Ancient History route - opinions

Given your interest in Ancient History your natural focal points will be Rome and Athens, the big difference between the two cities being that Rome has attractions from all epoches while those of Athens are restricted to Ancient Greek and the Historism of the 19th century. Besides, Athens is, or can be, way cheaper than Rome.

I'm not planning any kind of day trip.

I'd reconsider that. Please be aware that the stadium is a modern building. I'd save the time for a trip to Aegina where you can find the well preserved (or rather: rebuild) and impressive temple of Aphaia. For boat schedules of the different carriers from Piraeus to A. google for: Hellenic Seaways, Anes Lines, Leve Ferries, and 2wayferries (please note that return tickets are valid on boats of the same company only, so check return schedules in advance; buy your ticket on the spot - Akti Poseidonos). For the bus schedule from Aegina harbour to the temple look up here (in Greek, but destination are translitterated - look for direction "Ag. Marina") but double check with the office (the speak English) before going (phone: 22970-22787).

Don't worry about a language barrier in Istanbul - there isn't one.

Your trip sounds fantastic. No need to feel bad at all about not visiting Paris. It is no more historic than most of the other capital cities in Europe and has little Roman history compared to so many other cities. Since this is your main theme, stick to it. See what you want, not what you think others say you should see.

Looks like a wonderful trip. Bon voyage.

You can't do everything in one trip and it makes sense to maximize your sightseeing around the cities you visit. Maybe Paris will be the starting point next time.

Hotels, dining, and transportation can be key expenses but different budget strategies can help to keep each reigned in. You won't have too much transport cost around Rome, Athens, and Turkey, but should plan ahead for Britain. See BritRail pass, Youth Discount Card, and Advance discount ticket options detailed at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/britain-rail-passes.

For budget lodging in the big cities, booking ahead is probably the best strategy to secure something you're comfortable with. See more tips at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/sleeping-eating.

I completely agree that if ancient history is what you are interested in, Athens and Rome are the places to go, and I think you have planned your pace a lot better than most itineraries I see here.

I know Paris should've been a focal point

You sound like you feel almost guilty about not visiting Paris. You're not visiting Prague, Berlin, or Stockholm either, do you feel bad about that too? Why should you? You can't visit all of Europe in one trip, especially on a limited budget. And while these are all wonderful cities in their own right, none of them is as full of ancient history as Athens or Rome.

sla019, I loved your Aegina suggestion. An almost perfect temple and a rather cute monastery, with the bonus of the "Hey, I visited a greek island" speech when I return, with a cheap cost (at least according to Rome2Rio). I checked the possibility of Delphi and Corinth + Mycenae, but it wasn't a straight forward, easy for indepent travel path (Delphi is doable, but a long connection; Corinth alone involves one change, Mycenae would involve another), at least not as easy as this plan. Rhodes would involve flying, so it wasn't that good of a plan (even though would be a Crusader sight, more modern to throw on the mix). If I feel I'm on a good pace on my 2nd day, I'll most certainly do this;

Ms. Jo, yes, I know. Paris have more of a medieval, early and late (Valenciennes Châteaux, the Louvre, everything on the Notre Dame Island and the Cluny Museum) and modern heritage (from royal Versailles to the WWs heritage at the Invalides). I also love this period of history, and I would be delighted to visit it, but I have a budget to look out for. It felt best for me to rather plan a themed itinerary and leave Paris out of this equation (I mean, I still can look to the weekend plan, and I'll have similar sights in UK. The IWM is even more complete than the Invalides, the British Museum will satisfy my interests as much as the Louvre, if not more (I know both are all-world museums, and it's like comparing pizza with ice cream) and I'll have the chance to check at least 4 castles in the UK (Windsor, London, Dover and Edinburgh)). About the last advice: I know. My GF is still complaining about me going to Istanbul and not to Venice. "But it's SO close, you don't know if you'll go again". When I say I'm saving it to go with her, she eases up a bit haha.

Bets, thank you. I hope it'll be a life changer, indeed.

