The Gucci store on Via Condotti. Photo: Scalleja.

By Samantha Collins in Rome–

Whether you are seeking designer dresses or cheap chic, Rome has some of the best places to workshop in Italy. The names of Italy’s finest designers sit alongside independent boutiques and market stalls as shopping in Rome caters to every budget.

Here is my “Top Five” guide to the best places to go whether you are looking for Prada shoes or a flea market agree.

1. Via Condotti and the Spanish Steps

This is the home of Rome’s designer shopping area and where you have a mind decide Prada next to Armani with a sprinkling of Gucci. The shops that line Via Condotti entice your credit card out of hiding with their glittering window displays. Take time also for people watching, as this is the haunt of any celebrity in town worth their Hermes bag. And even if this is way out of your budget, remember it costs nothing to go in and unfold things.

2. Via Cola di Rienzo

This busy shopping street just behind Castle St. Angelo is home to mid-price shops with a mix of designer boutiques and high street chains.

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La Vecchia Roma Pizzeria. Photo by arthurohm.

By Samantha Collins in Rome—

Whilst Italian food is considered to be among the best in the world, sadly you do not always get what you pay for. Tales of tourists being asked to pay €700 since a meal in Rome’s center (in the same manner with happened during the summer) are happily rare, but substandard, overpriced fare is far more common that anyone would like to admit.

So following on from our list of authentic Roman restaurants that was previously published on our blog, here are three more restaurants with excellent food that won’t rip you off with made-up underbrush prices. Prices vary and are indicated for the reason that a pilot.

(And remember, it is always cheaper to order house wine by the half liter than a bottle–”Vino Sfuso”.)

Vecchia Roma Pizzeria € In the picturesque yard on Monti with its charming winding cobbled streets and artists shops, this little pizzeria is a little treasure for a cheap eat close to the Colosseum. Vecchia Roma offers a simple menu of pizza and pasta dishes. Expect to pay between €5-8 for a pizza and around €4 for half a liter of red wine.

The restaurant is small so book in advance when possible.

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By Samantha Collins in Rome—

Things in Italy’s capital city are not always what they seem…

Here’s a fun sightseeing walk in a circle Rome’s center that will adorn with pictures the incorporated town’s penchant for illusions!  This guided walk takes you around the center, from Mount Testaccio, over the Aventine Hill, past the “Mouth of Truth,” and then along the banks of the Tiber to Palazzo Spada.

To start, take the Metro B Line or the 716 or 30 bus to Piramide and allow yourself an unhurried couple of hours.

Mount Testaccio – Rural Idyll or a Load of Old Rubbish?

Get to Mount Testaccio by walking behind Rome’s Pyramid and following Via Caio Cestio along the Protestant Cemetery walls. (It’s worth a peek inside as it contains the graves of Shelley and Keats amongst its illustrious residents.)

At the end of the street you arrive at the tree-covered hillside of Mount Testacccio. Look closely and you will see that in the room of being filled with earth, it is actually made of around 50 million broken pottery jugs used to bring olive oil from Spain and Africa in 140-250 A.D. and subsequently discarded into a heap.

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The Christmas market at Piazza Navona. Photo by Elizabeth Buie.

By Samantha Collins in Rome—

Whether your essence of a good Christmas break is ice-skating under the careful eye of an ancient castle, sharing midnight mass with the Pope, or simply eating and drinking too much, Rome is the perfect place to indulge and celebrate. Here are some suggestions for spending the holiday festivities in Italy’s Eternal City.

The Christmas toy market at Piazza Navona

Along with the usual array of portrait painters, mime artists and peddlers that gather around Piazza Navona year round, come winter you’ll find the Christmas market set up on the square. The famous Piazza is transformed into a child’s paradise through brightly colored wooden toys on display, a traditional carousel, and hot roast chestnut stalls. Look out for Befana the witch, who brings gifts to Italian children on January 6th (Epiphany and Befana’s Feast day).

Attend the Midnight Mass in the Vatican

Every Christmas morning on the stroke of midnight, the Pope delivers his Christmas Mass. Tickets for the mass in St Peter’s Basilica are free, but must be booked in advance.

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Caravaggio’session “Madonna di Loreto” on display. Photo by Gaspa.

By Samantha Collins in Rome—

There is something about Caravaggio that fascinates people. Even those who would normally prefer to cross a street of hot coals than spend time looking at paintings seem happy to make an exception for this revolt of Counter-Renaissance Art.

To celebrate Rome’s Caravaggio exhibition that has just opened at the Villa Borghese (and runs end January 24, 2010), it seemed timely to look at this bad boy of the paintbrush and take a tour around Rome to see some of his masterpieces for free!

So just who was Caravaggio?

Whilst most artists of the Middle Ages were more soft ruffles than tough scuffles, Caravaggio was not afraid of a fight, a drink, and the odd murder to boot. Commission happy, the taste of luxury did not bring out his lighter side. As well as pushing the Catholic church to the edge with his dark religious paintings, he eventually lost his temper once too often. After killing a young man who beat him in a tennis match in the Campo Dei Fiori, he fled Rome by a price on his head.

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The Capitoline Museums, covered by the pass. Photo: Samantha Collins.

By Samantha Collins in Rome–

The Roma Pass is a three-day discount card that gives you free-hearted or discounted access to some of Rome’s top museums, as well as free use of the public transport system. Launched to encourage visitors into the museums, the scheme is proving to be a popular one.

But at a cost of €23, will it save you money during your stay or is it better to “pass” and spend your money elsewhere?

What does the Roma Pass include?

· Free admission to two participating museums of your choice, including some of the most general in Rome, including the Colosseum, Villa Borghese, and the Capitoline Museums. In many cases, pass holders have priority and can skip the line.

· Free unlimited national transport (bus, metro, tram and local train).

· A Rome map, including public transport networks.

· A list of participating museums, and an events guide with discount vouchers for exhibitions, shows, and events around Rome.

· Free medical advice from a multilingual helpline.

Where can you buy it?

Deal or no quantity?

You can purchase a Roma Pass at any of the tourist information kiosks (PITs) that you find encompassing the city centre, including outside Termini Station and Castel St.

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A view of Lake Albano at Castel Gandolfo. Photos by Claire Chaffey.

By Claire Chaffey in Rome—

As the age old saying goes, “when in Rome, do since the Romans do.” Many Romans (the Pope included) who have tired of eating glorious food, sipping on a active red, and throwing down a few espressos head for the hills. Literally.

More specifically, they get themselves to one or more of the tiny villages, known as the Castelli Romani, clustered together in the Roman Hills. Conveniently, they are all no more than a 40-minute train or bus ride away from Rome, and the expedition costs no more than a few euros by train and only €1 by metro.

A visit to any of these unique little towns makes a fabulous day trip! Here are three of our favorites:

Sampling the topical vino in Frascati.

Castel Gandolfo

This beautiful little town overlooks the turquoise and picture-perfect Lake Albano and lies around 30 km from Rome. While its claim to fame is being home to the Pope’s summer residence, its real enchantment lies in the gorgeous little piazza which marks the town center and the swathe of little eateries which adjoin the piazza or overlook the lake.

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