Rome: Don’t Get Ripped Off by Trattorias

We arrived in Rome late and starving. After checking into our hotel and getting ATAC bus passes, we trawled the busy streets of Rome looking for a trattoria to eat.

We found a place near the Trevi fountain. The menu on display near the door gave reasonable prices for pizzas (about 8-9 euros each). With the standard canned drinks I believed our bill would come to around 40 Euros.

I noticed after ordering, a woman on the next table questioning the bill. I overheard her say, ‘This practice confuses tourists’. I didn’t know what she meant but dearly wished I had.

After this woman left, I ordered 3 pizzas and 3 canned drinks (a cola and 2 sprites). The pizza was nothing special, not unlike a marguerita from Asda. Still, I let it go because I was starving.

When our bill came, I was in for a shock: It came to 65 euro. The 3 canned drinks came to 15 euro alone. (Worse, the pound was weak due to Brexit).

I also noticed at the bottom of the menu (not the one on display at the entrance) that each guest is charged 3 Euros for ‘table’ charge. In other words, we are charged 9 Euros before we even take a bite. This ‘charge’ was not on display on the menu at the door.

There were also no prices for drinks on the menu.

Now I understood what the woman on the next table was talking about.

I demanded to see the manager about but the waiter said the manager wasn’t in. Of course, the manager was in the kitchen trying to avoid me.

I told the waiter, I wasn’t paying until I saw the manager.

This ‘manager’ (who was cooking), didn’t look Italian. He was white with long features. I don’t have a problem with this if he was a good cook, but my ‘Asda pizza’ began to make sense. For one looking for an authentic Italian experience, this particular trattoria isn’t the place to go.

In the end, he reimbursed me 6 Euros.

Later in the holidays, I looked at other menus at other trattorias. Few show the prices of drinks or define if there is a table charge. I asked a waiter what he charged for a can of coke and he seemed incapable of giving a straight answer. In the end, I resorted to writing out my order on a piece of paper. This seemed the only way to empower my purse. It is mine after all.

Some trattorias make the claim ‘no hidden service charge’. This implies that tourists have taken issue with this dishonest practice.

Lessons Learnt:

Look for hidden charges in trattorias such as table service.

Ask for the price of drink in a trattoria to get an idea of what the bill will really come to.

Avoid trattorias near busy tourist attractions.

Read all my articles on Rome on my Rome a Survival Kit

3 canned drinks came to 15 Euros in a trattoria

Receipt from a trattoria showing service charge and price for drinks.

Some trattoria menus don't show price for drinks or service charge

Avoid Trattorias near tourist attractions like this one

Rome ATAC Bus Service is it Any Good?

You can get the OMNIA or ROMA city pass to get money off tourist attractions such as the Coliseum and the Vatican, but both passes have drawbacks. Firstly, they have to be used in consecutive days once activated. This isn’t good if your holiday straddles a weekend or public holiday such as the Ferrogusta (read about the Ferrogosto here).

Another is that some of the sights aren’t included on the pass. The Roma pass, for instance doesn’t include the Vatican and neither include Rome’s airports (FCO and Ciampino).

With this in mind, I decided to book my excursions online and save money.

And as most of Rome’s tourist attractions are within walking distance, I wanted to do away with using the bus.

So I tried to avoid getting either city passes. What I didn’t realize was that, even outside of Rome Central; the roads were unpleasant places on which to walk. There was hardly path, dirty, hot in the day and dodgy after dark. It seemed I had to get a bus pass simply to get to and from my hotel. As I was stopping a week, I got a regular ATAC bus pass for myself and children.

This is what I learned about Rome’s ATAC busses.

The Truth About Rome’s Busses

I got my bus pass in a bus station in Ostiense. The booth was empty and I was faced with a derelict ticket machine into which I had to feed paper Euros. It was horrible. A nearby shopkeeper had to help me.

In the 10 days that I stopped in Rome, no one checked our tickets. The bus drivers sit in their glass cocoon and they seldom speak English. They simply drive and stop when the bell rings.

There are ticket machines on the bus where you get your tickets stamped, but I have seldom seen anyone use them. People simply hop on and off the bus.

It is easy to use the ATAC bus and not pay a penny. No one checks if you have a ticket and no one seems to care.

