THE HEAT IN THE SUMMER

Do not underestimate the summer heat! 

You risk spoiling your vacation by coming unprepared and uninformed.  June, July, August and generally, the beginning of September are hot months - August being the hottest. 

Many visitors, even those coming from a hot climate, are not prepared for the hours spent outdoors walking under the blazing sun and humidity. 

Also overlooked is the heat reflected off stone buildings and pavements!.  Unless you are used to working outdoors all day under the sun, you will be surprised by Rome’s heat. So, bring sun-protecting hats or umbrellas;  gel-scarves are also very helpful.  These accessories are essential - Roman heat as well as the humidity can wear you out.  

I am not exaggerating either! I speak from years of expereince with visitors reactions.  There is good reason the Romans flee the city during the summer months for the comfort of the coastal resorts, lakes and mountain retreats.

Alcohol (especially wine) is not a good combination after a hot day in the sun.  Unless one drinks plenty of water with alcoholic beverages, dehydration, headaches, and even nausea often result.  I have had people leave tours prematurely, return to their hotel and not venture out again!

An unusual but highly effective tip to counteract the overbearing sun: hand towels inside one's hat.  Also consider heat deflectors around the neck.  Protecting the most exposed areas like the top of your head and back of your neck will allow you to last longer outside and not tire as easily.

CLOTHING 

Church Dress Code (especially St Peter's in the Vatican) - even in the summer, you are expected to cover your shoulders and knees before you enter most churches.  This applies to both, men and women; so no spaghetti straps, sleeveless shirts or tops, miniskirts or short shorts. A convenient way to meet the modest dress requirements is to carry scarves so that you can cover yourself when you have to. 

WATER IS ESSENTIAL!!

Fortunately, water fountains provided by the local government (Commune di Roma) are all over the center of Rome. To many people’s delight, they are tasty and full of minerals as they are fed directly from natural springs.  The water does not seek revenge on anyone unless you drink from a water source that says ‘NON-POTABILE’ (not drinkable!)

Best option for having drinking water: buy bottled water from supermarkets where they are a third to a tenth of the price at bars, food stalls or restaurants.  The same water bottles can then be refilled at the various public water spouts. Even smarter is to bring lightweight metal water bottles.

PICK-POCKETS

Thankfully, fewer gypsy roam the streets pesteringly pedaling wares, begging and stealingl! The women wear long patterned skirts and have dark hair; their men make them go out on the streets to beg or steal or both!! Most thieves camouflage themselves as tourists or local people, and prey primarily on buses, the Metro and other crowded areas.  So what do you do?  Keep most of your valuables in the hotel safe and carry only what you need for the day.  Hide your money, credit cards and copies of passport or ID in secure places.  Using money pouches, placing wallets close to the front of your body or in very deep pockets are good strategies. Place handbags under your arm.  When sitting or standing, keep bags between your legs or on your lap, never out of sight, even in not-so busy areas. (However, don’t shortchange your holiday by avoiding the busy spots or being overly worried, just come prepared). 

Another two handy tips: Put your hand over handbag or in the pocket where your personal belongings are if you are in a crowded area. If you are not in a hurry take the next less crowded bus or metro.

A good site for information posted by other tourists on scams and thefts is the Graffiti wall on Rick Steve's site: http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/graffiti11.html  

CASH OR CREDIT CARDS

Hotels, most restaurants and retails stores take credit cards.  Museums, tourist sites with entrances fees, bars for coffee, newspaper stands, and small stores to buy water, bus tickets or snacks won’t.  So make sure you have cash at hand.

Almost all ATM machines are dependable sources of travel cash.  Make sure you have notifed your bank about your travel plans inculding dates and the areas you intend to visit. 

Travelers’ cheques are rarely used and are only accepted at banks, currency exchange offices and a few hotels.

IMPORTANT TIP: Exchange some money into Euros before you leave your country for initial expenses such as taxis, food and first tours. 

Don’t change money at the airport, the commissions are very high.  There are a few currency exchange places in Rome that take no commission (ask your guide), but there are many others that deduct more commission than banks but less than the airports.

STUDENT IDs.   If you have them, bring them, otherwise a copy of your passport (just the page that has your date of birth) serves as a substitute. The Vatican museums and other sites in Europe honour  student ID’s. Senior citizens or students not part of the European Union are not eligible for discounts by the State of Italy.

TAX REFUNDS are granted for purchases over 100 Euros at the airport before departing.  Make sure you give yourself enough time for that procedure once you go through security.

BEST MONTHS TO TRAVEL TO ITALY are March, April, May and most of June.  September and October are good traveling months for Italy and the rest of Europe, but not for children in school!  November is quiet but can be rainy as can the month of March. 

Holy Week and Christmas are busy feasts and eventful occasions to travel if you want to participate in the liturgical celebrations.  The first weeks of December and the months of January, February, and March are wonderfully quiet months.  

In June, July and August there are many shows, free concerts and entertaining street performers in the piazzas. 

