You're welcome twiggers :)

Not knowing your speed/style of seeing sights, I'd still wager that your Saturday is really packed.

Keep in mind that many (most?) churches close at noon. To your question about St. Peters in Chains, that's what we did - took the subway to Cavour (I think), went to the church, then approached the Colosseum from that angle.

Trajan's column is not far from the Pantheon or Trevi Fountain; if you were interested in seeing them or things nearby, you could put it on that day.

I think the Saturday will be pretty packed....and I'm anticipating that I'll leave first thing in the AM and go hard all day long.

I"m somewhat speedy going through things, but I plan on doing a few mp3 tours for the colosseum, forum, palatine hill, etc.

Hmmmm, good to know re Trajan's column.

Typically my planning is to put everything on a day, and often not get to everything and then I just carry it over to another day!

Twiggers,

On my site, www.passagetoroma.com, you will see a menu section relating to my free MP3 audio guide. This is a very large file, as it is 6 tours, but they are broken down into "albums". Tour 1- The Agony and Ecstasy Tour, will fit exactly what you are looking for as it concerns the Colosseo, Palatine Hill, Roman Forum and Capitoline Hill. Tour 2 has info on Santa Maria in Aracoeli.

You can also go into the library area and download the free guidebook. This is a PDF file that lets you print it yourself (or take it to an large office supply like Staples), but then take it an office supply and they can bind it for you for about $4. The instructions on how to print and bind are in the front area of the guidebook. This gives you maps and other such things. It goes along with the MP3 guide, but does provide even more detail.

dave

Just back from Mexico

bookmarking

I'm off to Montreal for the rest of the week. When I return I'll be working really hard on filling in the rest of the days! Hopefully will be able to book the underground colosseum tour (I hope!).

Ostia Antica is indeed excellent, and can easily be reached by subway from Rome. I'd recommend at least a half-day there.

Another day trip to consider is Tivoli, for Hadrian's Villa and the Villa d'Este. This can be reached via bus or train.

Was finally able to get through and book my underground Colosseum tour. Therefore, Saturday will indeed be a full day in ancient Rome.

Friday: Easy stroll around Navona/Campo (will update later with more detail)

Saturday (lunch on Capital Hill? Or somewhere else?):

Colosseum
Arch of Constantine
Roman Forum
Palantine Hill
Capital Hill
Capitoline Museum
Santa Maria in Aracoeli

Trajan's Column
Piazza Venezia
Victor Emmanuel
Bocca della Verita
Mamertine Prison

Sunday: open

Monday:
Scavi tour (booked for 9:30 AM)
St. Peters Basilica (mp3 tour + climb to top of dome)
Wander over to Trastevere (more details needed)

Tuesday:
Vatican museum + Sistine (booked for 10:15)
Castel Sant Angelo (lunch nearby? or at Vatican?)
----need evening plan...maybe a nighttime Rome walk----

Wednesday: open

Thursday: open

Friday: open

Saturday: open

Twiggers, you may wish to rethink trying to do the Capitoline Museum on Saturday. This is a VERY large museum, consisting of two buildings, plus the underground cross through. You can spend several hours there.

As you go up to Piazza Campidoglio from the Roman Forum, just before you get into the Piazza you will see a set of steps that go off to your right. These will take you to the side entrance of Santa Maria in Aracoeli. Exiting the church through the front, look to your right and you will see a gate. This may or may not be open. If it is open, then go through it to take you directly to the Vittorio Emanuele II monument. If not open, then you climb down the steps at Aracoeli and back up the steps for the monument.

There are numerous cafes in the area around the Capitoline hill. If on a budget, go a few streets away from the hill. Since you are heading down to Santa Maria in Cosmedin (Bocca della Verita), on your right you will see Teatro Marcello and the Portico d'Octavia. Past this are several small cafes and a great hostaria.

Be aware that there can be a substantial line for the mouth of truth. Check to see how many tour buses are there. If a lot, then cross over to the little park across the street, which is the Foro Boarium, the oldest forum in Rome. If you want to see something interesting and a bit weird, continue walking through Foro, up the hill to the bridge. Go onto the bridge on the left side. If you look down, you'll see the outflow of the Cloaca Maxima - Rome's original sewer, which is still working after over 2,000 years. The bridge portion next to the Ponte Palatino is called Ponte Rotto (the rotten bridge). It is the oldest bridge section in Rome, being about 2,300 years old.

