WE WILL BE IN ROME FOR FIVE DAYS. WHAT ARE THE TOP 12 SIGHTS WE SHOULD SEE?

Top ten for us are Saint Peter's, Vatican Museums, Roman Forum, Palatine, Colosseum, Campidoglio, Pantehon, Castel S. Angelo, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain. Add in Santa Maria Maggiore, Piazza Navona, Catacombs, Piazza Venezia, San Paolo, Moses in San Pietro in Vincoli, Borghese Gallery and Nero's Golden House. <BR> <BR>Suggested itineraries to cover the top sights, and more, at www.twenj.com/romesights.htm <BR> <BR>Ed

I agree with the list above, but you could do all that in 3 days. I would not have missed Rome for the world, but it is very stressful. 5 days is a long time with so much to see in Italy. Here are some tips while in Rome: <BR> <BR>-You will get so much more out of ancient Rome if you take a tour. Just show up and join a group when the speaker invites you. At the end, you can pay him what you want (and then he'll tell you about the tour company he represents). I am a Greek/Roman Mythology buff and I found the tour made a place that looked like a dirt lot with crubling structures come alive! It was a highlight. <BR> <BR>-The Vatican has its own post office. It's a great place to send post cards (buy Jubilee 2000 stamps). Also make sure you rent the CD player tour. <BR> <BR>-The Vatican will not let you in if you are not appropriately dressed--no bare shoulder, no shorts. <BR> <BR>-Bring hiking boots to walk around. <BR> <BR>-Since it is Jubilee 2000 the Pope will come out to bless the crowd everyday, not just Wednesdays. <BR> <BR>-Buy paninni and/or pizza off the vendors on the steets outside the Colosseum.

Ed's list is close to perfect! While Deborah's right about renting the audio tour in the Vatican Museum, I'll disagree with her on two points: <BR>1. No way can you do justice to Ed's list in three days. It would be one of those "if this is Tuesday it must be Belgium" experiences. <BR>2. You don't need hiking boots. Comfortable shoes will do fine! <BR>You should ok doing Rome in five days. Just make sure to take/make time to immerse yourself into this wonderful city, get to know it and its people.

A superb nightime tour is "Rome in the Movies" or some such. It leaves from near the train station and you can find it in the tourist guides at hotels. You drive along in a bus, enjoying the lights, kind of a "Rome by night" thing, but as you drive the bus has monitors showing videos of movies that were shot where you are driving. When you stop at the Trevi Fountain, for example, they show scenes from "Three Coins in the Fountain" filmed right there. Maybe 20 movies. It may sound hokey, but it is a really interesting nighttime activity.

Jack, <BR>Just to add my cent's worth - at the Vatican take the free tours offered by the Vatican Tourist Office - they leave from the office at 2.00 and 3.15 (or did up to last Nov. you might want to check out the times). <BR> <BR>On previous visits to Rome I used Enjoy Rome for walking tours and found them very good, a lot of people on this forum use Scala Reale and are full of praise for them. Either way you can't go wrong. <BR> <BR>Avoid any of the bus tours - with my parents-in-law to be we took a Rome by night tour with Carrani and found that the guide was more interested in displaying the many languages he spoke. The tour was mixed with English, German, Italien, French, Spannish speakers and so each tongue got a five second introduction to the sites. <BR> <BR>Finally do a search on past hosted forums - there is one on Rome and check out Ed's web site it is excellent. <BR> <BR>Have a good time <BR> <BR>Cathy

without getting into the debates between my previous collegues, i would like to highly recomend aboud an evening walk in lovely trestevere. this is a great neighbourhood with narrow streets and great places to eat (papa re, for example). it's with walking distance from the city center (10 minutes from the pantheon). besides, there is an interesting spot in piazza barberini (in the begining of via venetto) - the convent of the cappuchine order - which is basicly a few rooms with a lot of sculls, which are set in great decoration. <BR>have fun!