This Is Italy
Rome can get unbearably hot and crowded in the summer months, but that doesn't mean you should avoid the Eternal City. Here are 11 tips for staying cool and enjoying the city.
Rome can be a sticky and uncomfortable place in the summer. After all, there is a good reason why the inhabitants of all Italian cities often leave the city for extended periods – sometimes even for the whole month. August.
But not all residents of Rome can avoid the city all summer. And tourists often only have the opportunity to come in the summer period.
Are you planning to enter July or to come to Italy in August (because it gets hot outside of Rome of course)? Then learn from the following tips.
1. Get up early
You may not like getting up early on vacation, but if you do, you'll be happy. You avoid crowds and queues and the temperatures are a lot lower. Better to get up at 6 am than to roll out of your nest at 11 am and discover that it is already almost 40 degrees Celsius.
Waking up with a view of the Colosseum, how does that seem to you?
The Romans do this themselves. They get up early to do their thing. In the afternoon between 13 pm and 16 pm, everyone rests and eats. Many small businesses and shops are closing their doors.
In very hot weather, the official advice is to stay indoors (or at least out of the sun) between 11.00 a.m. and 18.00 p.m.
Once you've recharged your batteries, you'll have plenty of time to enjoy the sights, shops, and attractions, as most stay open until at least 20.00pm.
2. Shutters closed!
You can combine that early getting up with setting up the shutters. Between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m., after which the shutters have to be closed to keep the heat out. Do you have a Roman holiday apartment? Then you know what to do!
3. Do like the Romans and have a siesta
In many Italian villages and in the smaller towns there is hardly anything to do in the afternoon. The streets are empty, the shutters are closed and the doors of museums, churches and other attractions are locked. And yet you see tourists walking around with their souls under their arms, puffing and sighing because of the heat.
It is better to adapt during your holiday by getting up early, than doing some activities and then retreating for a long lunch and lazing in the hammock or inside the cool of your agriturismo. At the end of the afternoon, public life gets going again!
4. Sweet doing nothing
Speaking of laziness, if you're traveling to Rome or Italy in general during the hot season, you'd do well to embrace another important wisdom from the Italians: sweet far niente. In other words: the blissful idleness.
Don't plan the days during your holiday too full, don't run too fast, but just take it easy and take it easy. Enjoy the moment. You really don't need all those highlights of Rome in one visit to the city.
5. Use the fountains
No lugging plastic water bottles in Rome. You can drink water from the fountains on literally every street corner (drinking fountains of nasone) drinks. The water that comes out of this is the same water that comes out of the tap. It's clean and nice and cool.
There are about 2.000 water fountains in the city, so you don't have to go far to find one. A convenient and free way to cool off in the heat of summer.
With many taps you can keep the opening closed with your finger. The water then squirts out at the top, so you can drink better. Be careful not to sip at the tap or wash your feet in the fountain. This will not be thanked by the Romans.
6. Go underground
We already mentioned this tip in our article with summer tips for Italy. But we definitely have to repeat it here, because Rome is pre-eminently a city that you can also discover from the bottom.
The Catacombs of Domitilla cover 12 km of underground tunnels on 4 levels below the city. The tunnels were made in the 2nd to the 5th century. You can admire frescoes and even an underground church.
For several years now, you can also visit Domus Aurea, also known as Nero's Golden House, which is located largely underground. You can book tours here on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, which is highly recommended even without the heat.
Another underground landmark is the Basilica of San Clemente. At first glance, it resembles any other Roman Catholic basilica. But on the inside you can descend as much as 18 meters underground.
7. Eat ice cream and other cool snacks
You will probably like this tip better than getting up early. Summer in Rome also means you get to eat at least 2 times a day gelato may eat. Do some research on where to get the best ice cream in Rome. And yes, you have to taste a lot for that, don't you?
Rome also has its own unique summer treat. gratachecca is a cup of freshly shaved ice with syrup on top — it's not granita, but it's just as refreshing.
Try this delicacy at La Sora Maria in Prati. This is the most famous place that still remains today grattachecca serves. You can also visit several stalls, including Tram Depot in Testaccio and Sora Mirella in Trastevere. Here are the best addresses to taste it for yourself.
8. Sightseeing at night
Rome is bursting with sights. But why visit them all in the heat of the sun? Some sights are actually much more enchanting under the moon.
Don't you believe us? Then take a look these photos from some of the city's most famous landmarks that are atmospherically lit up at night.
Just grab an ice cream or a terrace after dinner and then go for an extensive walk. You'd be surprised how much quieter and cooler the city is at night.
Did you know that some tour companies even offer nightly tours of the Colosseum offer? And that you actually enjoy the Trevi Fountain much more at night than during the day?
But there is more to do at night! Rome is not only the Eternal City, but also a city that never sleeps. At night you will find various performances and concerts in open air venues such as the Auditorium Parco della Musica, designed by Renzo Piano, where the Roma Summer Fest takes place. You can also enjoy various movies in the open air.
9. Go to the sea or nearby water
The coast is not far from Rome. Grab the rental car or a train and you're there in no time. Some beaches are public and you can visit for free, for others you have to pay.
Fellow blogger Saskia has already made a nice overview of some of the nicest beaches near the city.
Are you not close to the sea? Then you will often find a lake, stream or river at a short distance to cool yourself in the water. Ask the locals, they can certainly help you with tips.
10. Go to the Mountains
Okay, you do have to go quite a way out of the city for it. But you can also enjoy some coolness in the mountains, though you do have to look a bit higher up. You don't have to stand right at the summit; even at that mountain hut halfway up, it often feels a lot more pleasant. And there are plenty of places where you can take a cool dip in a mountain lake. Or where you can refresh yourself with a huge waterfall.
11. Stay cool in the park
There is no shortage of parks in Rome! Here you can step right off the hot cobblestones into the greenery. Under the shade of a tree you can have lunch or relax with a cold drink.
One of our favorite city parks is Villa Doria Pamphili. Locals come here for a run (but not in the hottest part of the day of course), to cycle, have a picnic or just relax during the siesta.
There is also a lake, Lago del Belvedere, where you can see the turtles sticking their heads above the water.
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