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THE COLOSSEUM
The best part about the Palazzo Manfredi-besides, of course, its incredible view, comfy rooms, and friendly, English-speaking staff-is its location. Within just a few hundred yards are many of Rome's main attractions. I'm sure you will want to tour the Colosseum; a great tip to avoid its long lines is to go to the nearby Palatine Hill (Palatino), since they rarely have a line and your ticket is good for both attractions. If that's too much walking, you can always buy tickets in advance (for a fee) online at Pierreci.it, or go to the ticket window at the Colosseum where they sell tours-for a few extra euros you not only bypass the line, but you get a fascinating 45-minute tour.

ROME'S DARK SIDE
We walked everywhere and this is what we saw: lots of foreigners selling all kinds of souvenirs/gadgets, from paper umbrellas to your name written in Chinese. Yeah, isn't that a tragedy? If I wanted my name written in Chinese, I would go to China, not Italy. Another thing that bums me out are all the gypsies who are preying on the kindness of strangers. Young gypsy women dress like old homeless women and curl up on the street in a fetal position with rosary beads clutched in their hands. They are wrapped from head to toe so you can't see how young they really are.

ONE BIG MELTING POT
I was told by a Roman that the reason there are so many foreigners living in Rome (and Italy, for that matter) is that Italians don't want to do the hard work. He said, “Everyone wants to be a chef, but no one wants to cook.” Even the gladiators outside the Colosseum are Eastern Europeans. The world is changing; you'd better travel before it becomes just one big melting pot.

ROME
No matter how many times I visit Rome, every time I feel obligated to visit all the historic sites like the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, Piazza del Popolo, Castel St. Angelo, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon . . . I could go on forever. There's so much to see and do in Rome that you really need a vacation after your vacation to Rome.

TIBER RIVER
The Tiber River flows through the city and is Italy's third longest river; it's 252 miles (406 km) long. The walk along the Tiber could be just as special as it is along the River Seine, but sadly it's not. If the city of Rome could dredge the river and clean it up more than they are currently doing, maybe even offering more dinner cruises, this place could be really happening. The tree-lined sidewalks above the river that run parallel with it are beautiful when they're cleaned. Here's more on the history of the Tiber River.

VATICAN CITY
If you haven't been to the Vatican, then you're really missing out . . . I don't care what your religion is or how many times you've been. Every time I walk through those doors, I get goose bumps and my jaw drops. It is truly special. Now that everyone has to pass through metal detectors, there's always a bottleneck at the entrance. It moves fast, but to avoid the large crowds, arrive just before opening or closing. Opening hours vary, so see the Vatican's homepage for times. The website also lists the mass schedule; daily masses are open to the public and are not to be missed.

SISTINE CHAPEL
Did you know that the Vatican is located in Vatican City and is its own country? In fact, it's the world's smallest country at 0.2 square miles. That doesn't sound very large, but still, it once took Mike and I a good 45 minutes to walk around the whole walled country. How many times can you say that you've walked around a country? The line to get in the Vatican Museum is seriously the longest line I've ever seen. It had to be close to a mile long. I only wish that I had known about Viator.com's “skip the line” deals so I could have seen the Sistine Chapel. I sure wasn't going to wait in a long line, no matter how quickly it moved. The Vatican Museum entrance tickets from Viator.com cost US$43, which is twice the regular entrance fee. But to me, it's well worth it if you don't have to wait in the long lines . . . plus, you get exclusive access! FYI: Viator has these kinds of deals for sights all over the world.

PIAZZA NAVONA
To escape the tourists, you should dine where the Italians dine. Many live and dine outside the city in Travestere, a 10-minute train or taxi ride away. But we didn't feel like taking any trains or taxis, so instead, what did we do? We went to one of the biggest tourist traps in all of Rome: Piazza Navona. It was just a 20-minute walk from our hotel and is a really wonderful square with incredible sculptures and architecture. But the place is flooded with tourists, mostly American, and turns into a Venice Beach–type atmosphere. There are street performers, artists, and hawkers selling everything from cheap toys to knock-off handbags.

AQUA TIP: Don't buy bottled water in the popular tourist places. Next to the Trevi Fountain, stores and street vendors sell bottles for 3 euros! Walk a couple of blocks away, down some side streets, and you can find bottled water in a pizza place for a euro each.

GELATO
No trip to Rome would be complete without getting at least one scoop of gelato. We went to the most convenient place possible: Blue Ice. It's a chain and by far the busiest gelato place around. It's OK, but my buddy David Farley has some much better recommendations in his Rome story. BTW: I still indulged in three scoops (Nutella, chocolate, and white chocolate) in a chocolate-dipped waffle cone covered with sprinkles. Not a bad way to end my trip to Italy.

NEXT WEEK
Next week, we travel back to the United States, but which airline will I fly, and which route?

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Note: This trip was sponsored in part by Hotel Palazzo Manfredi

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