Name a concern people often have when travelling abroad. FOOD will probably be number 1 on the list. Here are some suggestions that may help you solve this problem, quality and cost wise, when visiting Rome. RISTORANTEs are fine, but fairly expensive. Try instead HOSTERIAs or, even better, TRATTORIAs (meals there would be about 18/25 Euros /per person; keep in mind that a cover charge always applies. Prices are shown also on stands outside the place). PIZZERIA is another sign that may come in handy: sit-down pizza meals are about 15/20 Euros / per person (pizzas are usually quite good in Rome), take-away pizzas won't go over 6 Euros each excluding drinks. INSALATA RICCA is a food franchise group specializing in big salads and various kind of traditional pasta dishes (meals about 10/25 Euros / per person). Finally, the usual old Mc. Donald's, Burger King or similar chains are spread throughout the city, but not Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Name a concern people often have when travelling abroad. FOOD will probably be number 1 on the list. Here are some suggestions that may help you solve this problem, quality and cost wise, when visiting Rome. RISTORANTEs are fine, but fairly expensive. Try instead HOSTERIAs or, even better, TRATTORIAs (meals there would be about 18/25 Euros /per person; keep in mind that a cover charge always applies. Prices are shown also on stands outside the place). PIZZERIA is another sign that may come in handy: sit-down pizza meals are about 15/20 Euros / per person (pizzas are usually quite good in Rome), take-away pizzas won't go over 6 Euros each excluding drinks. INSALATA RICCA is a food franchise group specializing in big salads and various kind of traditional pasta dishes (meals about 10/25 Euros / per person). Finally, the usual old Mc. Donald's, Burger King or similar chains are spread throughout the city, but not Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Rome is a city of a 1000 churches, a 1000 fountains - and millions of cars. How can you get over the problem when travelling there? The answer is simple: either you walk or you catch public transport (rental cars and taxis are expensive by U.S. standards). The well-oiled public transport system is definitely cheap, if compared to the rest of Europe. It includes an extensive surface network of buses, trolley buses and street cars, as well as a growing subway system. The following tickets are available for sale at ticket offices or shops: BIT- 1.00 Euro and it lasts 75 minutes from the time of validation (to be done as soon as aboard the first vehicle; you can only use it once on the subway). BIG - 4.00 Euros and it lasts until midnight of the day of its validation and for an unrestricted number of journeys. BTI - Integrated Tourist Ticket - 11.00 Euros and it lasts for 3 days from the date indicated by the ticket holder and for an unrestricted number of journeys. CIS 16.00 Euros and it lasts for 7 days from the date indicated by the ticket holder and for an unrestricted number of journeys.

Churches and museums. Rome has been called "the city of a thousand churches". Clearly a gross understatement. How many are they exactly? The bad news is: the Vatican only knows! Obviously tourists are mostly interested in some churches - St. Peter's, all the Basilicas and a number of other churches which are particularly important from a religious or and /or architectural and artistic point of view. The good news is: you can enter any of these churches without paying a dime. The same does not apply, unfortunately, to museums. But the other good news is that most admission fees are fairly low and often allow for reduced-price tickets. In some cases admission is even free; obviously this does not apply to the main ones, with the exception of the Vatican Museums where admission is free on the last Sunday of each month.

Do you want to cut the cost of your telephone calls while travelling in Italy? The best way is to buy an International Phone Card, available at tobacco shops, phone centers, airports, major railway stations and news agents for 5 or 10 Euros for a half hour or one hour conversation with the States.

Beer and wine are excellent drinks, particularly during a meal. But what if you get thirsty during your tour of Rome? Apart from the various alternatives available at stands and bars along the way, you may choose to have a drink of excellent, fresh water from any of the many small fountains spouting drinking water in Rome's streets. Our suggestion is due to the possibility that you are asked up to 5 Euros for a bottle of mineral water in the centre of Rome. So just grab a bottle (if it's plastic, look at the number under the bottle showing the maximum number of times you can fill it without the container yielding chemical particles) and fill it up, keeping in mind that water from major fountains is not always drinkable.