It's been a while since I flew into or out of Fiumicino, but from what I remember, it was fairly decent as an airport. Not the most comfortable or attractive waiting areas, and generally needed to be better maintained. I think it really helps if you understand and speak Italian. Lots of guys from various police agencies strolling around with submachineguns. Customs people can be stereotypically Italian; I once got stopped for bringing in a small rug from Turkey, and was told I had to pay duty on it. I had barely enough time to make my connecting flight without the hassle of having to take the time to fill out forms, pay the fee, etc., so I started cussing in English (the conversation to that point had been in Italian). The customs guy told me that if I had told him I was American inthe first place, he would have let me go, but because he had already told me I would have to pay, I'd have to pay. There's lots more to that episode, and I finally didn't have to pay, but I missed my connection. The silver lining in this was that I got to meet an American couple from New York who had also missed the connecting flight, and the guy turned out to be the guy who did musical arrangements for Barbara Streisand, so it was interesting. Can somebody tell me how I got off on this tangent? Anyway, Rome is OK as an airport.