Viva Rome!

One of the statements that I have been saying for quite a while is that “Rome is not really Italian” and this has caused a lot of confusion with many of my friends.

What you have to realize is that if you ask any Italian where they are from they will not immediately say their country but rather their city is how they relate where they are from.

Why is this? Well I believe this has to do with some deeply ingrained cultural idocryncacy that can only be understood if you are from that country. Now typically italians are warm, welcoming and very friendly but this is really not the case for those living in Rome. I do not consider Rome to be really Italian but rather Roman.

There is a distinction here that many will not realize until you have spent more then two weeks in the city. Romans are a gruff bunch who are not unfriendly but not particularly warm either. They are a seperate breed from most Italians.

Yes the Romans speak Italian and they are at the seat of the Italian government but I do not see the same cultural practices of many of the other Italian cities such as Florence, Naples and even Sicily. Is this a bad thing? Well that is up to your interepetation.

After spending four weeks in this city I began to realize this distinction as many others in my class. Would I move to Rome? I doubt it. I did not find myself particularly drawn to the noise and other unseemly parts of the city.

Well I guess I am getting settled here. I went out to eat in my first real day in Rome. Nothing really fancy but something I have been longing to do for a while. I ate my first Roman pizza in a small pizza shop in Piazza Bologna. I had your typical Neapolitan pizza or the Margherita Pizza which is real simple pizza of tomato, basil and cheese. While many people may scoff at such an idea this is a typical Italian experience and you should really try this. The restaurant I ate at was called Pollo Dorro which I am not sure of the meaning.

Now the price of this mean was under 4 Euros so I guess I really made out. You see a pizza like this from a chef I know would cost close to double that amount of money. The prices of the meals in Rome do not have to be extraordinary.

One thing I am really regretting doing is not taking my camera along as I am sure many of you would probably like to see what I am talking about. I am going to have to make sure I bring my camera in the future.

Oh and one thing I am I am kind of proud of is getting a better feel for the traffic here. While I did almost get run over by a car I am actually kind of proud of that fact. I wear it like a badge of honor as I feel more like a local.

It is good to be back in the city again. Of course there was a bit of apprehension when I first arrived as I am not fluent in the language the locals are very accommodating and you should try to speak their language.

All in all I would say that today was a successful day. It does take time to get accustomed to a different culture. But in time you do start to get a feel for a place. After some time I am sure I will get more of a feel for this city as well. Only time will tell and I have plenty of it right now.

Rome is a very expensive city to visit. It is like New York in that there are plenty of very up scale places to stay but finding quality budget hotels can be a challenge. Fortunately I have been scouring the Internet and asking some of my friends who live in Rome for some of the best budget hotels in the city. Some considerations were made when I ever write something on hotels in any city. First I always consider the location of the hotel. It does not make a whole lot of sense to find a budget hotel but then have to spend half the day traveling to where you want to visit. So that is why I created a series on budget hotels broken down by location to the major tourist attractions so that you can find where you really want to stay.

Many of the following hotels are clean and high quality. Some lack some of the amenities that you would find in some of the higher class hotels but that is something you can expect from a budget hotel. I made sure to only select the 2 and 3 star hotels so that most budgets can be accommodated.

Hotel Colosseum
Via Sforza, 10 – 00184
One of Romes better hotels as this hotel is topped with a terrace on the roof affording the guests a unique 360 degree view of the city. The hotel is on one of Rome’s highest hills so the view is quite spectacular and will surely enhance your stay here. Consisting of seven floors this is one of the larger hotels around the Colosseum.

Hotel Borromeo
Via Cavour, 117 – 00184
Being so close to the Coloseeum this hotel is in the heart of the city and where all the action is. A smaller hotel then the Hotel Colosseum this hotel still can accommodate disabled and elderly tourists. Equipped with a elevator it should be easier to get to your room after a long day’s walking around the city.

Hotel Edera
Via Angelo Poliziano, 75 – 00184
A larger five storied hotel that is equipped with an elevator this hotel is also very near to the Colosseum. This hotel also has a terrace that overlooks the city and parking is available for only 20 euros a night so you can park your car as well.

Hotel Saturnia
Via Ruinaglia, 6 – 00184
This is one of the better budget hotels to stay in Rome. It is family run with all rooms coming equipped with a private bathroom and television set.

Hotel Adas
Via Cavour, 233 – 00184
A recently renovated hotel this is very close to the heart of the city and all of the attractions. This hotel is unique in that it is separated on two floors of the building. The hotel occupies the second and sixth floor and the elevator only goes up to the fifth so if you are unlucky enough to get a room on the sixth floor you will have to climb up one flight of stairs. Also this is one place that offers wireless internet connections so you can stay in touch with friends and family back home.

