I have a week till my pilgrimage to Rome ! - Comments

Thanks guys!!

@ Damon Salvatore;
Thank you!! I'll make sure to mention the railway station to the group as our accommodation is really close to it!

@ Antidote.
Mimes? Awesome! I'm hoping to get amazing pictures (thats my main aim) so the music and arts hints are very helpful, cheers!

@ sugarless
Yeah, thanks for reminding me for the covering knees tip, my teachers are drilling this into the girls who are going because of the things they wear these days and I will make sure to at least remember a few Italian phrases!

I've been to Rome! It's a beautiful city but I'd never advise going there in Summer. I wish I could have gone in February instead so I could have appreciated it more instead of thinking I was dying because of the heat.

I mostly went to typical tourist places which you probably plan to go, but I'll recommend them anyway. The Colosseum - obviously - although it might be very busy and the queue takes a long time unless you book a tour (maybe it's better during this time of year). Right next to that is the Roman Forum which is interesting but you should probably invest in a tour guide or guide book if you want to understand what you're looking at. As I remember, I think there was very little information written in English (not much in Italian either). My favorite place was the Pantheon, an amazing Roman temple which has managed to survive almost two thousand years. It's surreal and it also houses a lot of Catholic stuff now. The Spanish Steps are pretty close to the Pantheon if you have a desire to see the widest staircase in Europe. Also the Trevi Fountain - if you don't believe that throwing in coins will mean you'll return to Rome or find love, you can do it anyway because the donations are given to charity.

[If you're not super interested in the historical / cultural stuff these places can still be fun to visit. I'm personally not a big fan of Italian history, including Roman times, and I'm not too interested in Catholicism either, but I had a great time]

I don't think there's any places you need to avoid because you're not going during tourist season. As you're going with a Catholic school I'm sure they'll tell you this, but remember to cover your shoulders and knees when visiting the Vatican City or a religious building. They are quite serious about this and you'll likely be turned away or kicked out if you don't. This shouldn't be a trouble for you because the weather is quite cool at this time of year. Also, if you don't know any Italian, the Italians would be very grateful if you learned a few phrases. Simple stuff like "sorry" and "do you speak English?", even if it's badly pronounced, is more polite than automatically speaking English. You don't even need to buy a phrase book - just Google search 'basic Italian phrases' and get them from there. You will probably encounter many street markets and it's fine to buy from them except for fake designer bags. You can actually get arrested for this though I'm not sure how often it's enforced. There's public drinking fountains which have clean water but it might be different from the water in your country, so you might be more comfortable with bottled water. Like every other tourist spot, be careful with your belongings. You'll probably meet many homeless people out begging, and though it's up to you whether you give them money, try to avoid them when you have no change. Some will harass you even if you prove you have no money.

Have fun!

Rome is a beautiful place, especially in summer. I have been only once with my dad and brother and had such a great time. It is very touristy, but that's to be expected from a place with so much culture and famous sites. Obviously, you have to see the Colosseum and Trevi fountain.

My suggestions are start at the Trevi fountain. From here, go visit the Pantheon (there are church services here) and then to Plaza Navona. But there always seems to be plenty of churches and plazas everywhere you go
Plaza Novana is great for music and artists, by the way. They also have some fantastic mimes.

But when you go to the Colosseum, it's definitely worth the walk around. They do warn you, but I will also warn you, there are pickpockets here, more so than most places. Keep your valuables close or perhaps take one of the those bum bags (fanny packs?) or limit what you take out, just in case.

I've been to Rome. I spent a week there last year in July.

I would recommend the usual - Vatican, Colosseum etc,. But I would also advise you to go off the beaten track. Rome seems like such a scary city, but it's actually just really congested! It's almost impossible to get lost and as soon as you feel like you are, a few turns later you'll find yourself at some tourist attraction and you'll find your feet again.

I loved the Vatican Museums. It was so cool. But I also loved Termini station. It's the main railway station in Rome, you'll probably end up there. It's got lots of shops downstairs and I practically lived there !

I would avoid the underground very late at night. It can be dodgy. I'd also be aware of scammers around the tourist attractions - they'll ask you to take pictures of them and charge you, or try and get you to take pictures with them. People will also tell you they've got discount tickets to the Vatican for all these extra luxuries etc,. Just ignore them and keep walking.

Beware of where you eat. You can and probably will be caught to pay a small fortune xD The ice cream is only alright. I've tasted better. The people are generally very friendly and you'll have a good time. It's nice over there.

OH AND... go to the Castel Saint Angelo if you can. It was amazing.