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When in Rome

The Italian capital is arguably Europe’s most expensive city – but it doesn’t have to be. Just do as the locals do, says Josephine Quintero

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It’s hard to describe Rome without slipping into superlative overdose. On the downside, you may easily slip into your overdraft here, as the Eternal City is perennially expensive.

Within the last six months, I have enjoyed two very different trips to Rome. One was a go-for-the-splurge birthday weekend for my daughter; the other a week’s budget trip with a London-based girlfriend, recently unemployed and in desperate need of an inexpensive gelato -cum-culture-cum-foodie fix in sumptuous and, ideally, sunny surroundings.

With my daughter, I waved my credit card around with abandon, staying in a four-star hotel and eating at restaurants often perilously close to the main tourist sights. We had our quota of three-course dinners, glasses of wines, and costly cappuccinos and Camparis. When the sums were done at the end of both trips, the only figures that had escalated on the longer trip were the numbers on my bathroom scales. The cost was roughly the same – approximately €600 – for both trips. So how did we manage it?

Where to stay

Finding accommodation on the cheap requires careful planning. I was fortunate enough to stay in an apartment of an acquaintance, at the cut-price rate of €60 per night. Several agencies rent out apartments at reasonable rates – check out the following websites for a good range of prices: homesinrome.com; myhomeyourhome.it; lets-travel-rome. com and flatinrome.com

Rome also has a small number of inexpensive hotels. Funny Palace (33 Via Varese, , funnyhostel.com), near the main train station, is comfortable and friendly, and has double rooms for as little as €50. Colors Hotel (31 Via Boezio, tel. + 39 , colorshotel.com) is another winner, with prices starting at €60 for a double room.

How to eat

There are a couple of money-saving measures that to every Italian are pure common sense. Firstly, if you order a coffee at a café, perch on a stool within hissing distance of the espresso machine. Heading to an outside table will easily up your bill by a third. Locals people-watch from a piazza bench instead. And avoid buying water anywhere except a supermarket, as kiosks will often charge up to €2.50 for a small bottle.

Eat lunch in a wine bar instead of a restaurant or trattoria. Most will serve a selection of sandwiches and tasty snacks that are reasonably priced and filling. Alternatively, go for a slice (or two) of pizza. Remember that, usually, the simpler the topping, the better the taste. Da Michele (31 Via dell’Umiltà) has delicious slices costing €1 for 100g of pizza. In the heart of livewire Trastevere, Panificio Arnese, (27 Via del Politeama) is more of a rambling bakery, but a superb one, which serves pizza by the slice and other savoury baked goodies.

If you prefer a trattoria, then make lunch rather than dinner your main meal, as it will certainly be cheaper and will often also include a daily menu option. You’ll be charged for bread, even if you don’t eat a crumb, so if you’re not a bread head, politely decline it at the onset of the meal. And go where the locals go – no-frills joints like Corsi (87-88 Via del Gesù, tel. ). It’s near (but not too near!) the Pantheon. It does groaning portions of reliably good specials, such as potato gnocchi and ricotta and spinach ravioli.

What to see

You can see many of Rome’s most famous sights without spending a single euro. The Spanish Steps (Piazza di Spagna), the Pantheon (Piazza della Rotonda) and the Trevi Fountain (Piazza di Trevi) are all free.

Apart from having complimentary entry, many of Rome’s churches contain art and sculpture by masters such as Raphael, Caravaggio, Bernini, and even Michelangelo. Apart from St Peter’s Basilica, some of the biggies include Santa Maria del Popolo (Piazza del Popolo), which houses two stunning Caravaggios. On the other side of the historic square, San Pietro in Vincoli enshrines the tomb of Pope Julius II and is home to Michelangelo’s Moses.

There are also four amazing miles of art and sculpture on display at the Vatican Museums (mv.vatican.va), which are free on the last Sunday of every month.

Less well known are the exquisite gardens of Parco Savello (Via di Santa Sabina). You can watch the sun set over the Tiber here, surrounded by fragrant orange blossom. The ancient walled garden at the Monastery of Santa Croce (12 Piazza di Santa Croce) is like a colourful patchwork of fruit interlaced with grapevines and beds of roses. Entry is free, but you’ll need to contact the monastery for a chance to see the garden (email:).

Rome’s centri sociali (social centres), originally squats in disused public buildings, host cheap gigs and club nights (the cover charge is usually around €10). Forte Prenestino (Via Federico Delpino, Centocelle), housed in a 19th-century fortress complete with moat, is a warren of underground tunnels leading to the central area where the action takes place.

Do as the Romans do

Common-sense tips

Accept that you are going to spend some money in Rome. But for just €23 you can invest in a Roma Pass, valid for three days, which includes free admission to two museums and/or sites, as well as reduced entry to other sites, many events, plus unlimited public transport.

Avoid expensive organised bus tours.

They are usually packed, which can mean long waits at the various stops.

Don’t sabotage your efforts by getting your purse stolen or falling for a scam. Wear a money belt under your clothes, always join the main taxi queues at the train stations (where illegal taxi drivers are rife) and be especially wary on bus number 64, the most crowded bus route in Rome, which runs between the most visited sights. It’s notorious for pickpockets, often disguised as prosperous-looking businessmen with suit jackets folded over their arms, to conceal roving hands.

