Accomodation. As in all the most touristic place, sleeping in Rome can be quite expensive: here you can find some tips for a cheap accomodation; some of them are not easy to find elsewhere, even in the best guides (Lonely Planet, Routard, etc.). Since I collected these informations some years ago, it's possible not everything is correctly updated. I'll be grateful to those who will write me remarking possible mistakes.

Some of the cheapest and not worse (at all!) accomodations are the religius houses and guesthauses. I can suggest you the following, whose address I got from a friend of mine, who spent there some days:

House of teology's students of Rome (Convitto della facoltà di teologia valdese) and is near Piazza Cavour, really a good place, close to the Vatican (of course!), the historical centre of the city (Piazza Navona) and not far from Trastevere, one of the most tipically roman neigbourhoods. The person to contact is Signora (= Miss) Caterina Erni. Address: Via Pietro Cossa 42
00193 Roma. Tel. +39 06 3611649; fax +39 06 3201040
Time to call: from monday to friday, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

You can find some other accomodation of this type at the page http://www.romeguide.it/relig_search/trovareligeng.php.

For those who prefer to sleep in a b&b: I know one quite cheap (38 euro for the double room and 24 euro for the single one) whose telephone number (mobile) is +39 347 3853820 (mobile). It's near Termini Railway Station (Stazione Termini).

There is also the possibility to rent a flat near the vatican: 80 euro for three people (each day, I think) and the number is +39 338 4472168 (mobile).

Informations about hostels can be found at the page http://www.hihostels.com/dba/Hostels-Rome-list.php?lang=E&city=IT|0315.

Eat & drink. You have to know that in the centre of the city it's not easy at all to  find some good place to have a lunch, a dinner or even a snack during the day. Everything seems to be expensive and not special, just planned for tourists. Nevertheless, in a such big historical centre you can find some nice place. For a fast and easy lunch pause or for a snack in the afternoon, I recommend you Lo Zozzone, in Via del Teatro Pace 32 (near Piazza Navona): you will have a good choice of delicious sandwich; the bread (actually we call it "pizza bianca") and the ingredients are very good and you can choose exactly the coombination you prefer; in summer, I suggest you to taste "pizza & fichi", a speciality of Rome. Remember this place closes at 8 p.m. Very important: lots of people in Rome calls Zozzone ('dirty guy') different places preparing huges sandwichs (expecially late in the night); the one I mentioned ist the originale one, whose real name is Lo Zozzone.

If you like fish and you want a fast and easy meal, you must taste the "filetti di baccalà"; you can find them in several restaurants and pizzerias, but I strongly recommend to eat them in a small place in the Via dei Librari 88 (a small nice place where is located the S. Barbara church, near Via dei Giubbonari); the place has no name but Filetti di baccalà, although everyone in Rome know it as er filettaro 'the filetti-di-baccalà-maker'. They are more expensive than in other place, but also much bigger; one or two are enough to say you had a dinner. Not a lunch, because the place is opened only during the night.

A tradition we imported from Milan is the one of the aperitivo (aka apericena). It means you go in a bar, you pay a drink or a forfait (5-10 euro), then you can serve yourself from a buffet. Sometimes it's really good and full of nice stuff, like a real dinner. You find this combination in lots of places (there is also a fish shop preparing aperitivi with fish and white wine, but I never went there); a good one is Momart (Viale XXI Aprile 19), which is also restaurant and pizzeria (see below).

In Rome there are lots of restaurants: a good guide will give you the best overview: I'd like just to give you some suggestions, the place I like to go.

In my opinion, the best traditional restaurants is Felice (Via Mastro Giorgio 29); since it's very know and appreciated, you must book a table (with some days in advance, if possible) calling +39 06 5746800. Some blocks further, you can find La fraschetta di Mastro Giorgio (cheaper), from the same owners. At Felice everything is excellent, but don't forget to finish the meal wiht the delicious homemade tiramisù.

Generally speaking, Testaccio is a good neighbourhood to dine, with lots of pizzerias and restaurants. Nevertheless, be careful to chose the right ones! As alternative to Felice, for a quick and different meal, I suggest you (but if you come from France, of course!) La Creperie (Via Galvani 11), probably one of the best in Rome.

Another good neighbourhood is the so-called Ghetto ('jewish neighbourhood'), in the heart of the city; it's a beautiful place full of typical kosher restaurants; you hav to know that some of the best roman food were invented preserved by jewish people; for example, the carciofi (= artichokes) alla giudia (deep fried) or alla romana. While season (spring). beside the Portico d'Ottavia there is a small jewish bakery, whose speciality is a delicious torta di ricotta.

If you have the possibilities to go out of the city, you can visit the Castelli Romani, small villages on the hills on the south of Rome. There is lot's to see and to do there, and you can also eat in a fraschetta, where I suggest you to taste porchetta and coppiette. The best place for porchetta is Ariccia; I suggest you to go to Bianchi, a place you won't forget; if you wish to dine in a real restaurant (more expensive, of course), go to Grottaferrata at La Briciola di Adriana (Via G. D'Annunzio 12), where you can taste the specialities of Velletri (a town located in that area). You need to book a table.

