Tips for enjoying Rome in July

Trevi Fountain - half an hour to an hour after sunset. Best seen illuminated > watch out for the junk souvenir sellers which push all sorts of rubbish to the crowd.... its actually a magical place, and superb gelato place just down the street...

Your plan is the best one. Be inside during the heat of the day whether at the hotel or inside a museum. Start early and go later in the afternoon. Make sure to carry a water bottle with you that you can fill at many of Romes fountains. As for the trevi fountain, I would go early and late. The lighting on the fountain changes throughout the day so you'll want to see it lit at night and also when it's not lit.

Donna

This may sound silly, but I think a lot of it is mindset. Kerry, I think you are going with not only a mindset, but also a plan. you've already told yourself you will love rome and that you won't let things like the crowd get to you. I did that with the graffiti, I read about it, heard about it, and told myself it was not going to bother me. as a result, I barely even noticed it at all. Though I wasn't there in July, I was there in early Sept and the Trevi was still crazy busy at night. Pretty darn empty at 8am, though. :) You could always go at night to soak in the atmosphere and early early in the morning to through in the coins.

We'll definetly plan to get out early every day to see a major sight. I'll have to check entrance times ahead. I really don't mind crowds, since I find them exciting, but I do mind lines! My husband wont leave the apartment without refillable water bottles as he has a fear of us making him pay for drinks!!! In fact, he'll probably carry bread too, for fear we may want to eat too (kinda sorta kidding)! I'm sure we will LOVE Rome, despite the crowds, heat, grafitti, etc...

First time I was in Rome was late July early August and yes it was hot but not unbearable. Hydrate, carry a handfan, wear a hat in open areas, use sunblock,and dress lightly. However, keep in mind that churches have dresscodes so bring something to cover shoulders and knees whenever you visit. You don't have to dress the entire day with that in mind, just put something in your day pack like a shortsleeve button shirt to put on and pull on pants of some sort.

Kerry, you will be fine! My first trip to Italy was in August, and I had no idea that it was an awful time to go until I got home and everyone told me, "That's an awful time to go!" It's largely a self-fulfilling prophecy: if you think it's going to be hot and crowded, you'll notice every long line and every spike in temperature. You seem to be doing a great job of not buying into that.

My tip: use the heat as an excuse to take more gelato breaks. :)

I have visited Italy in August too, just not Rome. We stayed for one week with my husbands Italian relatives in their home outside of Naples. They put us on the third floor of their un-airconditioned home. They had NO fans. The first night I said to my husband "this is going to be the trip from hell"; but once we got over the jet lag, we felt better. It WAS hot as hell the entire week and we couldn't get enough to drink OR anything that was COLD enough (for our tastes); but we still managed to have an amazing time and a culturally enriching experience! Plus, the food the relatives fed us was better than anything you could find in any Italian Restaurant!

Kerry,

I don't know how late your daughter will be awake, but nighttime is a great time to go to Trevi Fountain. Whenever you go, you'll definitely be able to get up close and have your daughter throw in some coins. The fountain can be crowded but it's not so bad that it's unapproachable.

Make certain that your hotel/B & B has air conditioning and that it WORKS! Sometimes they tout A/C as an amenity but either it doesn't work or they won't turn it on.

Hopefully, we'll all take naps during the hottest part of the day and then be able to stay out later when it's cooler. We had to do this last July in Spain when it was 104 degrees! We got used to staying out much later than we do at home. As for air conditioning; we rented an apartment with very good reviews including some from people renting this past summer. So I have to assume the a/c will work. I really look forward to walking around Rome at night, it must be enchanting. We're in a good area near Campo dei Fiori, Pantheon, Piazza Navona so it should be a wonderful place to walk at night. I don't know how I'm going to get through the next 10 months until we go, I'm so excited to be visiting Italy again after 12 years! My 13 year old son was a baby on the last trip.

Every time we went by Trevi Fountain it was crowded. We went by as early as 9am and as late as 11pm. But as someone else said not unapproachable. You may even find a place to sit! Be more aware of things though as that area is known for pickpockets.

We visited Rome in July three years' ago and had a wonderful time. The only time I remember being really miserable was during our tour of the Colosseum, which we did in the middle of the afternoon. (I can't remember why we went in the middle of the day-it was not a good decision!) The Trevi Fountain was always packed, but people were very polite about letting everyone have a space by the fountain.

Kerry don't worry you will have a fabulous time! We have always had to travel in the summer months when our kids were out of school. Been to Rome in the months of June and July. Both times we had hotels with a/c which was wonderful. Hotel Italia had a/c and ceiling fan and Hotel Smeraldo had full blast a/c which was where we stayed for our July visit. We would go back to the hotel and take a siesta during the afternoon and i would soak my feet in the bidet--very refreshing! If we didn't travel in the summer months we would not have been in Italy (Sorrento) when they won the World Cup in 2006. An amazing experience! Buon Viaggio!!

As other posters have said, yes, Kerry, you'll be fine. And I've never seen the Trevi Fountain so crowded that it's not even POSSIBLE to throw a coin in.

My tips for enjoying July in Rome - and yes, it's all about attitude:
-Use the heat as an excuse to make lots of gelato stops!
-Be thankful that you had the foresight to get an apartment with a/c - something most residents of Rome don't have (myself included... ugh!)
-And, be thankful you're not coming in August! (Some posters will, I'm sure, disagree with me on this, but I think it's the worst time of year to come - still hot, still crowded, but most of the Italians themselves flee on vacation, which means the city has a weird not-authentic feel AND most of the great restaurants and little boutiques are closed).

Overall, enjoy. You'll have a great time.

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Get an apartment with air-conditioning