Buon viaggio!

FR À Rome, fais comme les Romains

La capitale italienne fait incontestablement figure de ville la plus chère d’Europe. Qu’à cela ne tienne ! Pour dénicher des endroits à petits prix, vivez comme les Romains, nous dit Josephine Quintero

Où loger ?

Plusieurs agences louent des appartements à des prix raisonnables. Consultez les sites suivants :www.homesinrome.com ; www.myhomeyourhome.it ; www.lets-travel-rome.com et www.flatinrome.com.

Rome dispose également d’un certain nombre d’hôtels pour les petits budgets comme le Funny Palace (33 Via Varese, tél. 523, www.funnyhostel.com) et Colors Hotel & Hostel (31 Via Boezio, tél. , www.colorshotel.com).

Où manger ?

Prenez votre lunch dans un bar à vins au lieu du traditionnel restaurant ou de la trattoria. Ou encore rabattez-vous sur un morceau de pizza. Essayez Da Michele (31 Via dell’Umiltà, tél. ) ou Panificio Arnese (27 Via del Politeama, tél. ).

Si vous choisissez la trattoria, préférez alors le lunch plutôt que le dîner, votre repas principal. Ce sera en effet moins cher et le midi, ces établissements proposent souvent un menu du jour en suggestion. Allez là où se rendent les Romains, dans des auberges simples comme Corsi (87 Via del Gesù, tél. ) qui propose des spécialités savoureuses, du style raviolis à la ricotta et aux épinards.

Que voir ?

Vous pouvez admirer de nombreux sites de la Rome éternelle sans débourser un seul euro. Vous pouvez accéder gratuitement à L’Escalier espagnol (Piazza di Spagna), au Pantheon (Piazza della Rotonda) et à la Fontaine de Trevi (Piazza di Trevi).

L’église Santa Maria del Popolo (Sainte-Marie-du-Peuple – Piazza del Popolo) abrite deux magnifiques tableaux du Caravage. L’église San Pietro in Vincoli (Saint Pierre aux Liens – Piazza del Popolo) est réputée pour le Moïse de Michel-Ange. Ces lieux sont libres d’accès. La visite du Musée du Vatican (www.mv.vatican.va) est gratuite le dernier dimanche du mois.

La découverte des somptueux jardins du Parc Savello (Via di Santa Sabina) et du Monastère de Santa Croce (12 Piazza di Santa Croce) ne coûte rien.

Le centri sociali, à l’origine des squats dans un bâtiment public à l’abandon, héberge des bars et des night clubs à prix réduit. Aventurez-vous au Forte Prenestino (Via F. Delpino Centocelle).

NL Romeinse zuinigheid

Er wordt wel eens beweerd dat Rome de duurste stad in Europa is. Maar daar valt wel een “Italiaanse” mouw aan te passen, zegt Josephine Quintero

Overnachten

Verschillende bureaus verhuren appartementen voor een betaalbare prijs. Surf beslist eens naar de volgende websites: www.homesinrome.com; www.myhomeyourhome.it; www.lets-travel-rome.com en www.flatinrome.com.

Rome telt ook een klein aantal goedkope hotels zoals Funny Palace (Via Varese 33, 3, www.funnyhostel.com) en Colors Hotel & Hostel (Via Boezio 31, tel. + 39 , www.colorshotel.com).

Eten

Eet ’s middags in een wijnbar en niet op restaurant of in een trattoria. Of eet gewoon een stuk pizza. Spring eens binnen bij Da Michele (Via dell’Umiltà 31, tel. ) of Panificio Arnese (Via del Politeama 27, tel. ).

Kies je toch voor een Trattoria? Eet dan uitgebreid over de middag in plaats van ’s avonds. Niet alleen valt het goedkoper uit, je kunt er vaak ook het dagmenu kiezen. Doe zoals de Romeinen, ga naar eenvoudige eethuisjes zoals Corsi (Via del Gesù 87, tel. ), waar je getrakteerd wordt op grote porties van lekkere specialiteiten als ricotta- en spinazieravioli.

Bezichtigen

Veel van Romes bekendste bezienswaardigheden kun je gratis bezichtigen. De Spaanse trappen (Piazza di Spagna), het Pantheon (Piazza della Rotonda) en de Fontana di Trevi (Piazza di Trevi) kosten je niets.

De Santa Maria del Popolo (Piazza del Popolo) herbergt twee indrukwekkende Caravaggio’s. In de San Pietro in Vincoli (Piazza del Popolo) kun je de Mozes van Michelangelo bewonderen. Beide zijn gratis. Het Vaticaans museum (www.mv.vatican.va) kun je elke laatste zondag van de maand gratis bezoeken.

Ook voor de adembenemende tuinen in de Parco Savello (Via di Santa Sabina) en het klooster van Santa Croce (Piazza di Santa Croce 12) betaal je geen cent.

In Romes centri sociali – oorspronkelijk gekraakte ongebruikte overheidsgebouwen

- kun je terecht voor goedkope concerten en clubnachten. Probeer ook Forte Prenestino (Via F. Delpino Centocelle) eens uit.