As my son had lost his passport, we had to stop longer than the week planned. We got fresh tickets for the extra days we needed but we needn’t have. No one was there to check our tickets and I’m sure others do the same.

That said, the ATAC busses run frequently and the chief terminals have display boards that announce when the next bus is due. I found this useful.

Still, the busses often were crammed and sometimes with no air conditioning. Graffiti was scrawled over the terminals and the officials often couldn’t speak English. It seemed apparent that Rome considered funding inspectors as worthy as cleaning the graffiti from the streets.

Lessons learnt

You may have to use the busses in Rome no matter what. The roads are busy, dangerous and dodgy in the dark.

The ATAC busses don’t seem to have inspectors or regulations in force. Rome is littered with graffiti-ridden empty kiosks and the stations are drab.

Offices close early and there is seldom anyone to ask for help. It seemed apparent that if a city is littered with abandoned kiosks, funding is short. Inspectors cost.

Read all my articles on Rome on Rome a Survival Kit

Bus Station in Piazza Venezia

An ATAC Bus Station in Rome

Bus timetable announcement

The Roma Pass Versus the OMNIA Card Neither are Worth It

Rome’s major sites (the Vatican, the Coliseum, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain etc) are within walking distance of each other. Why purchase a Roma Pass or the OMNIA Card?

I had already booked my excursions online, which makes these cards redundant. Coop Culture and booking direct from the Vatican Museums and the Coliseum gave good prices.

Disadvantage of Rome’s City Pass and Omnia Card

Still, here is a quick guide to Rome’s City Cards.

There are two types of city cards available for visiting Rome: The Roma Pass and the Omnia Card. The Omnia Pass comes with a free guidebook and map but has a limit on how many attractions you can visit. The Vatican isn’t included. The Roma Pass includes the Vatican.

In both cases, you get to skip the queue. Figuring out which to use is down to which sights you want to visit.

The downside of these cards is that once it is activated, you have to use it for successive days. I had booked my holiday in mid-August, when a festival called the Ferrogosto occurs (15 August). Shops and public services apparently go quiet that day, for the Romans go away during this time. This meant that one day on the City Card could be wasted.

Another drawback was that neither card includes transport to either of the Rome airports: Fiumicino or Ciampino airports. Return taxi for me cost over 100 Euros.

The Roma pass offers no discounts for children.

Another consideration is whether to use the public transport or not. I like to walk. As Rome’s main tourist attractions are within walking distance of each other, I didn’t think I would need a city card.

I had looked for a hotel that was within walking distance of Rome, but the area was grotty and I had to get a bus pass anyway. I got neither city cards but a regular ATAC bus pass from the Ostiense Metro Station. It was really run down. There was no one in the kiosk and I had to ask a nearby stallholder to help. Thankfully, he was honest and helpful. Each card cost me 24 Euros for 7 days.

Read the truth about Rome’s public transport and more on the following link. It is nothing like what I was led to believe in travel blogs and agents.

Rome a Survival Kit

Use Rome's ATAC Busses for a Fraction of the Price of the City Pass

Rome's ATAC Bus Tickets are cheaper than the City Card

ATAC Bus Tickets

Rome: the Hotel is Not Walking Distance from Roma Central

I wanted to avoid using public transport in Rome, as the tourist attractions are within walking distance of each another. I had already read that Rome is best explored on foot anyway. I therefore looked for a hotel close to the city.

Prices of hotels within Rome will rise the nearer to the center you are. But I was ok with 1 or 2 kilometres or so which meant cheaper prices.

I searched Trivago, Expedia and TripAdviser and found a hotel that declared it was within 2 kilometres of Central Rome’s border. I looked at the map, and it was just a straight road.

The hotel looked modern, clean and spacious with air conditioning, crucial for Rome in mid-August.

I went for a modern hotel in the Colombo district. I looked at the map and it seemed I only had to walk a little way to get to the Caracalla Baths, not far from the Coliseum. The major sights of Rome are all within walking distance of the Coliseum.

Read my other articles on Rome a Survival Kit

Is the walk from the hotel safe?

