has anyone taken a trip to Rome Italy?

Rome is amazing! Make sure to take a good pair of walking shoes. It really depends on how many days you plan on being in Rome?

Anyway, make sure that when you go to the "Fontana di Trevi" to throw your "return" coin into the fountain! Also, I would highly recommend visiting the Sistine Chapel. Even if you are not Catholic, it is so amazing along with the Piazza di San Pietro (saint peter's square). Also stop by the Vatican museum, it's always impressive to see the many works of arts.
I bought a map, circled all the places I wanted to see (which was basically every single major Architecture building and site) and tackled them all in a week.

You can get a cheap tour that will take you to the Catacombs of Rome, quite impressive. I guess it depends on what you want to see and what are your interests?

I have been to rome. Is your budget in euro or dollars. i would recommend staying at a hostel they arae much cheaper and would give you a chance to meet other people your age that are traveling how long are you planning on going for. if you get off the beaten path food is relatively cheap plus i would recommend just going to the local grocery store and picking up some cheese, bread, salami and some wine feel free to ask me any other questions you might have

Trevi fontain is very pretty at night. Rome was alright. I went there for a few days at the end of a 3 week trip that started in Venice and went through Tuscany/Umbria. Loved, loved, loved Venice... whimsical & fun to get lost in. We decided that it would have been better to go to Rome first... chaos at the end of a trip is a little tiresome. That said, it has a lot to offer. If you go, soak it up, but consider getting outside of the city to see the stunning areas outside of Rome. And that's my 2-cents. P.S. A good trip is where you are excited to go ... and give you enough so that, when it's coming to an end, you're excited to come home. Have a great time!

(re: budget: the best you can do is a rough guesstimate... they have cash stations everywhere (in english), so it's easy-peasy to pull money out whenever/whereever you are)

OMG! I graduate in December and I am planning my trip to Italy too. I am planning for 2015, due to no $$ lol!!

Thanks so much for posting this!

I lived in Italy for almost 5 years, we just moved back to the States about 3 years ago and I miss it every day.

Watch the exchange rate - it changes on a daily basis so even if you aren't leaving for a few month start exchanging small amounts when you can.

Get a good English/Italian dictionary (AAA has great ones for about $15). Just TRY and speak as much Italian while you are there - they appreciate the effort and will be more willing to help you.

Be prepared to spend a long time eating - if you go to a sit down resturant it will take minimun of 90 minutes, even if it's just pizza.

Eat ALOT of everything!!! The pasta and pizza is amazing and you WILL NOT regret it.

Use the train system whenever you can - it's super east and cheap BUT if you carry a backpack or over the shoulder purse keep it in front of you NEVER on your back.

There are no lines if you go for fast food or cafes - don't just stand there thinking they wil serve you next, they won't - You have to speak up and push your way in - It's not rude, it's their lifestyles.

Italians are in no hurry to get anywhere or do anything so be patience and soak up the lifestyle.

Everything closes from 12pm-2pm so be prepared for that.

Hope these help.

Have a wonderful time, and be safe.

EDIT: Get Rick Steeves book - there are alot of great tip, ways to save money and avoid rip-off scam for tourists. Personally, I would budget less for trinkets and more for food!!! Check out Hotel Kennedy, that's where we always stayed - centrally located and 2 blocks from a train station.

I went there for my Master's graduation gift May 2011. We rented an apartment which was really cool, but I was with some older people so a hostel might be the best for you. My tips/suggestions:

1. Study the buses/trains before you go. They said the bus ran outside our apartment, but we couldn't figure out how to get back using the bus. Or the subway. But they are nice and user friendly. I think we were staying a little further out of town for the buses to be great.
2. There's a gelato place near the Pantheon that is CRAZY busy, but seriously one of the best things I've ever eaten. Try to find it. The strawberry gelato made me want to punch someone, it was that good.
3. People eat a ton of sandwiches/pizza just walking down the street. Nice way to budget your money, at least for lunch. You could always bring breakfast snack stuff and then walk around eating your pizza for lunch and then splurge a bit on dinner. (They bake the pizza and fold it in half for easy eating.)
4. Trevi Fountain, obviously. The Spanish Steps were cool. The Pantheon. We had a guided tour of the Vatican which was great, but expensive.
5. I'd skip the Capitoline museum unless you're super into museums. It seemed like I'd seen just about every missing head bust in the world.
6. Santa Maria sopra Minerva was my favorite church, by far. The blue cieling was amazing. And I love the obelisk outside. (It's near the Pantheon.)
7. They have drinking water EVERYWHERE. Fountains just pouring out cold water. I'd suggest taking a big bottle with you.

If you can do any day trips, I loved Assissi. Florence was by far my favorite place in Italy, but there's a ton of stuff to do there and you can't do Rome and Florence in just a week. Obviously I could keep going on and on so feel free to message me if you have any questions.

2. There's a gelato place near the Pantheon that is CRAZY busy, but seriously one of the best things I've ever eaten. Try to find it. The strawberry gelato made me want to punch someone, it was that good.

I got the BEST tiramisu just outside the Pantheon to the left, just past the fountain. I would fly back just for that if I could!