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Popular Local Customs | Other Local Customs Tips | All Tips (409) Romans drive like crazy people!
You take you life in your hands when you cross the road in Rome - traffic racing in every direction, squeezing down narrow streets and ignoring pedestrian crossings.
If you are going to drive in Rome you should get the smallest car possible - this make it a lot easier easy to get a park as well!! Leave a Comment
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Once upon a time by the Tevere river lived an old shepherd named Faustolo and his wife Larenzia.
One evening in the wood, Faustolo saw a she-wolf nursing two small human babies from her breast milk. Faustolo took the children from the wolf, brought them into his home and with his wife, they raised the children as their own, named them Romolo and Remo.
When the boys grew into respectable but adventurous young men, Faustolo gave them the permission to leave home to expand their horizon. The young men wanted to find a new land to build a city of their own, and in the name of fairness, they agreed to observe the flights of birds, whoever saw the greater number of birds would have the right to name the new city.
In the year 753 BC when they came upon a parcel of land (which is now the Palatino Hill), Romolo was the one who won the game. He built a wall around the land and named it Roma.
Romolo established a rule that nobody under any circumstances can pass the burrow without his permission. Remo didn’t think very highly of the rule, so he jumped over it to mock his brother’s authority. This angered Romolo so he hurled a spade at Remo and killed him in the process. Afterward, Romolo alone governed the city successfully until the day he vanished in a thunderstorm, believed to be taken by Mars (Marte), the God of War and also his real father.
Since then, the image of the she-wolf nursing the twins can be seen in scupltures everywhere in Rome as well as in other nearby cities. Leave a Comment
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I know what you're thinking when you read the title of this tip. You've crossed thousands of streets all over the world; you've survived much chaotic, big city traffic, so you don't need a lesson on crossing the streets anywhere. Nevertheless, you do, my friend, because crossing the streets in Rome is an art. Unless you were born with Michelangelo's talent, you do need to learn how to hold a brush.
Roman drivers were born differently. They've never learned to yield to anyone, whether it's another car, motorcycle, bus, or helpless pedestrian. It's easy if you cross the streets at a stop light, but if you need to be on the other side and there isn't a legal crosswalk nearby, you'll find yourself desperately craving a helping hand.
So here is your helping hand.
Check traffic on the left to see if there's enough space to step down from the curb. Once you step down, never, ever, under any circumstance, make eye contact with the drivers, nor change the speed and rhythm of your stride. Walk steadily, do not zigzag, do not run, do not stop to retrieve anything, do not point, do not look around, and do not turn your head to talk to your companions.
At the dividing line, check the traffic on the right from the corner of your eye. Again, do not make eye contact. Looking at the approaching drivers in the eye is a signal that you have seen them, you have recognized their approach, and you will take the responsibility of avoiding being hit.
Your speed and rhythm have to stay the same so the drivers can gauge how much space they would need to swerve around you without slowing down. Their responsibility is not hitting you. Your responsibility is not making their job difficult by changing the rules mid-game. Once you step foot onto the path of the oncoming traffic, you're entering in a contract that involves trust and harmony from both parties. If you do not breach the agreed upon rules, they will not have any reason to falter and hit you.
Now that you know the principle, why not start to practice? Happy crossing! Leave a Comment
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These are some famous words from the talking statues (translated by Nathalie):
On Niccolò V Albergati:
Da quando è Niccolò papa e assassino,
Abbonda a Roma il sangue e scarso è il vino.
(Since Niccolò becomes a pope and a murderer,
Blood is abundant and wine is rarer.)
On Alessandro VI Borgia:
Qui giace Alessandro sesto
È sepolto con lui
Quanto venerò: il lusso, la discordia, l’inganno
La violenza, il delitto.
(Here lies Alessandro the sixth
And buried with him in such esteem
The wealth, discord, violence, crime, and deceit.)
On Leone X De’ Medici:
Gli ultimi istanti per Leon venuti
Egli non poté avere i sacramenti
Perdio, li avea venduti!
