ROME!!!
 

I will be spending 2.5 days in Rome in July, wondering where the most central and easiest to navigate area might be?
Looking to see the Vatican, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Colosseum, Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Spanish Steps Catacombs, and whatever else I can squeeze in during those busy days

Any other thoughts on must see or unique little spots to check out?
Traveling with a friend and our 3 teenaged daughters ....

Thanks in Advance

Angie

Personally I like the historic center oof Rome, near the campo Di fiori / pza Navonna.

Easy walking to both the Vatican and Forum/ Colosseum as well as Trastevere.

Your list of things you want to see is a bit of a jumble. There are over a dozen basilicas in Rome, more than half a dozen catacombs, and the Sistine Chapel is part of the Vatican City.

Besides, in 2 1/2 days, it would be very difficult to see that much, and in July, with the heat and tens of thousands of tourists who all want to see the exact same things, it would be a rather aggravating, even unpleasant, trip. It would especially try the patience of three teenagers.

My cousin and her husband visited Rome with three teenagers last June. She had paid for an expensive tour of the Vatican Museums, but when they got inside, and the kids saw the mob of tourists, they rebelled. So they left without taking the tour. They had already waited almost an hour in the broiling sun the day before to get into the Colosseum, even though they already had tickets; I was with them that day. (I had refused to go to the Vatican Museums with them, because I knew what it would be like.) When my cousin was planning the trip, I had suggested what I'm about to suggest to you, but my cousin was very stubborn about not missing her "must-sees".

I would advise you to make a very general list of your interests, for example, "ancient Rome", "Renaissance art", "beatiful churches or basilicas", "a catacomb", "fountains and piazzas", "Roman food", or, "shopping". Then try to see a gem or two in each category, but not necessarily the famous ones.

You already have more than enough attractions for 2.5 days on your list. I only miss the Forum Romanum which is definitly Rome's main attraction.

Unique spots would certainly be the catacombs (take a taxi to go there). A very special experience would be a meal in the lower rooms of ristorante Costanza, where you eat between the 2,000-year-old walls of the antique Marcellus Theatre (http://www.hostariacostanza.it/).

A central location for a hotel would be somewhere in the triangle between Piazza del Popolo, Piazza Navona and Piazza Barberini.

For some people, myself included many times, the most famous attractions are the most important. Many tourist attractions are over-hyped, but many are popular BECAUSE they are so worth seeing.

Personally, I found the Sistene chapel a bit of a letdown, exactly because of the crowds. I had anticipated this quiet moment of awe, but was crammed into the room with probably hundreds of other people all staring up at the ceiling. However, if I had not gone, I would have always wondered what I was missing. My tip for the Vatican/Sistene Chapel is to try to book with one of the tour guides hanging around outside, as it is not expensive and you do not need to book in advance (meaning you can play the day by ear if needed). You can get in through the group entrance which is shorter than the general admission line. The guides are typically art students. (At least, this was my experience several years ago.)

I hope you are not the type of traveler to let your trip be ruined by "rebellious teenagers". I know my teenager would not refuse to go on a tour we had already agreed to join and had paid for, but maybe I am just lucky.