Finally, back to Santa Maria and the mouth. This is a very important church, with a mosaic from the original St. Peters and frescoes going back 1,000 years.

dave

Dave: Thank you SO much for your help! I think the museums will be towards the end of the day....so if I'm feeling tired then I can always push it to another day.

In fact, that is my general itinerary style. I try to group things together by area/neighborhood and put it all down for one day. Whatever I don't get to, I just keep that list handy and try to get them in on another day.

I appreciate the other tips/tricks :-)

Would appreciate some advice on my Saturday colosseum plan (trying to get a better organization of the day). Note, that I'm not one of those crazy stick-to-a-timetable people...it just helps me with my planning.

Possible order/approximate times:

Transport from hotel to Colosseum - not sure yet how to get there.
9:00 - 9:15 AM: Arch of Constantine (snap pics/observe)

9:30 AM: Colosseum - 9:40 AM underground tour (90 minutes).
Will do my own Rick Steves tour on my phone (60 minutes).

Noon: Palantine Hill tour via Rick Steves (90 minutes).

1:30 PM: Roman Forum tour via Rick Steves (90 minutes).

3:00 PM: Mamertine Prison (30 minutes)

3:30 PM: Santa Maria Aracoeli (30 minutes)

4:00 PM: Victor Emmanuel (15 minutes)

4:15 PM: Trajan's Column (15 minutes)

4:30 PM: Piazza Venezia (15 minutes)

4:45 PM: Up grand staircase to Capitol Hill and wander around

5:00 PM: Capitoline Museum (2 hours)

Bocca della Verita

OK, so a few things. Obviously not going to be able to squeeze in Capitoline Museum. So need to think about pushing this to another day. So I can skip that and cap off the day at the Mouth of Truth (open until 5:50 PM).

Lunch: Where is a good point to stop that doesn't really involve a lot of time. I plan on eating a pretty big breakfast. I know there is a cafe at Capital Hill, but I don't get there until late. Something before going into the Forum would be good.

^^^Any advice??

Some more updates for Monday/Tuesday (Vatican days). Would appreciate input on Colosseum day, as well as Trastevere sights.


Friday: Easy stroll around Navona/Campo (will update later with more detail)

SATURDAY:

Transport from hotel to Colosseum - not sure yet how to get there.
9:00 - 9:15 AM: Arch of Constantine (snap pics/observe)

9:30 AM: Colosseum - 9:40 AM underground tour (90 minutes).
Will do my own Rick Steves tour on my phone (60 minutes).

Noon: Palantine Hill tour via Rick Steves (90 minutes).

1:30 PM: Roman Forum tour via Rick Steves (90 minutes).

3:00 PM: Mamertine Prison (30 minutes)

3:30 PM: Santa Maria Aracoeli (30 minutes)

4:00 PM: Victor Emmanuel (15 minutes)

4:15 PM: Trajan's Column (15 minutes)

4:30 PM: Piazza Venezia (15 minutes)

4:45 PM: Up grand staircase to Capitol Hill and wander around

5:00 PM: Capitoline Museum (2 hours) - move to a different day

Bocca della Verita


Sunday: open

MONDAY:

Arrive Vatican by 8:30 AM

9:30 AM: Scavi tour (90 minutes)
11:00 AM: St. Peters Basilica (Rick Steves audio tour; 1 hour)
12: 00 PM: St. Peters dome (1 hour)

lunch: Better near Vatican or in Trastevere?

Bus over to Trastevere (#23 or #171)

Rick Steves walk through Trastevere
St. Cecilia - 9:30 - 1 PM; 4 PM - 6:30 PM
Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere - 7:30 - 9 PM
Villa Farnesina - 9 Am - 4 PM

Possibly start at Villa Farnesina and work over to St. Cecilia so that it will be open.

Bus back to hotel and dinner somewhere.

TUESDAY:

Arrive at Vatican by 9:30 AM

10:15 AM Vatican museum + Sistine tour through Vatican (allow 3 hours???)

