ROMEGUIDE - Sygic Travel

1 ROME GUIDEROME GUIDE2 Money3 Communication4 Holidays5 Transportation6 Food8 Events During The Year9 Things to do10 DOs and DO ContactsPolice 113 Carabinieri (military police) 112 Fire Services 115 Ambulance 118 Traffic Wardens +39 667691 Finance Police 117 Central Police Station +39 64686 Essential InformationEven though the Roman Empire might be longgone, its Eternal City still remains and is oneof the most popular tourist destinations in Eu-rope. Its glorious, breath-taking monumentssuch as the Colosseum, St Peter s Basilica orthe Sistine Chapel are a silent witness to themany eras the city has rich historical and cultural heritage is notall there is to Rome, though. The city hasa modern, cosmopolitan feel to it, too. It squickly becoming one of the nightlife capitalsof Europe and also a popular shopping des-tination. Just sit down at one of the delight-ful restaurants or streetside caf s and you aresure to experience this feeling for ZoneUTC/GMT +1 hour, observes ContactsTourist information: 060608 / Lost property onbus or tram: +39 6 5816040 MONEY3 Italy is a member of the Eurozone.

2 1 = 100 are easy to find and the daily withdrawallimit is 250 . You can exchange your money atany bank, post office or exchange office calledcambio. Make sure you have got some form of IDwith major credit cards are accepted by the major-ity of Roman restaurants, hotels and major cheaper guesthouses and small pizzeriasaccept nothing but cash so always check in ad-vance to avoid RefundsVAT is 21% (will increase to 22% in July) andnon-EU residents are entitled to a tax refund ifthey spend more than 155 on a purchase atshops displaying the Tax Free for Tourists you need to do is complete a form on the spotand have it stamped by Italian customs as youleave the country. The money will be refunded toyour bank information can be found at ( )PricesMeal, inexpensive restaurant 15 Meal for 2, mid-range restaurant, 3 courses 50 Domestic beer ( draught) 4 Cappuccino (regular) Gasoline (1 liter) Hostels (average price/night) 25 4* hotel (average price/night) 120 Car-hire (medium-sized car/day) 90 TippingYou do not need to tip in Italy.

3 Tips in most restau-rants are already included in the bill. If they aren t,tip only if the service was exceptional by leavingthe change. Round up to the next euro for thetaxi driver and give 1 to your chambermaid with a frequency of 50 Hz; continental-typeplugs with two or three round prongs. Do not for-get to bring an adapter or converter if you main language in Rome is Italian, but the dig-nitaries in the Vatican speak Latin at official occa-sions. Many people can speak a second language,mostly English, French or PhonesThe GSM network is operated by four main Italiancompanies: TIM, Vodaphone, Wind and Tre. Thefrequency is 900 and 1800 MHz. Visitors fromAmerica should check their phone informationmanual prior to their arrival to make sure theirphone has the right bands. It is possible to rent aphone in Rome to avoid roaming fees, however,if you stay in Italy for a longer period of time, youmight as well consider buying an Italian SIM will need to show your ID prior to service ac-tivation.

4 If you have a smart phone, do not forgetto switch off the data transfer, for you would geta nasty bill telephone code for Italy is +39 and for Wireless ( ) offers anumber of free Internet hotspots. Many of themcan be found in the historical center at the mostfrequented tourist places. However, you will needa valid Italian number for registration as you haveto make an initial phone call to verify your you do not possess an Italian SIM card, do notdespair. There are numerous bars and caf s thatoffer free Wi-Fi access to their customers. Alsomore and more hotels have Internet available inthe rooms or lobby, although some of them maycharge a small fee. Last but not least, cyber caf sare always a safe bet and finding one is never aproblem. The price can be anywhere in the regionof 1 to 3 per ResourcesOfficial tourist website ( )Wikipedia ( )HOLIDAYS51 January New Year s Day6 January Epiphany17 March AnniversaryoftheUnificationofItalyMonday after Easter Easter Monday25 April Liberation Day1 May International Workers Day2 June Republic Day15 August Ferragosto/Assumption Day1 November All Saints4 November DayofNationalUnityandtheArmed Forces8 December Immaculate Conception25 December Christmas Day26 December St Stephen s DayOpening HoursShops are usually open from 9 to 1 andthen from to Monday throughSaturday (4-8 during summer months), al-though major shops located at frequently visitedplaces are open on Sundays, too.

5 Large shops canbe open all day until 10 Grocery shops areclosed on Thursday afternoons. A lot of shopsand restaurants take their holiday in markets in the city center operate Monday toSaturday from 7 to 1 Restaurants areopen between noon and and then from7 to 11 operate from to and af-ter the lunch break from 3 to 4 , and areclosed at weekends, while post offices are gener-ally open from 8:30 to 1:30 Monday toSaturday (until 1 on Saturday). All banks andmost shops are closed on public TransportationRome has a fantastic integrated public trans-portation system, which includes subway, buses,trams and trains. There are four ticket categories:Biglietto semplice 100 minutes, Biglietto giornaliero 24 hours, 6 Biglietto per 3 giorni 3 days, Biglietto settimanale 7 days, 24 BusesThere are a couple of bus companies in Romecalled ATAC ( ) and COTRAL( ) Buses run from 5:20 untilmidnight. Night buses run from 0:10 un-til 5:30 every 30 minutes from termini andPiazza Venezia (look for a sign that reads N ).