Laura, I'm leaning on buses, mostly. I know it's not comfortable, and it limits my possibilities quite a bit, but, on some places, the price different is very big (Edinburgh, for an example, it's 22 £ a return ticket on an overnight bus, on National Express. It's 53 or 55 £ on a budget flight and 60£+ on the train, even booking 120 days in advance). Although, this youth pass interested me. Those 30£ could pay themselves rather quickly, depending on my choices. Lodging is the reason I made my mind on Istanbul. When I saw some very good rated hostels, in Sultanahmet, for close to 10 euros, with lockers avaliable, I was amazed.

Anna, since I talked about her here, I remembered of something I told my GF a couple of weeks ago: "You can't go wrong with Europe". I mean, for my interests, I could go anywhere from Lisbon to Moscow, and from Edinburgh to Istanbul, that I would be happy. If the costs were different and pointed me that a modern history itinerary from Paris to Berlin and Warsaw was better, I would be equally happy. I'm more attracted to ancient history, specially considering my home country, I can't even imagine how I'll feel when I see the Parthenon standing in front of me (with a horde of tourists, but that's part of being in a historical place for mankind). The same'll apply for the Colosseum, the Appian Way, or even picturing the old Hippodrome. Or, going more modern, seeing the Vatican, or the original chains that guarded the Bosphorus, or the old walls in Constantinople, that brought to an end the disfigurated and greek-fied Eastern Roman Empire. That was my motto during this itinerary plan: I can't go wrong with Europe. If I went to a Helsinki-Stockholm-Oslo-Copenhagen, or a Vienna-Prague-Budapest, or even a Lisbon-Seville-Madrid-Barcelona itinerary, I would be equally happy. But, yes, picturing myself both in the city that basically began our civilization AND in the city that was the closest thing we had of an Western Capital...it'll be beyond magical

with the bonus of the "Hey, I visited a greek island"

I don't know Aegina, but October should be a great time to visit Greek islands if you are on a budget. They'll be throwing rooms at you. True, there is a chance of rain, but mostly, the weather should be fine. So, in case you are considering any other places like Delos, for instance - not a bad idea.

Having said that...

"But it's SO close, you don't know if you'll go again"

... THIS is a common mistake people make. The problem is, it's NOT so close as it seems when viewed from a distance. You will usually spend at least half a day, more likely a whole day just on traveling if you add another destination to your itinerary. So you eventually end up seeing less than you would have otherwise, not more, simply because you have less sightseeing time.

People on this forum often recommend thinking "I'll come back here on another trip". Even if you never do, this may help focus on those things you DO get to see (and enjoy those) and not on those you DON'T get to see.

Anna, and, adding one more thing: the cost. Rome to Venice is 30+ euros, one way, buying 90 days in advance. It's not like "Oh, it's just 5 or 6 euros on a 1-2 hours travel", and I explained this to her. To be honest, I want to take her to Venice someday (Venice, Amsterdam and Paris are her dream towns, although I think, considering what I read, that she'll love Brugges too). I don't know if I'll be able to, though. To be honest, I really don't know if I'll be able to come back to Europe again. But, I'm using another line of thinking in order to avoid a dramatic crazy itinerary full of 1-day stops: this time last year, my default thought was "I'll not go to Europe in a long time, maybe never". So, when I see my itinerary, I don't think "Oh, I was so close to Berlin, why I don't go there for a day or 2? Damn, I'm losing a golden chance", but rather "Oh, I'll be able to afford almost a week in Rome. This is a blessing". I don't know if I'm making myself clear, or if I just divagated here, but my feeling is that, if I see one city properly, I'll be in a better place than I was last year already. I don't need to push a whirlwind 8-countries-in-14-days schedule, specially considering this'll be more expensive. I know the odds are on myself not returning, or returning already with wife and maybe kids, on a much more relaxed pace (I don't think I'll be able to drag her to an archaeological museum in Saint-Germain, not while she can just sit on a café or on a garden and watch the people wandering. I mean, I know she would go with me if I asked, but it would not be the same. The same freedom that I'll have now). So, yes, I want to make the most of it, and the most of it involves me seeing what a city has to offer to me. I don't want to rush towards the Vatican in order to pick a flight and rush myself to Munich, for an example.

