People that have been to Rome...

akg0053

FI and I have decided on doing 10 days in Rome for the honeymoon. We may also travel to Pisa and/or Venice and we are definitely going to see Pompeii in that time period as well.

We are going to see the major historical things in the area, like the Vatican, the Coliseum, etc. I was also wondering...

What else is there to do off the beaten path? I need good restaurant advice, places to see, etc. that might not be full of tourists. I want to do more things the locals do as well while we're there and need some recs.

Thanks!

AmoroAgain

I haven't been off the beaten path in Rome really, so no ideas on that, but you'll want to check trenitalia.com for train schedules so you can get around.  Just a couple of points:

- In Pisa, there's nothing really to see or do except the leaning tower. 
- Venice is a 4+ hour train ride from Rome, if you get a direct train.
- There are a ton of smaller, beautiful towns between Rome and Florence, so don't miss out on those.  Arezzo and Siena come to mind. 

maratea

If you are into historical sites, on the outskirts of Rome, there is a place called the Fosse Ardeatine Monument. It's a very beautiful and moving place--a memorial to Italians killed during WWII. Also nearby is the Catacombs of San Callisto. It's where many Christians were buried when Rome was ruled by pagans.

If you are able to travel elsewhere, Assisi is beautiful. It's small and not tourist-ridden. I highly recommend Assisi. Venice is ok, but it's rather expensive and touristy.

LaFemmeRousse

Italy is a great place for a honeymoon, congrats!  I really don't think it's worth your while to visit Pisa- it's small with nothing to do.  If you want to go out that way, I highly highly recommend visiting Cinque Terre instead; it was my favorite part of Italy.  I also thought Venice was sort of meh- fun for a day, but I liked Florence vastly more.  Pompeii was awesome.

As for interesting Rome recommendations- get the Rick Steves guidebook.  He has detailed walking tours that you can use for every major museum and historical site so you don't have to pay for the expensive guided one.  He also has great recommendations for low-mid level restaurants.  Also, buy your tickets well in advance whenever possible, especially for the Vatican.  Lines can stretch hours long in the peak season.  If you want a private Vatican tour, I highly recommend Context Rome- they only do small groups of about six people, and the tour leaders are all local art and history professors.  Amazing!  The Excavations Tour at the Vatican is also different and cool.

A little off the beaten path: Villa Borghese (only open certain days, check the schedule ahead of time), the Capitoline Museum, and San Luigi dei Francesi (the French church in Rome, gorgeous art).  We took a half day trip to the Tivoli Gardens at Villa d'Este, and this is a must-see in my opinion.  So beautiful!

bridetobe920

I second the Rick Steves books, as they were a huge help to us on our Italy trip last year.  We went to Rome, Florence and Venice and had an amazing time.  We did a day trip to Pompeii, and LOVED it.  If you are thinking about it, definitely do it!  It was so fascinating, and we could have stayed there all day.  We also saved time (and headache) by getting the Roma Pass at the Forum (allowed us entry there and also into the Colisseum, were we could skip the line).  We also used it to get on and off of the metro and buses as much as we wanted, which we took full advantage of.  We did the Vatican and got our tickets through their website ahead of time (2 weeks) and skipped the line there too.  Have a great time!!

akg0053

Thank you so much. That's awesome advice for the touristy stuff we want to do.

You guys rock!

alithebride

everyone gave great advice! 10 days there is a lot=have you considered splitting it half rome and half florence? that's what i'd do.
also the 'city walks' packs of cards were wonderful to use as suplements to RS books-especially at the forum-gave great (but not too long) descriptions of each structure.

carmenw_79

I would recommend going a little further south for a couple of days.  Spend sometime in Sorrento and Capri!  They are 2 of my favourite places on earth.  If you go to Capri ensure you visit the blue grotto....words can't describe how beautiful it is!  Enjoy planning

spenet1

GO TO FLORENCE!! It is definitely my favorite city in Italy, and much less touristy than Rome. The best way to learn about local gems is to ask someone on the street. Don't ask the hotel, they usually have "stock" places they recommend, which means everyone else from the hotel will be there. Ask the owner of a shop or someone who actually IS local where they like to eat, shop, drink espresso.

future mrs.riva

I second the Tivoli gardens! I also agree about going south to Sorrento, it's so beautiful. I'd spend a couple days in Florence, too and the small surrounding towns.

akg0053

Thank you thank you thank you.

You guys have no idea how helpful you've been/are.

