I thought I'd just put together some things to keep in mind when planning your time here!

It Should be Noted That.....

During the Winter months certain things are open different/shorter hours. The Colosseum/Roman Forum/Palatine Hill closes at 3:30pm, for example.

Some of the catacombs are closed entirely during the winter months. San Callsto is closed from January 27th until February 24th and St Sebastian catacombs are closed from mid November until mid December, as two more popular ones for example.

You can't hail a Taxi from just anywhere. You have to get one from a designated Taxi Stand (see pictured Orange Taxi sign), or order one to come get you from your hotel, apartment, pub, etc.

All National Museums are closed on Mondays. This is also why it's such a popular day at the Vatican Museums (they are after all their own separate nation, therefore not an Italian National Museum!)

The last Sunday of every month the Vatican museums are open, and entry is free! They are open from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM on these days...expect to encounter a huge line, and reservations for free Sundays cannot be made.

Though you are welcome in any church, it's rude and often forbidden to wander through a church during a mass.

Most Italians and locals drink their coffee/cappuccino/whatever standing at the bar. If you order it to sit at a table, it will cost you double.

Technically bars and café's are supposed to let you use their bathroom, regardless if you're a customer or not. To avoid them (illegally) telling you no, just get a piece of chocolate or something else tiny and as you're paying ask for the bathroom, they definitely can't say no then!

If you order a "latte" in a bar, it will not be the coffee with milk drink you might expect, it will be a glass of warm milk! You're better off ordering an "Americano" and asking for milk to add to it yourself. There is such a thing as a "macchiato" which is espresso with a tiny bit of milk in it, but it's small unlike a big American coffee.

Buses might be technically on a schedule. But it is rarely if ever actually followed. If you plan to take the bus in Rome, expect that it might not arrive as punctually as you'd hope. Night buses (you'll see them on the bus stop's with an Owl and they always have an "N" before their number) generally come about once every 45 minutes. The last of the regular buses will leave the head of the line (the "capolinea") at the written end time...ie: the number 64 is written to run from 5:30-24:00....meaning the last 64 will leave the end of the line at midnight. Depending on where your stop is on the route, this means you might have some time to catch the last regular day-time bus!

What is/was technically a "heresy"? Simply defined, it is the rejection of any of the established beliefs of a religious body, or observation of any beliefs that lay outside this religious body. That said, we're all heretics in someone's eyes. ;) This is not something historically or currently solely in reference to the Catholic church. And furthemore, it's fun to consider how many scientific and philosophical discoveries in history were once considered heretical (and actually, by attracting such attention as burning people at the stake and/or excommunication, it really helped spread these supposedly blasphemous ideas). Here's some ideas that were/are deemed heresies in specifically Christian history (gotta narrow it down) which you might never have heard of or might surprise you (not meant to be a bummer, just interesting!):

Millennialism--this actually originates from the book of Revelations (20:1-6), and is the belief that there will be a type of Paradise, or Golden Age on Earth, where Jesus will return and rule before the Final Judgement (ie: end of the world when Orthodox Catholicism states all will be judged and sent to Heaven or Hell).

Pelagianism--the belief that there is no "original sin" which taints all humans and human nature, and that there exists free will to choose good or evil without the need for Divine intervention.

Fraticelli--extreme believers in the rules of St. Francis of Asisi in regards above all to wealth and poverty...ie: that the extreme wealth of the Church is scandalous to the point of making their position and authority invalid.

Calvinism-- the belief that God chooses to save only certain people, regardless of their merit or actions, but just because he chooses this way. This also means that Jesus died for only a certain few, and that all of this is predetermined and cannot be altered.

Positive Christianity--sounds like a "good" thing right? This is a fairly modern "heresy" which refers to a model of Christianity adopted by the Nazis. Goes without saying that it insisted/s on Aryanhood and Antisemitism.

