Going to Rome on Saturday.. Quick help?

Hello.. I'm going to Rome on Saturday and just a few quick questions..

- Are all of the main basilicas just open at all times to walk through? How do I make sure I don't end up walking in the middle of mass? What about smaller churches such as Santa Maria della Vittoria?

- Any reccomended places to eat in Rome? We are staying at the Visconti Palace near the Vatican, but will be all over Rome..

- What is the best time to go to the big touristy areas like the Collesium? Morning or afternoon?

I think that's it for now.. thanks

-a lot of smaller churches close during the middle of the day for a couple of hours, but the main ones should be open all day. If you are interested in one or two specific churches, just do a quick search on them to find when they are open to the public and when they have mass.

-the main recommendation for food is don't go anywhere very close to touristy areas or with signs in front in english. Anything right by the Vatican is going to be really expensive.

-as for the Colosseum, early morning/night is the best time to see it. I was just there 2 weeks ago, and by it was crazy in the afternoon. But if you go during the afternoon, you can avoid the lines by shelling out a little extra money (10E) for a tour. The tour is definitely worth while.

But if you only have one day in Rome, go to the Vatican (St. Peter's and the vatican museums). Climb to the top of the dome (500 steps) for an amazing view of Rome. If you want to go the the vatican museums, try get there at about 7-8 in the morning, otherwise the lines will be crazy. You can hit up the colosseum at night.

I don't know it, but GOOD travel!

You should check for mass schedules posted on churches' doors. Usually, masses are conducted every couple of hours on Sundays. The rest of the week, most of them have service around 6 pm. That's it. They're always open during the day and anyone can walk in.

When in Italy, for a real good meal at better prices than the tourist-filled restaurants, try any "trattoria". You can't go wrong with that. A great restaurant is "La Capricciosa", right in front of the world-famed "Alfredo di Roma" restaurant, but at lower prices and same or better quality of food. There's also nice places in "Trastevere" (the other side of the river), where you could go at night. But don't forget: Diet or fast before leaving on Saturday, 'cause you're gaining some pounds there!

The big touristy places (Colosseum, Vatican, etc) are always full, so it depends on what temperature you want to manage. It's colder in the mornings this time of year. If you're interested in seeing the Pope, he only leads two masses a week: Wednesday inside the Basilica (where you can see him closer), and Sundays outside at the Piazza unless some other official ceremony is scheduled.

Buon viaggio!

1) They are (usually) open. Some smaller churches are really interesting, such as San Luigi dei Francesi, Sant'Agostino, Santa Maria del Popolo, Santa Maria della Pace, Sant'ivo alla Sapienza.
2) Checchino dal 1887, Giggetto al Portico D'Ottavia, Avenue 94, Sora Lella.
3) Morning