When you walk along the Via del Corso and see the compact sea of heads that covers the surface of the almost kilometer of the pedestrian street of the most important street in Rome, you think that what the barbarians did in the 4th century was little compared to this invasion that the capital is now suffering. Italian. It is nothing new or exclusive to it: all major tourist capitals suffer from it. But the vehemence with which we have regained the passion for moving after the pandemic has once again turned the historic center of Rome into an amusement park where you have to queue for everything. Those who in 2020, with the city empty due to covid, thought that this was the end and that the sector would never recover were doomsayers.
According to the report Tourism to Rome and Lazio: economic relevance and social coexistence, prepared by the Consigli Regionali Unipol del Lazio, without counting the month of December, 2023 has been a record year for the Italian capital, with an estimated number of 35 million tourists (9% more than in 2022). And the worst thing is that of those millions of visitors, 86.4% move (we move) through a tiny grid that goes from Piazza del Popolo to Piazza Venezia, from north to south, and from the Colosseum to Piazza Navona, from East to west. Total traffic jam.
In Rome there are no longer low seasons, it doesn't matter when you go: everything is perfect. I spent the end of the year there (yes, I was also one of those who contributed to that saturation) and the feeling you come back with is bittersweet. Rome is a fantastic city; I think that, along with Istanbul, the most monumental and historical city in the world, where you can spend days and days seeing things without repeating. But for a long time the trees have prevented us from enjoying the forest. The Trevi Fountain looks like a football stadium with the stands full of tifossi watching the Champions League final. And the queue that curls around St. Peter's Square and goes around St. Peter's Square offers little incentive to go in to see the Vatican Basilica.
If you decide to visit Rome, be sure to do so. You'll love it. But here I leave you some tips so you don't lose your nerve.
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Arm yourself with patience
There will always be more people than you expected, accept it. It's the first piece of advice I would give to anyone going to Rome: take it easy. After all, you are one of those who flood it and it is the price to pay for enjoying a unique destination. There will be winter days when the volume will probably decrease, but as you go on specific dates (long weekends, Easter, Christmas, spring, summer), you will walk around avoiding tourists like you.
Book tickets online
This about reservations on-line It must be carried out strictly, and is valid for all the monuments you want to see. If not, most of you will not be able to enter. But even early entry will not prevent you from waiting in lines: I had a prior reservation for the Pantheon (and for a specific time) and, even so, I waited 45 minutes in line because there were only two QR code readers for the thousands of visitors. that we entered that day.
Calculate your needs to go to the bathroom very well
Public services are practically non-existent, and the few I saw were closed. And in Rome, as in all of Italy, they will not let you enter the bathroom of a restaurant or business if you are not a customer. In the few bathrooms that are public, and that also have a fee (normally 1 euro), there are also usually long queues.
Wear comfortable shoes, you will swell walking
You must wear appropriate footwear for walking, first, because one of the pleasures of Rome is wandering through its streets, its squares and through those corners of unparalleled decadent beauty. On the other hand, because within the historic center almost everything is half an hour away, so sometimes it is impractical to take public transport. But at the end of the day you start adding “half hours” and you have covered more kilometers than in a stage of the Camino de Santiago.
Better by bus
Although the metro works well, there are only three lines and it does not reach all tourist attractions. In my opinion, the best way to get around Rome is by bus, a municipal service that is quite fast, agile and cheap for Italy. A single ticket costs 1.50 euros and you can use it for 100 minutes with as many transfers as you want (it also works for the metro). And the best thing is that thanks to the Tap&Go system you can pay on board directly with your credit card without having to first purchase any pass or voucher. If an inspector asks you to do so, simply show the credit card you paid with so they can verify that your ticket is valid. At least in my case, I was not allowed to pay with the contactless mobile phone, you had to do it with a physical credit card.
![Detail of the Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona, Rome.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/Fp1whtdAZK364cuA8J-_sp47zHQ=/414x0/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/6F74S4P25NHGZM6T5QAOWX6DUE.jpg)
The hotel, better in the center
The prices of accommodation in the city center are not cheap, but unless you are more stiff than Carpanta, do not go to the outskirts to get a cheaper one because in the end you will spend more on public transport than you would. that you save. And, furthermore, you are going to waste half your time on ideas and ideas.
Avoid 'bike sharing'
As in all large capitals, in Rome there is a shared rental scooter and bicycle service. My experience and advice is that they are not worth it, to begin with because they are very expensive: an hour of cycling can cost you 20 euros. To which is added that riding on two wheels through the city is a riskier sport than bungee jumping. The traffic is devilish, there are no bike lanes and the Romans drive as if they were in bumper cars. Furthermore, with the uneven surface of the roads – most of them sanpietrini (a small typical Roman cobblestone)— hitting yourself with a scooter is the easiest thing in the world.
Beware of pickpockets
When they repeat it insistently over the subway public address system, it must be true. The thieves and pickpockets of Rome are famous throughout the world and act with the professionalism of Arsenio Lupine wherever there is the slightest human concentration.
The importance of churches
In Rome even a humble neighborhood church looks like a cathedral. There is art to bore in any of them. But, in addition, the temples are the only place you will find to sit and rest for free, cool and in silence in a city with very expensive restaurants and without public banks. For both reasons, schedule a good number of them into your tour.
Better with guide
A visit to the Colosseum, the forums and the Palatine Hill should be a must in every stay. But my advice is that you do it with a guide: only then will you be able to understand the importance of all that rumble of stones, which for a layman are nothing more than unconnected ruins, but with a professional who explains them to you, they become an open book. about the gigantic degree of civilization that classical Rome reached.
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