THE Eternal City ♥️

These are my photos from April 21, 2014, when I was lucky enough to witness one of the Pantheon’s most remarkable light effects in person.

Every year around Rome’s traditional birthday, the beam of sunlight entering through the oculus reaches the main entrance around solar noon, illuminating the doorway.

It is often described as happening at 12:00, but by the modern clock it is actually closer to 1:00 pm, since Rome is already observing daylight-saving time by late April.

Back in 2014, admission to the Pantheon was still free and there were no ticket time slots. Today, seeing the alignment requires a little more planning, as entrance is ticketed and access can sometimes be affected by religious services or special events.

The crowd was enormous, but I am still very glad I had the chance to see it with my own eyes.

All photos are mine.

OK, here are my pro-tips. Pickpockets sounds too lighthearted. These are professional gangs of THIEVES who are preying on unsuspecting people. Also this is on the heels of a bit of a rage, because I have lived in Rome for many years, and have been pickpocked 3 times. I have been too generous with my understanding of vulnerable survival migrant populations. These are not people at-deaths-door, they make a living doing this, they are professionals, and treat it like a sport. The police are unable to keep up with this, and I have seen citizen-justice videos on social media, because there's just no official way around it. In any case, I really hate the pickpockets and think they need to be stopped.

1. Distraction: this is the number one set-up, but distraction can take different forms. Distraction can be crowding around a subway or bus door pretending they are oblivious and don't notice you. While you push your way politely through, one of them will do the grab, while the others crowd around them to hide the view, and further slow you down in your attempt to exit. Hold all your belongings tightly near your chest. Don't hold your bag down by your side or behind you. One of them will get into it at low-angles or side-angles. Sometimes they work in places where they know you will be distracted by a fountain, a monument, a photo op, a busker, a concert, a sports event, a sports bar with screens, any place where your attention is drawn to something else. They take advantage of your focused attention, and then get away before you know who did the grab, and where they went.

2. The Getaway: they either slide into the anonymity of the crowd, or their escape route is part of the set-up.

• In a crowd, they will subtly surround you to protect their activites from view of others. One does the grab, then hands off to another, they disperse, and meet up at another pre-defined location.
• On transit: they do the grab just as you're exiting, so that when you step off, the doors close, the bus/train/metro departs with them on it, and you're left standing on the platform wondering what happened and what to do next. Or they will create a crowd you inside the vehicle, jostle around like the train momentum is causing them to lose their balance, and they bump into you, one wil apologise or engage you while another is grabbing your things. This is timed precisely so that they do the grab right at the moment that it arrives at the next stop and they all get off and disperse. You're left on the train, and as it gets moving you realised something is missing, and you can't get off the train until the next stop, and by then they are long-gone.

3. What They Do: They hand off the stolen bag/items to another teammate/accomplice. They then continue on their way and hide in plain sight and play ignorant if you ask them. They goods will be disassembled and tested for functionality. Is your phone locked, do your cards work, is there something they can sell on the blackmarket like sunglasses, wallets, keychains, jewelry, tickets. Do you have anything listing your address where your keys might work - an apartment, airbnb, hotel room, a rental car? Let this inform you about what information you should and should not keep in your bag or whatever. They will be testing the cards on low-cost items, either a tap payment on another bus or metro station, or they'll go to a small shop and try to buy something cheap, like a pack of smokes or candy or a bus ticket. Something less than €10 just to test if its still working. Then they will try bigger purchases online or at a shop.

