If all roads lead to Rome, I'm hiking cross-country. Having spent a week in "the eternal city," I can say with some degree of certainty that the only thing Rome has going for it is the food and the ruins, which are truly incredible. Most everything else is dirty, crooked, and downright unpleasant.
The moment you walk into the airport, fake taxi drivers attempt to steer you away from the legitimate taxis into their double-priced cars. On the Metro, you must always be on your guard against pickpockets--we ran into them on two separate occasions. Men, women, and even kids, working in groups. On the streets, beggars and shady salespeople try to talk you out of your euros. An ATM debited my account without actually shelling out any cash. In hotels and restaurants, many of the staff are openly disdainful of foreigners, especially Americans. Ticket windows give discounts to kids from the EU, but not to American kids. Graffiti and pornography are everywhere. There is simply no rest for the traveller in Rome.
I highly recommend reading about the wonderful history of Rome, watching high-quality documentaries, and talking to others who have been there. I cannot recommend actually visiting Rome yourself, unless you are well-prepared to deal with a constant onslaught of the dark side of society.
We saw some wonderful sights in Rome, and met some very warm and helpful individuals. Even so, by the end of the week, I found myself feeling angry, exploited, even violated by the "other side" of the city. The rest of Italy might be wonderful (Ostia Antica, in fact, was particularly refreshing), but after our time in Rome, I was ready to get the heck out of there and never look back.
Posted by jon at November 19, 2004 06:48 PM