Most of these hotels are up on the higher hills in Rome so if you get an opportunity to stay in any one of them be sure to pick the hotels with the rooftop terraces as that will surely make the stay even more enjoyable. Nothing is better then seeing the sun set or rise in this glorious city and to do so from a unique vantage point makes it all the better.

For many that visit Rome it is time for vacation. A time to get out of your routine and just relax for a week or two. For others however their definition of relaxation might be a bit different. Keeping fit for many is a passion and fortunately Romans also have that passion as well. So you may wonder where is a tourist able to go to in order to keep fit. Well there are a few choices available and I have found some to be quite good and affordable.

Farnese Fitness
Vicolo delle Grotte 35
Tel: 06-687-6931
This is a gym that is centrally located and offers aerobics classes each day. A 10 Euros fee per day is required and the entire gym closes in the month of August so be warned.

Fitness First
Via GiolittiGiovanni 44
Tel: 06-4782-6300
This gym is very close to the rail station . You have your usual classes but also some other more advanced classes such as Thai kickboxing is offered here. A fee of 16 Euros per day should get you into this place.

Fitnext
Piazza Mignanelli 23
Tel: 06-679-6003
This is more of a yoga and pilates studio. You can choose either one for a low price of 20 Euros per day. You are also only limited to one class per day.

Roman Sports Center
Viale del Galoppatoio 33
Tel: 06-320-1667
This is Rome’s premier fitness facility. There really is nothing that this place does not have. A full sized Olympic sized swimming pool and many classes make this the place to be. It is surely reflected in the price of 26 Euros per day however.

Many people find exercising relaxing and a great way to relieve stress. This may be what you need on your trip to Rome as your family members get on your nerves. Nothing is better at relieving a stressful day then a good run on the treadmill or pushing some iron around and now you know where to go in Rome.

When staying in Rome for any extended period of time it is very important to know about “the essentials” of living there. That is to say the health care, laundry service and other mail services that you may need to make your stay even possible. For many EU citizens this should be easy to understand and cope with as there are already agreements in place to make any EU citizen’s life easier.

Health Care

If you are EU citizen you are pretty well covered here. There is already in place an agreement between your home country and Italy in order to take care of your medical needs. However if you are outside of the EU then that is another story altogether. For many people from the United States there will be a need to purchase some supplemental health insurance.

I would shop around at home before you leave in order to get the best deal. Also make sure of the quality of the insurance you are receiving as there are different levels of customer service that you can expect from each company. Do not just buy what ever is the cheapest plan as that may not cover all you are doing while in Italy.

Here are some of the more important emergency numbers to know and memorize before you go:

• For Local Police Dial 113
• For National Police Dial 112
• For Ambulance service Dial 118
• For Fire Emergencies Dial 115
• For Road Assistance Dial 116

For some English speaking Doctors that are of some high quality I would go to AlphaMed at Via Zanardelli 36. This facility is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. Also recommended is Tobias Wallbrecher who runs a small family oriented doctors office at Via Domenico Silveri 30. He is also open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. since he is a family oriented doctor this would be a good place to go if your child should become sick while away.

Not all hospitals have emergency wards in Italy which I find to be a bit shocking. However I have compiled a list of some of the more centrally located hospitals that offer some emergency care.

• Rome American Hospital at Via E. Longoni 81
• San Giovanni at Via A. Aradam
• Santo Spirito at Lungotevere in Sassia 1

Laundry Service

Many hotels and even some hostels offer some sort of laundry service to their patrons. However this is really cost prohibitive way of washing your clothes. The best way is to find the nearest Laundromat at the many Onda Blu chains all throughout the city. Alternatively you can try the Wash and Dry at Via Della Pellicicca 35. They offer a wash and tumble dry for the low price of about 10 Euros for a hefty 15 pound load of laundry. That is quite the deal considering the service involved.

Mail Service

The Italian mail service is perhaps the slowest in the entire EU so I would recommend going with a speedier carrier such as UPS or FedEX if your package is urgent. In order to buy stamps you will need to go into a local tabacci or tobacco shop. In order to find you nearest post office I would recommend going to the website for the Italian postal service at www.poste.it as it will contain the most up to date information on the hours that each location is open and the services they may offer.

Alternatively you can have your mail delivered to any of the local American Express offices if you are cardholder. This is really convenient and also much cheaper as this service is included in your card.