Jolly Midas, Via Aurelia 800 (map). roma_midas@jollyhotels.it Tel.: +39 06 663961.
The hotel is supposed to have a free shuttle service.
Interactive map of Rome.
Bus and metro system. Public transportation is covered by the Roma Pass. The hotel's nearest bus stop is on Via Aurelia. The instructions for getting from the hotel to the Excelsior in center city are:
(Seems to me we also could, at the Cornelia stop, pick up the Metro A and take it into the Spanish steps at the Spagni stop.)
There is a double decker public bus designed to see the sites--the 110.
This place, in the Villa Borghese, apparently has tandem bicycles and pedal-powered carts: Bici Pincio--2 locations in Villa Borghese, Viale di Villa Medici and Viale della Pineta. Phone(0039) 06 6784374, open: Daily 10:00- Sunset.
"Most bikes are rented in the middle of the street but I BIKE ROME takes reservation. They are located under the parking lot of the Villa Borghese at (06) 322 5240. For 5,000 lire an hour rent a bike with gears or a 'tandem'."
GLOBUS ITINERARY
Sunday May 25, Venice to Rome (map)
A scenic drive across the Apennine Mountains and through the vine- and olive-clad Tuscan hills, home of the popular Chianti wines, brings you to the Eternal City. (BB)
Monday May 26, Rome
Sightseeing with your Local Guide starts with a visit to the VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL, world famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings. Continue to monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE and BASILICA. Cross the Tiber and visit the COLOSSEUM
and the ROMAN FORUM, where Roman Legions marched in triumph. Time for independent activities and optional excursion possibilities. (BB)
Tuesday May 27, Rome to Florence to Tuscany
An easy morning drive back north to Florence. (BB) Continued on Florence page.
Optional Excursions
Excursion to Tivoli with Dinner ...Leave Rome for a guided visit of the famous VILLA ADRIANA or the VILLA D'ESTE GARDENS and FOUNTAINS in Tivoli, followed by a typical country-style dinner with wine, spumante, and music. Approximate value: EUR €71 per person.
Tivoli is about an hour east of our hotel. Villa D'Este is a 1500 era garden and fountains, but closed on Mondays. The other, better known as Hadrian's Villa, is an ancient ruin, from near the time of Christ. Just more columns and floors and broken statues to see. "Due to the loss of all the upper parts of the buildings, it can be very hard to get an idea about how the villa appeared at the time of Hadrian. The visitor today can "see through" the villa, and easily get an impression of park-like open spaces, but this is misleading. What now appears as open spaces could have been a narrow passage, a dining room or a tall domed hall, but that is all but lost now."
Orientation Drive and Roman Dinner ...
Wander through the Eternal City, toss your coins into Trevi Fountain, then be spoiled with Italian specialties and wine at one of Rome's popular restaurants.
Approximate value: EUR €55 per person
Roman Highlights and Dinner ...A guided walking tour takes you to some of the most famous monuments. Admire the Spanish Steps, Via Condotti, Piazza Navona, Parliament, and Pantheon. Later this evening enjoy a four-course dinner at a popular Roman restaurant. Drinks included.
Approximate value: EUR €63 per person
ITINERARY
Sunday May 25. Venice to Rome is 5.5 hours; will be more with a stop for lunch. Probably won't get in until 3 to 4pm. It does not seem that the optional excursions will be available the first night, but there is a possibility is they are.
The Westin Excelsior is a legendary hotel. It is the “magnificent white palace on Via Veneto”, close to Piazza di Spagna (The Spanish Steps) and the Villa Borghese gardens. This hotel looks onto the famous street known as the “Dolce Vita.” We could have dinner at its Restaurant Doney. Or we could just stop in at the bar to see the building before eating somewhere a little cheaper.
We could do some sightseeing this evening. The Spanish Steps (restaurants nearby), the Barcaccia Fountain of Bernini, the Trevi Fountain, the Piazza Navona, the Parthenon, the outside of the Castel Sant'Angelo. (The Castel is closed on Mondays.) There are likely other attractions in that center city area. The Piazza Campo de' Fiori is a food and market area south of the Piazza Navona.
Monday May 26...It appears that Globus is taking us into the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Square and Basilica, and the Colosseum and Roman Forum. If that were the case, that would be a long and tiring day. Somehow, I suspect that we will only get a short time at each attraction, and in the order indicated.
I tend to be more interested in the Renaissance Art rather than the Ancient Art. But Monday the Borghese Gallery is closed. If we want more to see, we could go to the Pantheon. If we didn't get enough time at the Vatican attractions, we could return there. There are guided tours of the Vatican Museums. At those Museums, wheelchairs can be reserved in advance--fax 06.6988.5433--or upon request at the “Special Permits” window in the entrance hall.
There is a museum near the central train station called the Scuderie del Quirinale, open Sunday and Monday 10am to 8pm. Tickets timed on the hour from 10am to 6pm. € 10,00. Reduced price with the Roma Pass. Metro A (get off at Piazza della Repubblica); Metro B (get off at Cavour). Wheelchairs available. It is showing an exhibition of 19th century painting in Italy. Information and booking +39.06.39967500. Online sales. Audioguide available.
Largo di Torre Argentina is a square in that hosts four Republican Roman temples, and the remains of Pompey's Theater. The Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary is there. The volunteers at the shelter give daily tours of the ruins at 5:00 PM. Located at the intersection of the Via de Torre Argentina and Corso Vittioro Emaneule II.
There are Tiber River cruises, but the conventional wisdom is to avoid them because 1) the river is narrow compared to Thames or Seine; 2) boat rides are disorganized, no signs or directions; 3) the river is well below "street level" with high protective walls, so you will not really see anything except bridges; 4) walls are covered in graffiti; 5) garbage and debris all along the banks.
There are two types of multi-attraction tickets. In the book.