In addition, lining the river Tiber, on the lower bank paths are summer pop-up eating places, bars, dancing floors, films, amusements, boxing, lectures, performances and shops - something for everyone, and an experience not to be missed.

There also numerous local religious processions and festivals tied to Saint's Feast Days and patrons of towns.    

TAXIS 

An easy and comfortable way to get around the city quickly.  Taxi drivers are for the most part honest and not interested in cheating and are actively working to erase the stigma of dishonesty.

However, there are a few unscrupulous drivers who give the rest a bad name.  They will try to slip a fast one with a little tour of the city instead of the direct route to your destination.  Others will tell you that the meter is not working and try to fix a rate with you, or say their taxi is reserved, so that they can wait for someone needing on a longer ride.  GPS/Google Maps directions also lets you track your driver's route.  Use the download maps option with your hotel's Wifi connection on mapping services to keep data costs low.

There is a fixed starting charge of €2.84 during the week and during the day. After 6pm, the base rate goes up to close to 4 Euros, and then after 10pm, it is close to 6 Euros.  Sundays and holidays are around 4 Euros.  If you call a taxi, the meter starts from when the call is received to go and pick you up.

If for some reason you feel cheated, tell them you would like to talk to a policeman. That will sort out the predicament very quickly and economically. You can also take down their taxi number which is on the back seat door, mostly to scare them. Don't be intimidated, if they start shouting.  You shout louder or stand your ground and get someone to assist you. To have some idea of the normal fare for a ride from one point to another, ask your hotel or guide.  

If you know you are being taken for a ride, so to speak, and don’t want to make an issue of it, let it go and/or tell him you didn’t like what he did and that you were going to tip him like all Americans, but found his service dishonest and disappointing.  Demostative gestures work if English doesn’t; you can always show the taxi driver a 5 euro or 10 euro bill and say sorry, not good service.  Or is that too cruel?!! 

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

The metro or subway system is not difficult to figure out. First, get a metro route map.

The buses need a little bit more research. First, you have to find out the bus number for your destination. Second, find out where the bus stops to pick you up and drop you off.  Third, make sure you are on the right side of the road, heading in the correct direction. N.B. (nota bene) the outbound route is not always the same as the return route, but not far off either.

The hardest thing is getting a ticket:  Now they have ticket machines near popular bus stops.  They take notes and coins. However, the instructions are in Italian, but not too difficult to figure out.  If you don’t see one, bus/metro tickets can be purchased from a tobacco shop (look for a small white T with a black background sign), newspaper stand or the metro station where there are ticket machines and sometimes manned booths. 

One ticket enables you to ride for 75 minutes on the bus and metro and you can switch from one to the other, as needed.

Don’t hesitate to ask for help from Italians or foreigners, who most likely speak English, or the transport staff.

Good Luck and enjoy the adventure!!

TIPPING  is not required but recommended.  If you like the service, you should tip a minimum 5 to 10 %. Most service staff are, unfortunately, poorly paid - a tip would make them very happy, especially a big one.  Plus, as one of my Texas client/friends said, it is American diplomacy. Everyone loves serving Americans because they tip regularly and well. Moreover, they are some of the most pleasant customers to serve. You can give the tip to your waiter directly or leave it on the table.  Most restaurants have a tip bank and divide it up at the end of the day. 

TOURIST TRAPS  

A very common one: If you go to a bar for coffee, drinks or ice-cream, you will be charged double or more for sitting down; this does not apply to restaurants where they serve regular meals as the charge is already factored in and sometimes appears as ‘coperto’ 1 to 3 euros per person. 

According to the law, prices of food and drinks should be posted somewhere visible. If you don’t see it, you should ask to see a menu. This law was implemented many tourists had their repose ruined after being outrageously overcharged for a coffee break, breakfast or a few drinks. 

If you don’t want to pay their rates, you can get up and leave. That might teach them not to overcharge.  However, if you are in the center of Rome sitting in a cafe or bar enjoying a beautiful view, though not always exorbitant, expect it to be reflected in their prices. 

If you feel you are being overcharged at the end of your meal or for a purchase, don’t be afraid to contest it or question your bill.  You might be pleasantly surprised by the results.  But it is always best to know how much things cost before you order.

PUSHY VENDORS 

If you don’t want to purchase their wares, be like the Italians, ignore them, pretend they don’t exist: harsh but it works.  If you don’t want to do that, you have to look at them straight in the eye and say a firm and serious: No, thank you.  There is no need to be rude as they are trying to earn a living albeit in an annoying way. Remember also, there are no free gifts.   

However, another important fact, the vendors are poor people, they work long hours, live in cramped quarters; at least they are working  and 90% of them send money back home. If you empathize, bargaining is not illegal.  They expect you to bargain, so they raise the price before you have asked what it is.

CROSSING THE STREET

What a hair-raising challenge! In Italy, one has to make the cars stop, if there is no traffic light. Cross at pedestrian crossings or at traffic lights, but that doesn’t mean the traffic will stop for you.  You have to throw yourself out there, but SENSIBLY, make sure the car or scooter has enough stopping distance before you start walking and the motorists are not going fast.

