LYNNE JETER

Hundreds of angels "protect" the streets of Rome.

Once again, love drives me on, that loosener of limbs, bittersweet creature against which nothing can be done. —Sappho.



Rome is a great place to fall in love again — with your loved ones, no matter the relationship, and yourself. Who could not fall under the romantic spell of the city’s unending mysteries guarded by angels frozen in time?



In March, I visited my daughter in Rome, where she’s studying abroad this semester. Fluent in Italian, she had been there for two months, scouting out the best places to visit. I anticipated a restful week of vacation. By the time I returned home, I was exhausted, but in a very good way.



Here’s what I learned:

• Take the most direct flight to Rome. Making connecting flights is very stressful, especially when there’s less than an hour between them. Avoid Air France. The ground staff and flight crew are not particularly friendly, and often ignore reasonable requests.

• Learn to speak just enough Italian to show the local folks you’re trying, such as parla Inglese? (PAR-la en-GLAZE-aye), which means “Do you speak English?” Most Italians speak at least some English. Having a translator with you is preferable, but there are times when you’re on your own.

• Italian currency is the Euro. American dollars are not welcome there. Seek the best exchange rate and request small bills. Many Italian establishments will not accept large bills and do not like to give change.

• Expect to pay 40 euros for a cab ride from the airport, a capped rate for city cabs. Verify the price beforehand. Some private companies charge 50 euros or more and you won’t know until it’s too late and non-negotiable.

• For full Italian flavor, stay in a Roman hotel, not an international chain. Hotel Bramante is an excellent choice (www.hotelbramante.com) for 130 euros per night (seasonal rates vary). Located two blocks from Vatican City, it’s close to everything you’ll want to see. Be prepared to return the room key to the desk clerk every time you leave the property.

• Take comfortable walking shoes. I packed for fashion and my feet ached. Rome is a huge city with a canvas of cobblestone streets. Even catching the subway or Metro bus requires a great deal of walking. One night, my daughter and her roommates decided to dine at a restaurant near the Tiber River. Several girls kept getting the heels of their shoes stuck in the cobblestone grooves, once while crossing a busy intersection.

• neutral, low-key clothing. Bold colors scream American tourist, particularly North Face and Patagonia brand clothing. You certainly don’t want to stand out since Italians aren’t by nature that friendly anyway. The Americans’ role in Iraq has brought us even less favor.

• Pack layers to accommodate fickle weather. One day, the weather called for T-shirts and shorts. Another day—all within 12 hours—the weather brought rain, hail, sleet, snow, bright sunshine, high winds and balmy conditions.

• Definitely visit The Forum, Coliseum of Rome, Trevi Fountain and the like. But don’t miss other lesser publicized places, such as Piazza del Poppola, Villa Borghese, Castel Sant’angelo, and Trastavere.

• Be wary of the tourist trap at The Vatican, which allows visitors inside only from 9 a.m. until noon. It costs 8-12 euros for a tour (admission is free the last Sunday of the month), which includes the famed Sistine Chapel. When we arrived at 8:15 a.m., the line stretched to the end of the block. Within 15 minutes, the line had reached another block. When a man speaking broken English asked if we wanted to go to the front of the line and join an English-speaking tour (25 euros each), we jumped. But it wasn’t the front of the line, just a little further up. And it was 25 euros each plus the price of admission! We opted instead for a tour of St. Peter’s Basilica, paid 7 euros each to ride the elevator to the top for a close-up look at incredible artwork, and climbed some 300 steps to the cupola for a magnificent view of the city.

• Barter with street vendors, but have exact change and remember the weight limit on airline baggage. You can buy sunglasses, scarves, belts and “frauda” purses (with Prada labels) on the Tiber Bridge and around town at greatly discounted rates. One merchant wanted 40 euros for a handbag. We offered 15 euros and the merchant laughed. When walked off, he scampered behind us, saying “OK, OK!” It was addictive. We bartered on several items we would otherwise not have purchased.

• Look for restaurants featuring an all-in-one price. There are virtually no chains in Italy—though we saw two fancy McDonald’s restaurants—but instead there are terrific family-run restaurants dishing up great cuisine in an unhurried, dressed up environment. It was common to find restaurants charging 10-12 euros (including tax and tip) for a four-course midday meal. A two-hour lunch—common in Rome; shopkeepers often close for long midday breaks— at La Danesina included a liter of wine, reasonably priced at 4 euros. Be prepared to pay for a basket of bread (roughly 1.5 euros), which is usually complimentary in American restaurants. Overall, Italian food is a great value. You won’t regret trying spaghetti carbonara, pasta sautéed in egg yolks and flavored with prosciutto.

• Take time to veer off the beaten path. I compared notes with my mother, who traveled to Rome on a group tour. She toured wonderful places we missed, but we immersed ourselves in the culture. My daughter took me to the local grocery store, where she showed me white cheeses of every sort (no yellow cheeses here) and “1 euro” wine. She introduced me to the family that owns the local frutteria (produce store) and took me to the best place to eat gelato (Old Bridge, across the street from the Vatican City wall), Italy’s version of ice cream. You’ll get hooked on the nutella flavor.

• If you’re visiting other cities in Italy, take the reasonably-priced EuroStar. You can easily buy tickets from a computer kiosk in the train terminal. We paid 33 euros each to travel from Rome to Florence on EuroStar (a 75-minute trip versus three hours on a traditional train). My daughter insisted we didn’t need to pay extra for first-class tickets. She was right. Second-class seats were quite comfortable.

• Be patient while routing through airports. With orange as the standard security alert color these days, there are plenty of hoops to jump through, but in all fairness, security does a good job of moving folks through without much hassle. In Atlanta, even though New Orleans was my final destination, I had to re-check my baggage. Veteran travelers realized the extra step, but some occasional travelers were caught by surprise.