Frommer's Rome

292 Pages·2008·7.32 MB·English

by  Darwin Porter, Danforth Prince

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Front cover photo ©Jon Arnold Images/DanitaDelimont.com US $16.99/ CAN $18.99/ UK £11.99
Back cover photo ©Gary Yeowell/Getty Images ISBN 978-0-470-28782-8
19th Edition
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To call Italy from another country: Dial the international access code (U.S. or Canada 011,
U.K., Ireland, or New Zealand 00, Australia 0011), followed by the country code 39, and
then the local number, which includes the former city code (you must dial the initial zero).
To make a direct international call from Italy: Dial 00 followed by the country code (U.S. or
Canada 1, U.K. 44, Ireland 353, Australia 61, New Zealand 64), the area code, and then the
local number.
To charge international calls: Americans can reach an AT&T operator at 800-172-444, MCI
at 800-905-825, or Sprint at 800-172-405. Canadians can reach Teleglobe at 172-1001. Brits
can reach British Telephone at 800-172-441. Australians can reach Optus at 172-1161 or
Telstra at 172-1061. You can call an English-speaking international operator by dialing 170.
To call the national telephone information (in Italian) in Italy, dial 12. International
information is available at 176.
For further information, see “Fast Facts: Rome” in chapter 4.
To convert.....................multiply by
U.S. gallons to liters.......................3.8
Liters to U.S. gallons.......................26
110˚F U.S. gallons to imperial gallons.....83
40˚C Imperial gallons to U.S. gallons...1.20
100˚F
Imperial gallons to liters..............4.55
90˚F Liters to imperial gallons................22
30˚C 1 liter = .26 U.S. gallon
80˚F
1 U.S. gallon = 3.8 liters
70˚F
20˚C
60˚F
To convert.....................multiply by
50˚F 10˚C inches to centimeters...................2.54
centimeters to inches.................... . .39
40˚F feet to meters............................... . .30
32˚F 0˚C meters to feet...............................3.28
yards to meters............................. . .91
20˚F meters to yards.............................1.09
-10˚C miles to kilometers.......................1.61
10˚F
kilometers to miles.........................62
0˚F -18˚C 1 ft. = .30m 1 mile = 1.6km
-8 -10˚F 1m = 3.3 ft. 1km = .62 mile
2
78 -20˚F -30˚C
8
2 To convert.....................multiply by
0- To convert F to C: Ounces to grams........................28.35
7 Grams to ounces...........................035
4 subtract 32 and multiply
- Pounds to kilograms.......................45
0 by5/9 (.555) Kilograms to pounds...................2.20
-
8 To convert C to F:
7 1 ounce = 28 grams
9 multiply by 1.8 1 pound = .4555 kilogram
N and add 32
B 1 gram = .04 ounce
S 32˚F = 0˚C
I 1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds
Rome
19th Edition
by Darwin Porter & Danforth Prince
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ISBN 978-0-470-28782-8
Editor: Elizabeth Heath with Stephen Bassman
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Cartographer: Guy Ruggiero
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Front cover photo: St. Peter’s Basilica: detail of Bernini’s Baroque baldachin
Back cover photo: Lazio, Rome: view along restaurants lining Piazza Navona at dusk
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5 4 3 2 1
C O N T E N T S
LIST OF MAPS vi
WHAT’S NEW IN ROME 1
1 THE BEST OF ROME 4
1 Frommer’s Favorite Rome 4 The Best Piazzas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Experiences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 5 The Best Ruins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
2 The Best Museums. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 6 Best Hotel Bets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
3 The Best Cathedrals & Churches. . . .9 7 Best Dining Bets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
2 ROME IN DEPTH 18
1 Rome Today. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 5 The Romans: From Myth
2 Looking Back at Rome . . . . . . . . . . . .20 to Language. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Dateline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 6 Rome in Popular Culture:
Books, Film & Music. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
3 Rome’s Art & Architecture. . . . . . . . .31
7 Eating & Drinking in Rome . . . . . . . .45
4 Literature: The Classics &
Beyond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
3 SUGGESTED ITINERARIES 47
1 The Best of Rome in 1 Day . . . . . . . .51 3 The Best of Rome in 3 Days . . . . . . .60
2 The Best of Rome in 2 Days . . . . . . .56
4 WHERE TO STAY IN ROME 62
1 Near Stazione Termini. . . . . . . . . . . . .63 5 Near Piazza Navona &
2 Near Via Veneto & Piazza the Pantheon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Barberini. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 6 Near Piazza del Popolo &
3 Near Ancient Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 the Spanish Steps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
4 Near Campo de’ Fiori. . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 7 Near the Vatican . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
iv 8 In Trastevere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88 10 In Torlonia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
9 In Parioli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 11 At the Airport. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
