Rome in Early Novemeber?

A good tool to get an idea about what the weather would be like when and where ever you travel would be
https://weather.com/. You can put Rome in the search engine and it will give you the forecast for November 2019
based on the historical averages.

Restaurant and hotels in Rome have been discussed ad infinitum in the Forum. Try the search box above and combine that intell with a good guidebook,

Hi k,

What neighborhood are you staying in. Rome is a very walkable outside museum city.

You asked about any hidden gems, lol,

well..Turning around any corner walking the streets of Rome you will always find a surprise or a little gem.

It could be architecture on the facing of the building, discovering a little lost eatery down a side street that you took for a shortcut, cute little souvenir stores, corner markets, street vendors selling hot chestnuts, or

Coming upon a band of jazz musicians clad in Santa suits playing jazzy renditions Christmas songs, LOL. True story that happened to me. It was a lot of fun - people were clapping and dancing. it was in December; around lunch time when I was on my way to see visit the Trevi area.

Besides the main attractions that you most likely will be visiting, what other areas of interest do you have?

Art focus? Church focus? With most of the Roman churches, you can get the best of both worlds with visiting a church or basilica and seeing all the art within the church such as frescoes, statues altars.

My most favorite basilica is Saint Peters. http://stpetersbasilica.info/ I could write a million things of why I am so enamored with St Peters, lol.

Piazza Navona - Home to the beautiful, Bernini's Fountains of the Four Rivers and scarf vendors, lol. Some great history behind it. You may also catch the melodic tunes of the street musicians in certain piazza's.

Off topic, lol, Last December, they brought back the "Christmas Market." I saw them setting up stalls and the also saw the end result. I was there for two weeks. It was a lot of fun. A bunch of "Befana" dolls were blowing in the wind, lol. All sizes. Mass produced. Shown with a typical witch face. Ehh.

A few years ago (in the States though), I got a porcelain "Befana" figurine. I believe it is made by "Ripka." She is depicted as an "old woman" - has "softer facial expressions" - smiling - has soft muted tones to her outfit and accessories (broom, basket)

Maybe you know this - Her legend goes she was a mean lady. In the end, she realized she was wrong. The figurine I have depicts -- "a Grandmotherly look" - I love the artist's rendition. Another one I have, is from "Byers' Choice" -- one of their original designs. They also depict her as more "Grandmotherly."

Campo de' fiori - an open day market; at nightfall, a gathering of locals and travelers a like to have a Bellini, lol

Piazza di Spagna - the "ugly boat" is in the center of the square and also, where the beautiful Trinita dei Monti Church is https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinit%C3%A0_dei_Monti

Piazza della Rotonda - which is where the beautiful Pantheon sits. The church is small, free to enter, the surprise is when you look up at the Dome - stunning and breathtaking.

The Pantheon is an active church and therefore during Mass services, no touring is allowed. You may sit in for the Mass if you choose.

Piazza della Repubblica - a very beautiful and very important square in history.

The Trevi Fountain - Majestic and very beautiful; especially at night when it is all lit up and crowds are sparse. Awe-inspiring to see the water flow and know the unique history behind the creation.

St. Paul's Within the Walls - another beautiful Church. It holds mini concerts with tenors and little operas. The acoustics are really great. You can go on their website and look for dates and prices of tickets for the concerts.

The Vatican Museums - good luck with that, lol. A lot of people just get a drive-thru experience. Sadly because it is so overwhelmingly crowded.

A possible solution to getting some breathing space would be to buy tickets for an early entrance or go with a guided tour that can get you in early as in 7 a.m. or they do offer evening tours.

I can link all the tour groups later on so you have choices.

Hotels are great because you have knowledgeable staff available round the clock to offer suggestions and advice and answer questions, help arrange tickets, taxis, etc. If you don't need that, you may save money with airbnb.

A good guide on a walking tour will point out hidden gems that you can return to later. I took an evening food tour and learned how to pick good restaurants and gelato. Not hidden gems, but lesser visited museums and churches exist in abundance. For a change of pace, go to Ostia Antica for a half-day.

Temperature averages tell you nothing, especially monthly averages in spring and fall. To get a better idea, use this site for historical weather conditions by day for the past 10 years (which is what the averages are based on). Plan on sunny and rainy days, and hope that there won't be many of the latter. As much as possible be flexible with your itinerary so you have a few mostly indoor days.

Hi again K,

Below is a list of very good tour companies. I am posting the links to their sites as a "guide of sorts" to maybe help you plan your own itinerary for your stay.

Or, if you are inclined, maybe you would be interested in one of their tours to maximize your time. Five or six days in Rome goes by fast!

The Roman Guy -- https://theromanguy.com/tours/italy/vatican
Walks of Italy -- https://www.walksofitaly.com/vatican-tours/
Dark Rome -- https://darkrome.com/vatican-tours
Through Eternity -- https://www.througheternity.com/en/vatican-tours/
Angel Tours -- https://angeltours.eu/destination/vatican/

It is very important to check the direct websites of The Vatican and St. Peter's.

Also, if you want, check out The Roman Guy travel videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRomanGuyTours

Sean is one of the leads for the company and narrates most of the videos. They are funny, down-to-Earth, give very helpful suggestions and tips. The vids seem to be geared to a new traveler or can be a refresher for those who have not been in a long time.

It is very important to check the direct websites of any major attraction you will be visiting. Policy changes, price changes and times and dates of closure should be listed.

Security, modest Church dress code and bag checks are the norm in Rome (Italy)

This guy Attache is funny but informative about Rome travel -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnL-zJ5DcQw

Another helpful video to watch is -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2VcEkPaeF4

Finally, the skylinewebcams I like to suggest to peeps to get a peek at Rome's major Piazzas --

https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/italia/lazio.html

Hopefully these fun videos can help you figure out what you would like to see and do.