I always look for the unique. If you can make the short hop from Athens to Sofia i know guide that will drive you to Istanbul. Its an incredible trip (till you hit the traffic is Istanbul).

This is a good itinerary for your interests, except I would add a day trip to Pompeii from Rome instead of Florence. Florence is my #1 favorite city, because I love Renaissance art. However, if you're more interested in ancient ruins, you'd be happier in Pompeii. You should schedule 2 separate trips to British Museum-you just can't absorb everything in one visit. In my opinion British Museum is way better than Louvre for your interests and location. Are you using budget airlines such as Aegean and the other one in Turkey-I forget it's name-It's not Turkish airlines. Our flight on it from Ephesus area back to Istanbul was amazingly comfortable. Also, you should look for a cheap convent to stay in in Rome. We stayed at one near Colosseum-bfast wasn't that great but it was inexpensive and a great location-walking distance to Colosseum and Forum. Sorry I don't remember its' name. If you have to cut, it should be Athens not Rome.

It sounds great. Ephesus is walking distance from Selcuk, so no worries there. No language issues, either. You will likely pass through the Theodosian walls on your way into the city.

If you can't make a daytrip to Pompeii, Ostia Antica will be fine. Go to the Villa Giulia Etruscan Museum in Roma.

Repeat after me: "On this trip, I will see what I see and I will miss everything else, and that's OK because it's all good."

That's my travel mantra, and it's the only way to keep from going crazy about all the places you aren't seeing on a particular trip.

Instead of worrying about adding destinations that at this time are not on your A-list, try to optimize the ones you are going to. You've already done a lot of great work - congratulations!

When I was in Turkey in 2011, several airlines that flew from Istanbul to Izmir had a free bus from the Izmir airport to Selcuk. I took Atlas Jet, which was one that had the bus (Turkish Air and its subsidiary Anadolou Jet, which were fine for other flights we took in Turkey, did not). Before booking this segment, see if you can get it with the bus included. For the way back when we didn't have the free bus, we had to take a train, which was cheap but PACKED - we stood the whole way from Selcuk to the Izmir airport (my mother's still not happy!).

I had similar interests in mind when I made up an itinerary and shared it with people, and one person in particular had a great bit of observation and advice (he had lived for a year in a seminary south of the Colosseum) : I hadn't included any churches. There are marvelous churches meters away, often within sight, of just about every place you mention, and although they aren't 'ancient' they do and did serve as the conduits through which our picture of the old times (for both good and ill) reaches us. They were the lenses that brought us to a particular focus on a given ancient phenomenon or constellation thereof until well into the 19th century, and it aids your comprehension to gather some of that in in person.

Concrete example: the Mars cult and the upside down crucifixion of Saint Peter are better understood when overlaid upon each other, as they literally were in Trastevere on the hill where the Spanish embassy occupies/d the area around the Tempietto. Take a moment to go around the back of the Tempietto and crouch down to look into the sub-basement, where you'll see a polished version of the earlier animal sacrifice paraphernalia -- and note the hole in the floor of the Tempietto, and then compare what the official guides (written and human) say about the holes in the floor of the Pantheon being drainage for rainfall through the Oculus -- there isn't any mention of taurobolium or sheep/goat slaughter but as a student of ancient history you yourself will have a sense of what the Church retained and what it has edited away. Tradition says Peter requested the upside down position. Consider that while you're out behind the Tempietto, or in the lower galleries of the Palatine museum...

I hadn't included any churches. There are marvelous churches meters
away, often within sight, of just about every place you mention, and
although they aren't 'ancient'

Oh, absolutely include churches! They won't take you much extra travel time because they are just wherever you are.

