We are leaving for our 15 day Tuscan vacation next week and my husband really wants to go to Rome. I have been advised by several people not to bother going as we will have enough to see and do in Tuscany. Can I have some thoughts on whether Rome is a must see, albeit only for a couple of days, or don't bother - save it for another trip when you have more time ...
Thanks.

Fifteen days surely merits 48 (or preferably 72) hours in Rome. Put them at the end, when you are more completely acclimated to Italy, in general.

Best wishes,

Rex

I'll give my stock answer to questions like this. One to two days doesn't give you enough time to really do justice to a city like Rome. But, two days or even one day is better than no days. Unless you feel confident that you can go back next year or the year after and spend a lot of time there, I say go and get a taste of what it's about.

Don't forget, millions of people do cruises all over the world and never see any city more than a day -- and they are happy with their travel. So go and enjoy -- just try squeezing it out into two days. I still think you'll want to go back for more.

Yes, Rome is a must see. In two days in Rome you can see quite a bit, and get a real feel for the wonder of the antiquities surrounding you. You certainly won't be able to see everything you want to see, but I haven't accomplished that in two week-long visits either.

I agree. I would be reluctant to go for one day; it will be overwhelming. With two or three days, you can at least see the main sights. One day for ancient Rome and one day for the Vatican. Mix in the heart of Rome from the Trevi Fountain to Campo dei Fiori on the two or three days. I am with your husband. It would make a nice end to the trip. Now, you have to consider logistics. You will want to fly out of Rome, I would think.

Go, go, go!
Two days is better than none. You'll have enough days to see some of the important sites. It would also be a nice break from your stay at the Tuscan countryside.
Cheers.

Realistically we will only have one day ... by the time we get the train from Florence, find a place to stay, see a few sites the first day then see a few things on the 2nd day, then get the train back to Florence - it just doesn't seem worth it, and quite frankly I don't want to even entertain the thought. We already have a house booked in the country & a car (which we are sharing with my folks and they don't want to go to Rome and I wouldn't want to drive there regardless!) for our entire trip and I just don't want to have to make more travel arrangements ...
I haven't had a vacation in 4 years and just want to kick back and not have to make too many decisions, other than whether I would like "white or red" ...
Thanks for your comments.

Tuscany is lovely. We are going to spend a week there next fall. That said, Rome is one of the most spectacular places in the world and with 15 days to spend, you must try to experience Rome. I suggest 3 days in Rome. Enjoy!

OK, now I know this is going to come out as one of those rude posts, but here goes anyway.

Can you possibly explain why you asked your question here? A number of people answered, mostly telling you to do it or at most adding one more day, but you come back telling us your mind was already made up. Why did you ask then? Were you just looking for ammunition to be able to say to your husband "hey, everybody on Fodor's agreed with me"? But now that we didn't agree, you'll just keep quiet about it?

Patrick, I agree with you 100% as this is one of the WEIRDEST/CONFUSING DOUBLE POSTS I've ever seen !!! Mike

Lulu, From your second post obviously you don't want to go... so don't go! Stick with the Tuscany plan that fits your mood and desires for this trip. As Patrick mentions kindly above, I'm not sure why you're asking us. This is clearly a discussion that needs to be between you and your husband. Doesn't really matter what we think here. Good luck!!

Patrick, my mind was not already made up and I am definitely not going to keep quite about it. I wanted to get the general consensus, and that was to go, but for at least 3 days ... we don't have 3 days, we have 48 hours to get there, see some sites and get back ... probably 10 hours of "seeing the sites". Keeping in mind the time parameters set out above, all I wanted to know is if it was worth making the trip when we have so little time.
I have never been to Europe and hope to have several more trips and there is so much to see. My idea of a vacation is not to be constantly on the go and seeing as much as I can possibly see .. I guess I am just worried about spreading ourselves too thin and not having a vacation/ rest ...
Again, thanks for your replies.

Since your husband "really wants to go to Rome" I hope he does, without you. He can take an early ES train into the city (90 minutes) see many of the highlights at his own pace, enjoy a drink in the Piazza Navona, wander the Campo di Fiore with a gelato and return on a late ES train.

Well, as mentioned, Rome is a very quick train ride away. If you take an early morning train on Day 1, stay in Rome overnight, and then take a late train on Day 2, you can easily spend much more than 10 hours in Rome. And you'll still have 13 days in Tuscany. It sounds like plenty to me.

Anyway, have a good time.

I cannot believe anyone would tell you not to bother with Rome. AND your husband really wants to go. If you are spending 15 days in the same location, it wouldn't be difficult to spend two days in Rome. It is worth it.

The words SELFISH and CONTROLLING come to mind. Be flexible and go, even if its just to make your husband happy. And those people who said not to go to Rome, well, they don't know jack about it.

I still think you should go. As others have said, Florence is a quick train ride away. I have taken the second train of the day and was sightseeing in Rome (after checking in) well before lunch. Just take what you need for one night in a small bag and make your Rome reservation ahead of time to save time looking for a hotel (maybe even call and reserve from Tuscany when you make up your mind). Even if you have a few hours to stroll and take the late train back, it is worth it. One day is overwhelming, as I said above, only if you want to try to see and do too many things. If you target a few sights/experiences, it is definitely fine even for one day. It will be a nice contrast to Tuscany and will let you know if you might like to go back on a longer trip. Plus, Rome is just one of those few special cities on Earth that is simply worth whatever time you can give it.

Well, lulu you have proven my point that your mind WAS made up. You say the consensus was that you need to go for 3 days. If you read the posts and add them up, that was NOT the consensus. I think you only read what you wanted to read, and pretended that the consensus was simply what you already "knew".

Sure three days is better. If you posted asking about 3 or 5 days, most would say 5 is better.

I think originally some of us assumed you would be flying in or out of Rome and it was logical, but I guess you're not.

I change my answer. Stay away from Rome. I guarantee you will hate it as you clearly don't want to go!

Apparently it is "worth it" to your husband and not so much to you.

Since I am not licensed to practice either Psychiatry or Psychology I'll spare you the curbside diagnosis and the labeling that comes along with that irresponsible behavior.

I believe the person above who said this is a matter which should have been discussed, and resolved, by those involved, and ONLY those, was trying to do you a favor and, frankly, I think you should listen.

Come on Topman, don't be shy, with all your time on the couch, you must have learned quite a bit about those subjects.