Cut The Junk

Church of Sant’ Agnese in Agone

2019-08-30T13:25:00.003-07:00

This 17^th century Baroque church can be found in the Piazza Navona.

Little is known of St Agnes, whom the church was dedicated. But she was martyred on a pyre by Emperor Diocletian who persecuted Christians. She was aged only 12 or 13. Daughter of Emperors Constantine, Constance had the church erected in her name. Borromini deigned the facade.

Take a look at the beautiful ceiling frescoes by P Gismaondi and Cozza, as well as reliefs by Rossi, Raggi Ferrata, and Guidi. But the cupola by Gaulli steals the show.

The church has regular concerts of chamber and classical music.

Photographs aren't allowed on the day, hence the following photos have been taken from other sources.

Other Roman churches to visit

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Facade of Sant' Agnese in Agone in the Piazza Novona (W Commons)

Statue of St Agnese (W Commons)

Piazza Novona where St Agnese was martyred

The Church of San Marcello al Corso, Rome

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This church is set back from the Via del Corso in the Piazza San Marcello.

A lovely intimate church, with beautiful artwork, this titular church was dedicated to Pope Marcellus I. It is said that Pope Marcellus I was imprisoned on the site.

A titular church by the way is a Roman church ascribed to a cardinal or priest. Often these churches were named after the owner or donor appointed by the church. Before Christianity was legalised in Rome, these churches were private buildings. The church was destroyed by fire in 1519.

Admire the reliefs and paintings by artists including Cavallini, Ferrata, Raggi, Ricci, De Rossi and others.

When I visited this church, a concert was to be held that evening. I wished I could have seen it.

Other Roman churches to visit

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Altar of San Marcello in Rome

Crucifix in San Marcello al Corso, Rome

Facade of the Church of San Marcello

Looking towards the altar of San Marcello

Basillica di Sant ‘Andrea della Valle Rome

2019-08-30T09:16:00.003-07:00

Also known as the Church of St Andrew of the Valley, this church is a minor basilica in Rione of Sant'Eustachio.

This church can be found in the Piazza Vidoni at the intersection of the Vittorio Emanuele (facing facade) and Corso Rinascimento.

The fresco decoration of Sant’ Andrea’s lavish dome was completed by two artists: Giovanni Lanfranco and Domenichino and which set the standard for such decorations in the future. Within the chapels find statues of Rachel and Leah, depictions of the Pieta and the Madonna.

Within, admire friezes and sculptures by Fontana, Raggi (a mentor of Bernini) and Strozzi.

Other Roman churches to visit

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Ceiling frescoes in the Church of St Andrew of the Valley

Painting in the chapel of Sant' Andrew della Valle

Cupola within the Church of St Andrew, Rome

Facade of the Church of St Andrew of the Valley, Rome

Painting within the chapel of St Andrew of the Valley

Floor plan of the Basillica of St Andrew of the Valley

Parrocchia Santa Maria in Portico in Campitelli Rome

2019-08-30T09:11:00.002-07:00

To be found in the Piazza Campitelli, this church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the 4^th century by Pope Liberius.

The altar depicts a gilded glory of angels with a play of light. Behind this ‘gloria’ is a staircase permitting a better view (open by request).

Admire works by Ottoni, Pettrich, Giordano and Baratta.

Other Roman churches to visit

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Cupola in Santa Maria in Portico Rome

Facade of the Santa Maria in Portico

Chapel within Santa Maria in Portico

Painting in the chapel of the Santa Maria in Portico

Christ installation within the Santa Maria in Portico, Rome

Church of San Luigi Dei Francesi, Rome

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Located in the Piazza di S. Luigi de’ Francesi between the Pantheon and the Piazza Navona.

The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, St. Denis the Areopagite and St. Louis IX (king of France). Built between 1518 and 1589. It is the national church in Rome of France and its Saint’s day is Aug 25.

Admire the lovely ceiling fresco by the Rococo artist Charles-Joseph Natoire as well as works by Franscesco Bassamo the Younger and Cesare.

Most of all, look out for Caravaggio’s paintings in St Matthews chapel.

Other Roman churches to visit

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St Matthew and the Angel by Caravaggio

The Martyrdom of St Matthew by Caravaggio

Ceiling fresco by Charles-Joseph Natiore

Cupola in San Luigi dei Francesi

Chapel in San Luigi dei Francesi

Sant’ Ignazio di Loyola in Campo Marzio Rome

2019-08-30T08:57:00.001-07:00

This church is also known as the Church of St Ignatius of Loyola at Campus Martius, and which is found in the Via del Caravita. It is as titular church dedicated to Sant’ Ignazio who founded the Society of Jesus and the Roman College.

It has a superb ceiling fresco dedicated to St Ignatius going to paradise in Fra Andrea Pozzo’s trompe l'œil style, (meaning a three-dimensional effect). Reuben’s influence can be seen here. A mirror has been angled in the church in order to view the ceiling frescoes without straining the neck.
The celestial dome above the Baroque altar mesmerizes with odd effects.

Admire works also by Le Gros, Bracci and Ludovisi (a student of Bernini). The church is known for its elaborate nativities.

Other Roman churches to visit

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Andrea Pozzo fresco in St Ignatius

Chapel in St Ignatius

Display in St Ignatius Church Rome

Frieze in St Ignatuis

Painting in St Ignatius Church

Frescoes in St Ignatius by Andrea Pozzo

Facade of St Ignatius Church Rome

St Ignatius of Loyola altar frescoes by Andrea Pozzo

Chapel for confessions in St Ignatius

Church of The Gesu, Rome

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To be found to the west of the Piazza Venezia this church has its own little piazza in the Via degli Astalli. The facade is Baroque style, more austere than the neighbouring churches.

It is the mother church of the Jesuits (the Society of Jesus), a movement founded by St Ignatuis Loyola, a Spanish soldier, now buried beneath the great altar. After forming the headquarters of Rome in the 15^th century, this church became the model of other Jesuit churches throughout the world. Jesuit scholars reside in the Gregorian University in the adjacent piazza in preparation for ordination to the priesthood.

The ceiling is adorned by Baciccia’s Glory of the Mystical Lamb.

Admire further works by Celio, Zuccari and Vacca.

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Painting at the Gesu

The Gesu facade

Steps to the Gesu

The Gesu Cupola

The Gesu ceiling fresco

High altar of the Gesu

Painting of the Gesu

Basillica di Santa Maria Maggiore Rome

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Known also as Our Lady of the Snows.

A grand basilica facing the Piazza dell ‘Esquilino, this church was founded in 432AD by Pope Liberius and completed under Pope Sixtus III. It is the biggest church dedicated to the Virgin Mary and where the great architect Bernini is buried.

Above the 40 columns in the interior, find friezes portraying the Old Testament leading to the coming of Christ. Behind the high altar, find a magnificent portrayal of Jesus and Mary. Don’t forget to look up. The ceiling is decorated with a magnificent fresco by Guiliano da San Gallo.

Look for the Cappela Paoline (Pauline Chapel) showing a 9^th century painting of Madonna and child. On the 5^th of August, the altar is showered with white petals to celebrate Liberuis’ vision of the Virgin Mary, a day of when snow fell on Rome.