And some of them sure are ancient, or at least parts of them. After all, you are going to some of the near-birthplaces of Christianity: Istanbul, Ephesus, Athens, Rome - it doesn't get much more ancient than that except in Jerusalem. There isn't much left of anything before the 4th century, but 4th century churches should appear quite ancient to anyone coming from a country with barely a few centuries of history. :-)

I always plan trips around what interests me, not what others say I ought to be interested in. It has worked well so far! Keep planning around what interests you.

James E, I thought about Sofia, but as an overnight daytrip from Istanbul. In fact, I'm still with that idea in storage, as an eventual plan B if Ephesus somehow doesn't work. Sofia doesn't have the same impact as Ephesus, yes, but it's another country, full of heritage, a beautiful cathedral and a nice military museum (and few Serdica ruins). I like to have alternative plans for day trips, if something goes wrong, and Sofia was already on my deck (not Bucharest, though, that's too far. Same for Belgrade).

cala, the problem about Naples and Pompeii is the price. In fact, the same problem applies to Florence. My country's currency is very weak, specially compared to the top3 touristic currencies (Dollar, Euro and Pound). That's why Turkey came as such a good idea: the turkish Lira worth slightly less than my national currency. That's why I'm still unsure about Florence, and with a cheapier option in my pocket, also with deep heritage (Tarquinia, with the Etruscan remains, and a friend reminded me about Hadrian's Villa, as well). About the British Museum, I want to visit it at least 4 times. It's a All-World museum completely free (although I want to make the recomended donation on the 1st visit), it'll be my second home in England. Since I'll going to have at least 20 afternoons free in London (more if I spend less weekends on day trips), I'll be able to visit more than once the 3 free places I'm looking forward the most: the British Museum, the Imperial War Museum and the British Library. If the Museum of London demands a second visit, I'll be glad to go, the same applies to the National Army Museum. Paid highlights, though, I'll need to be one and done (Tower of London and Winstor pops into mind).

Zoe, I'm planning on it, whenever I go to Tarquinia or not. The Etruscans are a forgotten people on the usual school textbook, but it must be a great experience to see the first civilization that inspired the Romans. About Ostia, I planned it first exactly as a cheap option for Pompeii, but, even going to Ephesus, I'll not risk it. I was amazed how preserved it was, and walking into the place thousands of merchants docked, from Carthage, Siracuse...a not so expensive highlight. And, as a bonus, a castle sight along the way.

Harold, yes, that's exactly my though. I'll not be upset about not seeing the medieval downtown in Prague, because I'll be seeing the Acropolis in Athens. I'm completely OK about seeing those 3 hubs, and how couldn't I? Even if I never return to Europe, I'll be able to say that I saw some of the world's greatest heritages, and, quantity wise, I'll travel to 5 countries, or, even better, 6 cultures (British, Scottish, Italian, Vatican, Greek and Turkish). How can one say I traveled little? I know some planners on this forum tries to cream Austria, Germany and Hungary in 5 days, and I know others consider anything less than 2 weeks in a region to be a complete waste, and that's different travel styles. Like I said, I would be bored in 10 minutes if I had a companion wanting to go to Paris just to stay at a café, and I know a lot of my friends will complain about me going to Selçuk instead of the Capadoccia, or Malta, or other beach in the Mediterrean. I have my interests, I know what I want to see, and, with a LOT of help from this forum (both reading and asking), I was able to prepare a doable itinerary. The same applies to what you said, carol.

avirosemail and anna, absolutely. I want to visit the 4 papal basilicas in Rome, at least, and it's impossible to visit Istanbul without picturing the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque sitting in the old Hippodrome. Churches are part of human heritage, both in culture and moral. I know I'll not have time for an extended catholic tour in Rome, but I want to see at least those 4.

Glad to see that others are fascinated with ancient history.

I have been to almost all the places that you plan to visit. Your plan is not bad, but I have some suggestions.