For fish, I give you two addresses: in the heart of Rome, near Vatican City, Benito & Gilberto (Via del Falco 19; not very cheap); a cheaper alternative is Dar Zagaja ar buco, at the seaside, in Capocotta (Ostia).

Pizza. It's an important chapter. The original (and, in my opinion, the best) pizza is the one from Neaples; it's soft, while the roman style one if crispy. In Rome you'll never find a pizza so good as in the best places of Neaples, but I can give you some good addresses where you can almost reach that level. The first and most important one is Mangianapoli (two addresses), which is also very cheap. I suggest you to book a table and to taste (as appetizer) angioletti and diavoletti (you can share a portion in two people), before enjoying the best margherita in Rome. Other nice pizzerias (Neaples style): Belle Epoque (Via Ajaccio 11); Momart (Viale XXI Aprile 19); don't forget to taste the antipasti fritti and the desserts there!); Renovatio (Piazza Risorgimento 46/a); Fratelli La Bufala (several restaurants); Roman style: La Montecarlo and Baffetto, in the heart of Rome, or Il Podere rosa (Via del Podere rosa 25), where I suggest you to taste the focaccia vegetariana.

Although Rome is not the best place in Italy for the pizza, it's the best one for the pizza al taglio ('slice of pizza'); don't leave the city without tasting a hot slice of pizza and a supplì ('rice ball'). Just some addresses: Angelo & Simonetta, on the Via Nomentana; Il dolce forno (Piazza Mancini 10, near the Stadio Olimpico); Pizzeria Italia (Corso Italia 103).

As dessert, expecially during the summer, you can enjoy a good ice cream in many place but not everywhere; one of the most famous and "historical" ice cream shops is Giolitti, near the Parliament and the Pantheon; it's not bad at all, but my tips bring you somwhere else; in that area, for example, there is a small ice cream shops called Fiocco d Neve (Via del Pantheon, 51), where you can taste the best zabaione ice cream  of the city; according to the specialized guides, the best ice cream shop in Rome is Il Gelato (Via dell'Aeronautica 105); it's not close to the centre, but you can reach it easily by Metro B (end station: Laurentina, then walk 1 minute). In the meanwhile, I can recommend you S. Crispino (several shops, included one inside the airport Leonardo Da Vinci, Fiumicino), Al Settimo Gelo (Via Vodice 21/A) and Fata Morgana (several shops), whose ice creams are excellent, natural and first quality. If you want to enjoy a good granita or cremolato, I suggest you two addresses: Mizzica, an excellent sicilian bar (actually they have several bars) where you can enjoy also some other delicious sicilian specialities, and Quinto (Via di Tor Millina 15, near Piazza Navona): his ice creams are just huge, but his cremolato di fragola is super.

The best tiramisù in Rome is the one of Pompi (traditional or with strawberries).

Nightlife. If you are searching for clubs, this is probably not "your" website. I can give you only some general informations. Testaccio is probably the best neighbourhood to combine food, drinks and dance: you can have a pizza or some other typical meal, then drink one of the several beers at L'oasi della birra (Piazza Testaccio 38) an then walk to Via Monte Testaccio, which is full of small, nice and quite cheap clubs.

To walk, eat and drink I suggest you Trastevere or in the centre, Campo de' Fiori, full of bars where you can buy a beer or a cocktail. If you don't need to stay close to the centre, spend a night in S. Lorenzo (students subburb) or in Pigneto, where you will really feel a nice atmosphere. In S. Lorenzo you can also find lots of small "alternative" clubs.

To have an overview on the week events in Rome, buy Roma c'è or La Repubblica (on thursday, when you'll get also the magazine Trovaroma).

What to visit. A good tourist guide can help you better than I can; I just give you some tips about some places not so well known as the "classical" Colosseo, Spanish steps, etc.

Not everyone knows that in Rome there is a pyramid (Piramide Cestia). An old one. You can reach and see it (from outside; to visit the interior you have to reserve some months in advance) by Metro B (stop: Piramde); behind the pyramid, I suggest you to visit the protestant cemetry (Cimitero Acattolico).

Not far from there, on the Via Ostiense, don't miss the Centrale Montemartini, one of the most innovative museums in Rome.

In Rome there are lots of hidden archeological sites; they are sometimes inside buildings or under the ground, not always opened; you have to search in internet for archeological groups organizing guided visities. Search "roma nascosta" or "roma segreta", "gruppo archeologico roma", etc.

If you have good weather, don't miss a walk (or a bike ride) on the Via Appia Antica, the ancient roman route; another nice walk is in the Parco degli Acquedotti. By good weather you can also go to the Castelli Romani.

... Every tip is kindly welcome (sometimes tourists know a city better than its citizens...)!