Other Churches to visit in central Rome

Churches in Rome to Escape the Crowds and Heat

Church of The Gesu, Rome

Church of Sant’ Agnese in Agone

Sant’ Ignazio di Loyola in Campo Marzio Rome

Church of San Luigi Dei Francesi, Rome

Parrocchia Santa Maria in Portico in Campitelli Rome

Basillica di Sant ‘Andrea della Valle Rome

The Church of San Marcello al Corso, Rome

Read all my articles on Rome on my Rome a Survival Kit

Santa Maria Maggoire ceiling fresco

Chapel in Santa Maria Maggiore

Santa Maria Maggiore cupola

Grand hallway within Santa Maria Maggiore

Facade of the Santa Maria Maggiore

Churches in Rome to Escape the Crowds and Heat

2019-08-29T14:17:00.001-07:00

School holidays restricted my Rome visit to August. The heat was tremendous and the crowds crushing. Both my children suffer health complaints. I was grateful for the churches in Rome. They are quiet, peaceful places where you can take a minute to admire the beautiful frescos and friezes.

Here are some of the churches that I visited in central Rome. Sadly, I didn’t have time to see all.

A page to each church via links give further details.

Basillica di Santa Maria Maggiore Rome

This grand church is located in the Piazza Del ‘Esquilino and is the largest church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The great sculptor Bernini is buried there.
Read more about the Santa Maria Maggiore here.

Santa Maria Maggiore's grand interior

Church of The Gesu, Rome

This baroque church is located near the Piazza Venezia and is the mother church of the Jesuits. Its founder, St Ignatius Loyola, is buried beneath the great altar.
Read more about the Gesu here.

High altar of the Gesu

Sant’ Ignazio di Loyola in Campo Marzio Rome

This church is named after the Spanish soldier who founded the Jesuit movement. It can be found in the Via del Caravita.
Read more about Sant' Ignazio di Loyola here.

Altar within St Ignazio

Church of San Luigi Dei Francesi, Rome

Find this church in the Piazza di S. Luigi de’ Francesi, not far from the Pantheon. It is the national church of France in Rome and houses art by Caravaggio.
Read more about San Luigi Dei Francesi here.

Sombre altar of San Luigi Dei Francesi

Church of Sant’ Agnese in Agone

Found in the Piazza Navona, this church is renowned for its elaborate classical concerts. St Agnes, whom this church is named after, was martyred within the square at the age of only 13.

Read about the Church of Sant’ Agnese in Agone here.

St Agnese in Agone (W Commons)

Parrocchia Santa Maria in Portico in Campitelli Rome

This church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, can be found in the Piazza Campitelli.
Read more about Santa Maria in Portico here.

Coppola of the Santa Maria in Portico

Basillica di Sant' Andrea della Valle Rome

This church is close to the Vittorio Emanuele building. Known also as the Church of St Andrew of the Valley.
Read more about Sant' Andrea della Valle here.

Ceiling frescoes of the Sant' Andrea della Valle

The Church of San Marcello al Corso, Rome

This titular church dedicated to Pope Marcellus, nestles within the Via del Corso in its own little Piazza.
Read more about San Marcello al Corso here.

The Glowing altar of San Marcello al Corso

Most of these churches have superb ceiling frescos, high altars and chapels housing works by such artists as the students of Bernini, Le Gros, Ludovisi, Rossi, Raggi and even Caravaggio.

I didn’t get to see the following churches but wish I had

San Giovanni in Laterano

The seat of the pope as the Bishop of Rome, this church is a few years older than St Peter’s. Both basilicas were built by the first Christian Emperor, Constantine in the fourth century.

The Lateral Palace was the abode of popes for 1000 years until moving to Avignon, then the Vatican.

The church has suffered looting and damage over the years. But its present grandness is underscored with giant statures of Jesus, John the Baptist and the apostles by Borromini. Outside is the tallest obelisk in the world, at 102 feet.

San Paolo Fuori le Mura

St Paul’s basilica is the largest in Rome (bar St Peter’s). Built by Constantine, it was destroyed by fire, but restored in the mid 18^th century. Admire the huge Byzantine doors dating from the 11^th century. The high altar is said to be the resting place of St Paul the apostle after being beheaded. Admire the Benedictine cloister by Vassalletto and the elegant columns enclosing a garden.

San Clemente

This church hides a fascinating history. It dates from the 12^th century with 3 naves divided by columns and pavement of geometric mosaic designs. View the Tree of Life mosaic in the apse. A 4^th century basilica can be found down a staircase where Romanesque frescoes can be found. An even deeper staircase leads to chambers believed to be where St Clemente lived. He was martyred by Hadrian in 88AD. An earlier pagan temple exists on the site.

San Petro in Vincoli

Near Piazza Cavour, this church was founded in the 5^th century on the site of where St Peter was tried and sentenced. Michelangelo’s greatest sculptures, Moses, are housed here. It was intended for St Peter’s basilica, being one of 40 figures to adorn a tomb. But the then emperor Julius II decided Michelangelo should paint the Sistine Chapel instead. On each side, find sculptures of Rachel and Leah.

Reference: Berlitz Pocket Guide to Rome (2016)

Church publications

Emergency Tips when Stuck in Rome without a Passport

2019-08-29T10:38:00.006-07:00

My holiday in Rome was ruined when my son left his bag containing his passport and valuables in a bag on the bus. I had budgeted for my holiday and instantly could see I would have to spend longer there than was planned.

My daughter suffers from ME, which is a condition where she was unable to withstand the usual pressures of life. My son has asthma. This is what I did to ensure my children returned home safe and well.

Firstly, I took emergency measures regarding the passport situation. Read about this in two separate articles.
Getting an emergency passport abroad.
A Checklist after you have lost your passport.

I had to think about the welfare of my children. We were in a strange country and contrary to belief, Rome is not as developed as one might think. Dig beneath the glossy images and you will find badly-run public services where help is not always forthcoming. Rome has a grubby underbelly with graffiti and rubbish on the streets. There are dark alleyways and grotty districts just outside the center of Rome where you don’t want to find yourself in after dark.

English is not spoken well by many officials. The language barrier proved to be a real problem.

Another problem is the inefficiency of the public services due to poor funding. Empty and graffitied kiosks litter Rome. The British Embassy in Rome is open just a few hours a day. The lost property office is located outside of Rome and closes at 1pm most days.

Because of these challenges, I had to keep myself and children fit and well. This is what I did.

1 Have a good breakfast at your hotel. Racing around Rome expends lots of energy. I packed a few extras in a doggie-bag for when we were caught out.

2 Contrary to belief, the trattorias and oseterias are not cheap places to eat. They charge extortionate prices for drinks and slam on hidden service charges. Instead, we had picnics every day in the park. There are some decent supermarkets in Rome, including the Coop, the Pam Local and CarrFour. We purchased healthy sandwiches, yoghurt drinks, fresh fruit and cookies every day. We ate well at the fraction of the price.

3 I had packed only enough clothes to last a week and the weather was boiling. To keep clean, I washed my clothes in the shower basin at the end of the day. I then pegged them out onto the balcony using socks. By morning, my clothes were clean and dry.

