INFORMATIONS ABOUT TRANSPORT IN ROME
Rome is provided
with a large public transport system, constituted by more than 200 bus
lines, 2 underground lines and a city railways system.
In spite of this capillarity you can't say that movements are carried
out quickly, most of all because of slackenings caused by traffic.
Waits at bus stops can be sometimes longer than 15 minutes, even if
ATAC (the firm that manages public transport in Rome) during the last
years has markedly improved services and quality of transport.
Anyway public transport is actually the only way (except for two-wheeled
vehicles) to move in the historical center area, which is a limited
traffic area and where parking is practically impossible.
In the most part of the city during Jubilee some parking areas by payment
have been set up by the commune; this makes easier the possibility to
find a place for your own car but at the same time it makes some zones
extremely expensive to stay in.
Usually by night and in working days even parkings by payments can be
used freely.
In order to allow fewer cars to arrive from outside the city, some exchange
parkings have been set up, actually very little used.
Behind the historical center large parkings by payment stand; the most
important is Ludovisi parking near Villa Borghese (an entry is through
Piazza di Spagna underground). You can find a place even in Temini Station
parking. Prices are not particularly expensive if the stop is limited
to few hours, less reasonable for longer stays.
All around the city, traffic is chaotic; during the rush hours, even
big thoroughfares born for high flowing traffic (the main are Via del
Foro Italico, East Ring-road, Via Cristoforo Colombo, Via Palmiro Togliatti)
are often overcrowded; same situation for GRA (big ring-road that goes
round the city). By day moving by car means spending much time even
for quite short journeys; that's why almost every Roman family has got
one or more two-wheeled vehicles (motorcycles, scooters). In Rome there
aren't many bicyles and the cycle paths are limited and not well kept,
so we advice to use this transport only in limited traffic areas of
the historical center.