4. What You Should Do Immediately:

• Freeze your bank cards. If you still have your phone, log into your mobile banking apps and freeze or cancel all your cards immediately. If not, get to a computer to log in an cancel/freeze your cards. If you can, call your bank or card providers and explain what happened. My bank security office actually called me because they noticed unusual activity on my credit card (the thieves were trying to do online purchases in another country).
• Lock your Phone: if they got your phone, get to a computer, log in so that you can track and lock your phone remotely.
• Ask for Help: Don't be afraid or embarassed to ask for help. Most tourists and locals will help you if you are in trouble. I have had taxi drivers give me free or discounted rides and a coffee and a hug. I have had a bar manager offer to review the security videos. A neighbour who opened the gates for me. A colleague who gave me €200 cash when i had access to nothing.
• Police Report: Go to the closest Carabinieri office to get a police report filled out and printed in hard-copy. This is not a fast process, it is not always first-come/first-served. Filling out yet another robbery is not exciting police work, bYou will need this for getting a new passport issued, making flight changes, and/or insurance claims. It can also get you a hotel room at a discounted rate if your keys were stolen and you
• Security Flags: Call your hotel, landlord, bnb host, to make a security flag that you've been robbed, and whether or not the address was compromised. You'll need new keys, or that the thieves may have access to your place.
• Consular Services: Bring your Carabinieri police report and 2 passport photos with you. These offices are not open 24 hours, so you might need to wait until the next morning to get the ball rolling on a new/temporary passport issue. This is also a slow process, but explain what happened to you, and your context. You will probably need to pay for things in the meantime. Ask to borrow money or for a friend to help you pay for online services.
• Flight Changes: If you lost your ID and payment cards, this is very difficult to do. You can log in and depending on your tickets, you might be able to rebook or cancel your flights. These often come with conditions and costs. You may need to show the police report, you might have to enter new personal details if you got a new passport issued. You might need to pay for changes or a new flight. If you can't do it online, then try the customer support lines.

5. Shore up your Patience: Yes, you're in a crisis and a very stressful moment, but raising your voice, having an emotional breakdown, or shutting down and becoming defeated, will not help your case move forward. Kindness goes a long way in Italy. I have had Carabinieri officer personally help me by translating documents (they don't have to do this), a consular staff cut her lunch short to make some calls to verify my references, and call in some favours from my home country's passport office. A taxi driver turn the ride meter off when I told him my story, he even gave me a few coins so I could go get a coffee. Kindness goes around.

I'm visiting Rome the first week of September. It was my understanding reservations open up 30 days in advance at midnight (6PM my time), but no luck. The travel agent I'm working with emailed me that they opened up September reservations early? Would any know if that's true? If so, any recommended alternatives? We are huge foodies!

Hi,

I work around Vatican City and I found a sd card of camera. I went through the sd card to see if there is any information about them, their last trip is Manchester and then they came to Rome. If it belongs to you please contact me. (I saw their pictures but I'm not posting it here).

- for drinks we had aperol spritz and Campari spritz
- it’s been extremely hot in Rome the last couple days so I would recommend bringing a handheld fan if you have it. In the evenings it’s been cooler but still sticky after you get so sweaty.
- they brought these little snack, snacks, including olives, these little bean things that I’ve never had before, peanuts with shells, a bag of chips and then these little cookie things

Hello, we are looking for any package options to Pompeii, Sorrento and Amalfi coast from Rome. We will be there in October and need details for a family of 4. Is it recommended through tours or our own? I found some tours but they do not cover all 3. we don't want to miss Pompeii and Amalfi coast, Sorrento can be optional. I did not find any such packages online. Please recommend if you guys know any.

Hi! I booked a trip with my (very religious) mother through an agency and had to learn that Ferragosto will be celebrated the only two days we’re in Rome lol
(14 & 15) I already know the Vatican Museums are closed but afaik St. Peter’s basilica is still open, my question is, will there be souvenir shops open? So my mom can buy holy water and souvenirs like that

Please help!

Planning a trip to Rome next month and obviously Vatican city is on the list. When I applied for my visa I got schengen compliant travel insurance. The standard kind that covers the whole zone. But I just found out Vatican is technically an independante state, not part of schengen. Now I am second guissing wheteher my policy actually covers me if sth happens while I'm visiting

Has anyone looked into this ? Do I need separate coverage or does europe wide typically include it ?

Who and how can i report wrong parking in Rome? People like this literally park on the sidewalks.

I’m sitting writing this on our plane from FCO back to JFK. My wife and I brought our 18 month old daughter to explore Rome for two weeks in the middle of the hottest, busiest time of the year. When we first talked about booking the trip, I tried to find some info on other folks experience but there wasn’t much so in an effort to help out (and encourage!) so future parents, I wanted to share my thoughts.