Sedevacantism--a position, also modern-day, holding that the Papal See has been vacant since the death of Pope Pius XII (in 1958) or Pope John XXIII (in 1963), and that there has been no "true" Pope after, disagreeing also with the changes in Catholic Dogma associated with the Popes after. This distinction is also commonly refered to by the Vatican I (that is before 1963) and Vatican II (all Popes and changes after 1963).

Heliocentrism--this is a classic you've probably heard of, with the belief of the cosmos being a contradiction to some biblical passages, which states that the Sun is the center f the Solar System. Actually this was never officially declared heretical, but several writings and books stating this view were banned. Famous Heliocentricists you might have heard of were Copernicus, Galileo, and Giordano Bruno (Bruno was actually burned at the stake for this heresy here in Rome, which is why you'll find a statue of him on the very spot in Campo Dei Fiori). As a note, Pope John Paul II issued an apology for the mistreatment of Galileo in 1992.

For further reading, you might look into all of the many heresies involving "Christology", which are all basically differing positions of the nature of Jesus Christ (and the issues of being Divine, or Human, or both).

Peace!

How does the Italian Santa Claus find his way Christmas Eve if it's foggy? Not sure, but he doesn't necessarily have Rudolph to help! This is a fun little bit of Cultural Christmas trivia, but Rudolph the famously red-nosed reindeer is actually an American-created more recent character! Of course like a lot of North American cultural aspects of this nature, it has caught on elsewhere, but in case you were here for Christmas, you might have noted that Santa's reindeer were minus a particular one. Here's some fun facts about the American Shiny-nosed Christmas Eve Hero:

Santa already had the other reindeer to pull his sleigh, but a new reindeer came about in 1939 when the department store Montgomery Ward asked one of their copywriters, Robert L. May to create a Christmas story for a holiday booklet to giveaway.

It's thought that May used a bit of inspiration from his own childhood bully experiences to write this story of a misfit reindeer that all the other reindeer picked on.

May's boss initially thought it might be a bad idea to create a character with a red nose, which was associated with drunks, but changed her mind after seeing some sketches.

Two possible names for our red-nosed friend were "Rollo" (said to sound too cheerful) and "Reginald" (said to sound 'too British').

Rudolph got so popular that after World War 2 the need for trademarking the character arose, only that since May had created Rudolph as an employee, he had no rights or royalties to his creation until 1947.

The song you might know and love was written in 1949. Many turned down the opportunity to write this jungle, saying that they didn't want to mess with the already long-established Santa legend. In the end it was written by Gene Autry,

The story you might know about Rudolph is actually based on the song lyrics, as the original story of Rudolph written by May has some important differences. For one, in May's story Rudolph was not one of the reindeer in Santa's village, or the son of one of Santa's reindeer, but instead lived in a normal reindeer village with normal reindeer parents. Also, despite being teased about his nose by other reindeer kids, his family never treated it as something bad or to be ashamed of. So how did Santa find him? In May's version, Santa was delivering presents to Rudolph's house one foggy Christmas Eve and this is when he noticed his red glowing nose and asked him to help him guide the sleigh through the terrible fog.

Rome might be a major pilgrim destination for Catholics for obvious reasons, but there's also a very big Jewish community here too! Here's some tips and suggestions for Jewish travelers or for those interested in taking a look at this aspect of Roman Culture!

We actually offer a tour of Trastevere & La Dolce Vita which walks through Rome's historic and beautiful Jewish Quarter, take a look HERE for the details!

Menorah: There's a giant Menorah in Piazza Barberini during Chanukah! Take a look!

The Jewish Museum of Rome is located in the Jewish quarter of Rome (also known as the Jewish Ghetto), on via Lungotevere Cenci , 15. It's open Sunday-Thursday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM (and then from June to September from 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM). On Friday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM (from June to September: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM). It's closed all Saturdays, Jewish Holidays, January 1 and August 15. The admission is 6.50 Euros , 4 Euros for students and free for kids under 10.

