Metro/Bus (Milan) – this major Italian city has its own local train service, called Metropolitana, which consists of four lines (identified by distinct colors and numbers), that total 101 Metro stations (mainly underground). A single Metro ticket (which can be used not only on the Metro trains, but on buses, trams and suburban train lines) […]
Bus (Florence) – local bus rides in Florence costs €1 each through the municipal ATAF bus system (although many will say that bus rides are rarely needed, since this is a smaller, pedestrian city). Nevertheless, for those using such transportation, a four-pack (biglietto multiplo) is €3.90, a 24-hour pass €4.50, a 2-day pass €7.60, a […]
REGIONAL TRAINS – TrenItalia is the regional train line that takes travelers from city to city within Italy (from Rome to Florence (Firenze), Milano (Milano), Turin (Torino), Naples (Napoli). There, and even rail links from mainland Italy to Sicily. See TrenItalia’s website for more info, including fares: www.trenitalia.com
Metro/Bus (Rome): Rome’s local metro system is called Metropolitana by locals (and is managed by ATAC, the public transport firm that runs not only the Metro, but also Rome’s bus and tram lines as well). The metro runs approximately every 7-10 minutes, from 5:30am until 11.30pm every day (until 12:30am on Saturdays). A wide […]
Trevi Fountain (Piazza di Trevi, Rome) – tapping into a water source from the Ancient Roman period (the Aqua Virgo aqueduct), this fountain was actually completed in 1762 by Nicola Salvi, making it the largest and most famous Baroque fountain in Rome. The fountain’s central figures are Neptune (God of the sea), flanked by […]
Saint Peter’s Basilica/Basilica di San Pietro (Saint Peter’s Square, Vatican City, Rome) – this is the world’s largest shrine to Christianity, located in the heart of Vatican City (the global center of the Roman Catholic Church). With a surface of 22,000 sq. meters, 20,000 followers can pray inside of it. The original church was […]
Roman Forum (Via della Salaria Vecchia 5/6, Rome) – this is a plaza from the Ancient Roman period that contains the ruins of several government buildings – located in the center of modern-day Rome. During the days of the Roman Empire, this was the place where commerce, business, the administration of justice and religious […]
Ponte Vecchio (Florence) – this is Florence’s most famous bridge. Completed circa 1450, it was Florence’s first bridge across the Arno River and is the only surviving bridge from Florence’s medieval days (others were destroyed in World War II). The Ponte Vecchio is still lined with shops selling gold and silver jewelry. From the bridge, […]
Pompeii (near Naples) – this was a Roman-era seaside town just outside of present-day Naples that fell victims to Mount Vesuvius’ volcanic eruption and subsequent flows of lava afterwards in 79 AD — wiping out the town. The excavations that took place in modern times revealed slices of life of Ancient Rome – from ordinary […]
Pantheon (Piazza della Rotonda, Rome) – this is a one-time pagan temple (rebuilt in AD 120 by the Roman emperor Hadrian), that became a church in AD 608. This is one of the most preserved structures from Ancient Rome, and draws crowds for that very reason. The dome of the Pantheon is supported by […]