The Long Way Down, Up and Around: Roma

They say if you make it to Rome and you still like Italy, push on, otherwise, pull up and go home, because it only gets more intense.

Rome is certainly intense, a rewarding, but exhausting place to visit. Most people head straight for the Colosseum, the Roman ruins, and the most famous museums. If you can get away from the crowds (and there will definitely be huge crowds in the summer), the side streets are a great place to get away and get a feeling for Italy off the tourist trail. Like just about everywhere on the Euro-package tour circuit, it's probably a lot more pleasant to visit off season, even if the weather is more challenging.

We had our share of travel frustrations in Rome - slow rental car agencies, broken elevators, and overpriced food - but it's something you just have to expect when you get there. They say the Swiss welcome travelers, the French tolerate them, and the Italians scam them and, well, I wish it wasn't true, but it kind of was in our experience. Be careful of places to exchange money - we wound up paying a whopping 25% fee on a $1,000 exchange. The fees were all in plain site, except they were in Italian and no one would have thought they were cumulative and summed to 25%. Of course, once you get off the package tour trail all this stuff disappears, but unfortunately very few people ever do.

The highlights for us? Soaking up the energy of the city as we walked around, especially near the main shopping area. There are thousands of people and their fast-paced, fashionable energy is contagious.

Strolling through the old Roman Forum - definitely top of the list. Another reminder of how civilizations come and go...

And finally, the food. The further South you head the better the values are and you can wine and dine for a bargain. Hang out in a cafe, enjoy your wine or espresso, people watch, and let the hours go by. You'll be in the company of a lot of locals doing the exact same thing.