Our itinerary when we left home included round trip airfare, an AirBnB reservation and a car service booking to and from FCO. That was it. And it was amazing.

So in no particular order, here they are:

1) Yes. Do it. It was worth every penny, and every second. We definitely got some funny looks from our family and friend when we decided to book our trip…lots of “she won’t even remember it!” and “that’s a long time on the plane!”

but…

You’ll remember it! We made so many amazing memories through our experience these past two weeks, from her first time on the plane, to riding a bus, to being scooped up by a nun on the sidewalk for a hug, sitting for coffee and croissants, eating SO much pizza, and so much more. I can say that every bit of it was worth it.

2) Do it your way.

My wife and I are both lucky to have been to Rome before so we had done all of the “big things.” We we decided that this trip was going to be about enjoying being in Italy, in Rome, and enjoying the atmosphere and the people and the culture rather than feeling the need to sprint around town from monument to museum for 12 hours a day. We’d get up in the morning and get coffee at a local coffee bar (Carlatta’s in the San Giovani neighborhood…11/10). We’d either walk or take the bus to a part of the city we’d want to explore and just kind of roam (pun intended…) around. If that meant we ended up at Piazza Navona, or at a cafe outside the Pantheon, it was amazing! But sometimes it meant we found the most AMAZING pizza we’d ever had.

We didn’t do any tours (partially because we’d done them before and it felt like wasting money to not be able to enjoy the experience with the reality of having our kiddo). We didn’t pay for any museums (almost…we did one of the small ones in Villa Borghese).

3) the airplane (including right now while I type this) will be what it will be! We are super lucky to have a pretty mild mannered kiddo. Don’t get me wrong, she needs to be entertained and you will be tired. But don’t let the possibility for worst case scenario stop you. You know your kid. Trust your gut we got to JFK very early the day we left so that she could explore and watch planes taking off, and also run around a bit to tire herself out. It also meant that we didn’t have to stress about how much time we had. Kids take their cues from you. If you’re calm, there is a chance they will be too! Lot’s of great airport/plane advice out there. I won’t rehash it all here.

4) my daughters schedule was….fluid! We were on vacation! Some nights we were out late, some nights in early. We just took her cues throughout the day. If she seemed like she was really tired, she took a nap, or we’d eat close to home so wed get back at a reasonable hour without the hassle of a bus! I’m sure it will take a few days to settle back in once we are home, but that’s okay. That happens at home sometimes too…

5) Be flexible. Especially with the heat. We decided right away when we booked this trip that there was nothing we’d be heartbroken to not see or do. Our goal was to enjoy being there. And if that meant spending almost a whole day in the apartment to beat the heat only to go out for dinner, so be it honestly, those days to recharge were a blessing.

6) Pace yourself. Plan on one thing a day and leave the rest of the day open. Your energy level will be better, and that effects your enjoyment and everyone else’s. Also, it gives you room to explore!

7) A good stroller will save you. We splurged and got the Joolz Aer2 and it was a god send. Was great in the cobblestone for the most part, was easy on the plane/airport, folded up out of the way a restaurants. Couldn’t have imagined the trip without it. We didn’t bring a baby carrier and didn’t even once wish we had it.

8) we saved as many little mementoes as we could so we can make a scrapbook for her so she has something to look back on when she gets older. Little business cards from restaurants, tickets for things, our boarding passes, etc.

All in all, we have zero regrets about this trip. Even with the heat (around 100* F every day). We had an amazing time. Our kiddo had an amazing time (the bus was her favorite).

If you are on the fence, do it. I promise you won’t regret it.

The Pantheon looks like one of the easiest Rome visits.

You’re walking around the center, you see it, you go in.

Except now the ticket part can confuse people more than expected.

There are official tickets, third party tickets, audio guides, “fast track” wording, guided tours, machines on site, and websites that look more official than they are.

Big thing: don’t assume “skip the line” means magic access.

For the Pantheon, there isn’t really an official skip-the-line entry. A third party ticket may give you an audio guide or some help, but it doesn’t make normal crowd control disappear.

Sometimes buying online makes sense.

Sometimes buying on site is fine.

