This is why a trip to Rome in February is worthwhile!
9 x Rome. This time it's the turn of February. A month that counts as low season in Rome, because it obviously does not fulfill any of the typical tourist dreams. Many Rome travelers just dream of balmy nights in front of the Colosseum, sunny warm moments in a sidewalk cafe in front of the Pantheon, flip flops and short dresses. However, February is a dream month for those who fancy heat-free explorations of Rome. Cappuccino & Co. Taste under the open sky and radiant heaters even at the beginning of the year in the most beautiful places in the city. In addition, in Rome are altogether fewer tourists on the road. At this point I already take away the hope of impatient individualists not to have to queue in front of the top sights. Rome is a popular destination for a short trip all year round. The lines are just a little shorter in the offseason, especially during the week.
But now I finally come to the good reasons for which a trip to Rome in February is worthwhile. Here are nine ideas for a great time in the Eternal City. I hope some inspirations meet your travel taste and still fit into your program. By the way, you can find links to more Rome travel tips at the end of the article.
#Cappuccino drinking in one of the oldest cafe-bars of Rome
When the sun is shining, the cafes in the squares of the city are a great place to hang out. The February sun has more radiance in the south than in the north of Europe. And in case of doubt, radiant heaters warm the shivering tourist. If it gets too uncomfortable outside, I recommend a trip to the district Prati. Near the Vatican Museums and the Ottaviano subway station is one of the oldest cafes in the city, the Sciascia Caffè. There are a few seats at the almost antique bar made of dark wood. From here you can simply observe the comings and goings of the Romans, the skill of the baristas and the incredible hustle and bustle, while enjoying a cup of cappuccino or caffè.
My tip: Order a caffè con cioccolato fondente. Before the espresso enters the cup, its inner wall is coated with liquid dark chocolate.
Sciascia Caffè, Via Fabio Massimo 30a, district of Prati, Metro A to Ottaviano
#Visiting the Italian President
Near the Trevi Fountain, on the Quirinals Hill, the Italian President resides in an imposing building. The Quirinals Palace including its 1.200 room dates back to the 16. Jhd. and has served as a summer residence for many popes. After the Italian king and his entourage moved in in 1851, the Italian state took over the magnificent building after the abolition of the monarchy. Today, visitors to Rome are also allowed to see the inside of the presidential palace. You must book your visit online at least 5 days in advance. The guided tours take place at fixed times between 9.30 o'clock and 16.00 o'clock Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat and Sun. You have the choice online between different times as well as a short and a long guided tour.
The short guided tour (80 minutes) is free of charge, only the reservation fee of 1,50 EUR will be charged.
I recommend you the long guided tour. It costs 10 EUR. During the 150 minutes you will also see the famous gardens and the collection of carriages. Please do not forget your identity card and be at the entrance of the Quirinal Palace 15 minutes before the start of the tour.
More details ( also in German) at palazzo.quirinale.it/palazzo
#Enjoy the view of Rome while celebrating carnival
Carnival has a long tradition in Rome. Already Johann Wolfgang von Goethe raved in the highest tones about the horse procession, which ran from the Piazza del Popolo further over the Via del Corso. The giovedi grasso, the fat Thursday (our heavy Thursday), falls in 2019 on the 28th. February. The traditional parade with foot groups in historical costumes and groups of riders through the Roman city center takes place only on the 3. March takes place. Only 20 kilometers southeast of Rome lies Frascati. The town in the Alban Hills is famous not only for its white wine, but also for its exuberant carnival. Here is usually already a weekend before the Schwerdornnerstag celebrated. And with a sensational far view on Rome.
So far the exact carnival program for Frascati is unfortunately not yet fixed. As soon as it is announced – as always in Italy – at very short notice, I will post the information. I can assure you at this point, however, that a trip to the Alban Hills in Frascati is worthwhile, whether with or without the carnival procession . In the pretty streets of the old town you will find one or the other quaint osteria, all of which offer a specialty of the region: Porchetta, a very tasty roast pork, with which a glass of Frascati tastes especially good in the cooler season. Besides a great view, good wine and a pretty old town, Frascati also has its own castle, Villa Aldobrandani. Unfortunately the lap does not receive visitors. But the sight of the stately walls is also worth seeing from the outside.
The FL 4 train runs hourly between Termini station and Frascati. The journey takes half an hour and ends centrally in Frascati, directly below a panoramic terrace. A one-way ticket costs 2.10 EUR.
# Walk over all the seven legendary hills
In February you can get around Rome well on foot! There is no threat of outside temperatures that would make a walk a hot torture. In addition, many of the most beautiful sights are not as far apart as a glance at a city map might suggest. This is also true for the seven legendary hills, which are great to climb on a day trip. On your way across the Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, Celio, Palatine, Aventine and Capitoline, you'll get to see many of Rome's best sights. Which hot spots and gems you will encounter on a 7-hill summit tour, I have reported in detail in this blog article.