Tarquinia was a disappointment for me. It was not without significance considering the ancient Etruscans, but I would spend more time in Rome. Make sure you go to the Capitoline Museum. We went to the catacombs, which was a little disappointing. Perhaps it will mean more to you.
You should plan on a tour of the Forum and Palatine Hill which has the ruins of Emperor's palaces. Also, the Coliseum is a must. Trajan's Forum and Market is a must, with the original Roman Senate doors on a nearby cathedral. There is a church that houses the steps from Jerusalem that Jesus took.
A day at the Vatican is a must, to see St. Peter's and the Sistine Chapel. Remember that Nero's circus was located were the Plaza of St. Peter's is now. The Egyptian Obelisk was moved some distance to place it closer to the center of that plaza during the final stages of the completion of St. Peter's. Also, most of the stone that built St. Peter's came from Roman buildings at the Forum that had been damaged by an earthquake.

The Pantheon is a must. Built originally by Augustus's best friend Agrippa, then rebuilt by Hadrian.

I suggest going to Pompeii instead of Florence. You can stay one day and see Pompeii and perhaps go to Capri where Tiberius spent his last years.

Athens you can see in two days, don't miss the new Acropolis Museum and the Archaeological Museum. Go to Delphi if you can.

Five days is plenty of time in Istanbul. The Theodosian Walls have been repaired and are near the Chora Church north of the old city.
.Never been to Pergamum, but there is a wonderful Pergamum Museum in Berlin.

The island of Delos is worth a trip, it ts near Mykonos. That might just be too much for you.

There are lots of Roman sites all over Europe. Segovia, Spain and Pont Du Gard, (Provence, France) are two well preserved amazing Roman aqueducts. Northern Italy has tons of Roman sites like the Arena in Verona. Ravenna has wonderful Byzantine era buldings and art. Provence, France has many Roman temples, roads, and historical sites. Split, Croatia has Diocletian's Palace.

Enjoy your trip.

geovagriffith, thanks for the heads up on Tarquinia. The truth is there are a lot of options close to Rome (besides Tarquina, Cerveteri, Viterbo, Terracina, Orvieto, Tivoli, Ostia, Anzio, and the more distant Florence and Naples, obviously) and within Rome to satisfy a traveler for weeks. I'll need to choose what'll fit best, but I'm reading so much suggestions to go to Naples that I'm reconsidering about there. Maybe if I cut one day in Athens it'll fit in my wallet. 2 days in Athens will be rushed, and I'll probably not going to able to see in depth some of the secondary museums I planned (specially the Byzantine and the War Museum), but maybe the sacrifice will be worth it. Delos suffer from the same "problem" that I saw in Rhodes: finances and time wise, it's hard to fit, even though I wanted to see. And yes, southern France has a lot of sights. Arles, Nimes, Marseille and Avignon can keep one traveler busy for a week. From Spain, I loved Segovia and Terragona, close to Barcelona (but my #1 city to see there is Toledo. Not a lot of Roman or even early north african civilizations, but a lot of Moorish heritage). You talked about Ravenna, I was actually seeing the logistics of detouring to Bologna just to spend a day in Ravenna, before I saw how cheap Istanbul were. Well, like I said earlier: you can't go wrong with Europe. Every city would satisfy my desires.

Kaeleku, yes, absolutely. An Athens -> Thessaloniki -> Plovdiv -> Sofia -> Istanbul -> Selçuk would be a magical trip on its own, so would be a Milan -> Venice -> Verona -> Florence -> Rome -> Naples -> Palermo -> Syracuse. You can't go wrong with Europe. I'll probably going to try to find a Priene, Miletus and Didyma tour in Selçuk. One busy day, but I'll be able to cover everything without worrying about unusual bus connections. I'll not going to be able to see Pergamon and Troy (much less Capadoccia), but it's life. One can't complain about seeing 4 major archaeological sites in 2 days.

I love your plan as outlined. I too think it is important to see 'where you are' rather than flitting around and not seeing anything thoroughly. With your interests you will have plenty to see in Rome and Athens with your allotted time (I, unfortunately, have not been to Istanbul...yet). I have been to Rome, Naples and Athens (and I so want to spend more time in Naples, but not for you, this trip, IMO). Please do not cut a day from Athens to do Naples. Only run to Naples if for some reason you run out of things in Rome, and I can't imagine you will. I spent 4 full days in Athens and had so much more to see. With your interests you will need your 3 full days.

