by Louise Johnstone

Created on: January 26, 2008   Last Updated: April 20, 2009

Rome. it is also known as The Eternal City. I have just returned from a five day trip to this magical place.

I have been to Rome before a few years back in the summer months, and my top tip for visiting Rome, has to be, see Rome as part of a winter break. Avoid though, the month of November, renowned for its rain storms, that can be very prolonged. The summer in Rome can be stiflingly hot. Indeed the locals head out of the city to the coast, to escape the blistering heat. There are so many sights to see in Rome, and sightseeing, if it is truly to be appreciated, involves lots of walking. It is much more comfortable, to walk Round from sight to sight, when it is not too hot. As I have said I have just returned, on 22nd January 2008. We had the most wonderful holiday. There were six of us that went. Myself, my two teenagers aged 17 and 16, my best friend Anne, and her teenage son age 16, and her 3 year old daughter. So what would keep this diverse group happy for five days?

Well Rome has something for everyone. We Stayed at the wonderful Hotel Virgillio, just of the Via Natzionale, because we were there out of season, the prices were extremely reasonable. We even got four nights for the price of three. The hotel is 3 star, spotlessly clean, and full of roman charm. It was ideally placed for visiting all the sites, such as The Trevi Fountain, The Spanish Steps, The Colosseum and The Roman Forum. Near the hotel was a taxi rank, from which we got a taxi to the large Sunday morning market (which incidentally should NOT be missed) and The Vatican. We found the taxi fares to be very reasonable, as they were on the meter, and couldn't be fiddled! We also got taxis back again, because it was so inexpensive, and it enabled us to get to see more sights in the short time we were there.

The weather was really surprising, yes, it was quite cold at night, so we wrapped up well, but what can be better, than stood by the moonlit Trevi Fountain, eating freshly roasted chestnuts, purchased from a street vendor, in the square! But the weather in the day was surprisingly warm, we were stripping off as it was so warm to us, who are used to the bitter British winters, much to the bemusement of the Romans, who looked at us as if we were crazy! They were dressed in fur coats, thick scarves and boots... the very sight of them with all that on, had me sweating, I can tell you. But when you consider the high temperatures in the summer, you can understand why they are so cold!

We visited the

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