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So you're on your way to Rome to cheer on Chelsea and see the Blues put on a show in another European capital. Atletico Madrid are still smarting from their 2-1 loss to the English champions back in September.

However, after Roma secured their own landmark result at Stamford Bridge in the previous set of Champions League group stage games the stakes have increased for Antonio Conte's side.

While a win would grant them a bit of distance over their Group C rivals, their hopes of coming first would suffer a blow if they were to lose.

Yet that's for the game itself. In the lead up to kick off Chelsea fans will be arriving in Rome ready to soak up the atmosphere, sup a few local beverages and generally take in their surroundings.

Below is a fool proof fan's guide for football supporters on their way to the Italian capital.

Getting about in Rome

Rome’s public transport is terrible and the cabbies will rip you off. If you're arriving at Fiumicino ignore all of the people in the terminal harassing you for taxi rides. Regular city taxis line up outside arrivals and a trip to central Rome costs €48 as a fixed tariff, but some con artists might try and grab more out of you.

The train to Termini in central Rome costs a whopping €16 so you're better off getting a cab if there are more than two of you. The train to Trastevere or Ostiense train stations costs €8 but if you need to get into the centre from there you need to get the tram (at the former) or metro (at the latter).

At Ciampino the cabbies are absolute chancers so be warned.

Where to avoid in Rome

The vast majority of bars and restaurants near Rome's major tourist sites offer overpriced, terrible food and drink in corny environments. The historic centre is overrun with plastic clip joints: from the Pantheon to the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps to Piazza Navona, dozens of hucksters in cheap, ill-fitting garb beckon you in broken English to their Disneyland trattorias, where they will sell you the Findus equivalent of local cuisine and empty your wallet. Steer well clear of these flea pits.

Stay away from Campo de’ Fuori. It was the scene of mass brawling for Middlesbrough’s visit years ago and where Tottenham fans enjoying an innocuous drink were ambushed and brutally beaten by local fascist ultras (including some from Roma) when they played Lazio.

(Image: Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

That was political violence against 'Jewish' Spurs fans, so that sort of unprovoked attack is less likely for Chelsea supporters, but In any case the bars are awful, the atmosphere is moody and your chances of getting a dig are higher than anywhere else in the city centre. If you must drape your 'Red Lion Mitcham' St George’s Cross outside a bar there, you do so at your own risk.

Sight-seeing in Rome

If you are planning on doing the sites (understandable), this guide written by local restaurant expert Katie Parla is about as good as you’re going to get if you want to avoid the tourist traps.

If you’re looking around the sites and want a drink in the daytime or early evening that isn't €6 pints of the lager you get in your local, the Vinaietto on Via del Monte della Farina is a solid bet, and has the benefit of being close to both the excellent Pizzeria Emma and Antico Forno Roscioli, the latter from which you can buy whole bags of pizza to take back to the bar to snack on while you drink.

Where to go in Rome

The only areas of central Rome that are really worth your time for a short, boozy visit are Trastevere and Monti, where there are tonnes of bars and restaurants that stay open until two in the morning.

Slightly more intrepid travellers might head out to Via Ostiense, Pigneto or San Lorenzo, but I know my audience, and I can’t imagine a bunch of ageing Chelsea fans will mix well in areas crawling with lefty students.

Monti has the benefit of being behind the Colosseum (whose top floor they’ve reopened after four decades, for your information) and close to Termini train station, and Trastevere is a short hop over the Tiber from the historic centre.

Monti is home to one of the city’s only 'Irish' pubs worthy of your time, Finnegan’s on Via Leonina, which has a solid base of local, multi-national regulars and is handily next door to Pizzeria Boccaccia, where you can cheaply pick slabs of deliciously baked and deep fried carbohydrate to soak up all that booze.

Other decent places include Ai Tre Scalini (bar) on Via Panisperna and Osteria Oliva (especially good restaurant for lunch) round the corner on Via dei Serpenti. However you can just stroll about and see what takes your fancy – there’s plenty of choice.

That also goes for Trastevere, where bars and restaurants line practically every street.

Food and drink in Rome

Bar San Calisto is a legendary spot, where you queue up, pay the old geezer at the counter, take your bottle of beer or wine from the bar and drink it out the front. It’s open 6am-2am every day apart from Sundays, and has a fantastically louche crowd.

Osteria da 'Zi' Umberto on Piazza di S. Giovanni della Malva is lovely for dinner. If you’re in town but don’t have a ticket (or fancy watching Napoli-Manchester City on Wednesday night), Antilia on Via della Scala is worth a look, as is Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fa’ (a proper craft beer venue) on Via Benedetta, although bear in mind that the latter is a hub for local football fans, so even though the owner is a Lazio supporter it is often packed with Romanisti.

Space is at a premium for both venues so you might also end up having to watch the match through the door from outside.

La Tavernaccia, while excellent, isn’t really in Trastevere proper but near the local train station, so don’t expect to be able to walk there from Piazza Trilussa.

However if you do find yourself that way you also have Luppolo Station, Lochness Pub, Brasserie 4:20 and Birrifugio Trastevere within walking distance, all places where you can happily drink until 2am.

Al Moro near the Trevi fountain, meanwhile, is ludicrously expensive. A decent alternative is walking 10 minutes or so to Piazza delle Coppelle, where there is a good selection of places to eat and Club Derrière, a 'speakeasy'; that opens at 10pm and closes at 4am, perfect for any fans who need a nightcap after being held in the away end for God knows how long after the game.

The Jerry Thomas speakeasy on the other side of Corso Vittorio Emmanuele (avoid everything on this terrible thoroughfare, by the way) offers similar vibes and hours to Club Derrière. Quirinetta on Via Marco Minghetti is a decent, if hipstery, club.

Getting to the match

Unless you’ve bagged yourself (and are sober enough to ride) a hire scooter (from say, Bici & Baci) you need to give yourself a couple of hours to get to the ground.

It seems like a lot but when there’s a big game on the whole area around the Stadio Olimpico is paralysed with traffic, and taxis will be hard to come by. The away end is on the other side of the ground to the bridge - in this case Ponte Duca D’Aosta - you’ll have to cross to get there.

(Image: Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

Take the number 2 tram from Piazzale Flaminio, get off at the end of the line and follow the crowd across the Piazza Mancini bus station cross the bridge.

Hang a right and don’t be tempted by the bars that line the river bank: they are bang opposite the Curva Sud and where a chunk of Roma's hardcore hang out before the game (the same goes for the kiosk directly across from Ponte della Musica should you go that way), but once you're past there you're more or less safe from any potential aggro.

Take a left up the side stand and follow the roads that take you around the stadium and to the away end. You’re in!

Staying safe in Rome

Roma have a large number of 'handy' supporters who have been known to use knives. However, this is not Naples and Roma’s hardcore mostly live in the city’s less glamorous outskirts so you won’t have to worry about being attacked by a scooter riding scally while you sit down for dinner with your wife.

If you turn up drunk and shouting your head off there’s a good chance you’ll get hurt: it’s not 1982 and you’re not One Arm Babs so behave yourself.

Remember also that there’s no concept of the 'scarfer' as hoolies here, even the ones that call themselves 'casuals', wear their colours. As such, if you’re wearing colours near the ground you are a potential target.

Where will you be heading in Rome? Let us know in the comments below.