Synagogues:

Adjacent to the Museum is the Great Synagogue of Rome, which is open daily.

Panzieri Fatucci: Tempio dei Giovani located at Piazza S. Bartolomeo all'Isola, 21. Also known as the Youth Synagogue. It's open for Shabbos and Holidays. Shacharit: Sunday at 8:15 AM, Shabbos at 9 AM. Mincha: Friday-Shabbos on time.

Spanish-Italian synagogue, on Via Catalana. Open daily, Shacharit: Weekdays at 7 AM and Shabbos 8 AM. Kiddush service after Shabbat Shachrit services.

Kosher Restaurants!

Ba Ghetto, located in the Jewish Quarter! Via del Portico d'Ottavia, 57. Here's their website!

La Taverna del Ghetto, also located in the heart of the Jewish Quarter, Via Del Portico d'Ottavia, 8. Also has some typical Italian pasta and pizza dishes! Here's their website!

Nonna Betta Cucina Kosher ("Grandma Betta Kosher Kitchen"), also located in the Jewish Quarter, via del portico d'ottavia, 16. Offers a variety of pasta's and fish and other traditionally Roman Jewish dishes. Take a look at their website!

Yesh, located in the area of Marconi, is a restaurant with lots of variety including Kosher meat dishes, cous cous and home-made desserts. Via Silvestro Gherardi , 51 (00146). Here's their website!

Kosher Foods (bakeries, non sit-down restaurants):

Antico Forno del Ghetto, in the Jewish Quarter (noticing a trend in the location??), Piazza Costaguti, 31. Make sure to check about the meats and desserts, as only the bread is completely Kosher!

Boccione, a bakery and pizza place in -yup you guessed it- the Jewish Quarter, Via Portico d'Ottavia, 1 .

Terracina, a Kosker meats store! Via Maria del Pianto, 62. Also in the city center, in the Jewish Quarter.

Jewish Community Center- appropriately located in the Jewish Quarter, on the corner of Lungotevere De'Cenci , 9 and Via del Tempio. They have daily services in the nearby Synagogue, and are there to help you with suggestions with food and accommodations and activities during your visit. Take a look at their website for further info.

Shabbat Times for Rome 2009/2010:

Friday Dec 18- Light Candles at 4:22 PM, Shabbat ends Dec 19 at 5:27 PM

Friday Dec 25- Light Candles at 4:26 PM, Shabbat ends Dec 26 at 5:31 PM

Friday Jan 1- Light Candles at 4:31 PM, Shabbat ends Jan 2 at 5:36 PM

Friday Jan 8- Light Candles at 4:37 PM, Shabbat ends Jan 9 at 5:42 PM.

Recommended Jewish/Kosher B&B:

The Home in Rome- located in the lovely area of Piazza Bologna, and near lots of public transportation as well as Synagogues and Kosher deli's and markets, Via Ravenna, 34 00161.

B&B Cappucino- also located in the Piazza Bologna area, a completely Kosker B&B, via Livorno, 1, 00162.

Pension Carmel- a non-Kosher hotel, but very Jewish-Traveler friendly (Chalavi kitchen, which is equipped for Shabbat with Plata and Mecham). It's located in Trastevere, which is just a few minutes from the Jewish Quarter.

For those coming to Rome and interested in seeing the Pope, here's some info about when and how!

Papal Audience- this is usually each Wednesday and is free. It's not quite the same as a mass, but instead is the Pope giving blessings, usually to different pilgrim groups, people about to get married, etc. When the weather is nice it's held outside in St. Peter's Square, or otherwise it can be in the Basilica or in an indoor auditorium. You don't need a ticket to attend, but a ticket will get you a seat. It is at 10:30am and lasts 2 hours. Check with us as we provide free tickets to our guests upon request when available. Otherwise you can request them directly from the Prefettura office at this address: Prefettura della Casa Pontificia, 00120, Città del Vaticano or by fax at +39 06 6988 5863. Try to make requests well in advance. Also, you can appear in person at the Bronze doors and ask for tickets directly from the Swiss Guards. The Bronze doors are located just after you go through the security check to go into St. Peters, and are open the Tuesday before the Audience from 3:00 PM until about 7:00 PM, and also on the morning of the Audience from 8:30 AM. As a note, during the summer, the Pope does the Audience from his vacation home in the nearby hill town of Castel Gandolfo, and not in Rome.