I'm headed to the bookstore in a few minutes to pick up some of the guides as a vday gift for the FI (corny, I know, but I want it and I figured it would be amusing).

mam677

DH and I honeymooned there last November. We did all of the touristy things but by far my favorite thing was the Catacombs of San Callisto. Amazing history and wonderful guides.

Another off-the-beaten path trip was to Ostia Antica, which is about a 30-minute train ride from Rome. It's an abandoned port city that is remarkably intact. It wasn't too crowded, only cost 6 Euro and was a nice change of pace from the hustle and bustle of Rome.

I also loved Villa Borghese. Some of it is touristy but we found parts that were gorgeous and unoccupied.

Best trip ever!

cembc99

So DH and I honeymooned in Paris, Switzerland and Italy and Rome was not my fave city (mostly because of heat). This is not me being jerk about Rome, everyone has their preferences, but I just preferred the smaller cities, Florence and Venice. You will get tons of people who disagree about the Italian cities, but it is really all just personal preference. I loved Florence and Venice. To me Rome (aside from the major sights) was like any other major city and not uber romantic. But, I am glad we went and wouldn't change that.

But I will say my favorite site after the Colloseum and Forum was the Villa Borghese. It is a beautiful villa filled with magnificent artwork. The classical is juxtaposed with the neoclassical in a really interesting way, and the villa itself is gorgeous. But, you need to get your tickets in advance. You can't just show up. They have reservation times and only allow a certain number of people in at a time, so it is no joke, you have to get tickets before you go. Our hotel arranged this for us which was pretty easy. Also, be prepared to give them everything on you, purse included. You cannot bring anything in with you, so don't carry anything that you don't feel comfortable checking.

Also, go have lunch at the piazza navona. Beautiful little part of Rome.

akg0053

cem- yeah the heat is why we're going in December. Since I have never been to Italy at all, I have no idea what my personal preference on any of the Italian cities are, so thanks for your opinions. That's also why we are exploring the idea of going to several cities to get a good broad-spectrum view of the differences.

Thanks everyone!

txex1996

You will have a hard time not loving Italy. I think you are well covered on Rome. That being said, I would follow up on many things the other ladies have advised.

The Tuscan countryside looks like it has been painted in a fairytale book. My best advice if you want to see Florence is to book at a agrotourism place in the countryside and use that as a home base. I recently stayed just outside of Sienna in a centuries old farm house on a vinyard. Rent a car as it is very easy to drive in Italy. Take day trips to see Florence, Sienna, Arezzo, Montepulciano, and San Gimigiano. For my money, I would choose Sienna over the packed city of Florence every time. Florence has some wonderful sights, but there is so much more to see.

I also loved the both Cinqueterre and the Amalfi Coast (Capri-Sorrento-etc). There is absolutely nothing of historical or artistic interest. They are just a places of extreme natural beauty. Although, that may be compromised in December. These places are about fun in the sun.

Venice can be fun if you get out of the crush of tourists and out onto the islands or the less trodden paths. From there, I would also recommend a day trip to the lake district. Lake Como is phenomenal.
 
As you are planning, I suggest you use the www.vayama.com for flights and www.venere.com for hotels. I live in Europe and have had far better luck with these sites than those hosted by American companies.

romastylist

For Rome:

I currently live in Rome and this is what I would suggest and what I like to do (when I can convince the fiance to do it. haha)

On Friday nights, they do a JazzTram where the use like a 50s tram that has a live jazz band on it and it goes from near Termini and to after the Colosseum, they sometimes do a dinner as well. You need to make reservations, but if you search jazztram rome, i believe they have the site in english. Its a romantic thing to do at night.

I would go to Villa Borgese (the park) in the daytime, rent a double electric bike - you sit side by side and go around, it is a large park and there is also a little lake in the center where you can rent a rowboat.

Go up to the Campidoglio, when you get to the statue in the middle, on the right you will see an arch with a road leading up hill, start walking up and on the left you will see a double door into the building with stairs right after the door, go up and at the top is a cafe with an outdoor terrace and gorgeous views of Rome (for free) or for the price of an espresso while you are up there. (sorry, i'm horrible with directions)

Depending on the time of year, go to the botanical gardens in Trastevere and have a picnic inside while you are there.

Get gelato at Old Bridge Gelateria near Piazza Risorgimento along the Vatican Wall.

Eat dinner at Ai Fienaroli in Trastevere.

I would also suggest the agriturismo and day driving trips. I wouldnt consider driving in Italy easy but manageable as long as you dont do it in Rome. San Gimignano is one of my favorite towns.


That is all I can think of for now. If you have any questions, pm me, always happy to help.

akg0053

Roma-

Thank you thank you THANK YOU!!!

That is extremely helpful.