from the airport to central Rome is 48 euro. 

Some taxis may charge less but add on for extra luggage or more than four passengers. This detailed fact sheet  published by the City of Rome can help unravel the idiosyncrasies of Roman taxi fares. (English version on page 2). One phrase that may be puzzling to some travelers is the frequent reference to “inside the Aurelian Walls”. This refers to the the zoning confines of the city center, which are demarcated by the ancient walls (over 65% percent of which are still in place) that once contained the entire city of Rome.

A word of caution: some taxi drivers, both authorized and unauthorized, may try to take advantage of dazed, jet-lagged travellers by quoting higher prices and extra add-ons, and they usually get away with it. Always insist on using the meter in the city, and no ride within the center should cost more than 20 euro. (Average rides are between 6 and 14 euro when taken from a taxi-stand). Tips are appreciated, but not obligatory.

A number of private bus companies now offer non-stop service between Fiumicino and Termini station at a very competitive price, just 4 or 5 euro one-way. 

The buses do not run as frequently as the trains, and take a little longer, depending on traffic (40-55 minutes as compared to 30 minutes by train), they stop at the same place at the airport, making it easy to hop on whichever one is leaving first (tickets can be bought on board). Some of these companies, which are reliable and have been operating for some time, do not have a very searchable online profile (especially in English) so it can be easy to miss the savings. Here are four of them: Terravision, Atral, S.I.T., and T.A.M..All buslines also offer service to and from Ciampino Airport.

Last, but not least, the cheapest door-to-door transport in Rome is AirportShuttle offering transfers at 25 euro for one person and 5-6 euro for each additional person.

At these rates, this service (the only one of its kind in Rome) is one of the best deals going, although you will be riding with a group of other passengers and cannot expect the rapid service of a private taxi.