Transcripts from Budget Travel's Trip Coach Ann Hanley-Travel Tips for Rome

To find out all sorts of tidbits of travel information for Rome, see transcripts from the live Trip Coach session with Time Out Rome's Ann Hanley on March 4th. Get tips on getting to Rome from the Amalfi Coast, seeing the Pope, pickpockets and renting apartments, to name just a few topics!

Pigneto: New/Old Neighborhood in Rome

The April issue of Gourmet Magazine spotlights a little-known neighborhood in Rome: Pigneto, just outside the Porta Maggiore (pictured in this engraving by Piranesi). In the past, Italian film directors used the neighborhood to depict a poor Italian village. Now it has been rediscovered by artists and students-and there are great restaurants and bars for you to visit. Gourmet recommends Bar Necci (Via Fanfulla da Ludi 68) for lots of movie memorabilia and the restaurant Primo (Via del Pigneto 46) for roasted pig and linguine with octopus. The April issue of Gourmet is chock full of all sorts of recipes, restaurant recommendations, and gorgeous pictures from all over Italy.

New York Times Article on Roman "House" Museums

A recent article in the New York Times Travel section highlights some of the incredible palaces in Rome that have been turned into museums for public viewing. More often than not, these palaces were built by popes or their relatives and house exquisite collections of classical sculpture and paintings and frescoes by Italian masters. Not only is the artwork contained in the palazzos a draw, but the gardens and architecture of the residences themselves are also worth seeing. Some of the palazzos are quite famous already, like the Galleria Borghese, but others are just beginning to be noticed by the amateur traveler, like the Palazzo Colonna and Palazzo Altemps (pictured). Mentioned in the article are also several artists' workshops, such as the Museum-Atelier Canova-Tadolini. You can use the Roma Pass to visit most of these "house" museums.

Roma Pass-Discounts for Museum Entrance

For travelers to Rome who are planning on visiting several museums, it may make sense to invest in the RomaPass. The pass gets you free admission to the first two museums and/or sites and then gets you entrance to every subsequent site within 3 days at a discounted rate. Also included on the Roma Pass are free bus, subway and train rides! The pass costs 20 Euros and includes admission to some theater, musical and cinema events.

All Museums in Rome Free to Public From March 25-31!

Hurray! This week, all museums and archaeological sites in Rome are offering free admission on the occasion of the "Week of Culture." Of course, this time of year-just after Easter- is notoriously crowded, but certainly free admission to the most famous museums and sites (and the not-so-famous museums and sites) will alleviate some of your frustration with the crowds. The Modern Traveler's suggestion is to get in to museums and sites like the Capitoline Museum or the Roman Forum early-when the doors open. Or wait until the last admittance of the day. Tourists tend to hit the shops in the late afternoon!

Rome Builds a New Subway Line

As you can imagine, building a subway line through one of the world's most archaeologically crowded cities is not easy. The new Metro Linea C which began construction last year is expected to be completed in 2015 after years of careful research, excavation and construction. Each time they break ground, new discoveries will be made, new routes will have to be chosen, and history could potentially be rewritten. The construction of the new subway, while unfortunately resulting in quite a bit of destruction, will enable archaeologists to see what lies beneath the Medieval and Renaissance city. Read the article in April's Travel and Leisure and stay tuned for what are certain to be exciting revelations!

Town and Country Magazine Visits Rome and Finds Something New

April's Town and Country Magazine has an article on the revitalization of Rome's heretofore unknown neighborhoods. The restoration and cultural projects begun to celebrate the Great Jubilee year at the Vatican 8 years ago and the election of Walter Veltroni as mayor have inaugurated a new era in cultural expansion and development. Neighborhoods like Testaccio, Trastevere and the Via Giulia (pictured) now attract visitors who used to confine their sightseeing to the Centro Storico. New hotels, restaurants, shopping and galleries have opened in central and peripheral neighborhoods alike. As Georgia Spogli, the wife of the US ambassador to Italy puts it, "People used to go to Paris; now they come to Rome." Unfortunately, the article is not available on-line, but stay tuned for recommendations from the magazine via Modern Traveler.

Affordable Hotels in Rome

Budget Travel has some great suggestions for affordable hotels in Rome. The hotels are on the small side, in great neighborhoods like Campo dei Fiori and the Trastevere, and not one of them is over $160 for a double room with private bath. Two that sound particularly interesting are the Hotel Antico Borgo di Trastevere, which is a private residence from the 13th century, and the Hotel Daphne (pictured) in the Centro Storico, whose proprietors give you a cell phone preprogrammed with numbers, including their own, just in case you get lost.

American Airlines Airfare Sale:Deals to Rome

American Airlines is offering all sorts of deals to Europe for travel between March 25, 2008 and May 18. Great fares include Baltimore to Rome for $773, Chicago to Rome for $967, New York Kennedy and La Guardia for $838, Los Angeles to Rome for $1007 and San Francisco to Rome for $1025. Maybe a Spring Break jaunt to the Eternal City is in your future?

Day Trips from Rome- Etruscan Tombs at Cerveteri

Near the medieval town of Tarquinia, about an hour's drive north from Rome, is an Etruscan necropolis. Dating all the way back to the 9th century BCE when it was actually a Villanovan burial ground, Cerveteri is the site of thousands of tumuli, circular tombs dug into the ground. The burial ground, eerie even on the sunniest day, actually served as a location for scenes in the 1976 film "The Omen." Today you will find it a peaceful spot for a morning's diversion. To get there from Rome, take the E80 toward Civitavecchia. Not far past the exit to Cerveteri on the E80 is Santa Severa, a beachside community known for its medieval castle and the ruins of an Etruscan fortress, known as Pyrgi. Have some lunch, clear your head, and take a swim!

Roman Forum-No Longer Free

For a decade entrance to the Roman Forum has been free. Not any longer. Be prepared to pay 9 Euros to get in the gates. While some may lament the loss of free access, the Modern Traveler is hoping that this will mean fewer crowds and more revenue for the upkeep and excavation of the Forum and other sites. You can use the Roma Archaeologia Card to get in to the Forum (buy it at the entrance to the Palatine Hill) and to avoid lines at the Colosseum. Remember, the best time to go is first thing in the morning when the gates open at 9:00. Get there even earlier-they may open them before. Not only will you have the run of the place, but there is something magical about the morning light in the Forum.

Washington Post Food Critic Highlights his Favorite Eats in Rome

Tom Sietsema, a Washington Post food critic, lets us in on some local dining secrets. He sends us to Il Tordo Matto, 30 minutes from Rome, Ristorante Ditirambo in Piazza della Cancelleria and Il Gelato Di San Crispino, located just around the corner from the Trevi Fountain. All three promise to be rich in regional flavors and native traditions. The Modern Traveler's only complaint about his recommendations? He claims that Rome is not known for its great restaurants! As if!

Trip Coach available on Budget Travel

On Tuesday, March 4th at 12:00 pm, Anne Hanley, the author of Time Out Rome will be available on Budget Travel for real-time advice on your next trip to Rome.