(Leon was dying, but where was the sacrament?
Alas, he has sold it long ago moment!)
On Clemente VII de' Medici:
Ecco quello che toglie i peccati del mondo.
(Here lies one who removes all the sins of the world.)
On Paolo III Farnese:
In questa tomba giace
Un avvoltoio cupido e rapace
Ei fu Paolo Farnese
Che mai nulla donò, che tutto prese
Fate per lui orazione
Poveretto, morì d'indigestione.
(In this tomb lie a vulture and a crook
His name was Paolo Farnese
Who never gave anything but always took
Let's stand and give him an oration
For the poor thing had died of indigestion.)
On Urbano VIII Barberini who used the bronze tiles of the Pantheon for the Canopy of St Peter's:
Quello che non hanno fatto i barbari, hanno fatto i Barberini.
(What the barbarians did not do, the Barberini did.)
Also on Urbano VIII Barberini who raised tax on bread to build Fontana dei Fiumi:
Noi volemo altro che guglie e fontane
Pane volemo: pane, pane, pane.
(We need other than fountains and spires heads
Bread is what we want -- bread, bread, bread.)
On Mussolini's fake palazzi on Roman streets to impress Hitler:
Povera Roma mia de travertino!
T'hanno vestita tutta de cartone
Pè fatte rimirà da 'n'imbianchino.
(Cardboards and façades lined Roman streets
When a failed housepainter and a fascist dictator meet.) Leave a Comment
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Almost all tourists in Rome ask themselves or the locals the same question: "It's such a waste with water constantly run to the ground from the drinking fountain. Why no one thinks of shutting it off?"
The answer is like this:
Yes, someone did think of shutting it off. The Comune di Roma thought about it during the '80s. They installed several devices on the fountains, a turn knob for some, a lever tap or a push button for others. These devices dramatically reduced the consumption of water, but since the water was no longer running, it was no longer fresh, and even became very warm in the summer because the cast iron pipe heated up under the sun.
The result of this act upset the residents considerably, and being Romans, they did not handle the feeling very well. Either because the devices were of cheap quality thus did not last long, or because they received a helping hand from the vandalism, only a few years after the installation, the water ran freely again.
Because they were also Romans, the Comune understood what they needed to do in the face of the people's discontent: they ignored the destructive act, did not replace the broken devices, and did not continue with the project on the fountains that have not been fitted.
And they all live happily ever after. Leave a Comment
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Whether they were loved or hated, they had left their indelible marks in the Eternal City, had done many good things to create, add, and preserve the glory and the myth called Rome. Their symbols are attached to the architectural and religious artworks that pack every corner, street, and neighborhood.
Here is a short list of the best names without whom Rome would be a different city today:
Colonna: At the end of the Schism, Pope Martino V restored not only the city as the permanent seat of the papacy but also many of the long-neglected buildings and monuments.
Della Rovere: To assert Rome as Caput Mund (head of the world), Pope Sisto IV rebuilt Santa Maria del Popolo, constructed Santa Maria della Pace, commissioned Botticelli, Ghirlandaio and Perugino to work on Cappella Sistina. Pope Giulio II used Bramante's design and Raffaello's work in Basilica di San Pietro, collected antique for the Vatican, and built Via Giulia.
Borgia: Pope Alessandro VI used gold from Peru on the ceiling of Santa Maria Maggiore.
Medici: Pope Leone X commissioned Raffaello and Romano to work on Loggia di Vaticano. Pope Leone XI acquired Villa Medici.
Farnese: Pope Paolo III built Palazzo Farnese, gave the world Michelangelo's Last Judgement, and put the artist to work in Basilica di San Pietro.
Borghese: Pope Pio V built Palazzo Borghese, Villa Borghese, and Fontana Paolina.
Barberini: Pope Urbano VIII ordered Bernini and Borromini to work together on Palazzo Barberini. He gave Bernini his first job in designing Baldacchino di San Pietro, then Fontana del Tritone and Fontana delle Api.
