Short Breaks in Rome - IndigoGuide Rome

Short Breaks in Rome, Italy - Weekend Breaks

Holidays in Rome - more in this category > Short Breaks > Sightseeing > Things to do > Tourist Info > Tours

Short Breaks Rome - Travel Essentials in Rome, Italy

There are four essential components of any visit to Rome:
shopping, cuisine, wine and art. All short breaks to Rome must include at least one; if you only have 48 hours in Rome, here's some a quick guide to help you find the best of the best.

See - MQSEARCH for the latest advertised weekend break packages if based in the UK and for vacations - here if you are based in the USA.

Shopping

Welcome to Rome, where Prada, Gucci and Versace are household names. Rome is the shopping capital of the world, no matter if it's for authentic Italian leather or inexpensive knock-offs. Here's some information to suit all shopping short breaks to Rome.

For designer shops, head to the Piazza di Spagna, where you'll find Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Armani and Gucci. If your budget is more modest, try the stores on the Via del Corso and Via Nazionale for well priced high street fashion. Unique jewelry and clothing are found on the side streets off Campo de'Fiori and in the small shops of Trastevere. Short breaks to Rome around January and July often yield the best prices as yearly clothing sales reduce prices down 70 percent.

When in Rome pick up Lo Scopri Occasioni by Theodora Van Meurs; available in English, this guide provides directions to over 2,000 Roman shops.

Cuisine

Short breaks in Rome are not the time to start dieting, for Roman cuisine is nothing if not delicious. If you plan to sample of Romen's finest, head to the side streets off Piazza Navona and Campo de' Fiori. Trastevere and Testaccio afford great meals for good prices; avoid the touristy, over priced areas around the Vatican and Stazione Termini.

Trattorias and pizzerias provide a great alternative to full sized restaurants; for delicious meals that are light on the wallet, skip the mediocre restaurants in favour of these smaller eateries. If you plan to do it yourself, head to the daily food market in Campo de' Fiori for the freshest fruit, cheese, meat and vegetables in the city. And for dessert? Gelato, of course, available at gelaterias all over the city.

Don't forget to bring along The Dictionary of Italian Food and Drink by John Mariani, which covers every aspect of Italian cuisine from Aglio to Zuppa.

Wine

Rome is the land of the enoteca, or wine bar. Offering a wide range of wines (upwards of 700), enoteca are popular with business workers on afternoon breaks and Romans looking to share a bottle and a round of antipasto before dinner. It's usually possible to buy wine by the glass, and if you're having trouble choosing simply ask the proprietor for a recommendation.

Italian Wines 2004: A Guide to the World of Italian Wine for Experts and Wine Lovers by Dario Cappelloni et al. is the perfect travel companion on all wine tasting short breaks to Rome.

For a list of over 1,900 wine stores, pick up The Italian Wine Guide : The Definitive Guide to Touring, Sourcing, and Tasting by the Touring Club of Italy. The best part? It includes maps and explicit directions.

Art and architecture

Of course, there's more to Rome than shopping and stomachs; the city is home to most of the world's most amazing works of art and architecture. Not only is it filled with paintings by the Italian Masters such as Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael, but with cathedrals, fountains, domes and arches around every corner, the city is a study in man's amazing ability to create.

Try to see it all and you'll so mad. Instead, visit these top three museums: the Vatican Museums, the Galleria Borghese and the Galleria Nazionale Arte Antica (National Gallery of Ancient Art).

Philip's City Guide to Rome: Architecture, History, Art by James Bentley covers all the art and architecture in Rome ; take it along to help plan out your trek.

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