Has anyone been to Rome?

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Ag_not

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What is it like? Would you recommend it?

What’s the Tiber like - is it clean enough to actualy swim, or is it a filthy river full of, well, you know what?

Just wondering.
 
I’ve been a couple of times - about 25 years ago and about 2 years ago. I loved every minute of it. It is a very large city with tons of history. I love history so we walked all over the place just looking at things like the Coliseum, Pantheon, Castel St. Angelo and the catacombs.

Of course the best was the Vatican. When I went to the Sistine Chapel years ago it hadn’t been cleaned yet, but this last time made my mouth drop open. It was incredible. Also of course St. Peters - just wonderful. If you know ahead of time your itinerary, there may be special things you can do at the Vatican. I’m not good at planning that sort of stuff out, but you should ask around.

If you have an opportunity, definitely go there. You won’t be disappointed. 🙂
 
Hello, Ag_not!

Yes, I have been to Rome, twice!!!
It is a wonderful city – definitely recommend you to go!!! 👍

The center of the city is like a real history - Roman forum, forums of the Imperators (Caesar, Augustus etc), Capitol Hill, Pantheon, Colosseum, the Vatican City etc.

Actually, in the center of the Rome EACH house is HISTORICAL. Not kidding – no new houses are allowed to build there nowadays!!!
It is really incredible!!!

(I think the last building established there was in the Piazza Venezia, somewhere between 1910-1930.)

About Tiber - I have heard that it is quite polluted. 🙂
So, better dont go swimming there! 😉

But – in any case if you can, go to Rome!!!
 
I get the euphamism of swimming the Tiber. I was just daydreaming and wondering if I could LITERALLY swim in the Tiber next Easter. 😃 I guess I’ll just stick to the euphamism 😛
 
Ag_not said:
What is it like? Would you recommend it?

What’s the Tiber like - is it clean enough to actualy swim, or is it a filthy river full of, well, you know what?

Just wondering.
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I have been to Rome 3 times. It is totally amazing, full of history, and so much more exciting as a Catholic. The first time I went I was a Protestant. The second and third times as a Catholic.

I would not recommend any actual swimming in the Tiber. While it’s not extremely polluted like, say-- China-- would be it is still a major city with an open body of water flowing through it. I wouldn’t swim in the Seine in Paris or the East River in NYC either.

No swimming!

But, you can drink the water coming out of the numerous water fountains-- those are clean.
 
I thought the Sistine Chapel was overrated.

But St Peter’s Basillica is awesome. (Although, it is not very spiritual; It’s too big and too many tourists make it impersonal.) The art and architecture of it is just mind blowing. I climbed the dome and it was thrilling. I wish I could be there every day to see all the sculptures and re-live the history.
 
Ag_not said:
I get the euphamism of swimming the Tiber. I was just daydreaming and wondering if I could LITERALLY swim in the Tiber next Easter. 😃 I guess I’ll just stick to the euphamism 😛
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The Tiber is a fast river and is a bit green, in the right light. But there are big fish in it if you are a fisherperson. The most interesting and immediate thing about the river is th… , but you’d better see that for yourself.

Rent an appartment in the city center for a few weeks in high summer - is the best way, I think. Ciao
Don’t forget the most important word -gelato.
 
I went to Rome in the Spring of '07 when I was studying abroad, before I had decided to become Catholic… now I really want to go back and see it all through Catholic eyes! Rome’s a cool city, I liked it quite a bit. The Hard Rock Cafe there has a ceiling painted like the Sistine Chapel, only all the cherubs are rock stars… lol… we all got Mexican food, cause after two months of being away from California, and living in Austria, we were craving it! Anyway, like I was saying, Rome is great. It’s beautiful, vibrant, and full of history. I got to see the pope, from afar, when he gave a blessing over the crowd, from his window. St. Peter’s is just stunning… it was so, even as a Lutheran. And, just for the record, Rome had the best gelato out of anywhere… I ate so much…

Here’s a couple pics from my trip:

http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v73/250/2/46000492/n46000492_30582395_545.jpg

Sunset in Rome, looking towards the Vatican

http://photos-f.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v73/250/2/46000492/n46000492_30582397_1102.jpg

Trevi Fountain

http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v73/250/2/46000492/n46000492_30582399_1682.jpg

Ancient Rome

http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v73/250/2/46000492/n46000492_30582403_2819.jpg

Colosseum
 
Ag_not said:
That’s my mind made up then 👍
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Stick your foot in on the east side, walk across the bridge, and wiggle your toes around in it again on the west bank – that’s about as close as I’d get to actually swimming across the Tiber. It is not a very clean river.