Your travel philosophy is perfect and your thoughts on doing this solo is spot on. This will be such a WONDERFUL experience being solo. Having a travel partner would be no where near the same, in fact, it would be a totally different trip, and you wouldn't get to see what you will want or spend the time on a subject that you will want. Save it for another time, for a joint interest trip. Traveling solo is so much fun! It is one of the few times we can spoil ourselves by only thinking of ourselves, getting to know ourselves better and absorbing what we (ourselves) want to absorb. Also, I found Athens to be extremely inexpensive. I couldn't believe the money the Greeks kept giving back to me, LOL, so if you have to lessen time anywhere due to finances, I would pick less time in Rome, but other than the ancient sites, I'm not a Rome fan...and that is with loving the Renaissance period, but I will try it a third time, someday. My opinion: Unless you are Catholic, I wouldn't waste time on the Vatican Museum...and yes, this from an art history person who gave it a try twice because of others' needs, but considering your interests (and even my interests) DON'T, unless you run out of interests elsewhere. So plan this visit on your last day in Rome if you must, so you can cancel if you have better things to see/do. Your trip looks fantastic. Please report back on your trip when it is completed with your thoughts and experiences! Have a great trip. Wray

You can't go wrong with Europe. I'll probably going to try to find a
Priene, Miletus and Didyma tour in Selçuk.

Well... yeah. Seems like you can go wrong with Europe. ;-)

scnr :-)

Some late thoughts: I haven't been to Turkey. Roman ruins in western Provence/eastern Languedoc (Nimes, Arles, Orange, Pont du Gard) are rather better than what you will see in Italy except a few highlights like the Pantheon in Rome. Most of the Roman ruins in Italy must have been re-purposed for churches because just fields of rubble is pretty typical, e.g. the Roman Forum. Note that in the same vein of best not where you expect it, the Greek ruins at Paestum south of Salerno are better than the Acropolis or most typical Greek ruins in Greece.

Agree that you can skip the Vatican Museum unless you want to see the Sistine Chapel.

I'm reading some suggestions about skipping the Vatican Museum, but I also read (in this forum and elsewhere) that, beyond the masterpieces (I'll be the first to say that I'm not THAT interested in art, except for the highlights), their Egyptian and Etruscan collections are great, along with the Map room. It's really an expensive ticket, though (and I want to do the Necropolis tour, which adds euros on a, otherwise, free sight in St. Peter's Basilica). It's really advisable to skip it, then?

I have been to the Vatican Museum twice. The entrance is some distance from St. Peter's and the unbelievable Sistine Chapel. You have options to take the short or long routes through the museum. I think the long route may take 2-3 hours to go through. It may have changed since I was there last.

However, everything that I saw was worth the visit. I am a history buff and perhaps some are not so thrilled with history, particularly Medieval history.

There is a wonderful book about the building of St. Peter's Basilica. It is called The Basilica. It took more than 150 years to build.

Tom may have missed some great ruins: the best-preserved triumphal arch is in Benevento, the Roman and Greek archeological sites in Sicilia are incredible, and the arena in Capua gives an experience that the Roman Colosseum traded for disneyfication long ago.

Tom is absolutely right about the temples and other buildings becoming quarries for other buildings, unless the temples were converted into churches; this saved the Pantheon, and others.

I just got back from Athens and I think 3 days is the perfect amount of time there to take in the ruins within the city and the important museums. And in October you won't be dying from the heat like I was! I second the recommendation for Aegina, I stayed on a tiny Island nearby, and while we didn't get a chance to make it over to the temple there, we are definitely going to next time.

Greece can be ridiculously cheap if you know where to look. I don't know what your hotel budget is, but I stayed 3 nights at "Natasha's Home" on Booking.com which is in a residential neighborhood meaning that if you eat near there, you're getting locals' prices, not tourists' prices. It's a full flat with a fairly well stocked kitchen so you can make your own breakfasts for free, and even cook at the flat if you really want to go super budget. It's 50 euros a night in summer, possibly cheaper in October, and run by the sweetest woman. I wouldn't stay there again in the summer because it's up a hill and a bit far away from the center (25 minutes walk to Acropolis metro) but in the fall it would be a great location. It's next to the Pantheatic Stadium and a 15 minute walk from the Temple of Olympian Zeus/Hadrian's Gate.