Once you start crossing the street, don’t stop, run, hesitate or turn back – that will surely cause an accident and infuriate the motorists, and they will tell you so. One has to learn how to cross the road as they do!!  One trick is to make eye contact with the drivers, they don’t like it, but they respond. Another way is to raise your hand as you cross, and remember there is safety in numbers. 

Lastly, don’t be afraid of them weaving in front or behind you, it keeps the traffic moving and some just like to live on the edge.  Basically,  one of the basic unwritten rules on the road in Italy is to keep things flowing, moving,  thus the reluctance to stop for pedestrians, but you always have the right of way, except at a traffic light where it dictates who goes and when.

Rome Embassies / Consulates:
United Kingdom: Via XX Settembre 80a, Tel: 800 877 790
USA: Via Veneto 119, Tel: 06 46 741
Ireland: Piazza di Campitelli 3, Tel. 06 697 9121
Australia: Via Alessandria, 215, Tel: 06 85.27.21
Canada: Via G.B. De Rossi 27, Tel: 06 445981
Netherlands: Via M. Mercati, 8, Tel: 06 32.21.141
Germany: Via San Martino della Battaglia 4, Tel: 06 49213
France: P.za Farnese, 67, Tel: 06 68.60.11
Spain: Lg. Fontanella Borghese, 19, Tel: 06 68.78.172


First Aid / Medical Assistance:
For medical emergencies go to the nearest "Pronto Soccorso" of any large hospital; Santo Spirito by the Vatican, Ospedale San Giacomo close to Piazza del Popolo and Ospedale Di San Giovanni by the Church of St John in Lateran are some of the most well known.
For Children there is a special paediatric hospital called Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesu, located near the Janiculum hill (Gianicolo)
For over the counter medicine or mild ailments the Pharmacies (Farmacia's) are usually pretty helpful and there will generally be somebody there that speaks English.

Rome Airport:
http://www.adr.it/portal/portal/adr/Fiumicino/Leonardo_da_vinci

Italian Railway (trenitalia):
http://www.ferroviedellostato.it

Swiss Guards:
http://www.guardiasvizzera.org
 
 
VATICAN INFO:
PAPAL BASILICAS IN ROME:

Papal Basilica of Saint Peter - Vatican
General Information: fax +39.06.698.85518
Sacristy             +39.06.698.83712      
Daily Mass Schedule: 9-10-11-12-17
Sundays and Holiday Mass Schedule: 9-10.30-11.30-12.15-13-16-17.30
Only for information concerning the celebration of Sacraments: 
Baptism of newborn babies, Confirmation of adults, Marriages
Parish Office: fax +39.06.698.85793

Basilica of Saint John Lateran 
Piazza di San Giovanni in Laterano, 4 
Sacristy             +39.06.69886433      
Parish Office             +39.06.69886433       
Mass Times:
Winter Schedule: 7-8-9-10-11-12-17 (Sunday 17-18)
Summer Schedule: 7-8-9-10-11-12-18

Basilica of Saint Mary Major
Via Liberiana, 27 
Sacristy             +39.06.483195      
Parish Office - Via Carlo Alberto, 47              +39.06.4465836      
Reception - Via Liberiana, 27              +39.06.4814287      
Mass Times:
Sunday: 7-8-9-10-11-12-18
Monday-Saturday: 7-8-9-10-11,15-12-18

Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls
Via Ostiense, 186 
Sacristy +39.06.5410341/5410342/5410343
Parish Office             +39.06.5410178      
Mass Times:
Winter Schedule - Sunday: 7-8-9-10.30-17.45 (Daylight saving.) - 18 (standard time)
Summer Schedule - Monday-Friday: 7-8-9-10.30-12-18 (Saturday and pre-festive 18 p.m.)

GENERAL AUDIENCES OF THE HOLY FATHER AND PONTIFICAL CEREMONIES: 
Enquiries: Prefect of the Pontifical Household Ph.             +39.06.69884857       fax +39.06.69885863
Calendar of Liturgical Celebrations

VISITS TO THE VATICAN NECROPOLIS (SCAVI): 
Enquiries: Excavations Office, by e-Mail (scavi@fsp.va) or by fax +39 06 69873017

PETER'S PENCE OFFICE

VATICAN LIBRARY

VATICAN SECRET ARCHIVE

VATICAN PUBLISHING HOUSE (LEV)
e-Mail: lev@lev.va

NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN
To purchase PHOTOGRAPHS all enquiries to be made to Photographic Service of the L'Osservatore Romano
To purchase video-recordings enquire at the Vatican Television Centre
Philatelic and Numismatic Office
Internet Office of the Holy See:  communications and suggestions
Dicasteries and Offices
Vatican Switchboard: +39.06.6982
Vatican Pharmacy
Schedule Mon.- Fri.: 8.30-18.00; Saturday: 8.30-13.00; ph.+39.06.69883422      
Apostolic Blessings
Office of Papal Charities: ph. +39.06.69883135, fax +39.06.69883132  

WikiTravel: Rome