Fodor's Rome 2000 : Expert Advice and Smart Choices, Completely Updated Every Year, Plus a Full-Size Map [Paperback]

Fodor's (Author)

Book Description

Series: Fodor's Gold Guides | Publication Date: March 14, 2000

Fodor's Rome 2000"Fodor's guides are always a pleasure." - The Chicago Tribune

"Teeming with maps and loaded with addresses, phone numbers, and directions." - Newsday

Experienced and first-time travelers alike rely on Fodor's Gold Guides for rich, reliable coverage the world over.  Updated each year and containing a foldout Rand McNally map, a Fodor's Gold Guide is an essential tool for any kind of traveler.

Insider info that's reliable and smart
Local experts show you all the things to see and do -- from top sights to off-the-beaten-path adventures, from sports to shopping, from nightlife to recommended walks.

Hotels and restaurants in all price categories
From B&Bs to luxury hotels, from casual eateries to elegant restaurants, we list hundreds of detailed reviews that show what is distinctive about each place.

Practical info that's completely up-to-date

Useful maps and background information; key contacts; how to get there and get around; when to go; what to pack; local do's and taboos; costs, hours, and tips by the thousands.

We've compiled a helpful list of guidebooks that complement Fodor's Rome 2000. To learn more about them, just enter the title in the keyword search box.Fodor's Italy 2000Fodor's Exploring Rome: An information-rich cultural guide in full color.Fodor's Citypack Rome: A full-color pocket-size guidebook and a full-size color map, all in one sturdy plastic sleeve.Fodor's Pocket Rome: Suggestions on what to see and do if you can't stay long.Fodor's Holy Rome: A millenium guide to the Christian sights.Fodor's upCLOSE Italy: Designed for those who want to travel well and spend less.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Fodor's Rome 2000"Fodor's guides are always a pleasure." - The Chicago Tribune

"Teeming with maps and loaded with addresses, phone numbers, and directions." - Newsday

Experienced and first-time travelers alike rely on Fodor's Gold Guides for rich, reliable coverage the world over.  Updated each year and containing a foldout Rand McNally map, a Fodor's Gold Guide is an essential tool for any kind of traveler.

Insider info that's reliable and smart
Local experts show you all the things to see and do -- from top sights to off-the-beaten-path adventures, from sports to shopping, from nightlife to recommended walks.

Hotels and restaurants in all price categories
From B&Bs to luxury hotels, from casual eateries to elegant restaurants, we list hundreds of detailed reviews that show what is distinctive about each place.

Practical info that's completely up-to-date

Useful maps and background information; key contacts; how to get there and get around; when to go; what to pack; local do's and taboos; costs, hours, and tips by the thousands.

We've compiled a helpful list of guidebooks that complement Fodor's Rome 2000. To learn more about them, just enter the title in the keyword search box.Fodor's Italy 2000Fodor's Exploring Rome: An information-rich cultural guide in full color.Fodor's Citypack Rome: A full-color pocket-size guidebook and a full-size color map, all in one sturdy plastic sleeve.Fodor's Pocket Rome: Suggestions on what to see and do if you can't stay long.Fodor's Holy Rome: A millenium guide to the Christian sights.Fodor's upCLOSE Italy: Designed for those who want to travel well and spend less.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Destination: Rome

Rome is like a big layer cake that can be pried open to get a feel for each of the layers. You'll find pieces of Ancient Rome casually strewn about, topped by Medieval and Renaissance Rome, topped by Fascist Rome, and finally today's Rome, where decades of political and civic apathy are giving way to a revitalized city.

Rome's layers are manifest everywhere. But some aspects of the city cut right through all the layers. Rome is romantic and unforgettable, just as it was for Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. It's a perfect city for honeymooners. Just take an evening stroll through Piazza Navona, and you'll feel the inexplicable, indescribable thrill that has beguiled many visitors to Rome over the centuries into staying forever.

The Passeggiata (Strolling)

A favorite pastime of Romans (and most Italians) is the passeggiata, literally, the promenade. In the late afternoon, especially on weekends, couples, family groups, and packs of teenagers stroll in the main streets and piazzas. The passeggiata usually includes some café-sitting and window-shopping as well. Your own version of the passeggiata, different from all that purposeful walking you have to do to see the sights, could take you on an aimless stroll into Rome's byways. As you amble down the narrow streets, take time to peek into courtyards and look up at open windows as dusk falls to see lights go on, illuminating carved or frescoed ceilings on upper floors. The perfect accompaniment to a passeggiata is a gelato, or ice cream, either cone or cup, to be enjoyed as you ramble through Rome.

Shopping

The city's most famous shopping district is conveniently compact, fanning out at the foot of the Spanish Steps in a galaxy of boutiques offering gorgeous wares with glamorous labels. Here you can ricochet from Gucci to Prada to Valentino to Versace with less effort than it takes to pull out your platinum credit card. Even if your budget is designed for lower altitudes, you can find great clothes and accessories at prices you can afford. But buying is not necessarily the point. The greatest pleasure is in browsing, admiring window displays that are works of art, imagining you or yours in a little red dress by Valentino or a lean Armani suit, and dreaming that all this could be yours -- if your name were Bill Gates.

Sidewalk Cafés

Café-sitting is the most popular leisure-time activity in Rome, practiced by all and involving nothing more strenuous than gesturing to catch the waiter's eye. Cafés are meant for relaxing, chatting with a companion, and/or eyeing the passing parade, possibly within view of one of the city's spectacular fountains or churches, in a square that would seem naked without a fringe of bright cafè umbrellas or awnings. For tourists and shoppers, part of this particular pleasure is resting tired feet. You will never be rushed, no matter how long you sit, and not even when café tables are crowded at aperitif times, just before lunch and, especially, supper.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Fodor's; Reprint edition (March 14, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679005382
• ISBN-13: 978-0679005384
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,708,406 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)