After Rome ideas Jan2- Jan4th

Be sure to read Ron in Rome's Rome for the Holidays, if you haven't already.

Wow thank you for the great link to Rome for the Holidays. In the small world department in one of the pics it shows a local Chi-Town high school at the Vatican that my cousin's kids go to. After we go to Rome for Christmas and New Year's still wondering if we should go anywhere else? Thanks for the help.

We spent 9 nights in Rome last Christmas, before we moved here. We were in the city Dec 22-31 and loved it! We only had one partly rainy day, Christmas Eve, but it was dry by evening and every other day was at least dry and mostly sunny. What it will like in Dec 2012: who knows! But Rome has so much to offer rain or shine, and cold is far better than the current heat wave! You will need to plan around holiday closures, and the biggest closure day is, of course, Christmas Day. Even that day, there were 2 "presepe" (nativity scene) museums open, which are unique. The Ghetto is lively for dining, but reservations are essential and I would make them at least a week out for both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Katie Parla at www.ParlaFood.com has posted lists the past two years that you might find helpful in planning your holiday dining. No doubt she will do a 2012 version as well, a couple of weeks before Christmas.

Continued: http://www.revealedrome.com, Amanda Ruggerei's excellent site, had a terrific post last year about things to do in Rome at Christmas. If church is in your plans, there are, to say the least, hundreds of churches to choose from. If you prefer English language, or early (18:00 or so) services, before dinner, you might Google "English services in Rome for Christmas" a week or two before the day. We found a Protestant service that way, in a charming Scottish Presbyterian church, paving the way for dinner at 20:30 and a leisurely Christmas Eve stroll after dinner. One final note: make a reservation ASAP for lodging. It get very busy here! With a family of 4 for a week, you would be wise to get an apartment. Many now come with laundry facilities, which are a blessing any time of the year! As to after Rome, I would head south to Sorrento. Lots of Italians go there for the week after Christmas, so be sure to make a reservation as soon as possible. From Sorrento, you can see Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast, which is a nice change of pace from Rome. Perfect location for 3 or 4 nights. If you only have 2 nights, you might be better off staying in Rome and day-tripping to Orvieto or Assisi for a change of scenery.

Thank you so much for the great info and link to the blog. I know we are late in the planning game for the holidays which is one concern I have going then. I had hoped to go during our Thanksgiving time but not sure I can pull my kids out of school for the whole time. If all the locals go south would it be better to not go there because of the crowds and the fact we don't have reservations yet? Any ideas on where to stay there? Thank you again for the great info.

I'd still try to go south: better weather likely than north. I think you are early enough to pull off a reservation. Sorrento is the perfect base. We liked Hotel Antica Mura very much. GREAT breakfast spread, which is a plus with kids. VRBO should have plenty of apartment options for Rome. We liked this one: http://www.romerentalapartments.it/argentina-holiday-rome-rental-apartment.

Thanks for the great answers. Looking at some of the options and wondering if we should just stay in Rome and do day trips? For instance in Dec. is Pompeii do able? Any other day trip options for late Dec and early Jan?
Thanks for all the help.

For instance in Dec. is Pompeii do able? Any other day trip options for late Dec and early Jan? Doable, but not sure you'd want to. Please read Rick Steves' guide on Pompeii and whether or not to day trip. It's 1 1/2 hours by train to Naples, then another 30 or so to Pompeii on the Circumvesuviana. 3 hours or so to tour, then the same two train trips back to Rome. But getting to/from the station in Rome and inevitable waiting times make it a longer day than the 7 hours travel-and-tour time. There are also guided tours from Rome, that while expensive may be a better option in terms of using your time. Remember daylight is short.... Other daytrip options are Orvieto, Hadrian's Villa and Tivoli, Ostia Antica (Roman ruins like Pompeii, although no volcano involved). Assisi is a stretch, but possible. If the weather is nice, a day on Via Appia Antica is a good option.