4 Drink plenty of water when in Rome. We went in mid-August when daytime temperatures soared into the mid-nineties. There are plenty of water fountains and the water is safe to drink. I refilled my water bottle whenever I could and kept sipping all day. I then applied lipstick to guard against chapped lips. A sun hat, cream and sunglasses are a given.

5 As both my children had health conditions, I ensured my travel insurance covered them. I also had an EHIC card (European Health Card) which is free. Just go on the Gov site to get one. But when caught out in Rome, you can’t always get hold of a doctor. I kept this option as a last resort.

6 My daughter suffered acute tiredness in the latter part of the holiday. My son’s asthma was aggravated by Rome’s pollution. We rested in a quiet, cool church. They are open to the public most days and they are not too crowded. They are also beautiful interiors where you can get lost in.

Read about Rome’s churches here.

7 I made sure I had plenty of cash that I kept it in a hidden pouch on a bum bag. I split this money between the three of us in case it got lost. Drawing money from an ATM had proved costly and I was stung. Read about the hidden cost of using VISA kiosks here.

Read all my articles on Rome on my Rome a Survival Kit

The CarreFour Supermarket Rome

A nice picnic in Rome is cheaper than any trattoria

Receipts from Pam Local

Altar of the Gesu Church

Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome

A water fountain in Orange Tree Gardens, Rome

Ostiense the Lost Property Office in Rome and Other Stations

2019-08-29T08:20:00.000-07:00

The lost and found property in Rome is in a horrible little depot in Ostiense. My son had lost his personal belongings on the bus and reported it to the police. We were then told it was in ‘lost property’ in the main metro station. In Rome, it is the Termini. But no lost property is there. We were told to go to the wrong place.

Ostiense is nowhere near a bus station. In fact, it is tucked away and hard to find. An official told us to take a taxi there. Fortunately, our hotel was a 20 minute walk away.

Here is the address and contact details of Ostiense in Rome.

(or read all my articles on Rome on my Rome a Survival Kit)

Polizia Locale Roma Capitale

Ufficio Oggetti Smarriti

Circonvallazzione Ostiense, 191 - 00154 Roma

Tel (+39) 06 67693214

Email: oggettismarriti@comune.roma.it

Website www.comune.roma.it

Opening hours Monday to Friday 8.30am – 1pm.

METRO B o B1 (dir Laurentina) GARBATELLA

Sadly, my son’s bag wasn’t at Ostiense. With two days to spare until our flight back, we inquired at other Roman stations. We didn’t have time to try them all. Many of the bus drivers couldn’t speak English and we were given slips of paper, some of which was in Italian. In the end, we couldn’t locate my son’s bag containing his passport.

Still, if you find yourself in a similar situation, here are the contact details of the ATAC bus depots in Rome.

ATAC Bus depots in Rome

Acilia Via Enrico Ortolani n.303 Tel (+39) 06.46956416

Collatina Via Birolli n.6 Tel (+39) 06.46955222

Grottarossa Via Flaminia n.1060 Tel (+39) 06.46953012

Magliana Via Luigi Candoni n.101 Tel (+39) 06.46955371

Montesacro Via di Monte Sacro n.10 Tel (+39) 06.46955801

Porta Maggiore Largo Caballini n.1 Tel (+39) 06. 46954875

Portonaccio Via Portonaccio n.20 Tel (+39) 06.46953205

Prenestina Tel (+39) 06.46954469

Tor Pagnotta Via Mario Carucci snc Tel (+39) 06.46956922

Tor Sapeinza Via Prenestina n.605 Tel (+39) 06.46953610

Tor Vergata Via di Tor Vergata n.191 Tel (+39) 06.46955650

Trastevere Via delle Mura Portuense n.43 Tel (+39) 06.46956605

Read my article on how to get an emergency passport abroad.
A checklist on other things to do if you lose your passport abroad.

Or read all my articles on Rome on my Rome a Survival Kit

Ostiense Lost Property Office in Rome

Information kiosk in Rome

An ATAC Bus in Rome

The Termini Station in Rome

My Experience with the Roman Police and Ostiense

2019-08-29T08:05:00.003-07:00

My son lost his passport on the bus and went to the police. After my experience with them, I was left with a terrible impression. Here’s why.

I found my son forlorn in the Police Station at the Piazza del Collegio in Rome.

The police spent an age filing a simple report. In Britain, the report would have been done in a jiffy.

The report was on scrap paper and in Italian. This police report was my only means of communicating my problem, as most of the officers couldn’t speak English.

However, one officer spoke decent English. She told us that my son’s bag had been taken to ‘lost property’ by the bus driver who found it. When I asked where this lost property office was, I was simply told, ‘ask anyone. It’s in the main terminal station.’ I wanted the address, but she never gave one. I therefore assumed there was a big lost property office in the central bus station in Rome.

We went to the Termini but there was no lost property there.

I eventually found out from a small ticket booth at the other end of the station that the lost property for Rome was in a grotty little station outside of Rome called Ostiense. It had by then closed. It was 1pm on Friday.

The lost property office in Ostiense is not in the Termini as I thought, but happened to be a 20 minute walk from our hotel. The horrid little place was shut until Monday so we had to wait. When it eventually opened, the police officer looked at me with disdain and announced, ‘no bag here!’ She didn’t even pick up the phone or make an effort to help. There seems to be a lack of communication between the police offices in Rome. They simply don’t seem to speak to each other.

I returned to the Piazza del Collegio police station and was met with a fat Italian smoking a cigar in the foyer. He couldn’t speak English so I showed him a copy of the police report. He spent ages reading this report which was in his own language.

He led us into the station upstairs and we were met with the same lack of listening skills as before. No one checked their computer for our earlier report and no one picked up the phone to call Ostiense. I was then given an ad-hoc form to give to the embassy as though a fresh report. I kept telling them I had already reported the missing bag, but no one listened.

I never found out where this ‘lost property’ office was from the police. My son was by then greatly distressed.

I returned every morning to Ostiense to be met with the same ‘no bag here!’ I flew home without our bag.

I have since barred my son’s phone and debit card, neither of which has shown activity. I suspect they languish somewhere in a Roman storage place waiting to be claimed. I firmly believe they have not been stolen.

Whenever I see a Polizzio car. I consider myself lucky that the British police are more advanced than the Romans.

Lesson learnt

Don’t assume the Roman police have the efficiency of the British Police. Their resources and training appear lacking.

Lack of funding equals early office closures and basic resources.

Look after yourself. Don’t assume anyone in a big city will, even an official.

Read all my articles on Rome on my Rome a Survival Kit

Police Station in the Piazza del Collegio

The Termini Rome: no lost property to be found

The grubby Ostiense in Rome

Poor funding equals deserted kiosks in Rome

My Visit to the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel Without a Passport

2019-08-29T07:43:00.000-07:00

I managed to see Vatican City despite my son losing his passport and trousers on the bus that morning. We had missed our timeslot and I didn’t know when we would be flying home.

It was mid-August and boiling in Rome. The crowds were tremendous. We managed to get into the Vatican despite the odds. Read my other article on how I managed to do this.