#Taking the streetcar to the fairy-tale district of Coppedè
If your feet hurt from standing in line in front of St. Peter's Basilica or the Vatican Museums, go to the nearby Piazza di Risorgimento, get on streetcar 19 and take a swinging ride to the fairytale kingdom of Mr. Coppedè. In February, it's half bad that the air conditioners don't work in the almost historic-looking train cars. The destination is located in the Trieste district and consists of a few streets where the architect Gino Coppedè gave free rein to his imagination between 1915 and 1927. This is how fantastic apartment buildings were built, which are absolutely worth seeing. The center of the Coppedè district is Piazzia Mincio, where a frog fountain gushes out. Around it are the most beautiful palazzi of the architectural ensemble. Their towers are reminiscent of castles, their filigree decorations of rococo palaces. On their facades fairy tales are told or spiders crawl on them. Other palazzi are located in Via Ombrone and Via Olone.
Quartiere Coppedè, Piazza Mincio, streetcar 19 to the stop Buones Aires
#Experience Rome without cars
If you want to visit the 10. February 2019 in Rome, you will be an eyewitness to a unique spectacle. There will be no cars in the center of Rome. So almost none. On the so-called ecological Sundays, between 7.30 o'clock and 12.30 h and between 16.30 a.m. and 8 p.m.30 o'clock no vehicles in and within a certain radius of the center drive. Every winter there is thick air in Rome. There are many culprits for the tenacious smog over the city. There are for example the climate, the many old cars, the miserable local traffic and the outdated heaters, which between December and February, the already not best air quality once again drastically lowered. Ecological Sundays are not only intended to reduce air pollution in the short term, but also to raise citizens' awareness of the problem itself. Romans should switch to public transport instead of driving their own cars for even the shortest distances. Whether this concept is promising without a functioning public transport system, remains to be seen. You can definitely enter Piazza Venezia on this day without fear of death. Have fun!
# Feasting for hours at Il Papetto
I always have a hard time recommending restaurants in the summertime. Most of my favorite restaurants don't have outdoor seating in a romantic piazza. A fact that Romans find little disturbing. You just want to eat well, and in the summer you can do so in pleasant air-conditioned temperatures. Rome visitors, on the other hand, are looking for that piazza feeling on balmy summer evenings. However, not every beautiful piazza serves beautiful food. In February, the following restaurant recommendation comes very easily to me: Papetto is a paradise for all those who like fish and seafood and have a desire for deep insights into the authentic Roman food culture. The Papetto is famous for its multi-course menu, which begins unspectacularly with salmon on toast, followed by various other starters: sauteed mussels, oysters, baby octopus in tomato sauce, etc. Then two or three pasta dishes are served, after which fried squid rings and baby octopus and a platter of grilled fish are dished up. A light lemon sorbet is served for dessert. On my last visit, the menu price was 35 EUR per person. Drinks are included. When the bottle of wine is empty, the next one is put on the table without being asked. The atmosphere at Papetto is as debauched as the menu sequence. Once the three rustically furnished rooms are full, the atmosphere is loud and loud.
Take streetcar 8 from Piazza Venezia to the Gianicolese stop. From here it is less than 2 minutes to the restaurant.
Papetto, Circonvallazione Gianicolense 91, 19.30 clock – 24.00 o'clock
#Taking a STress Free City Sightseeing Tour of Rome
For a job I was allowed to test all hop-on hop-off buses in Rome over a longer period of time. My conclusion: It's no fun to ride these double-decker buses in high season at rush hour. In February with bright sunshine such a trip is a real pleasure. There is no crowding at the bus stops or fights for free seats. While the mood among passengers from all over the world tends to be explosive in the crowded buses during hot summer temperatures, it is more relaxed in winter. However, you should have a scarf and a cap with you on the bus tour. The breeze that blows around your nose can be quite chilly at full speed. Except for one provider, all bus lines run almost the same route, which in turn is different on weekends than during the week. I can not recommend you a particular bus line. They all have their disadvantages. Most expensive and empty is BIG BUS. The most crowded, but with the most buses is City Sightseeing Rome on the road. I love Rome has the most individual price structure. The provider has not only 1 day, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h hop-on-hop-off tickets in the program, but also very simple city tours for 14 EUR , which become even cheaper after 3 p.m.
#A Mini Caravaggio Tour of Rome Company
In low season, not only the queues in front of the ticket booths of the top attractions are shorter. It is also not quite as crowded in front of the art treasures, which are available for admiration by visitors to Rome completely free of charge. Like the church of San Luigi dei Francesi. The French National Church on the way between Piazza Navona and Pantheon houses three paintings by the baroque superstar Caravaggio (1571 -1610). The painter owes his cult status not only to his special technique, chiaroscuro painting. An exciting life full of women's stories, alcohol excesses, a murder and banishment from Rome also nourish the myth of Caravaggio to this day. His work has made it all the way to the Hermitage in St. Petersburg or the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. If you were fascinated by the paintings in the French National Church, you should continue walking to Piazza del Popolo. In the Chiesa Santa Maria del Popolo hang two more paintings of the baroque star. In the Cappella Cesari you can see the crucifixion of Apostle Peter and the conversion of Apostle Paul.