Rome is a fantastic place to visit. Have fun, and if L’Isola della Pizza in Trastavere is still around, drop in for something to eat – you won’t be disappointed 👍
 
Ag_not said:
I get the euphamism of swimming the Tiber. I was just daydreaming and wondering if I could LITERALLY swim in the Tiber next Easter. 😃 I guess I’ll just stick to the euphamism 😛
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tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:c2mNeweDXICkEM:http://www.jesseinitaly.com/files/image9284.JPG

It’s a tradition to dive into the Tiber on New Years. Just watch out for boats :eek:

tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:1llfgnVqLzDSkM:http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/066Z8VG3dR9Nm/610x.jpg

i168.photobucket.com/albums/u162/christianmurdock/nyitaly.jpg
 
As others have said, it is an incredible place! The history and art and GELATTO are fabulous. The city itself is a bit dirty, but not much more than other major cities. Lots of grafitti.

Besides, you never know who you will run into there.



Peace

Tim
 
Ag_not said:
What is it like? Would you recommend it?

What’s the Tiber like - is it clean enough to actualy swim, or is it a filthy river full of, well, you know what?

Just wondering.
Click to expand...
Rome is great if you don’t drive. I’m a history buff and its greate you can see many time periods reflected on each street. See the Colosium and the palace and the roads are great. Going on a tour of the catacombs is nice. Seeing the painted mosuliem with the gods on them is kind of cool. The Vatican is over the top. The very size and wealth of the place really has you in awe. All of it beautiful. If you’re a blond female the men are impossible. but the corner restaurants and bread, cheese and wine are really nice to help you enjoy yourself. Rome was worth it.
 
Ag_not said:
What is it like? Would you recommend it?

What’s the Tiber like - is it clean enough to actualy swim, or is it a filthy river full of, well, you know what?

Just wondering.
Click to expand...
I take it from the description of the Tiber on this thread you will need to get baptized after swimming it! But hey, all the more better, right?😉
 
👍
Ag_not said:
I get the euphamism of swimming the Tiber. I was just daydreaming and wondering if I could LITERALLY swim in the Tiber next Easter. 😃 I guess I’ll just stick to the euphamism 😛
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Dear Ag_not:

Swimmers across the Tiber, of late I know, have encountered both the thrills and setbacks of such a singular journey. But, apparently, all have experienced and savored the immense joy that await them at the other end!

Enjoy the swim and reap the eternal rewards!

Euphemistically speaking, that is! 👍
 
sambos671 said:
Rome is great if you don’t drive.
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I bet that’s true! As a poor student, I hoofed it wherever I was in Europe. I got some nice blisters on my feet, but it was worth it. You see and experience so much more walking.
sambos671 said:
If you’re a blond female the men are impossible.
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Even if you’re just a pretty female, the men are bad. I ran into the same thing in Greece. Shameless! My friends and I could talk for hours about the “Mediterranean Men”… When I would get unwelcome attention that I couldn’t shake, I’d usually just start coughing like I had TB… that was pretty darn effective 😉
 
Ag_not said:
What is it like? Would you recommend it?
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Excellent, highly recommended. Cold in March though. Gelato on the Piazza Navona, mmm.

The churches and their mosaics are excellent as well as all the Roman stuff. Have a look at the Churches of Rome Wiki. I suggest San Clemente (just behind the Colosseum on the way up to the Lateran) for the church itself, the earlier church in the basement, and the Mithraic temple under that, and Santa Maria in Trastevere (in Trastevere) for the mosaics.

If you are there on a Sunday go to the Via dei Fori Imperiali leading off from the Colosseum through the Forums - it is closed to traffic and you can wander around.

The Vatican Museum is tremendous - you have to go through it to get to the sistine Chapel - don’t hurry otherwise you will miss a lot of good stuff. Look out for the Pineapple! :).
What’s the Tiber like - is it clean enough to actualy swim, or is it a filthy river full of, well, you know what?
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High banks with a four lane road. Swimming not recommended. Rome generally faces away from the river, not towards it.

rossum
 
Just got back a couple weeks ago, though the bulk of our trip was spent in the Assisi area following the steps of St. Francis.

As others have commented it is like being in a huge museum, full of history and art of all kinds. But it is a bustling European capitol city and it’s hard to get the kind of deep meditative spirit that we found up in the monasteries and hermitages.

As to swimming the Tiber, it is indeed a bit green but I don’t think it’s unswimmable as far as polution goes. It’s pretty narrow in the area of Vatican City so you could probably be in and out pretty quickly.
 
rossum said:
The churches and their mosaics are excellent as well as all the Roman stuff. Have a look at the Churches of Rome Wiki. I suggest San Clemente (just behind the Colosseum on the way up to the Lateran) for the church itself, the earlier church in the basement, and the Mithraic temple under that, and Santa Maria in Trastevere (in Trastevere) for the mosaics.
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We stayed about a block from Santa Maria. That is a fascinating church.

The location was good. It was about a 1.25 mile walk to the Vatican and about 1.5 miles to the Colosseum via the Forum.

It helps to be fueled with gelato on the way!

Peace

Tim

ps - in case anyone is wondering, the gelato is great!
 
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