Inside the Vatican, we were allocated a guide and given green earphones which you get to keep. A Canadian guide gave us a talk, his chilled-out brogue just audible beneath the throng. But my earphones would at times cut out. I realised it was due to wandering too far from him. Each guide seems to have their own frequency, shared only by his or her group of tourists. So I kept close by and the problem seemed to resolve.

We began our tour in front of large reproductions of Michelangelo’s frescoes.

The talk lasted about half an hour before we wandered into the Vatican Museums. Our guide kept raising his hand to ensure we didn’t get lost in the crowd.

We entered the galleries, which (I had read) was 7km long, but we didn’t do the entire length. The ceilings glowed with frescos. It was hard to pay attention when astonishing images bore down on you.

Here is a brief history about the Vatican garnered from my guidebook and on the day.

The Vatican A Brief History

Constantine, Rome’s fist Christian emperor, had the basilica built over the tomb of martyred St Peter. It was sacked in 846 AD by Saracens before Pope Leo IV had huge walls built around the church. It was known as the Leoning City, then the Vatican City.

The popes took residence there in the 13th century after being in exile in Avignon. The Vatican is now an independent state after Mussolini signed the Lateron Pact in 1929. Swiss guards protect the border. It has its own post office, currency, newspaper and railway station. You don’t need a passport to cross over, although I was told I may need mine due to my son’s had gone missing.

The Vatican is approached via the Castel Sant’ Angelo bridge, adorned with Bernini’s windswept angels. Hadrian’s impressive mausoleum can be seen just over the Tiber. This fort provided a refuge for popes.

The impressive St Peter’s basilica looms ahead. Its immense proportions inspired Goethe’s quote, it is ‘like entering eternity.’

Michelangelo’s The Pieta has its own chapel near the entrance. Find Bernini’s Baldacchino over the high altar. A spiral walkway will take you up to the galleries. Find dizzying views into the basilica’s interior. At the top are stunning views of Rome and the Vatican gardens. But beneath this immense building are grottos, catacombs and the tomb of St Peter.

The Cortile Della Pigna is a good place to rest and admire the bronze pinecone fountain before delving into the galleries.

The Picture Gallery

The Pinacotaca Vaticana covers nine centuries of art with works by Fra Angelico, Perugino, Bernini and Caravaggio. Find Raphael’s Transfiguration and Da Vinci’s St Jerome.

A mindboggling collection of art and artefacts can be found from Egyptian art to contemporary. Find the Apostle library, the Borgia apartments, the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel.

The Museo Piour Clementino has wonderful Classical art.

A contemporary gallery with works by Francis Bacon provided the penultimate before the finale, the Sistine Chapel.

At this point, our guide bade us farewell and told us to simply look up.

The Sistine Chapel

The Cappella Sistina formed the climax to the tour.

This surreal place is located within the Apostolic Palace. Tourists sat on benches within a certain hush to admire the frescoes. I spent ages just looking up. Photographs aren’t allowed.

Sixtus IV had the Sistine Chapel restored in the 1470s before Michelangelo painted the ceiling under Julius II between 1508 and 12. Michelangelo returned and painted the Last Judgement in 1535- 41.

The frescoes, having faded with time, underwent restoration over twenty years ending in the 1990s. The chapel tells a story in three parts:

The southern wall: The Stories of Moses, painted 1508-1512.

The northern wall The Stories of Jesus, painted 1508–1512.

Over the altar: The Last Judgment, painted 1535-1541.

Notice an almost naked Jesus serving judgement in the center. This breathtaking scene is best viewed from near the chapel’s exit. Plenty of benches are provided for optimum viewing.

Also to be admired are the Raphael tapestries and frescoes by other artists.

What an experience! I will never forget it. But I had horrible problems on my mind.

My son’s passport was missing and I didn’t think we would be flying home on Monday. I braced myself for liaising with the Roman Police, the British Embassy and Lost Property.

Read about how I managed to get us home in two days on my other articles.

Michelangelo's Brooding Raphael In the Vatican Museums

Glowing ceiling Frescoes in the Vatican

The Vatican have 7 kms of galleries

Magnificent frescoes in the Vatican

The Last Judgement by Michelangelo (WCommons)

The Creation by Michelangelo (WCommons)

How I Visited the Vatican in Shorts and Minus a Passport

2019-08-29T07:24:00.001-07:00

On the morning we were due to visit the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel, my son lost his passport on an ATAC bus in Rome. In seconds, he had no passport and no trousers to wear for the Vatican. We had also missed our time slot.

Read my other article on what happened after my son had lost his passport. This article’s focus is on how I managed to see the Vatican against the odds.

I believed the Vatican demanded a passport and appropriate clothing. My son’s trousers and his passport were in his bag. Being mid-August, it was boiling and he was wearing shorts. We spent the next few hours filing a police report at the Piazza del Collegio Police Station. By the time the report was complete, we had missed our slot to see the Vatican. I had booked the excursion direct from the Vatican website. I wanted to skip the queue, have a guide and earphones. We were due to fly back in two days’ time.

It was about 4 pm by the time we had reached St Peter’s Square. My children were fraught, hot and tired. I didn’t fancy my chances of getting in.

Still, I had a go.

I had a copy of the receipt from the Vatican Website and made my way to the Information Center next to the Vatican Post Office. The crowds were humongous but miraculously, I was able to speak to someone behind the counter.

I showed him the paperwork and explained (very humbly) that my son had lost his passport this morning. I hadn’t been able to visit the Vatican at the slot arranged.

He was brilliant. He made some phone calls and arranged a later slot for me. Our visit was to be at 7.30 pm that evening. He also provided his colleagues’ names. He said so long as my son’s parent has a passport, he will be able to enter.

Still concerned, I explained that my son has no trousers, only shorts. The man smiled and said, it’s ok to wear shorts so long as they’re not thigh-high.

I couldn’t believe my luck. I thought you needed cover-wear to enter the Vatican and a passport. In fact, you don’t need a passport at all. And in the queue, I saw lots of tourists wearing Bermuda shorts. It seems times have changed.

I returned to the children and they were thrilled with the news. We milled around for a few hours and had a snack. By 7.30 pm, we were in the queue. I name-dropped at the doors and the usher let us in. No one looked at my passport or cared my son’s shorts.

Read about my visit to the Vatican in my next article.

Lesson Learnt

The Vatican’s rules seem to have slackened. You can wear shorts so long as they are not too short.

You don’t need a passport to visit the Vatican.

Don’t give up.

You are not allowed to take photos of the Vatican Post Office (I got told off).

Read all my articles on Rome on my Rome a Survival Kit

My Booking with Vatican plus headphones

Directions to the Vatican Entrance

Tickets to see Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel

Doorway to the Vatican

The Vatican at Night

If You Lose Your Passport in Rome: what to Do

2019-08-28T14:45:00.002-07:00

My son lost his passport and valuables in a bag on the bus in Rome. It was horrible but I learned a lot. After panic mode, I took the following emergency steps to get myself and my children home as soon as possible.

You can read how I got the emergency passport from the consulate here. But other considerations need attention. This forms the focus of this article.

1 Go straight to the Police. In my case, I had been told it had been handed to lost property. It is pointless applying for an emergency passport if the original passport has been found somewhere.