5 WHERE TO DINE IN ROME 91
1 Near Stazione Termini. . . . . . . . . . . . .93 6 Near Piazza del Popolo &
Take a Gelato Break . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94 the Spanish Steps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
2 In San Lorenzo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96 7 Near Ancient Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
3 Near Via Veneto & Piazza 8 Near the Vatican . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Barberini. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96 9 In Trastevere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Quick Bites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98 10 In Villa Borghese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
E
M 4 Near Campo de’ Fiori & 11 In Testaccio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
O the Jewish Ghetto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98
R 12 In Parioli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
S
R’ 5 Near Piazza Navona & 13 In Monte Mario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
E the Pantheon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
M
M
O
R 6 EXPLORING ROME 120
F
1 St. Peter’s & the Vatican. . . . . . . . . . 120 4 The Spanish Steps, the Trevi
Papal Audiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129 Fountain & Attractions
S Nearby. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
NT 2 The Colosseum, the Roman
TE Forum & Highlights of 5 In the Villa Borghese . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
N
O Ancient Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 6 The Appian Way &
C Hollywood on the Tiber . . . . . . . . . . . .135 the Catacombs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Did You Know?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140 7 More Attractions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
3 The Pantheon & Attractions 8 The Gardens of Rome. . . . . . . . . . . 163
near Piazza Navona & 9 Organized Tours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Campo de’ Fiori . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
913 Churches, 1 Synagogue:
Jews in the Capital of
Christendom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146
7 STROLLING THROUGH ROME 165
Walking Tour 1: Rome Walking Tour 3 : Renaissance
of the Caesars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165 Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179
Walking Tour 2: The Heart Walking Tour 4: Trastevere . . . . . . . . .186
of Rome. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174
8 SHOPPING 191
1 The Shopping Scene. . . . . . . . . . . . 191 2 Shopping A to Z . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
v
9 ROME AFTER DARK 205
1 The Performing Arts. . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 2 The Club & Music Scene . . . . . . . . 206
Opera at the Baths of Caracalla. . . .206 3 The Cafe & Bar Scene. . . . . . . . . . . . 210
10 SIDE TRIPS FROM ROME 216
1 Tivoli & the Villas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216 5 Fregene. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
2 Palestrina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219 6 Etruscan Historical Sights. . . . . . . . 224
3 The Castelli Romani . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 7 Viterbo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
4 Ostia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
F
R
O
M
11 PLANNING YOUR TRIP TO ROME 228 M
E
R
1 Visitor Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 8 Specialized Travel Resources . . . . 246 ’S R
O
2 Entry Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 Frommers.com: The Complete M
3 When to Go. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 Travel Resource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .247 E
4 Getting There & Getting 9 Sustainable Tourism. . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 It’s Easy Being Green . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249
C
5 Money. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 10 Packages for the Independent O
N
Foreign Currencies vs. Traveler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 T
E
the U.S. Dollar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .242 1 1 Escorted General Interest NT
What Things Cost In Rome. . . . . . . . .243 Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 S
6 Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244 12 Staying Connected. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
7 Safety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245 1 3 Tips on Accommodations. . . . . . . 253
APPENDIX A: FAST FACTS, TOLLFREE NUMBERS &
WEBSITES 256
1 Fast Facts: Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256 2 Toll-Free Numbers & Websites. . . 262
APPENDIX B: MOLTO ITALIANO 265
1 Basic Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265 3 Italian Menu Terms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
2 A Glossary of Architectural
Terms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
INDEX 272
General Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272 Restaurants & Cafes Index. . . . . . . 279
Accommodations Index . . . . . . . . 279
L I S T O F M A P S
Rome in 1 Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 The Vatican Museums . . . . . . . . . . .127
Rome in 2 Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 The Colosseum, the Forum &