On the Expedia site, it said:

‘This hotel is within 1 mile (2km) of Roma Tre University and the Baths of Caraculla. Basillica of St Paul’s and the Coliseum are also within 2 miles (3km) (of the hotel).’ I’m ok with walking because I often go on walking holidays and the map showed green areas and quiet roads to get there.

Little did I realize I could not walk to Rome from my hotel, for the district was really run down. The road leading to Rome was very busy with no usable walkway. In a word, it was horrible and felt dangerous.

The hotel was close to Rome central but I still had to get a bus

No way could I walk from my hotel to Rome. We had no choice but to get bus passes on the day we arrived despite my plans not to use public transport.

As I had already booked some excursion online, purchasing the OMNIA or ROMA Pass was pointless. These passes work only if you throw in the excursions.

Lesson learnt:

Be careful if the description of the hotel insinuates it is walking distance from the major attractions of the city. The walking route could be dangerous, dodgy or un-walkable.

Make allowances for getting a bus pass when visiting a big city, even if the sites are within walking distance.

Check out Google images or reviews to get a true indication of the area.

Rome a Survival Kit

Busy Roads in Rome with little walkway

Rundown areas of Rome

My Holiday in Rome and What Went Wrong

After getting passports for myself and children, I decided to go to Rome.

I had seen pictures of Rome on travel sites, adorned with the beautiful Coliseum, the Vatican museums, the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain. Dining at a trattoria in a piazza seemed the perfect way to end the day. And then there is the history.

I read numerous blogs about Rome and garnered brochures from travel agents. It seemed the perfect place to go.

But I had school holidays to consider, which meant I had to go in August. I wasn’t happy about the thought of the heat and crowds.

I booked a week in mid-August, concerned about the public holiday of Ferrogosto, which occurs on 15th August, where apparently many places close. Read about my experience of theFerragosto here.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I spent over ten days in Rome instead of the planned seven.

During this time, I learned a lot about Rome that the travel brochures and promotional blogs don’t tell you.

Read about my nightmare in Rome on the following articles. Invaluable tips and truths can be found here.
Scroll down for images.

Survive in Rome

Rome: the Hotel is Not Walking Distance from Roma Central

Rome: How to Handle the Heat in August

The Busses

The Roma Pass Versus the OMNIA Card Neither are Worth It

Rome ATAC Bus Service is it Any Good?

Don’t Get Ripped Off

Rome: Don’t Get Ripped Off by Trattorias

Hidden Charges when Using VISA Card Abroad

The Hype

Ferragosto in Rome What’s it Like?

Passport Problems

When My Son Lost his Passport in Rome

How to Get an Emergency Passport Abroad

If You Lose Your Passport in Rome: what to Do

My Experience with the Roman Police and Ostiense

Ostiense the Lost Property Office in Rome and Other Stations

Emergency Tips when Stuck in Rome without a Passport

The Vatican

How I Got Into the Vatican in Shorts and Minus a Passport

My Visit to the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel Without a Passport

Escape the Heat and crowds in Rome’s Churches

Churches in Rome to Escape the Crowds and Heat

Basillica di Santa Maria Maggiore Rome

Church of The Gesu, Rome

Church of Sant’ Agnese in Agone

Sant’ Ignazio di Loyola in Campo Marzio Rome

Church of San Luigi Dei Francesi, Rome

Parrocchia Santa Maria in Portico in Campitelli Rome

Basillica di Sant ‘Andrea della Valle Rome

The Church of San Marcello al Corso, Rome

Crowds around the Trevi Fountain

The Colosseum in Rome

Crowds on the Spanish Steps Rome

Romulus, twin with Remus founded Rome

How Too Much Omega 6 is Bad for Health

The Dangers of Excessive Polyunsaturated Fats in the Diet

An anti-saturated fat campaign has been waging for years, but perhaps consideration ought to be given to other dietary fats, which in some ways exceed the health risks.

The conventional view is that any unsaturated fat is better for health than saturated fat. Subsequent research has proved that it is not so simple.

What is Unsaturated Fat?

Saturated fat is solid at room temperature, and derives from animal sources such as meat and dairy. Unsaturated fat is mostly liquid at room temperature. Most unsaturated fats are derived from vegetables, nuts and seeds.

