Keys to the City

Facts & Fundamentals

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's center of government, business and culture. The total number of residents between the city center and the residential suburbs is around 3.5 million. The territory covers about 436 sq mi (1129 sq km).
Average temperatures: mid-30s F (5°C) in winter, mid-80s F (30°C) in summer.
Prominent industries include tourism, manufacturing and exporting.

Italy levies a value-added tax of 20% on most goods. Non-EU citizens can recoup a portion of this tax by completing the form obtained from the store and filing the request with customs before leaving Italy.

Holidays & Business Hours

Businesses generally open by 10am. Public offices normally close at 2pm. Museums close at 7pm, while shops remain open until then or later. Lunchtime is from noon till 2pm; some stores may close for this siesta, especially in summer. Most museums don't operate on Mondays.

On public or national holidays, many offices and businesses close or have truncated hours. From mid-July to late August, the Italians often take weeks-long vacations, causing businesses (and even tourist attractions) to shut down for an extended period of time.

Coming & Going

Fiumicino - Leonardo Da Vinci is the main airport, with budget airlines flying into the less accessible Ciampino (www.adr.it). From Fiumicino, take the express train downtown – remember to validate your ticket – or wrangle a taxi (fixed rate €30, but be prepared for a fight). Buses service Ciampino (www.cotralspa.it), as do cabs (€40).

Making Your Way

The best way to explore Rome is definitely on foot. The city allows for pleasant walks; a cross-town jaunt rarely takes more than 90 minutes. Two subway lines (A and B) cut the city on compass lines, connecting some of the most popular destinations. Buses are often crowded, rarely on time and thick with pickpockets; however, they service areas where ruins prevented expansion of the subway. Taxis can be hard to find, but if you get one, make sure the meter is on.

News & Views

A few of the most prominent Italian newspapers include La Repubblica, Il Corriere della Sera and Il Messaggero. The Vatican has its own paper, called L'Osservatore Romano. For news in English, pick up the International Herald Tribune or the biweekly Wanted in Rome.

Neighborhoods

Rome is divided into rioni, each rich in history and tradition. Only the Vatican is offset with walls – the rest merge into a city of chaos and sublime beauty. The centro storico contains many of the architectural delights (such as the Pantheon, Campo dei Fiori and the Piazza Navona), while hipsters flock to Testaccio, Trastevere and gentrifying Monti. Newer neighborhoods include posh northern Parioli and EUR, created by Mussolini as a space for the great exposition of Rome. The Esquilino – surrounding Termini, the main train hub – is still dingy and full of hustlers: not the best area to linger.

Quirks & Curiosities

The legal age for drinking and smoking is 16. Drivers over 17 can cruise a 49cc model without a license. Those aged 14 to 17 years old can apply for a special permit.

Watch for the acqua non potabile (undrinkable) signs. Trains, in particular, do not supply clean water, so pack bottles.

Public facilities are rare in Italy. The Coliseum, Piazza San Pietro and the Forum all boast restrooms, but visitors are largely dependent on the kindness of strangers. Legally, bars and café must permit access, but staff grow irritable at non-customers.

Italy's juice is 220 volts, so North American appliances need a transformer. Quality laptops have built-in transformers and require only a plug adaptor (two round pins). For emergency supplies, seek out an electrical (elettricità) or hardware (ferramenta) store.

Romans often drink coffee standing (al bar); in touristy areas, the price for table service may be four times more.

A three-day Roma Pass provides free transport and entry to two museums, plus reductions on other events and attractions (www.romapass.it).

Getting Your Bearings

APT, the Azienda di Promozione Turistica di Roma, is the city's official tourist information office. Visit its headquarters at Via Parigi 11, a small street between the Via XX Settembre and Piazza Repubblica (06-488-991; www.romaturismo.it; Mon-Sat 9am-7pm). It also maintains a kiosk at Fiumicino Airport, international arrivals terminal B (06-65-956-074; 8:15am-7:15pm).

The city also provides information booths, labeled "Comune di Roma – Punti di Informazione Turistica," which dispense maps, brochures and L'Evento entertainment guides. The call center is 06-36-004-399. Most are open 9am–6pm, except the kiosk on platform two of Termini Station, which operates 8am–9pm.

Necessities - Post Offices

Rome's central post office is in Piazza San Silvestro (Mon-Fri 8am-7pm, Sat 8:30am-1pm). Neighborhoods contain small post depots (ufficio postale), which open Mon-Fri 8:30am-6pm and Sat 8:30am-1:30pm. (These reduced hours also apply to August, any day preceding a public holiday and the last day of each month.)

Many tobacconists (tabacchi) sell a limited range of stamps (francobolli), allowing time-crunched travelers to skip the horrific queues.

Italy's postal service has long been the laughing stock of Europe. Diligent travelers still trek over to the pope's mailbox, an offshoot of the uber-efficient Swiss system. The Vatican Post (Poste Vaticane) has two offices on Piazza San Pietro (open Mon-Sat 8.30am-7pm). Facing the basilica, one is to the right, behind the semicircular colonnade; the other stands along the orange wall to the left.

Common Courtesies

Waitstaff earn a living wage, so a gratuity is just that in Rome. Italians tip about five percent in a pizzeria or humble trattoria, or just round up to the nearest euro. The rate should rise in posher places, but never top ten percent.

Tip taxi drivers and cloakroom attendants €0.50 – and the same amount per bag for porters. Be kind to hotel cleaners too: €0.50–€1 per day.

Churches celebrate the first mass around 7am-8am. Closing around noon, they reopen roughly from 4pm–8pm. Never intrude on religious activity and dress modestly: shorts are never appropriate, even knee-length ones. Women should also cover their shoulders.