The flood in Rome was scary and exciting at the same time. (I can say that now the worst is over). We spent it in a rented apartment from Palazzo Olivia for our family Italian break ... they are so nice. I was worried about going out, but received necessary directions and reassurance during our stay. Comfortable accommodation, great service, great location as usual. On this particular occasion, close enough to the river to "monitor" and far enough to feel safe. Worth a visit.

www.palazzo-olivia.it

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Spending Christmas in such a metropolitan area like Rome is really wonderful. Italy has a very romantic feel to it with its cobbled pavements, cozy cafes and historic landmarks. The Colosseum looks even better during the festive period, with a beautifully adorned tree that sits on its doorstep. There are also plenty of other things to see during this time of year besides the landmarks, including choirs, Christmas markets (like in the Piazza Navona) and Catholic mass on Christmas Eve. Just a wonderful time of the year to be in Italy.

Various; Rome City Centre

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While in Rome, I took Presto's tour of the Vatican (prestotours.com I think). Excellent guides, although we ended up waiting in line at the Vatican for quite some time, despite the claims to quick entry. Still, the quality of our guide (Michael) made the wait worth it.

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The Colosseum as of July 2008 is approx 11 euros entry for an adult. You will queue about half an hour or so and then you can purchase an audio guide for four euros.

Be careful - you will get approached many times by people offering you the chance to queue jump as they have a reservation and they will take you on a 40 minute tour for 20-25 euros. Sounds good, but don't go. Basically there are real tours that go through a different queue. When these tour groups get to a certain part the group leader will pay for everyone at the ticket office and then take you on a tour. However they do not really check whether the tours are official. So what these other people are doing are taking you through to the ticket office using the tour queue which may be ever slightly quicker, and then they are purchasing your tickets and keeping ten euros themselves after giving you a quick unofficial tour. I would advise you queue in the normal line and use the official audio tour guides for four euros.

If you are unsure whether the people you are talking to are real staff at the Colosseum, I can tell you that they all wear a uniform. The uniform we witnessed was black t-shirts and black trousers. So all these others outside in their own clothes are unofficial guides.

The Colosseum can be found easily but I advise going to a newsagent or to the kiosk at Termini Station or another metro station and purchasing a seven-day pass. It is 16 euros and entitles you to seven days on buses, metro and trains, unlimited use. Get off at Colosseo stop for Colosseum or Termini for Trevi fountain, Spagna for spanish steps, etc... or travel for 40 minutes to Loro Central and it's a ten minute walk to a lovely beach! Great value for money! Metro comes every three minutes, absolutely fantastic!

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I would recommend everyone to take a Vatican Museum, St. Peter and Sistine Chapel tour by the Hotel Felice - great price, pick-up and drop-off from to/the hotel; the hotel’s staff booked the tour for my wife and me and we paid the agency directly for this. If you are now in Rome and you have no idea where to start, I recommend to choose one tour, you can skip the line!

tinyurl.com/6xplx8

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Rome is riddled with catacombs and underground tunnels, but few are as intriguing as the catacombs of San Callisto.

These early Christian tombs are a variety of different shapes and sizes, and once housed the remains of up to half a million people.

Although they're on the outskirts of the city they still don't manage to escape the tourist scrum, but with nearly 20km of tunnels it's undeniably worth it.

Via Appia Antica 110-126

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Not a pub, but a bed & breakfast near the Colosseum. The rooms are beautiful, as lovely as we have seen in four-star hotels. The host couple is very kind. They helped us plan our time and suggested some great restaurants.

Nicolas Inn
www.nicolasinn.com

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Being very interested in the Vatican museums, we decided to find a hotel which allowed me to reach the area in a snap - considering the huge lines that I knew I had to front. I was impressed by Colors Hotel. The staff was helpful in many occasions during our stay. The rooms are not what I'd call top luxury but were nice and clean: my husband has often had strong allergies in hotel rooms, but had no problem at all at Colors.

Via Boezio 31,Rome (Vatican area). www.colorshotel.com

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This part of Rome is much quieter and on a smaller scale than much of the main part of the city. It's on the west side of the Tiber and south of the Vatican and has many small restaurants and boutiques - a few too many perhaps. It's a little reminiscent of Florence and the narrow cobbled streets still contain many picturesque old houses.

Trastevere

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A short train ride from Rome and a pleasant escape from the city. Lots to see there including the Villa d'Este (Cardinal's Palace), various temples and Hadrian's Villa - a few miles outside the town. There's also a spectacular walk through a ravine with waterfalls to cool you off on a hot day.

www.italyheaven.co.uk/tivoli.html

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