2 We discovered the lost property in Rome is a small office in Ostiense. Fortunately, Ostiense was just round the corner from the hotel. The busses 160, 130 and 30 go near Ostiense.

3 Sadly, Rome’s public services are poorly-funded and offices close early. Ostiense office closes on Friday at 1pm, not to open until Monday. (My son had lost his passport on Friday morning) so we couldn’t do anything until Monday.

4 Telephone the British Embassy in London (the one in Rome has early closures). They told me to go on the Gov.uk site to begin procedures for an emergency passport. The emergency passport costs £100. The lost passport would instantly be void. The embassy advised me to wait until Monday to see if passport turns up. The contact details of the consulates are given at the bottom of this article.

5 I informed my scheduled taxi to the airport of the possible delay and to wait until my next call before coming to the hotel to take us to the airport.

6 I informed my flight operator of the lost passport. In my case, it was EasyJet. In some cases, they can offer a cheap alternative flight so long as I booked it before I had missed my scheduled flight. Sadly, I couldn’t be sure when to book my later flight, for I didn’t know if the passport would turn up at Ostiense.

7 I rang my bank to inform them of certain funds coming out of my account. In my case, I had to speak to Fraud Office because my card ceased to work. This was because the bank had been alerted of irregular spending activity due to the emergency. Once I had spoken to them, I ensured my card was unblocked for a longer period abroad than was planned.

8 I made plans with the hotel to stay a few days longer. I ensured I had enough funds available. In Rome, make allowances for city tax, which is 6 Euros per person per night.

9 I put a stop on my son’s bank card card and his phone.

10 I made plans that evening for what to do if: a) the passport was lost and b) what to do if the passport was found. To make things easier, I wrote all the phone numbers, addresses and details of the agents involved in my lost passport. I kept these notes with me at all times. I could then go to bed and forget about it.

11 Sadly, my son’s passport was not at the Ostiense on Monday. I followed my plans for a) the passport was lost. I had already made the list, so it was easy to follow.

12 As advised by the British Embassy, I went onto the Gov.uk website and clicked on the etd link (Emergency Travel document). The forms are straightforward (read full instructions on getting an emergency passport on my other article). Happily, I didn’t need photocopies of the lost passport, only my son’s passport number and issue date were needed. I had kept a record of these on a separate sheet of paper. Don’t worry if you do not have these to hand, the embassy will assist.

13 Once the emergency travel application is complete, you will get a notification email within 2 working days. In my case, my emergency passport will be ready by either Tuesday or Wednesday. You can ring the embassy for updates.

On Tuesday, I was notified my emergency passport was ready to pick up from the Ambassador Britannia in Rome.

14 The Ambassador Britannica in Rome is in Via XX Settembre 80a - 00187 Roma. This is walke-able from Rome centre. But I had to get there before 3 pm when it closes. You go into a booth where an official takes your belongings and puts them in a locker. You then go up into an office where my son was given the emergency travel document.

The emergency passport is beige-coloured rather than burgundy and you can only use it once. It is then taken off you at your destination country.

15 Once I had the emergency travel document, I was able to book the flight. Sadly, I was unable to honour EasyJet’s cheap flight offer, so I had to pay full price. I then rang the taxi company to inform them of when I will need to get to the airport. The hotel was kind enough to let me print the boarding passes.

16 I had to bar my son’s phone and his bank card, as both were in his bag.

Standard travel insurance will cover the cost of replacing a lost passport and in some cases, the payment of flight and extra nights in a hotel. Check the small print.

Here are the details of the Embassies I contacted.

British Embassy (Rome)

Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Rome)

Consular Assistance

Phone (+39) 0642202431

Website www.ukinitaly.fco.gov.uk

Foreign and Commonwealth Office (England)

King Charles Street

London SW1A 2AH

Tel (+44) 2070081500

All in all, a horrible experience, but I learned a lot and wish to share.

Read all my articles on Rome on my Rome a Survival Kit

Lost property office in Rome

The emergency passport

Notice on the lost property office in Ostiense

British Embassy in Rome

How to Get an Emergency Passport Abroad

2019-08-28T14:27:00.000-07:00

My son lost his passport in Rome. After panic mode and reporting it to the police, I had to get an emergency travel document to get us home. My other article lists other emergency measures to take when losing your passport.

But in order to get an ETD, this is what I did.

Take a photo of the person who has lost his or her passport. Like a regular passport, you will need a head and shoulder view, neutral background, no shadows and nothing on the face. I managed to take an acceptable photograph with my camera phone.

Go onto the gov.uk site and look for the ‘emergency travel document’ link. If you can’t find it, put 'emergency travel document’ on the search bar and it will come up.

You will need your passport number and issue date to hand. Fortunately, I had written them on a separate sheet of paper.

You will also need the itinerary of your journey. Your destination can be reached via up to via 5 countries. Ensure your destination country is named on the Emergency Travel Document.

You will be taken onto an ‘apply now’ page as shown by the screenshots at the end of this article.

Make sure you have everything you need, for no activity for 20 minutes means you will have to start again.

You can apply for yourself or on someone else’s behalf. As my son was over 16, he filled it in himself but with my guidance.

The following pages are pretty self-explanatory, asking for your name, address, date of birth, country of destination etc, as can be seen from the images.

You will have to upload the passport photo and pay £100 for the document.

As soon as the application is complete, the missing passport will be void.

You will now have to wait 2 working days for the emergency travel document to be ready. Look for a notification email.

I had the email within two working days, but the consulate in Rome closes at 3pm so I had to make sure I was there in time.

In the booth, my personal belongings were put in a locker and I was shown into an office upstairs. I was then given my son’s emergency passport. He was asked to sign it. I was then able to book a flight home once at the hotel.

Note: your emergency travel document is valid only for one journey. It will be taken from you at your destination country. It can only be used within a specified time. I took photos of the travel document before the journey, for travel insurance purposes.

For more guidance, check www.fco.gov.uk/travel.

Read my other articles on Rome on my Rome a Survival Kit

Pages from the Gov site

The emergency passport

How to sign the ETD

Information leaflet on getting an ETD

Gates to the British Embassy in Rome

When My Son Lost his Passport in Rome

2019-08-28T14:15:00.002-07:00

On the morning I had planned to visit the Vatican City, my son left his passport in a bag on the number 30 bus in Rome. It was horrible. The moment we had dis-boarded, the bus doors slammed shut and the bus took off. Until that day, he had used a bum bag. My son hadn’t realized what had happened until it was too late. He ran after the bus but and vanished in the crowd.

In his bag was his passport, cameras, phone, bank card and 150 Euros. Also included was a change of clothes for the Vatican.

(Read all my articles on Rome on my Rome a Survival Kit)

I yelled after him to meet us at the Castel Sant’ Angelo, but I wasn’t sure he had heard.

I went into meltdown, crying all down the Via del Corso. My daughter, Violet tried to reassure me but I kept thinking about my lost son and passport. Our Vatican trip was due within an hour.

Read my other article on how I managed to wangle our trip to the Vatican against all the odds.

Also read my guide on getting an emergency passport abroad.

So we had lost a passport, valuables and I had lost my son in the crowds.

