In case you didn’t know the Vatican has a dress code. You don’t want to be turned away from that.
Same here. I took the subway and the exit from the Colosseo station is right across the street. When you exit the station, BAM! It’s right there and it looks HUGE. It was an amazing way to first see it with my own eyes.
Thirded. It’s not just the size (ok it’s not the size of a modern stadium, but it seated 50,000 people), it’s the technological sophistication (they used to flood it to recreate sea battles!), and the societal implications (wolf nipple chips, get 'em while they’re hot, they’re lovely).
Astounding thing.
I’m glad it worked out for you all, and I’d forgotten about the reduced train schedule for Sundays and holidays, the service is practically halved. The people on your cruise timed it well, but it is a fair warning. Tens of thousands of pilgrims come to Rome for Easter and stick around to see the sights. If you really want to see the Vatican etc at this time, try and get tickets beforehand. I don’t really know how to do that though, sorry!
The dress codes for entering churches are enforced, please make sure you are covered up.
Other posters have mentioned the traffic. It is all true. Two pieces of pedestrian advice: If you cross on the pedestrian crossing you are marginally less likely to be hit, do not expect cars to stop just because you look like you are going to cross the street. Also, there two types of road crossers: the quick and the dead. Wait for a reasonable gap in the traffic, step into the road and walk purposefully across it. Do not stop or slow down, the cars will stop or go around you. Really. It all adds to the fun 
Check the bar prices before you order. You may pay more if you sit at a table than if you stand at the bar. I live and work out of the centre and pay 1.00 euro for my cappuccino. This will cost more in the city but you shouldn’t be paying much more.
A couple more recommendations, San Clemente and Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini
I love Rome! I came as a teenager on a school trip and promised I would return one day. I’ve now been living here for 15 years. It’s magical, the traffic, the chaos, the river. There’s a continuous movement and energy to the place and yet it can be so peaceful too.
Exciting! I’d recommend it!
You will both need to have work, the situation here is not good as far as employment goes.
You will need to be very patient, there is red tape and different requirements for exactly the same piece of paper depending on which office you go to, the person you speak with and what kind of day they are having. Be prepared to smile, be charming and flirt to get your paperwork completed.
PM me with anything else. I am a Brit and I’m happy to wax lyrical about Rome all day!
/Hijack.
If you do nothing else, you must see Pompeii. This should not be an afterthought or something you try to “fit in” to your itenerary. This should be the event around which all the others are scheduled. It’s that good. You will want to dedicate at least a full day to walking around there.
Also, near Pompeii is Herculaneum. A half a day or even just a couple hours is enough for this place, but it is well worth the trip there.
Been to 33 countries so far, and I don’t know how many cities. Pompeii ranks damn near the top of the list.
Also, by “full day” I mean that you should go there late the day before, and sleep at a hotel outside of the ruins. Then get up and walk the grounds from open to close. It is an incredible amount of walking though. Also, bring your own map.
Got it. My wife was definitely thinking full day; this clarifies that.
I don’t have much to add, as I’ve only been to Rome once, and that was just for a few days. A couple of additions I would make, however:
[ul]
[li]I would consider Pompeii to be the one, non-negotiable, must-do thing. I was completely unprepared for how big the site was, how well-preserved it was, and how utterly fascinated I was by the whole thing. I expected to think it was pretty cool, but was not expecting to be so enthralled. I could have spent the entire day, and easily some of the next, on-site. Look for teams of archaeologists still excavating in various corners of the site.[/li][li]Be very, very wary of pickpockets and other forms of tourist-hassling. Take all the standard stranger-in-a-strange-city precautions and then some. The pickpockets are legendary, but maybe worse in terms of effecting your enjoyment are the gypsies and other beggars. You’re going to have to be firm with them; the simple, polite, “no,” will not get you anywhere. They’ll follow you around until you make it clear you won’t be trifled with. I had one woman reach out and grab my wrist, at which point I twisted it out of her grasp and, in my best “bad dog” voice just yelled, “No!” Our tour guide later praised me, saying it was really the only way to get rid of them. They love nice, polite tourists.[/li][li]Definitely get a Lonely Planet guide. I think they’re some of the best around. Lots of good history, useful sections on food and drink, and very often some outstanding recommendations for out-of-the-way, off-the-beaten-path, inexpensive places to eat and stay.[/li][/ul]
Now I’ll go off and spend the rest of the day being jealous. Please tell your wife and kids to enjoy themselves. It’s a beautiful city.
Definitely Pompeii - but be warned, the journey takes a good long while, and you will want to spend a whole day there. Sleep on the way back. Bring good walking shoes (I cannot stress this enough) a good, specific guide to the site, and lots of water, snacks, and blister patches. Walking on stone all day is hell on soft, indoor feet.
I’d spend either a whole morning or afternoon hanging around, say, Piazza Navona, without any specific goal in mind. There are lots of nice places to eat, pretty stuff to look at, and lots of neat stuff within walking distance. See the Pantheon too.