The Question of Polyunsaturated  or Monounsaturated Fat

What is Polyunsaturated fat?

Unsaturated fats can be further divided into two types:

Monounsaturated fat. This fat is derived from nuts and seeds. Examples include olive oil, flaxseed oil and walnut oil.

Polyunsaturated fat.  This fat is known as vegetable oil. Examples include sunflower oil, soybean oil and corn oil.

Although both types of fats are liquid at room temperature and are therefore classed as oils, they both have very different impacts upon health.

The Dietary Fats That Raise Cholesterol and Encourage Heart Disease

All fatty acids consist of carbon chains of fatty acids. These fatty acids are linked together by “double bonds.” The monounsaturated fats are linked by a single double bond, hence, “mono.” These links are stable and are therefore not highly reactive within the body.

Polyunsaturated fats are linked together by multiple double bonds, hence “poly.” This means that the chains are less stable and could react within the tissues of the body like free radicals.

Fats That Oxidizes Cholesterol

 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Cold Pressed is best for heatlh

The danger to the body is the instability of the polyunsaturated fat, which is highly reactive within the cells. The effect this has is akin to the oxidizing effect that oxygen has upon metal, turning it to rust. Oxidized cholesterol causes the platelets of the blood to stick together and the LDL cholesterol to “rust.” It is this that damages the arteries and hardens the walls, so hindering blood flow.

How Too Little Omega-3 and Too Much Omega 6 Causes Inflammation in the Body

Because polyunsaturated fats are highly reactive, it causes inflammatory reactions within the body too. According to the University of Maryland Medical Centre, the traditional Western diet contains far too much omega 6, which is present in polyunsaturated oils. In small amounts, omega 6 is beneficial to health. However, too much in the long run will contribute to heart disease, arthritis, cancer and depression. The inflammatory effect of too much omega 6 also suppresses the body’s immune system.

Vegetable Oil That is Not a Healthy Alternative to Saturated Fat

Not so long ago, vegetable oil was thought to be a healthy alternative to saturated fat. Subsequent research has painted a very different picture. Sunflower oil still is a popular choice for cooking. However, using olive oil at a low temperature is a healthier alternative. In the long run, this will help prevent heart disease, strokes and raised cholesterol.

MIGRAINE: PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER: HOW I BANISHED MY MIGRAINES BY HORMONAL RESTORATION

Chronic migraine has hampered a large part of my adult life, sometimes occurring twice every month. As the pain is not confined to the head, I believe this horrible condition is part of something bigger. This is why I feel the definition ‘a bad headache’ is terribly inaccurate.

This inspired me to write my second book, ‘Migraine: Part of Something Bigger…’ under my pen name, Phoebe Greene, dedicated to the sufferer of migraines.

Help for the Migraineur

Buy from Amazon

After suffering a health crisis, where various ‘gremlins’ began to sap the quality from my life, including hair loss and chronic fatigue, I decided to conduct dietary trials which inspired me to write my first book, Low Body Temperatures but Not Hypothyroid. One of the aims of my research was migraine elimination.

My second book concentrates solely upon preventing migraines. Snippets of information from my first book can be found where applicable, but the subject of migraines is covered in much greater depth.

With dozens of photos and illustrations and over 15,000 words, this book provides an easy but in-depth read on how migraines occur and how they can be prevented.

Body Temperatures and Migraines

The Migraine Trust and the NHS state that the cause of migraines is ultimately unknown, but I have unearthed the chief triggers to be:

Estrogen dominance

Overproduction of the stress hormones cortisol, adrenaline and noradreline

And candida albicans.

Between them, they wreak havoc upon the endocrine system, exhausting the adrenals and deflating the output of other hormones throughout the body. Further, a sugary diet, stress and chemicals in certain products overload the liver, which underperforms because the body’s thermogenesis is malfunctioning.

Little surprise such a huge upheaval has repercussions in the form of migraine.

Supported by scholarly articles and authorative websites, I discovered a way of reducing the incidence and intensity of my migraines to a point where they now seldom occur.  Hormonal equilibrium is key. I believe most migraineurs can also do the same.

Find also a guide to the endocrine system, a guide to other treatment for migraines and an anti-migraine diet.

This book on migraines is a must for migraine sufferers.