Even though Rome is such a big city, are the people still pretty laid back and friendly......?

Question

Thanks!

Answer 1

I found it to be 25% friendly 75% rude. People constantly cut in line, shove you, enter your personal space, yell at you, etc. I got yelled at by some lady because I didn't slide my train ticket for her to let her in for free. It wasn't enough that she cut in front of me, separating me from my husband, but she then screamed at me when the turnstile stopped her! That and the pollution would prevent me from going back on another long vacation there. Maybe a couple nights, but we couldn't wait to get out of the chaos of Rome.

Answer 2

I've been to Rome several times. Just like any city some people are friendly and others are not. But I found most taxi drives and shopkeepers friendly and tolerant of my poor Italian. Many Italians speak some English and they like to practice their English. Most Italians are more laid back than Americans. We would be more laid back too if we took a siesta every afternoon.

Answer 3

I spent an entire semester in Rome 5 years ago. I was there during some of the off season and lived in a non-tourist area. I actually thought the people in Rome, especially those who were not in tourism-based jobs, were rude. They combine laziness with an arrogant attitude. For example, you go to the grocery store, no one else is in line, and the lone cashier is busy playing Tetris on her cell phone. When she sees you waiting, she b****s out because, hey, you've interrupted her. And woe to the person who's just been to the ATM and doesn't have exact change. You're making the cashiers get coins and small bills out of their drawer - that's hard work!

In other parts of Italy the service is equally lazy but there's more of an attitude of "yeah we're lazy, come be lazy with us and enjoy la dolce vita." In Rome they're just jerks about the whole thing.

Answer 4

My wife and I have visited Rome on two occasions the second time recently (August 2006). We noticed that the 'people' weren't helpful nor friendly when asked for information. One example that stands out was when my wife's bag was stolen at a restaurant near Termini station, it was 10:00 p.m. We went to the station to enquire for the Carabinieri Station to report the theft. No joy! A glimmer of hope we thought when we noticed two station policemen. In perfect Italian I asked what to do with our predicament, to my dismay I heard one of them reply, "I don't speak the English..." Yet, I asked the information in 'perfect Italian!'. A one off case? I still feel baffled by the whole saga. At around midnight we decided to go back to our hotel because we didn't feel safe continuing our search. To sum it up, there is room for improvement that good training in civility might help!!!! Quiet a contrast to the English Bobby!

Answer 5

Of course! As long as when you are in Rome, you do what Romans do. ;-)

Seriously though. Keep in mind that Rome has millions of tourists every year and most of them are great. However, many are also "pains in the ***" so many Romans get a little frustrated. It is understandable and to be expected.
For the most part though, they are very, very friendly and like all other Italians, if you impress one enough for him/her to call you "friend' you will have a loyal friend for life.

Enjoy!

Answer 6

They are so nice! Italians are just great people. I've lived in Italy for two years, and I have just never met more pleasant people then Italians, rather it's in Rome or anywhere else. I'll miss the people here in Italy when I move back home to the States.

Answer 7

I've only been there once. It didn't feel like a huge city, certainly the important parts that most tourists want to see are close together. My main memory of the local people was a girl selling ice cream or something calling after me that I was handsome! That was pretty friendly. I certainly don't remember thinking people were cold or aloof.

Answer 8

I found that the people were just like anywhere else in the world...most were very friendly but I did bump into a few rude people! Just be careful when in Rome...lots of pick pockets.

Answer 9

Some people are really friendly especially if you have children or babies with you (they will be extra frendly), but there are some that are very rude and will stare you down if they know your an American. It seems they are laid back some what except when they are driving.

Answer 10

i dunno if they would be considered laidback and wutever, but generally they are pretty friendly when you ask for directions. I lived slightly off the touristy area, so my experience may be slightly different. However, there are some rude ones who dont like speaking english (or americans), otherwise i would consider it pretty much like every other city, there are some nice ones there are some mean ones, just dont make generalizations about romans because of one bad experience. anyways, i hope you enjoyed rome as much as i did!