Violet and I made our way to the Castel Sant’ Angelo where I told Josh to meet us, but there was no sign of him. I couldn’t contact him because he didn’t have his phone.

After searching half an hour, my daughter’s phone went off. My son had gone into a police station in the Piazza del Collegio. We used Violet’s sat-nav to get there. It was boiling, crowded and horrible.

We found Josh in the police station looking sorry for himself. A policewoman spoke decent English and filed a police report. She assured us not to worry. The driver of the 30 bus has informed our hotel that he has left Josh’s bag at the ‘lost and found’. (My son’s bag still had his tag showing his name and hotel).

I asked the policewoman where this ‘lost and found’ place was and she just waved me away with the response, ‘Oh, just ask anyone. It’s at the main metro station.’

She never gave us an address and so I assumed there was a central ‘lost property’ office in the main bus station, the Roma Termini.

When we got to the Termini and asked about the lost property office, no one knew what we were talking about. An official just stood there and told us to wait. We waited an hour and then walked off. The official did nothing to help us.

In the end, I found a kiosk in the Termini. The woman gave me a scrap of paper with an address of a grotty place called Ostiense. Strangely, this place happened to be just round the corner from our hotel (but nowhere near a bus route).

The woman then told us Ostiense was closed at 1pm not to open until Monday morning. I couldn’t believe it. It was Friday afternoon. Josh’s bag was locked up within an office somewhere in Rome and we couldn’t get hold of it. And worse, we were due to fly back that very day.

And horribly, a little voice inside me told me Josh’s bag wasn’t at Ostiense.

I would soon learn of Rome’s appalling public services with early closures and scanty staff. This seems due to poor public funding.

As soon as I got back to the hotel, I rang the British Embassy and was advised to wait until Monday. The passport is not ‘lost’ yet. If I applied for an emergency passport, (called an emergency travel document or etd) I would have to pay 100 pounds and Josh’s original passport would be void. I will also have to wait 2 working days for the emergency passport to be ready. That meant I would miss my flight.

So the embassy advised me to wait until Monday and see if the passport is there.

In the meantime, I could do nothing.

So we carried on with our holiday.

We had missed our slot for seeing the Vatican. I didn’t know if my son’s passport was in Ostiense and I didn’t know if we would be flying back on Monday. My son was also was short of clothes.

I therefore went about wangling a visit at the Vatican after missing my slot. Read my next article on how I got to see the Vatican City against the odds.

Lesson learnt

Don’t lose your passport in Rome!

The lost property office of Rome is not in central Termini bus station, but a grotty little place called Ostiense, nowhere near a bus route.

The public services are poor in Rome with early closures and few staff. This seems due to poor funding.

Read all my articles on Rome on my Rome a Survival Kit

The Polizia in Piazza del Collegio

The grotty Ostiense Lost property office

Information kiosk at Termini

An emergency passport

Rome: How to Handle the Heat in August

2019-08-28T13:35:00.002-07:00

I went to Rome with my children in mid August because of the school holidays. I knew the place would be crowded and hot, but I went with it because I wanted to take them somewhere special.

Every day, the temperatures soared above 30 degrees.

Rome is carved from stone. The monuments are like storage heaters and the body feels like it is in a physio-therm. Thank god for my sun cream, hat and sunglasses. But the air was so dry and hot my daughter had nose bleeds and I got chapped lips.

The busy streets are narrow and the crowds will commander the shaded side. Rome's ruins such as the Roman Forum has little shade. Keeping out of the sun isn’t always easy.

To make matters worse, I had to stay longer than was arranged due to a terrible mishap (covered in another article). I had packed enough clothes for a week.

This is how I Survived the Heat of Rome in August.

There are plenty of water fountains in Rome. The water is safe to drink. All you need is a bottle and keep filling whenever you can. Water sellers mill around tourist sites. You don’t need to buy water in Rome.

I kept my bottle in my side pocket where the cool water offered relief against my thigh. It was also handy for quick sips.

(Read all my articles on Rome on my Rome a Survival Kit)

Cure Chapped Lips

Even after drinking liters of water and plying on the sun cream, my lips got chapped. To help with this, whenever I took gulps of my water, I would apply a little lipstick. Mine was everyday lipstick from Boots that I kept in my side pocket. So I will swig the water and apply the lipstick. Lip-sil or Vaseline can be used otherwise. My chapped lips were gone within a day.

My daughter’s nose bleeds eased when she kept drinking water and having frequent rests.

When caught out, we could sit on one of the beautiful churches in Rome. They are dark, quiet and relatively tourist-free. Some have beautiful frescoes and altarpieces. Ones worth visiting are:

Churches in Rome

San Giovanni in Laterano

San Paulo Fuori le Mura

San Clemente

San Petro in Vincoli

Church of San Marcello al Corso

The Church of San Luigi Dei Francesi

Church of Sant’ Agnese in Agone

Parrocchia S. Maria in Portico in Campitelli

The Gesu

Sant’ Ignazio (near the Gesu)

Church of St Ignatuis of Loyola
Read about these lovely churches in Rome on my other articles.

Keep Clean in Sweltering Heat in Rome

For reasons explained in another article, we had to stay ten days in Rome instead of seven. After running out of clothes to wear, I would place my blouses and underwear in the shower basin while I washed. I will then let the soap cascade over them as I washed and wring them out when done.

I had no pegs to drape my clothes, so I used socks. I hung my wet clothes on the hotel balcony and by morning, they were dry and fresh.

So I was able to keep clean beyond the stay planned at my hotel in Rome.

Lessons Learnt

Keep your water bottle filled in Rome from any water fountain.

Apply a little lipstick or Vaseline after drinking the water to prevent chapped lips

Wash your used clothes in the shower basin at the end of the day and drape on the hotel balcony via socks.

Sunhat, sunglasses and sun cream are a given!

A quiet church is a good place to take shade on a hot day to admire the beautiful paintings and frescoes.

Read all my articles on Rome on my Rome a Survival Kit

The Roman Forum has little shade

Rome has plenty of water fountains

Church of San Marcello al Corso

The blistering skyline of Rome

Keep your clothes fresh in Rome

Ferragosto in Rome What’s it Like?

2019-08-28T13:20:00.005-07:00

I went to Rome in mid-August because of the school holidays. In mid-week was a festival called the Ferragosto. Being on 15 August, it fell dead-center of my trip.

The Ferragosto comes from the name of Emperor Augustus who declared the 1^st of August a public holiday after weeks of Romans hard work. The holiday then became law during the Renaissance period in the Papal States. It was the Catholic Church that moved the date to the 15^th August, incorporating the Assumption of Mary. So this day celebrates two things.

But Mussolini used the Ferragosto to give the workers the opportunity to visit cultural sites. Nowadays, the Italians to the coast or the mountains during the Ferragosto period.

I read on blogs and travel sites that Rome goes quiet around the Ferragosto. Certain shops close, traffic eases and tourists thin out. Indeed up until the nineties, many companies did close. However, my trip to Rome would show otherwise.

This might be due to loss of custom because of closures. It seems Italy decided to keep operating during this so-called holiday in order to keep custom.