Don’t get too hung up on seeing “everything” and running around with a checklist trying to see as much as possible and not enjoying each thing enough. It’s Rome - you’ll never see everything. Choose one “thing” for each day, and do that. The Colllosseum/Forum is one day, Pompeii is one day etc.
Oh, get “Pompeii - life of a Roman Town” by Mary Beard. An archaeologists rather funny, but very informative dissection of what is known of pompeian history, with detailed exploration of specific buildings etc.
I was 13 when I saw Pompeii for the first time. Your kids are lucky. It really is a magical place.
That all sounds cool; I will look up the book. Thanks.
My friend is going to be living in Rome for 4 years. When I’m in the US I vacation like a “typical American”. Fly in, rent a car, stay at a Holiday Inn Express or Days Inn, eat at McDonalds and Burger King".
How much would I have to adapt to visit Rome as opposed to Denver?
You would be fine. But let me recommend you rent a scooter instead of a car. There is no point in renting a car in Rome. But with the scooter, not only can you whip around the traffic, you can park right up next to the sights instead of looking for a parking lot and walking a half mile to each and every thing. Renting a scooter even ends up being a lot cheaper too.
So you get around faster and more easily. You can park on the sidewalks right next to whatever you want to look at or walk around. It’s cheaper. It’s is easy to ride even if it is your first time on one.
Really a no brainer.
There are plenty of McDonald’s all around if you insist. But you wouldn’t be dissappointed just going to a pizzeria. Not expensive, and it is really good.
Renting a car should be fine as long as you are a brave driver and have quick reactions. However if you are planning on spending all your time in Rome there is absolutely no need for a car. You can walk from one side of the city to the other in a morning if you don’t stop to see the sights.
There are no Burger Kings in Rome and only about 15 McDonalds in the city. Italian fast food is slices of pizza that you eat as you go, it’s called pizza al taglio, which means pizza by the cut, and it’s delicious.
If you need any pointers or a strip map or something, let me know. The question I get the most while walking around is “Where are the dead bodies!?”
Everyone is always looking for them! Nobody can ever find them. And like I said, the maps you get on site are horrible.
Great - thanks! I will check with the Master Planner…
I appreciate the information. Now for a dumb question, how hard is a scooter to ride and what kind of drivers license, if any, would I need to rent one in Rome. I have the standard state issued license without a motorcycle endorsment. I’ve ridden on bicycles a lot but never anything two wheels with power. Or are there trains that go anywhere I might want to go.
I have driven downtown Chicago but try to avoid anything more stressful than that. When I was visting Boston I took the train into downtown but drove our rental car to places in the suburbs.
If you were uncomfortable driving in Boston (not sure from your post if you were not comfortable with it or just happened to not do it) you will be terrified by Rome.
I came in to recommend a book for your Pompeii visit but it seems to be out of print. Pompeii by De Franciscis. It has photos of the current ruins with acetate overlays so you can see what it would have looked like pre-volcano. Here is a different version than I have - mine is for Pompeii and Herculaneum but I have the Italian edition (the store at Pompeii was out of the English edition so I muddled through the Italian edition. It was worth all 10 euros and then some!
If you’re looking for a reasonably priced, nice and friendly hotel in Pompei, I recommend the Hotel Diana. (caution - music plays automatically!)
FWIW, the stalls right outside the Pompeii wall sell those, as well. I think they’re priced at 16 euros but they’ll all offer it for much less than that.
You should be fine with just your passport. They will rent you one that is 250cc or smaller. No license is required in Italy for operating a vehicle that is 250cc and below. If you tried to rent a car you would need an International License. They are $15 at your local AAA office.
Riding a scooter is not hard. The first time I ever road one was in Amsterdam. It only took me a couple minutes to get used to it, and another 5-10 to be comfortable on it. Just start of very slowly. Practice starting off and stopping a couple times before you commit yourself. Just get used to the controls before you even pick your feet up.
A couple things to add about the Rome/Pompeii area. A couple people have mentioned pick pockets and crime. Let me follow this up with a very sincere warning: STAY OUT OF NAPLES! If you take the train down to Pompeii, do not even think about getting off at Naples for a quick look around. Avoid Naples altogether. It is a shit hole anyway. So you’re not missing anything. But the crime is horrendous. I heard so much about the crime there before I ever went. But I didn’t really take it to heart, because I get told the same thing about pretty much any large city I decide to visit. But Naples is just crime ridden! This is the only place out of the hundreds of cities and three dozen countries we visited that we were ever victim to any crime. A dude on a scooter drove up from behind my wife and grabbed her purse. It was around her arm, so it got caught and she was dragged a couple feet before it let loose. Scooter thief never even slowed down. Just grabbed and gassed it! I fucking hate Naples.
Also, do not go to Pisa! Not because of the crime, but because it is fucking lame! I don’t understand why this place is world famous. It isn’t even the only crooked ass building in Italy. There’s tons of those. But in case you’re offered a cheap day tour on a bus or something, just ignore it. There’s nothing to see.