Sunday Blessing- each Sunday morning the Pope gives a short blessing from his residence window over St. Peter's square. This is a completely free and ticketless event. You need just go to St. Peter's square by noon! It should be noted that durng August he gives this blessing from his residence at his vacation home in nearby Castel Gandolfo. He resumes the Sunday blessing in Rome starting October.

Christmas Eve Mass- this is an extremely popular event, as I'm sure you have guessed. It occurs in St. Peter's every December 24th atrting at 10:00 PM. Tickets are free, but very difficult to come by. We try to provide Christmas Mass tickets when we can for our guests, but we cannot guarantee anything until we get a guarantee from the Vatican of tickets (which usually comes at the last minute).

So what to do? You can request them directly from the Vatican by writing to them with your Name, contact information, and the number of tickets desired, to this address:Prefettura della Casa Pontificia, 00120, Città del Vaticano, OR by sending the same information by fax at +39 06 6988 5863. Don't expect to hear back from them anytime soon, as they get an overwhelming number of requests and may or may not get back to you. It is not safe to assume you have tickets unless you receive a confirmation letter from them. And I cannot emphasize anough how important it is to request tickets WAY in advance!

You can also try by sending a request to the American Bishop in Rome at Santa Susanna. But from what I understand they will no longer be providing this service due to the overwhelming number of requests (and therefore overwhelming number of people who are disappointed)

If you are a practicing member of a church at home, you might try and ask a priest or local diocese, as some of them have an in and can help you out immensely.

Also keep in contact with us on the status of our tickets, as we provide them free of charge for Presto /Clients. I'll tell you right now that for Christmas mass 2009, we weren't able to reserve any. ;(

If you aren't able to get a ticket, you can join the other ticketless folks in St. Peter's square to watch the ceremony from outside. But I'll warn you that there will be a huge crowd of people and it will be cold outside! And get there early!

If you are fortunate enough to get tickets, it's my advice to get there hours before the start of the mass, as there will be a very big line of people waiting to get inside too. Also keep in mind you will have to find your way back to where you are staying very late, say 2:00 AM.

Take a look at Santa Susanna's website as well because they also have a Christmas mass, which could be a good alternative for those just seeking to go to mass for Christmas! The Pope will also be doing a Christmas day blessing at noon over St. Peter's square (like he does Sundays), which is as usual free and ticketless.

Easter- Easter mass is pretty much the exact same situation as I wrote above for Christmas Mass. He does an Easter Mass in the morning in St. Peter's square, which is as usual free. But like with Christmas Mass tickets need to be reserved very far in advance (and even then until you hear a confirmation, it's not guaranteed). To find tickets, utilize all the same ways I described above for Christmas Mass (writing directly to the Vatican, Santa Susanna, or asking a member of the clergy in your hometown to help). Again, we provide these tickets for our clients when we have them, so keep in touch with us as well!

During Easter there are some other things you might catch with the Pope, such as Palm Sunday morning at St. Peter's square, Holy Thursday Mass, and the Pope's procession through the city on Good Friday. I think it goes without saying that you will encounter some pretty big crowds for anything involving the Pope around Easter!

Regular Mass- I just wanted to mention that though there are regular masses in St. Peter's, the Pope does NOT preside over all of these normally. Instead he presides over only special celebrations and blessings. The Vatican's website has a fairly up-to-date calendar of his schedule, for those curious! It even has specifics such as people he will be canonizing!