Rome in 3 Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Ancient Rome Attractions . . . . .133
Accommodations near Stazione The Pantheon & Nearby
Termini, Via Veneto & Piazza Attractions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
Barberini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Attractions near the Spanish
Accommodations near Campo de’ Steps & Piazza del Popolo . . . . .149
Fiori & Piazza Navona . . . . . . . . . . 75 Attractions near Stazione
Accommodations near Piazza del Termini, Via Veneto &
Popolo & the Spanish Steps . . . . 79 Piazza Barberini. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157
Accommodations & Dining Attractions in Trastevere . . . . . . . . .161
near the Vatican . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Walking Tour: Rome
Dining near Stazione Termini, Via of the Caesars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167
Veneto & Piazza Barberini . . . . . . 95 Walking Tour: The Heart
Dining near Campo de’ Fiori, of Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175
the Jewish Ghetto & Walking Tour: Renaissance
Piazza Navona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Rome. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181
Dining near the Spanish Walking Tour: Trastevere . . . . . . . . .187
Steps & Ancient Rome . . . . . . . . .107 Rome Shopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193
Dining in Trastevere . . . . . . . . . . . . .115 Side Trips from Rome . . . . . . . . . . . .217
Rome Attractions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122 Rome Metropolitana . . . . . . . . . . . .239
The Vatican . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
As a team of veteran travel writers, Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince have produced
dozens of previous titles for Frommer’s, including many of their guides to Europe, the Carib-
bean, Bermuda, The Bahamas, and parts of America’s Deep South. A film critic, columnist,
and radio broadcaster, Porter is also a noted biographer of Hollywood celebrities, garnering
critical acclaim for overviews of the life and times of, among others, Marlon Brando, Katha-
rine Hepburn, Howard Hughes, and Michael Jackson. Prince was formerly employed by
the Paris bureau of the New York Times, and is today the president of www.bloodmoon
productions.com and other media-related firms. In 2008, Porter and Prince collaborated on
the release of their newest book about Hollywood, sexuality, and sin as filtered through 85
years of celebrity excess, Hollywood Babylon—It’s Back!
AN INVITATION TO THE READER
In researching this book, we discovered many wonderful places—hotels, restaurants, shops,
and more. We’re sure you’ll find others. Please tell us about them, so we can share the informa-
tion with your fellow travelers in upcoming editions. If you were disappointed with a recom-
mendation, we’d love to know that, too. Please write to:
Frommer’s Rome, 19th Edition
Wiley Publishing, Inc. • 111 River St. • Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
AN ADDITIONAL NOTE
Please be advised that travel information is subject to change at any time—and this is espe-
cially true of prices. We therefore suggest that you write or call ahead for confirmation when
making your travel plans. The authors, editors, and publisher cannot be held responsible for
the experiences of readers while traveling. Your safety is important to us, however, so we
encourage you to stay alert and be aware of your surroundings. Keep a close eye on cameras,
purses, and wallets, all favorite targets of thieves and pickpockets.
Other Great Guides for Your Trip:
Frommer’s Rome Day by Day
Frommer’s Florence, Tuscany & Umbria
Frommer’s Italy
Frommer’s Northern Italy
Frommer’s Sicily
Frommer’s Portable Florence
Frommer’s Portable Venice
Frommer’s Rome Past & Present
Suzy Gershman’s Born to Shop Italy
Frommer’s Europe
Frommer’s Europe by Rail
FROMMER’S STAR RATINGS, ICONS & ABBREVIATIONS
Every hotel, restaurant, and attraction listing in this guide has been ranked for quality, value,
service, amenities, and special features using a star-rating system. In country, state, and
regional guides, we also rate towns and regions to help you narrow down your choices and
budget your time accordingly. Hotels and restaurants are rated on a scale of zero (recom-
mended) to three stars (exceptional). Attractions, shopping, nightlife, towns, and regions are
rated according to the following scale: zero stars (recommended), one star (highly recom-
mended), two stars (very highly recommended), and three stars (must-see).
In addition to the star-rating system, we also use seven feature icons that point you to the
great deals, in-the-know advice, and unique experiences that separate travelers from tourists.
Throughout the book, look for:
Finds Special finds—those places only insiders know about

Fun Facts Fun facts—details that make travelers more informed and their trips more fun

Kids Best bets for kids, and advice for the whole family

Moments Special moments—those experiences that memories are made of

Overrated Places or experiences not worth your time or money

Tips Insider tips—great ways to save time and money

Value Great values—where to get the best deals

The following abbreviations are used for credit cards:
AE American Express DISC Discover V Visa
DC Diners Club MC MasterCard
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