In my view, the 15^th August felt the same as any other day; the busses were as packed as ever, the trattorias were filled with diners and shops filled with customers. The only difference was that there were festivals and song in various piazzas. I was arrested by street artists in the Piazza Navona one evening. I also noticed the Via del Corso closed to traffic, which was nice. There were more police around.

So don’t believe the websites that tell you that Rome goes quiet during the Ferragosto. It doesn’t. In fact it seemed like any other day.

Read all my articles on Rome on my Rome a Survival Kit

Crowded Trevi Fountain during Ferragosto

Piazza Venezia on Ferragosto

Crowds on the Spanish Steps during Ferragosto

Hidden Charges when Using VISA Card Abroad

2019-08-28T13:05:00.005-07:00

I wanted to save money abroad when using my debit card. Rome was busy in August and I was warned of pickpockets.

Being on a low wage, I couldn’t qualify for a travel credit card. I decided to use my Nat West Visa debit card instead. I asked about conversion fees.

NatWest didn’t offer the best rates, but I was assured that the fees for drawing cash from this card would be 2.99%. This seemed ok. I could live with paying 3 Euros for every 100 I drew out.

I was told to look for the VISA sign. But a decent ATM was hard to find in Rome. They either didn’t have a VISA sign or the ATM was in bad repair.

I finally found an exchange kiosk near the Trevi Fountain. It had a VISA sign. I used my card and presented my passport. I requested 100 Euros from my account. I was most confused when I saw my receipt. Instead of the expected 103 Euros debited from my account, I had been debited 128 Euros. So it cost me 128 Euros to see 100 Euros in my hand.

I noticed an ‘organisation’ called BAFC Muratte charged something called a FGN Pur Fee, which was 3.26%.

The second time I drew cash in Rome, I needed 150 Euros. This time, I used a different kiosk bearing a VISA sign. This one was in the Piazza Del Popolo. 185 Euros came out of my account in order to see 150 Euros in my hand. (The organisation here was called FinChange SRL and they charged 4.68 Euros for this ‘FGN Pur Fee’.)

So I had been charged around 60 Euros in order to draw out 250 Euros. This sounds nothing like the 2.99% I had expected.

Watch out for FGN Pur Fee

I found out that this FGN Pur Fee is a non-sterling transaction fee. It’s like an exchange rate adjustment. Every time you use your card abroad, you are charged this fee. Instead of the 2.99% I was told about, it was around 4%. As the exchange rate changes, so does this non-sterling transaction fee, which explains the fees’ variation.

Other banks charge this FGN Pur Fee (or non-sterling transaction fee) at the rate of between the rates of 2-3%. You will be charged this fee even when shopping online for something abroad. The best way to avoid this fee is simply not to convert currency by using your card.

But what about the other 20%?

After querying this with the bank, I learned that commission and further charges are slammed on top when using a foreign ATM even with the VISA sign.

So when using a foreign ATM you could be charged with the following:

1. Flat Fee from Your Bank: This is a fee the bank charges for using ATMs outside of its network. This can vary between 3 and 6 Euros.

2. Flat Fee from the Foreign Bank: This is a fee for using the foreign ATM. Add another 3 to 6 Euros.

3. International Transaction Fee. Your home bank may charge a percentage fee for foreign withdrawals around which can vary between 1-3%.

4. Currency Exchange Fee: The ATM inter-bank network (operated by Visa or MasterCard). Add another 1%.

Imagine withdrawing 100 Euros. You could be stung with huge commissions. In my case, it was extortionate.

Depending on your bank, you could get hit for a lot more.

This is the disclaimer on the receipt:

‘The service was provided according with the Italian Law and to the conditions exposed in the office on the monitor price list and legal notice’.
Still, I felt robbed.

Read all my articles on Rome on my Rome a Survival Kit

Be wary of VISA exchange kiosks abroad

Costs of getting cash abroad

FGN Pur Fee on my bank statement

Visa Exchange Receipt

Rome: Don’t Get Ripped Off by Trattorias

2019-08-28T11:12:00.002-07:00

We arrived in Rome late and starving. After checking into our hotel and getting ATAC bus passes, we trawled the busy streets of Rome looking for a trattoria to eat.

We found a place near the Trevi fountain. The menu on display near the door gave reasonable prices for pizzas (about 8-9 euros each). With the standard canned drinks I believed our bill would come to around 40 Euros.

I noticed after ordering, a woman on the next table questioning the bill. I overheard her say, ‘This practice confuses tourists’. I didn’t know what she meant but dearly wished I had.

After this woman left, I ordered 3 pizzas and 3 canned drinks (a cola and 2 sprites). The pizza was nothing special, not unlike a marguerita from Asda. Still, I let it go because I was starving.

When our bill came, I was in for a shock: It came to 65 euro. The 3 canned drinks came to 15 euro alone. (Worse, the pound was weak due to Brexit).

I also noticed at the bottom of the menu (not the one on display at the entrance) that each guest is charged 3 Euros for ‘table’ charge. In other words, we are charged 9 Euros before we even take a bite. This ‘charge’ was not on display on the menu at the door.

There were also no prices for drinks on the menu.

Now I understood what the woman on the next table was talking about.

I demanded to see the manager about but the waiter said the manager wasn’t in. Of course, the manager was in the kitchen trying to avoid me.

I told the waiter, I wasn’t paying until I saw the manager.

This ‘manager’ (who was cooking), didn’t look Italian. He was white with long features. I don’t have a problem with this if he was a good cook, but my ‘Asda pizza’ began to make sense. For one looking for an authentic Italian experience, this particular trattoria isn’t the place to go.

In the end, he reimbursed me 6 Euros.

Later in the holidays, I looked at other menus at other trattorias. Few show the prices of drinks or define if there is a table charge. I asked a waiter what he charged for a can of coke and he seemed incapable of giving a straight answer. In the end, I resorted to writing out my order on a piece of paper. This seemed the only way to empower my purse. It is mine after all.

Some trattorias make the claim ‘no hidden service charge’. This implies that tourists have taken issue with this dishonest practice.

Lessons Learnt:

Look for hidden charges in trattorias such as table service.

Ask for the price of drink in a trattoria to get an idea of what the bill will really come to.

Avoid trattorias near busy tourist attractions.

Read all my articles on Rome on my Rome a Survival Kit

3 canned drinks came to 15 Euros in a trattoria

Receipt from a trattoria showing service charge and price for drinks.

Some trattoria menus don't show price for drinks or service charge

Avoid Trattorias near tourist attractions like this one

Rome ATAC Bus Service is it Any Good?

2019-08-28T04:45:00.001-07:00

You can get the OMNIA or ROMA city pass to get money off tourist attractions such as the Coliseum and the Vatican, but both passes have drawbacks. Firstly, they have to be used in consecutive days once activated. This isn’t good if your holiday straddles a weekend or public holiday such as the Ferrogusta (read about the Ferrogosto here).

Another is that some of the sights aren’t included on the pass. The Roma pass, for instance doesn’t include the Vatican and neither include Rome’s airports (FCO and Ciampino).

With this in mind, I decided to book my excursions online and save money.

And as most of Rome’s tourist attractions are within walking distance, I wanted to do away with using the bus.