Walk over to Castel Sant Angelo (lunch nearby? or at Vatican?)


Wednesday: open

Thursday: open

Friday: open

Saturday: open

You won't spend more than 1 minute in the Mamertine. Have some change for a donation as there will be someone collecting.

If you are moving the Capitoline Museum to another day, you need to also move the things connected to it - Santa Maria Aracoeli (check hours open as most churches close a few hours in the afternoon), Victor Emmanuel, Piazza Venezia , Up grand staircase to Capitol Hill and wander around (you have to go up it to get to the Capitoline Museum).

Trajan's column is part of the forum. You didn't allow any time for lunch on your Colosseum day.

ky: Good to know re Mamertine.

It's possible that many of the times on my itinerary will be shorter and then I can fit in Capitoline Museum. However, if I see things getting late, then yes, I may move all those things to another day.

I'm wondering about lunch....are there places to grab a quick bite within the colosseum/forum area?

I just wanted to say that I can't see any harm in a day trip to Florence. Florence is small and very walkable and you will have time to wander through the city, over the Pont de Vecchio and absorb it all a little. Not far from the train station is the market where you might pick up some scarves,leather gloves and other goodies to take home, either as gifts or for yourself. We have bought silk ties for my husband for about 4 euros each at the markets.

If you want to see the Statue of David, and you should, then leave that until the end of the day when the crowds have thinned out (about 5pm). You can spend as little (15 minutes) or as long as you like (hours) viewing David and the other pieces in this small gallery, then make your way back to the train station and be back in Rome in time for dinner with your husband.

Cathies: Thank you VERY much for your opinion. I appreciate it :-)

My pleasure twiggers. We are hoping to spend a week in Rome next year as part of a trip to Italy and I have every intention of leaving my husband in Rome while I have a day trip to Florence which is one of my favourite cities. We've been to Florence a few times now and my husband doesn't want to see it again, but I do.

I hope you are able to make it there cathies! I am very excited to see David and just generally stroll around Florence.

hi twiggers - there are a few places to eat near the colosseum - we found a nice one up towards san pietro in vincoli. alternatively, grab a snack from one of the vans which you'll find in the lay-by near the exit to the Palatine. it's not gourmet food, but it was surprisingly reasonable, and it was enough to keep us going for the rest of the day. alternatively, there is a restaurant/cafe on the capitoline, round the back of santa maria in aracoeli.

However, my feeling is that you have a VERY full day on the saturday - technically it's doable, but you'll be knackered and fit for nothing the next day. the colosseum, forum and Palatine are al on the same ticket so it makes sense to do them all together, and then have a leisurely lunch try one of the nice restaurants on/near via serpenti, north of the colosseum] and do something else. [shopping, wandering around the little shops and workshops in the nearby Monti area, sitting in the little piazza with your gelato, you're on holiday, remember]

Franco got there before me with Santa Cecilia in Transtevere - don't miss the mosaic chapel in the basement either. we really enjoyed the Rick Steves walking tour of the mosaic churches - and if you are going up to the dome of St. Peter's, don't miss getting a good look at the mosaics at the roof level. [there are toilets and a cafe up there too, and a great view of the backs of the statues which overlook the piazza below].

you certainly have enough spare days to fit in florence if you want - though I might feel it was rather more of the same. OTOH, you could go to Tivoli to see the Hadrian's villa and the Villa d'este - lovely in late spring/summer.

HI Ann,

Thank you so much for your input! I am thinking that I might leave all the Capital Hill stuff on that day....and if I'm feeling OK then I'll forge on. But if I'm tired, then I'll save it for another day.

I do have Santa Cecilia on my Trastevere day. In the Rick Steves book it states that the mosaics may not be open in the afternoon, but that you can ask one of the nuns to let you in. Not sure how valid that information is?

I really want to see David....really the entire purpose of visiting Florence. I imagine it'll be a somewhat laid back day.

Tivoli: I hear many good things....I'm also contemplating Orvieto as a nice relaxing escape. Just lazy wandering around the town. Possibly Ostia Antica since I don't want to go all the way to Pompeii.