Benjamin, no one is talking about taking a flight - it's a 5-day trip! They probably won't even have time to visit "the nearest cities with Rome. Of COURSE they'll travel around Rome if that is the destination they choose.

I don't think the Italian restaurant has to be great most places can come up with a bowl of pasta and butter and grated cheese (if that's the kind of picky eater thing we're talking about).

I'd pick Venice because you can walk everywhere. Or take a vaporetto. You don't have to deal with (overwhelming to me) public transportation like you would in London, Paris, OR Rome.

Compare price of a single vaporetto ticket vs cost of a day pass - and roam the canals all day or longer as much as like.

Weekly pass is better isn't it?

But isn't acqua alta a thing to consider in November?

An acqua alta is more likely to occur in November or December tan in other months, but on average an acqua alta high enough to require the wooden boardwalks only happens about four times a year, so your chances of experiencing one is pretty low even in November. The acqua alta is an unusually high tide, and lasts only a few hours. The lowest lying parts of the city, including Piazza S. Marco, are the most affected, and some parts of the city are very rarely affected.

I don't understand why using the vaporetto (which is public transportation) is more trouble-free than using public transport in Rome.

When is that enclosing dyke set to help block high waters going to be finished or is it?

I don't understand why using the vaporetto is more trouble-free than using public transport in Rome.

Kind of hard to take a wrong turn on the grand canal. And actually I was thinking of Paris where the underground Metro to me was extremely intimidating, crowded, confusing, overwhelming. Venice as I was mostly on foot and always above ground was a snap in comparison.