What I Learned in Rome

Eszter and I arrived in Rome Saturday afternoon to our lovely little hostel, Mamma Mia, on Vittorio Emmanuel. It had a cute little elevator (think: old). The owners were a Romanian couple, and they were so sweet. Our room was definitely nicer than I had expected a hostel room to be. But anyways, throughout my 2.5 days in Rome, I learned a lot of things, and I will now proceed to list the 10(+) things that I have learned:

1. It pays to be short. When you are short, you can easily fit on the bus seats and sleep during the entire 15-hour bus ride from Aix to Rome. However, even if you are short, do not sit in front of a tall person, especially if they are not polite and do not allow you to put your seat back so you can actually try to sleep. Trust me, I unfortunately learned this first-hand. The guy behind me wouldn't actually let me put my seat down. And when I tried to, he pushed his feet against the seat. Not very nice. Even nicer was when I had finally succeeded in lowering my seat 3 inches, I returned from a bathroom break only to find my seat back in its original position, no explanation. Thank you Mr.-impolite-and-tall-Italian-guy-traveling-with-girlfriend-and-was-too-self righteous-to-move-anywhere-else. If you are too tall for the bus, please, don't take the bus.

2. Although the Colosseum technically closes at 4:30, you can't actually enter after 3:30. Go early.

3. If you are not an EU-citizen between the ages of 18-25, DO NOT try to bargain your way into a cheaper ticket. Those are reserved specifically for EU-citizens ONLY. Pretending to be French (even with a carte 12-25), Swedish, or a French-speaking Hungarian student studying abroad in the US with an American drivers license does not work. They only take passports, and will proceed to embarrass you if you try to get the cheaper fare. Apparently I speak broken Italian with an American accent, not a French accent.

4. When a random person comes up to you telling you that he will take a polaroid photo of you at the Trevi Fountain, just run away. Even if he says, "give me any money at all." He will ask for at least 5 euros. And the picture will be awful, and will not even have the Trevi Fountain in the background.

5. If you decide to buy a 24-hour metro ticket in Rome, just remember that the 24-hours expire at midnight of that day, regardless of the time when you bought the ticket. In other words, buying a 4-euro 24-hour ticket at 10 pm will expire in 2 hours.

6. Don't trust the online weather forecasts. It was supposed to rain on Sunday, and it did not. It was not supposed to rain on Monday, and, well, it did. Always bring an umbrella with you in the winter months.

7. Take a guided tour at the Vatican. It is really great. But when they tell you that it will last only 2.5 hours, please leave about 4 hours for the whole trip, especially if you have to catch a train from Rome to Naples.

8. In Piazzo Navono, there is this fantastic little Gellateria that has this special dessert called a Truffolato. It is a gelato-truffle. It costs 4.50 euros, so just split it with a friend, and enjoy the best sweet afternoon snack.

9. In order to avoid waiting your life away in the line for the Colosseum, go down the street and start your day at Palatino instead. Price is the same, and includes Palatino, Roman Forum, and the Colosseum! Great deal. And remember, see #1 about fighting for discounted fares.

10. If you happen to be at the Colosseum and run into a guy trying to take pictures of himself, don't bother helping. He will still be there 20 minutes later taking the same photo.

11. In Italy, they will only give you bottled water. You can ask for tap-water (acqua del rubinetto), but that is touristy and frowned upon. Expect to pay for water at restaurants. If you get thirsty on the streets, just go up to the nearest fountain and start drinking. No joke. Well, maybe not Trevi Fountain. But if you find a little fountain on a side street, drink away. I had a nice drink at the Vatican. And it was free (minus the entrance fee+tour fee).

12. Don't try taking a picture with the Swiss Guards at the Vatican. Only children may stand next to them.

13. If you took a semester of Italian at college and all you remember is: 'ho studiato l'italiano per una semestre nella scuola,' don't try speaking Italian with the real italians. They will laugh and just speak to you in English/French. But don't let that discourage you from trying.

14. There comes a point in every girl's life when she must make a choice: to buy the velvet leggings, or to not buy the velvet leggings. Selon moi, buy the leggings. They are fantastic.

I hope my list of the 10(+) things I learned in Rome has been useful. Bon voyage!