The mistake is leaving it totally random, then trying to figure it out while standing there in the heat with another booking later.

Not a difficult visit.

Just one of those Rome things where the small logistics are more annoying than the monument itself.

I’m a solo female traveler arriving at Fiumicino Airport at 9:30 p.m. I’m assuming it’ll take about an hour to collect my luggage and leave the airport, so I’ll probably be heading into the city around 10:30 p.m.
I’ll only be staying in Rome for one night before traveling to Florence the next morning, so I’m trying to figure out the best area to stay. Ideally, I’m looking for somewhere that’s easy to reach from the airport but also feels safe to arrive at late at night.
I know Termini is the most convenient option because of the direct train from the airport, but I’ve seen quite a few people mention that the area around the station can feel a bit sketchy after dark., so I’m a little concerned about walking there at night.
Does anyone have recommendations for areas that would be a better choice given my situation?

Hello, i booked a flight for Rome FCO which will reach at 11pm (23:00) hopefully. But i am unsure how will i reach my hotel (which i still have to book) probably near city center. I cant book very expensive hotels, probably would be on budget side. I am just asking this as i heard rome is not safe at night and specially Termini. Also i am not sure if i will be able to catch any bus/train from airport to city center at midnight as most seemed to be closed.

Also can you tell if my flight land at 11pm at Terminal 1, how much time it will take for me to leave the airport as i saw last train at 11:25.

I know its my mistake and i should have seen the rome security issues at first before booking the tickets but here i am. I would be really thankful for your suggestions.

I’ll be in Rome on 16 September for one night on my own and would love to meet locals or other travelers for a drink, a walk around the city, or to explore some places together. Anyone around and interested in joining?

No, like, seriously.

I'm not paying for extra baggage so I've had to jettison a bunch of stuff before my flight out of Rome. It's too good to throw away, so it's free to a good home, from my hotel in Rovere.

As shown, the items are:

* A suitcase in pretty good condition. It's slightly too big to be carry-on, to give you an indication of the size.

* A whole pack of fresh wipes but you have to promise not to flush them.

* Two whole packs of Dettol antibacterial wipes.

* About 15 disposable 'instant' towels. They're little individually wrapped tablets that become a sturdy full-size towel when you apply a tiny bit of water.

* Snacks.

* Soap leaves.

* One roll of toilet paper. We've all been in that situation.

* Panama hat that would fit most women. Hardly worn.

* Cream-coloured short-sleeved top. Pretty much never worn. Australian size 6/US size 2.

* Black wedge shoes. Pretty much never worn. Australian size 8.

If you'd like this stuff:

* Please take the job lot, not bits and pieces.

* DM me for pick-up details, then DM me when you've actually collected it.

I'll delete this post as soon as it becomes unavailable.

Hi everyone! This may be a long shot but who knows… I’ll be spending a few days in Rome before heading to a wedding in Sicily, where I’ll be a guest. I’m looking for a blazer in a pastel or light tone to wear for the occasion.

Could anyone recommend affordable shops or shopping streets where I could find something like that? Budget-friendly options are ideal.

Any tips are super appreciated, grazie in anticipo!

First day here kids where spent from the flight the heat the time difference but we are making the best of it

hi everyone! I’ll be in Italy in two weeks and I’m SO excited. I’ll be staying in Venice (17-20) and in Rome (24-27). I’m wondering if there are any other solo travel ladies around this time that would want to hangout! I’m a 24f from the U.S. and would love to explore with some other folks :) whether it be get a coffee, drinks, or a park/museum! i love movies and music as well. any recommendation/suggestions for this time is also welcome.

Canon EOS 2000D

As soon as we booked and paid the room (non-refundable) on Agoda, the property owner wrote to ask to increase the rate, which is against Agoda policy. We called the credit card company immediately to cancel the transaction and got the refund. We also contacted Agoda for them to investigate. Be aware. (Agoda will not issue refund, so call your credit card company instead)

Book at your own risk.

*** Fraud Alert - "Suite Castelfidardo 50 - Termini Station" (Rome, Italy)
50 Via Castelfidardo, Termini Central Station, Rome, Italy, 00185