We were able to buy the combo ticket (Acropolis, both Agoras, Keramikos, Aristotle's Lyceium) at the Temple of Olympian Zeus. This is the ticket to buy for what you'll be seeing. The Archaeological museum is 10 and the Acropolis museum is 5, I think, so 45 euros for all of Athen's ancient sites is a pretty fantastic deal.

Get a late lunch or dinner after the Archaeological museum at ΑΤΙΤΑΜΟΣ ΜΕΖΕΔΟΠΩΛΕΙΟ. Non-touristy restaurant that is still welcoming to tourists. Best food I had in Athens, huge portions, very fair prices.

As far as your UK trip, keep in mind that London and (reportedly) Edinburgh are expensive, most everywhere you're going otherwise is not. I couldn't believe how much cheaper Yorkshire was compared to London, for example. York is a must for a history nerd in my pinon, I also loved Bath but there's more to see in York IMO.

Sorry I can't offer advice for the rest of your trip but it sounds like you know exactly what you're doing!

Vatican Museums - There are some very interesting Egyptian pieces (but I don't think it can compete with the British Museum's or the Louvre's collection), but there's also the Gregorian Profane Museum (5th-4th century bce Greek statues and reliefs, as well as pre-Christian Roman antiquities), the Pio-Christian Museum (up to about 5th century ce sculpture, mosaics and architectural fragments). I've been to the Vatican Museums twice, the Etruscan rooms were closed both times. And of course the Pio-Clementine Museum, showcasing the Laocoön, but much more from Imperial Rome.

Visti the Pio-Christian and Gregorian first (they are in a separate wing near the entrance), then head for the main route through the rest of the complex.

If you have reasonably priced lodgings in Rome, you could take Enjoy Rome's bus transport to Pompeii and make it a day trip from Rome. However, the train is probably cheaper and you could stop in Naples at the Archeological Museum. And I concur, that with your interests, Florence would be a lesser priority than Pompeii. You will love Istanbul. And with regards to the Louvre, I've been to Paris 3 times and only went there on the first trip. In contrast, I make at least one visit(and sometimes more) to the British Museum on most of the trips I've made to London. The advantage of making many trips to the same museum is that you know your way around and it starts to feel smaller and easier to digest.

I know the state of some of the ruins (specially Roman Forum) is little more than rubble. Neverthless, I want to see it and just feel the power. I mean, I will step in the same streets of the ancient romans, where they talked, fought and conspired. It's an inspirational place, if you're into this (a friend of mine said I will pay big money to see a bunch of stones. He went to a language course in Malta, because of the beaches, and went to Amsterdam specially for the Heineken Experience. That's where I saw how "to each, their own" applies perfectly to trips). Sicily and Southern France would deserve a week for themselves (Siracusa is known world-wide and they're not even the best preserved city in Sicily), but I need to know how to limit my desires, even if I don't come back. My wallet has it's limits.

Cala, I just saw on Rome2Rio that a bus trip Rome-Naples is almost 3h. I don't have the limits on uncomfortable travel that I see sometimes on this forum (once I spend 12h on an overnight bus, sleeping sit and spend the following day sightseeing without any issue. I was destroyed at night, but I'm not a club guy, so I just slept and, in the next day, I was 100% rested), but, in this scenario, I would reach Pompeii only close to noon. Can I enjoy it (or Herculaneum, for that matter) only on an afternoon? The price of the bus (10 euros) is inviting, more cheap than the train.

Loved, loved, loved standing in the Forum. It is way more than just a field of rubble. One does feel a certain aura there. "Wait, am I really walking where Julius Ceaser walked????" For history buffs, this is an ultimate feeling.

You can see quite a bit of Pompeii in a few hours. Go for it.