whats the skinny on Roma .? any of yez been there?? is it backp[acker friendly?? how far away is pompeii?? id bestoked to go to roma for a couple fo weeks in jan-feb ... :laugh:

I've been in Rome several times. January is a good time of year to go to. Plenty of hostels to choose from. Plan short trips out of the city - Tivoli is one of my favorite towns near Rome.

Rome is a great place to go, backpacker freindly and good hostels.

Rome is one of my favorite cities. Its like being in a living museum. Myself and my wife talk about retiring there we love it so much.

If you want to go to pompeii you'll need to stay in either Naples or Sorrento. Rome is a little far.
Neat city though, lots of tourist.

Yeah, Rome's great -- plenty to see and do, and plenty of places to stay. Gets real busy and full in the summer, but if you can manage more of an off season (though expect rain in Winter), you'll avoid most of the crowds.

I stayed in Sorrento when visiting Pompeii. There is a local train called the Circumvesuvia, which goes to Sorrento and Pompeii and various other places. Take that. It also goes to "Ercolano," which is Italian for the Roman city of Herculanaeum. Basically, it's just like Pompeii -- lots of cool ruins.

And while there, you can visit the Amalfi coast from Sorrento. Absolutely the most gorgeous coastline I ever saw. Rent a moped or vespa to see it best...that way you can pull over and stop to take pics whenever you want.

worldwidemike

Rome rocks....I am about to head over in a month or so. Last time I was there I stayed at a cool hostel called Fawlty Towers...book ahead cuz they are busy, or were then anyway.

Otherwise, very very backpacker friendly city. Enjoy the pizza (I salavate...mmmm) and gelato. I ate this everyday for bfast lunch and dinner and STILL didn't get enough.

And a visit to the Vatican City is also quite interesting. They may want you to pay for a tour but if your lucky, there are ppl walking around giving free ones sometimes. Just stand around looking lost...well, my natural state.

Enjoy!!!

hey thanks! i really want to see all the old roman ruins... i think it would be a fun city to trip and tour in.... art and tripping go great together!