Pamphilj: Pope Innocenzo X transformed Sant' Agnese in Agone, constructed Fontana dei Fiumi, Palazzo Propagazione della Fede, Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, and rebuilt San Giovanni in Laterano.
Chigi: Pope Alessandro VII used Raffaello's works in Villa Farnesina and commissioned Bernini to build San Pietro's colonnades. Leave a Comment
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Ah, the most important question for every traveler!
Things are so much easier in Amsterdam (for men, anyway) where there are public outdoor urinals everywhere.
But in Rome, the first rule of touring is: never leave a museum without using the bathrooms just before you leave!
Some solutions:
1. Just like the US, you can always use the bathroom at any of the McDonalds. There are a couple dozen spread around the city...train station Spanish Steps, Pantheon, etc.
2. There are public bathrooms at the department store La Rinascente (the floor with women's clothing), on the Via del Corso (not far from the Trevi. I have a tip about it on my Rome page under shopping) and also across the street in the Galleria Alberto Sordi (used to be the Galleria Colonna) an indoor shopping mall.
3. Every bar and restaurant is required to allow anyone to use their bathroom, not just patrons. Still, if I use their facilities, I almost always get an espresso or something. That said, I have seen some restrooms that I would rather not have seen! A few nearly required gymnastics to enter (because the buildings are so old, and toilets came only in the last century, they were often put in small, cramped spots.)
4. Most of the 4 star or 5 star hotels will have a lobby bathroom that they will let you use (most of the three stars I know, don't have a lobby bathroom.)
Most of these bathrooms don't have hot water and many won't have soap. TP might not always be available either, so it wouldn’t hurt to bring along some tissues and hand sanitizer.
Feel better now? Leave a Comment
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I would strongly suggest your first port of call, as soon as you arrive in Romes city centre, to be to track down a travel ticket.
In Rome, they have got it sussed!! You can buy a travel ticket that allows travel on any bus, metro or tram for an allocated time, and away you go! This way saves you money, and saves the hassle of sifting through your euro change everytime you just want to hop on and off crowded buses......
You just need to look after your ticket, and get it stamped in a machine everytime you board.
There are however, big fines for people caught travelling without valid tickets, and you must remember to make a note of the expiry date on the back of your ticket (as a mate of mine found out to his cost!)
You can purchase such 'heavenly' tickets from any normal newsagents / convenience store, by simply asking for a 7day travel pass (or however long you want it for). I think i remember the price to be around £4-5 for a week, which is unbelievable for city travel. Leave a Comment
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Here are a few photos of the water fountain in the Piazza beside the Pantheon. Signor Nasoni - the Romans call these water faucets that you see throughout the streets of Rome "big nose" ("nasoni") - and nasoni was serving everyone well today - a warm summer day in bella Rome. Children were playing - tourists were filling their water bottles - a woman was washing a spot from her skirt - men were dowsing their faces - and, as intended, those who know how to drink from the top were quenching their thirst. Note the locals way of drinking from the faucet in photo 1 - you don't need to stoop too much to drink - just stop the water flow with a finger and the water will come up through a little hole in top of the faucet.
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In Italy, a phone number can be any number of digits!
This can be confusing to those of us who expect an area code of exactly three digits, and a telephone number of exactly seven.
When in Italy, you must always dial the area code first, even if you're in the same city. So for example, for any Rome phone number, you must dial 06 first. For any Florence number, you must dial 055 first. (Italian cell phones have their own 3-digit "area codes.")
If you're calling from the US to Italy, remember to dial 011 (for international calls) then 39 for the Italy country code.
If you are in Italy and want to make a call back to the US, you need to dial 00 for an international call, then 1 for the US country code. Then simply dial the area code and number. Leave a Comment
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on November 7, 2004
on February 4, 2006
on August 18, 2006
on August 19, 2004
on April 21, 2006