So I tried to avoid getting either city passes. What I didn’t realize was that, even outside of Rome Central; the roads were unpleasant places on which to walk. There was hardly path, dirty, hot in the day and dodgy after dark. It seemed I had to get a bus pass simply to get to and from my hotel. As I was stopping a week, I got a regular ATAC bus pass for myself and children.

This is what I learned about Rome’s ATAC busses.

The Truth About Rome’s Busses

I got my bus pass in a bus station in Ostiense. The booth was empty and I was faced with a derelict ticket machine into which I had to feed paper Euros. It was horrible. A nearby shopkeeper had to help me.

In the 10 days that I stopped in Rome, no one checked our tickets. The bus drivers sit in their glass cocoon and they seldom speak English. They simply drive and stop when the bell rings.

There are ticket machines on the bus where you get your tickets stamped, but I have seldom seen anyone use them. People simply hop on and off the bus.

It is easy to use the ATAC bus and not pay a penny. No one checks if you have a ticket and no one seems to care.

As my son had lost his passport, we had to stop longer than the week planned. We got fresh tickets for the extra days we needed but we needn’t have. No one was there to check our tickets and I’m sure others do the same.

That said, the ATAC busses run frequently and the chief terminals have display boards that announce when the next bus is due. I found this useful.

Still, the busses often were crammed and sometimes with no air conditioning. Graffiti was scrawled over the terminals and the officials often couldn’t speak English. It seemed apparent that Rome considered funding inspectors as worthy as cleaning the graffiti from the streets.

Lessons learnt

You may have to use the busses in Rome no matter what. The roads are busy, dangerous and dodgy in the dark.

The ATAC busses don’t seem to have inspectors or regulations in force. Rome is littered with graffiti-ridden empty kiosks and the stations are drab.

Offices close early and there is seldom anyone to ask for help. It seemed apparent that if a city is littered with abandoned kiosks, funding is short. Inspectors cost.

Read all my articles on Rome on Rome a Survival Kit

Bus Station in Piazza Venezia

An ATAC Bus Station in Rome

Bus timetable announcement

The Roma Pass Versus the OMNIA Card Neither are Worth It

2019-08-28T03:45:00.001-07:00

Rome’s major sites (the Vatican, the Coliseum, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain etc) are within walking distance of each other. Why purchase a Roma Pass or the OMNIA Card?

I had already booked my excursions online, which makes these cards redundant. Coop Culture and booking direct from the Vatican Museums and the Coliseum gave good prices.

Disadvantage of Rome’s City Pass and Omnia Card

Still, here is a quick guide to Rome’s City Cards.

There are two types of city cards available for visiting Rome: The Roma Pass and the Omnia Card. The Omnia Pass comes with a free guidebook and map but has a limit on how many attractions you can visit. The Vatican isn’t included. The Roma Pass includes the Vatican.

In both cases, you get to skip the queue. Figuring out which to use is down to which sights you want to visit.

The downside of these cards is that once it is activated, you have to use it for successive days. I had booked my holiday in mid-August, when a festival called the Ferrogosto occurs (15 August). Shops and public services apparently go quiet that day, for the Romans go away during this time. This meant that one day on the City Card could be wasted.

Another drawback was that neither card includes transport to either of the Rome airports: Fiumicino or Ciampino airports. Return taxi for me cost over 100 Euros.

The Roma pass offers no discounts for children.

Another consideration is whether to use the public transport or not. I like to walk. As Rome’s main tourist attractions are within walking distance of each other, I didn’t think I would need a city card.

I had looked for a hotel that was within walking distance of Rome, but the area was grotty and I had to get a bus pass anyway. I got neither city cards but a regular ATAC bus pass from the Ostiense Metro Station. It was really run down. There was no one in the kiosk and I had to ask a nearby stallholder to help. Thankfully, he was honest and helpful. Each card cost me 24 Euros for 7 days.

Read the truth about Rome’s public transport and more on the following link. It is nothing like what I was led to believe in travel blogs and agents.

Rome a Survival Kit

Use Rome's ATAC Busses for a Fraction of the Price of the City Pass

Rome's ATAC Bus Tickets are cheaper than the City Card

ATAC Bus Tickets

Rome: the Hotel is Not Walking Distance from Roma Central

2019-08-28T03:16:00.002-07:00

I wanted to avoid using public transport in Rome, as the tourist attractions are within walking distance of each another. I had already read that Rome is best explored on foot anyway. I therefore looked for a hotel close to the city.

Prices of hotels within Rome will rise the nearer to the center you are. But I was ok with 1 or 2 kilometres or so which meant cheaper prices.

I searched Trivago, Expedia and TripAdviser and found a hotel that declared it was within 2 kilometres of Central Rome’s border. I looked at the map, and it was just a straight road.

The hotel looked modern, clean and spacious with air conditioning, crucial for Rome in mid-August.

I went for a modern hotel in the Colombo district. I looked at the map and it seemed I only had to walk a little way to get to the Caracalla Baths, not far from the Coliseum. The major sights of Rome are all within walking distance of the Coliseum.

Read my other articles on Rome a Survival Kit

Is the walk from the hotel safe?

On the Expedia site, it said:

‘This hotel is within 1 mile (2km) of Roma Tre University and the Baths of Caraculla. Basillica of St Paul’s and the Coliseum are also within 2 miles (3km) (of the hotel).’ I’m ok with walking because I often go on walking holidays and the map showed green areas and quiet roads to get there.

Little did I realize I could not walk to Rome from my hotel, for the district was really run down. The road leading to Rome was very busy with no usable walkway. In a word, it was horrible and felt dangerous.

The hotel was close to Rome central but I still had to get a bus

No way could I walk from my hotel to Rome. We had no choice but to get bus passes on the day we arrived despite my plans not to use public transport.

As I had already booked some excursion online, purchasing the OMNIA or ROMA Pass was pointless. These passes work only if you throw in the excursions.

Lesson learnt:

Be careful if the description of the hotel insinuates it is walking distance from the major attractions of the city. The walking route could be dangerous, dodgy or un-walkable.

Make allowances for getting a bus pass when visiting a big city, even if the sites are within walking distance.

Check out Google images or reviews to get a true indication of the area.

Rome a Survival Kit

Busy Roads in Rome with little walkway

Rundown areas of Rome

My Holiday in Rome and What Went Wrong

2019-08-27T07:34:00.000-07:00

After getting passports for myself and children, I decided to go to Rome.

I had seen pictures of Rome on travel sites, adorned with the beautiful Coliseum, the Vatican museums, the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain. Dining at a trattoria in a piazza seemed the perfect way to end the day. And then there is the history.

I read numerous blogs about Rome and garnered brochures from travel agents. It seemed the perfect place to go.

But I had school holidays to consider, which meant I had to go in August. I wasn’t happy about the thought of the heat and crowds.

I booked a week in mid-August, concerned about the public holiday of Ferrogosto, which occurs on 15th August, where apparently many places close. Read about my experience of theFerragosto here.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I spent over ten days in Rome instead of the planned seven.

During this time, I learned a lot about Rome that the travel brochures and promotional blogs don’t tell you.

Read about my nightmare in Rome on the following articles. Invaluable tips and truths can be found here.
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