We are staying in Rome for four nights in July. Any tips regarding planning our days to see as many of the interesting sights as possible? Our hotel is by the Spanish Steps. Also does anyone have restaurant recommendations near Spanish Steps?

There are plenty of people who have forgotten more about Rome than I will ever know. But I can tell you that rome is reasonably compact, and your problem will not be so much logistics of getting around the city to see all the stuff you want to see - - but rather mental (and physical) energy for "all of it" without feeling overloaded. <BR> <BR>And try to "get into" an Italian frame of mind of what you can do, you can do; literally "che sera, sera". This is not a race with a checklist, nor a scavenger hunt. Shopping, and sitting doing nothing are essential to your Rome experience also. <BR> <BR>Plan one major place a day - - Vatican, ancient Rome, Cenro Storico, Borghese - - these are just at the top of many people's lists, then fill you day with this or that "lesser known" places (lesser known to those who don't know Rome - - but places like Trastevere, or Ostia Antica - - which is out of town - - are still world-famous). <BR> <BR>There are numerous message "threads" on this forum on tour guides, if you want tone for one half of one day. I recently reported my favorable experience with http://www.romeinsight.com - - search for that, or "Mayta" or "scalareale" - - and you will find lots of opinions, most all of them good, especially someone named Alfredo - - just a day or two ago. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR>

Sandy, <BR> <BR>I highly recommend contacting Discover Rome (0349-8726-943, [email protected] - I can't find a website for them). We ran into them at the Roman Forum, where they give free tours of the Forum to get you hooked. And hooked you are! The information our guide shared (his name was Jerry) was incredible. Without this man, we wouldn't have know we were standing in front of Julius Ceasar's funeral pyre, or Romulus' tomb. We then signed up for the Catacombs tour, which included a visit to the Mouth of Truth, Palatine Hill, and Circus Maximus to name a few sights along the way. Then we signed up for the Vatican tour the next day, which included the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's and the Vatican Museums. I can't tell you how much we loved the tours, and we only had two days in Rome, so this was an ideal way to see as much as possible in so short a time. Have fun! <BR> <BR>cindy

We ended our three weeks in Italy with 3 days/nights in Rome. It is amazingly compact, and as one of our hotel clerks noted "It may take as long for a taxi to get here as for you to walk it..." Rex is totally right -- you can wear yourself out trying to do it all. For example, set aside one day for St Peters and the Vatican Museums. We did the Coliseum and Forum one morning, and joined a free tour of the Forum. Of course after a terrific tour, the pitch is for the tours they charge for. But the quality of the guide was so good, we signed up for a 5-hour tour of St. Peters and all the next morning. I would not do it any other way! You really need a guide to make it come alive. And that five hours was an accurate estimated time, it actually took a bit longer. Happily we could just cross the river and take a short walk to our hotel for an afternoon shower and rest before heading out for dinner. Since you'll be there in July, you may want to pencil in an afternoon break every day. It was quite warm in May, it will be hot in July. Drink lots of water. Besides, Rome at night is also a lot of fun. Make dinner reservations for no earlier than 8:30 or 9. Good restaurants don't seem to be concerned with turnover of tables. They prefer you to enjoy a full and fabulous meal.

Sandy, You have excellent advice above, but all you really need is to go to www.twenj.com and let Ed and Julie guide you thru Roma---good stuff !

Hi, Sandy! <BR> <BR>My wife and I just returned from a week in beautiful Rome. I'll be preparing a detailed trip report which will be too lengthy to post here. If interested, I should be finished within a week & I can email it to me. Just let me know via my email. <BR> <BR>You can cover a lot in 4 nites, definitely the major sites. One recommendation -- bring a hat & sunscreen. Last week it was terribly hot! It kind of slowed us down a bit. But we did see everything we planned & still took a day trip to Pompeii. <BR> <BR>Eating establishments are all over. Plenty of references on this website but again there are so many and I don't think you'll be disappointed. <BR> <BR>Let me know if you want the report when it's done. Just email me. <BR> <BR>Bob

I just got back from a week in Rome - there's a reason why there are so many churches and restaurants: from noon to about 4 you'll either be praying or eating so as to escape the heat of the day. I chose to eat - a bottle of spumanti, antipasti, primo, secondo, dolce, digestif. There is so much in Rome - it's mind boggling. My friend and I picked out a one or two things each day to see in the morning - had lunch - then shopped in the afternoon - back to the hotel to nap - then dinner. If you feeling brave - do what my friend and I did - rent motorscooters. It's a great way to get around Rome and a lot of fun. Rome is gorgeous at night. Trasteverde (sp?) was my favorite area - not overly congested with cars, scooters and pedestrains - a great place to retreat to for a relaxing tranquil lunch.

The Borghese gallery is great but reservations are needed. In March we reserved a day in advance, you may need to reserve sooner in the busy season. it's well worth it and the park is beautiful.