My family of 4 and I are spending 2 weeks in Italy, specifically seeing Venice, Florence, and Rome. I am so excited to see Italy, and coming to Rome will be a highlight. Im wondering what I can do in Rome besides see history and art, etc? We will be seeing more Art than would could possibly imagine prior to coming to rome, and I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on things to do that arn't necessarily on the "beaten path" like doing something active, seeing some sort of living history place, etc? I realize that Rome may not be the ideal place for these kinds of activities, but hey, why not ask!
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32213 posts
Ryan,
It would help to have some idea of what sights you are planning to see when in Rome? It's difficult to make suggestions, as these may already be on your "list". Also, how many days are you planning to spend in each city?
I assume you're flying "open jaw", into Venice and out of Rome?
Cheers!
Posted by
OP
Chandler, AZ, USA
21 posts
Yes we are coming into Venice and flying out of Rome. We are going to see all the main sites, the Ceaser shuffle stuff, The Vatican, all the traditional highlights. Im looking for things like biking, vespa renting/touring, theme park events, horseback riding, etc. Anything off the beaten path of museums and monuments, etc. Just trying to shake things up a bit. We are in rome from Oct. 8- Oct. 13 (fly out on the 13th in the AM) We are in Florence Oct. 3-Oct. 7 Any ideas would be great!
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Getting around in Italy: it's different over there--you'll understand after you've been there awhile. So by all means "shake things up," but you may want to check to see if your US health insurance covers you over there before the vespa riding--it probably doesn't.
Regarding riding vespas in Rome, the best advice based on the greatest amount of personal experience, that we've had on this forum, is from a Rome resident who rides a motorino every day in Rome--and he has pretty strongly advised that you not do it (safety issues).
About riding horses in Rome: Rome's a really big city--it's time consuming to get to open areas from the Rome center. Now, I'll be the first to admit I know nothing about whether you can ride horses in Rome, I realize you can ride horses in Manhattan (Central Park) if you've got the money and a strong desire to do so. So who knows--but no one, so far, has ever mentioned horse riding in Rome, on this forum--so it will be interesting to see if anyone can come up with horse riding opportunities in Rome.
That leaves bicycle riding. Not too much shaking it up there, pretty standard stuff. Here's Beppe Severgnini in bicycling in Italian cities: "In the brutal pecking order of the highway, Vespas have found a place above pedestrians and below cars; bicycles are the companions in misfortune of those on foot." It's been mentioned here but only on the Appian Way, I think. You get to be the decider on whether this is a good use of your time in Rome.
Posted by
Northborough, MA
636 posts
If you do want to cycle in Rome, you could try the Appian Way. If you're there on a Sunday, the Appian Way is closed.
http://goitaly.about.com/b/2009/02/26/biking-the-old-appian-way-and-rome-day-trips.htm