Hi Sue and Scott -
While we haven't used airbnbs in Italy, every accommodation we've stayed at in the country has requested our passports at check-in for photocopying. They've either returned them while we wait or have us pick them up at the desk after we've gotten settled. It's a legal requirement, and your host is just asking for the info in advance to expedite the check-in process. It may also be necessary if they're not meeting you in person the day you arrive.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/reservation-in-italy-asking-for-passport-information
.. the 2-day pass won't help us since I booked VC already
I'm guessing you mean the Roma Pass, and it doesn't cover anything at the Vatican anyway.
Our plan is to see the Collosseum area - Forum, Capitoline, Pantheon
on Day 1.
Is this the day you're transferring from Sorrento? If so, that's a lot to try and squeeze in if you also have to check into your airbnb (Do you have a firm check-in time?) to drop your bags. By "Capitoline" do you mean the museum?
Looking at the Collosseum website is dizzying with so many different
choices - what are your thoughts about them?
Honestly, I'd book whatever is available to match budget and level of interest. Personally, I'm not a fan of the stress people have gone through to land tickets that include the underground; you can see down into large parts of it from above. But what I do recommend, if interested in the Forum and Palatine, is a tour which includes all three. The latter two sites are more complex and benefit from interpretation by an educated guide. Parco Archeologico del Colosseo doesn't offer one of these so you'd need to book with an outside company. Here are three oft-mentioned companies posters have used and largely positively reviewed.
Walks of Italy
https://www.walksofitaly.com/rome-tours/
The Roman Guy/The Tour Guy (the two are the same)
https://theromanguy.com
Through Eternity
https://www.througheternity.com
We'll soak up CT - do the hikes - use the train?
There are MANY trails throughout the park so I'm unsure which of those you're looking at doing? They may also be closed should the weather be uncooperative: most are not safe when wet. Some are quite long and strenuous so you'd want to have a certain amount of conditioning to take them on. That said, I can guarantee you'll be using the trains as they're going to get you from point-to-point more quickly, when necessary, or at ALL should weather throw a wrench in the trail plans. It's just how MUCH you'll use them that's a crapshoot.
The Treno cards (and train tickets within the region) went to dynamic pricing this year, meaning they cost more for dates forecasted to be busier/busiest. Individual tickets run 5 euro or so on low-impact days to 10 euro on the busiest, and 8 euro in between. The treno cards are priced as displayed here....
https://www.parconazionale5terre.it/page.php?id=158
....and according to this calendar schedule:
https://www.parconazionale5terre.it/pdf/TabellaB-TariffaCinqueTerre.pdf
As your trip is in October, the price of a Treno card (or individual train tickets, if purchased at the stations) will involve only the green and yellow price levels. Treno cards only have to be validated the first time you use them, and they're not, say, 24-hour passes; a one-day pass expires at midnight of the day you validate it.
There are also ferries. I'll recommend taking a ride on at least one of them to get a gander of coastline from the water. They do not dock in Corniglia as it doesn't have a harbor. The ferry line you're most apt to use is "Line 02 Cinque Terre"; explore schedules and ticket prices here; you can buy day-of tickets when you get there.
https://www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it/en/timetables
FAQs:
https://www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it/en/f-a-q
Just a start? :O)