6 SubwayThere are currently two subway (metropolitana)lines in Rome. The A line (red) runs east to west,while the B line (blue) runs northeast to south-west and connects the three main railway sta-tions. The C line (green) is under lines stop at Stazione Termini. The subwayoperates Sunday to Thursday from 5:30 to11:30 and until 1:30 on Friday andSaturday. They run approximately every 7-10minutes. The subway is operated by tram lines serve mostly eastern parts of thecity and operate from 5:30 to midnight. Theyare run by best way to get a taxi is to find the nearesttaxi stands which are generally located at themost frequented places. Look for white cars witha taxi sign on the roof, an emblem on the sidedoor which reads Comune di Roma , and a li-cense number inside the car. You can also callone, but you will be charged for the time it tookthem to reach you. When you enter the car, makesure the meter is switched on. Never use the ser-vice of unlicensed cars as they would ask you foran additional cost at the end of the journey.

7 Ifyou are traveling within the historical center, youshould pay something in the region of 7 to 15 . The fares are measured by : +39 340 196 2556 Rome Airport Transfers: +39 06 61 66 25 30,+39 329 85 57 435 Assotaxi: +39 06 3290900 RadioTaxi Samarcanda: +39 06 5551 Regional TransportationAirportsRome is served by two civil airports:Fiumicino (Leonardo da Vinci) ( ) Italy s biggest international airport, connectedby an express train with Stazione Termini inthe center. The journey takes 30 minutes andwill cost you . The train runs from until 11:30 ( ) a joint civilian and mil-itary airport generally used by budget get to the city center, take COTRAL bus andchange for Metro is a significant railway junction along withMilan and Bologna. The most important train sta-tions are Roma Termini and Roma Rail ( )Lazio Regional Railways ( ) 8 commuter rail lines operated by of them are integrated with Rome s in Rome can be stressful at times as halfof the locals obey the rules and the other half onlywhen they please.

8 Try to use the public trans-portation as often as possible. Note that it is for-bidden for private cars to enter the historical cen-ter unless you are a resident. If you insist on dri-ving around Rome, it is essential that you pay at-tention at all times and are able to foresee any ap-proaching situation. Parking is mostly paid and tofind a parking space can pose a speed limits are as follows:50 km/h in cities90 km/h outside of cities110 km/h on highways130 km/h on autostradaEveryone in the car must wear their seat special seat is required for infants. Childrenbetween four and twelve must not Travel in thefront seat unless they are using a suitable re-straint your international driver s license a visibility vest in your boot and wear itwhile attending to any the speed limits. If you get caught,you will pay a hefty fine on the cars are required to have their headlightson at all times while not use your mobile phone when driving,unless you have a hands-free blood alcohol level is is a very walkable city as the main touristattractions are located in the historical will walk km from the Colosseum to Pi-azza di Spagna.

9 It is recommended, however, totake at least two pairs of comfortable shoes sothat you can alternate them should your feet getsore. Also, you will see a lot of nice places andbuildings you would miss if you took a with accessibility needs will find Rome s un-even cobblestone streets difficult to , Rome is called The City of Seven Hills fora reason, so be prepared for steps and steepstreets, sometimes shared with cars. Vatican mu-seums and the Sistine Chapel are accessible fromVial Vaticano located on the north side, while theentrance to St. Peter s Basilica is located on s Square. Wheelchair tourists will need helpof accessible transportation between some of theattractions. Keep in mind that only a limited num-ber of subway and bus stops are accessible forthe disabled, so always check in advance to cuisine makes the best of the local andseasonal produce and is partly influenced by Jew-ish cuisine. The meals are usually simple andrather a toasted slice of bread with gar-lic, olive oil and diced tomatoesfiletti di baccala salt cod fillets dipped in bat-ter and deep friedcarciofi alla romana artichokes braised withherbspasta aglio olio e peperoncino simple yet de-licious pasta with olive oil, chili peppers andgarlicpasta alla carbonara pecorino, speck, raweggpasta alla putanesca tomatoes, olives, ca-pers, garlic, chili pepper, anchovysaltimbocca alla romana veal scallops withprosciutto and sage leavesporcini alla griglia large grilled mushroomsserved with garlic, parsley and olive oiltiramisu a legendary dessert made of ladyfin-gers dipped in espresso with mascarpone andcocoapizza with a thin crust.

10 Note that if you order apepperoni pizza, you won t get salami (salamepiccante) but bell a dessert made of ice, flavoredwith fruit juicetrippa tripe cooked with tomato sauce andmint, topped with pecorino cheesegelato delicious Italian ice cream of any flavorDrinksCoffee is the favorite drink in Rome andthey make it really well. Another popular drink iswhite wine such as Trebbiano, Malvasia, Frascatior Castelli AgeThere is no legal minimum age when it comesto consumption of alcoholic beverages, but youmust be at least 16 years of age to be allowed topurchase alcohol, or to be served alcohol in publicspaces (but only that of less than 10%). You mustbe 18 to purchase or be served stronger DURING THE YEAR9 Spring:Various daysGiornate FAI ( )Settimana della Cultura ( )MarchMaratona della Citt di Roma ( )Settimana Santa & Pasqua (Holy Week &Easter)AprilFotoGrafia ( )Campionato Internazionale di Tennis (ItalianOpen) ( )Concorso Ippico Internazionale di Piazza diSienaNatale di Roma (21 April) ( )Summer:Jazz and Image Festival ( )Estate Romana ( )Cosmophonies Festival Internazionale di Os-tia Antica ( )Roma Incontra il Mundo ( )International Chamber Ensemble ( )Fiesta ( )Gay Village ( )Cineporto ( )Stagione Estiva del Teatro dell'Opera ( )Invito alla Danza ( )JulyFesta de Noantri ( )Fall:Roma Europa Festival ( )SeptemberBuenos Aires Tango ( )OctoberCinema Festa Internazionale di Roma ( )Winter.