Brother Adam Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Okay phatmassers. I have decided I want to travel to Rome. How do I do it? I have never been outside of the country. Here are my requirements: I do not want to go with a tour group. If I get lost meditating in Vatican Museums I don't want an annoying tour guide hurrying me along. I would rather just go with a few adventurous friends. I would rather stay for 3 weeks and wander around than 6 days and be forced quickly through sites I would want to pray at. I do not want to feel like a tourist, I want to be a pilgrim. I also do not have $4,000 for a tour group. Hostels do not scare me, and staying at monasteries is fine. I do not need any luxuries. A simple diet is fine. Traveling by bus, cab, train, all okay. The only thing I worry about is the language barrier. When is the cheapest time to go where it won't be blisteringly cold? What websites do you follow for the best flights from the US? What is the best, cheapest way to get a passport for the first time? What else do I need to know? Is anyone here a "Rome" insider that knows the tips and tricks to going on your own? How unusual is it to find people who live there that speak English? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4588686 Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Rome is basically a collapsed star that sucks money into its intense gravitational pull. That includes the Vatican itself which will sell literally worthless crap like holy water (not that holy water is worthless, but I'm not sure why something you can get for free from a parish Priest can cost like 6 or 7 euros in the Vatican). If you want to spend less than 4,000 you're going to want to go off season and stay in hostels. Just keep in mind that a round trip ticket to a place like Rome is probably going to cost like I'd look at lonely planet. Do you have any idea how much you want to spend there? A lot of Europe rents bikes. You could also consider staying somewhere much cheaper but Catholic like Croatia and just visiting Rome by train for a few days if you want to stay in a historically Catholic area on a budget and still see the Vatican. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4588686 Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 http://www.cheapoair.com/Default.aspx?tabid=1685&sid=4&oa=IAD&da=ROM&adt=2&chd=0&snr=0&infl=0&infs=0&dd=04-12-2013&rd=05-03-2013&tt=ROUNDTRIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 For the few days I was there I did not find there to be a major language barrier at all. All the places we visited had multilingual signs and staff. I think it is more or less expected that if someone is going to be working a fair bit with tourists, they will know at least a few languages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4588686 Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Call your congressman and ask them to help you out with the passport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evangetholic Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 In most of Western Europe you'll find that most people speak English well enough to help you about. In my experience even though people in the Catholic countries are not especially religious anymore they are much more inclined to be kind and helpful if your trip is religious in purpose. Hostels are not frightening for the most part, but they tend to be full of blonde Scandinavians and random Israelis who do drugs and generally vibe like American hippies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evangetholic Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Eastern Europe is better for hiring a "guide" for cheap once in country, but if you think you'll need a local who can show you around at any point while you're in Rome you'd do better to start trying to find one now. Also, about Rome itself, in my experience most of the Roman clergy tend to be rude and a trifle pompous, so do not go expecting to see examples of extraordinary holiness in the Sons of the Church (though admittedly I was a Protestant, so this might be why I was dealt with such a brusque manner by them). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PadrePioOfPietrelcino Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 I have some friends who found it cheaper to fly into one country like Austria and then take the train into Rome on a Euro pass, I got by pretty ok as far as language goes. I know a little French which helped as it turned out most of the Italians actually thought I was French rather than American (international traveling boon in my Cap :) ). The city itself is pretty walkable especially if you are fit. The Colosseum, Palantine Hill (Caesar Agustus's house was being excavated and available to walk through when I was there), and the Roman Forum are all right next to each other. You can get a multi site pass for a decent fee that lets you into all the sites rather than the fare for just one site paid individually. From There we walked to the Vatican in about 45 minutes, but a good sense of direction in general will help and a willingness to walk through non-touristy side streets asking for directions along the way. All the Itlians we enteracted with were very congenial except for one rude waitress. Passports are dealt with by the Post Office, I don't think there are any ways to get a "cheap" one unless, like me, you happen to be traveling on U.S. Government orders so they waived the fee. It is currently taking 4-6 weeks for a Passport to be processed and Italy does not require any application ahead of time for Tourist Visas, just at least two blank pages in your Passport for entrance and exit stamps, of course with a new Passport that will not be an issue for you. As far as money goes...The exchange rates were consistently observed while I was there and most places accept cards, so I did not need to travel with much cash on hand. About 100 Euros at a time is the most I ever carried. If I found myself needing more cash I could use my card to get it at an exchange kiosk found conveniently around the city in particular (shocker I know) in the tourist areas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4588686 Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 (edited) Some of the friends I did my thing in Bosnia with got back to the US by backpacking through Europe. I think they stayed in Italy for a time but I don't know about Rome. If you get really serious about it I'll get up with them and see if they stayed there and what resources they used. Edited March 10, 2013 by Hasan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PadrePioOfPietrelcino Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Apparently Fr Z endorses this place to some extent, at least he is going to be there @ 5:30 tomorrow, looks neat. If I had a trip to Rome in my near future I would try to hit it up, I really enjoy my Guiness and Italian beer smells of elderberries. http://scholarsloungerome.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Adam Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 I am seriously considering going this fall, so I am starting to look into it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Adam Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 And what is up with phatmass and all the purple? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PadrePioOfPietrelcino Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 We are learning a lesson about what happens when we have phun with avatars and the Phorum daddy gets involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilllabettt Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 wear your wallet inside your undershirt and don't pay money for the public transportation. only tourists do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinaSt.Cecilia2772 Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Here is information from the State department on passports. http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html I got mine from applying at the post office. It was fast and easy for me, but ultimately it depends on the place you get it from. Do research on that. Also do research on where the sketchy places are and the good places. Safety is key in European countries, so do research on where you need to stay away from especially if you're going to stay in hostels. My cousin stayed in hostels all around Europe, and he stayed in some pretty sketchy ones that he didn't feel comfortable at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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