Hello First Timer, from the comments so far it is clear you'll want to find a good alternative to "seeing everything" and just driving by the outside of many sites to grab a photo. May is a great month to visit Rome, as the weather (not extremely hot) and long daylight hours should be your friends in maximizing what you can see and experience. If you arrive fresh, not jet-lagged, and have some stamina, you can certainly cover one major area or site in the morning, then another or two in the afternoon, and then things in the evening too, which might not call for actual entry, with breaks for meals and strolling in between. One tour which I took, found excellent, and has also been praised by many others on this forum, is the "Pristine Sistine" tour by Walks of Italy. This begins early at 7:30 am and with an excellent guide you go quickly through the Vatican Museum before the doors open to the public, then into the Sistine Chapel when very few people are with you, you can actually sit down and also see the floor, then back through the Museum as it fills with people, and finally tour St. Peter's Basilica. You finish by mid-day to do other things. I myself that day took an interesting walk, grabbed a panino for lunch, and caught another "Catacombs etc." tour (not the exact name) by Walks of Italy which included a series of interesting, ancient and sometimes underground sites. These types of tours, and there are certainly other good companies, cost extra money, but the guides are great, they do get you past any lines which otherwise could really slow down your two days, and they move around without ever getting lost, not so easy to do on your own. In the early evening, you can visit many of the outdoor sites which do not call for going inside. The RS Rome or Italy books provide a great evening walk in the Centro Storico. Your other day you could do the Colliseum, Roman Forum, etc. in the morning, with a tour, a guide, or on your own, and then choose another area or site, or two or even three, for the afternoon, depending on whether your interests lean more toward history, art, neighborhood life, markets, etc. You will also need to pay attention to which days of the week you are in Rome, as certain sites are closed on certain days, or on holidays like May 1, and which sites might require advance reservations. The RS book is good with specifics like this, in addition to providing great info or walking tours for major sites, and on how to get around town. Finally, hiring a good private guide for a day or two would be pricey and perhaps difficult to arrange at this late date, but they could maximize what you can cover in limited time. All over Italy, guiding is very professional work, and certified guides are generally very knowledgeable, personable, fluent in English and basically excellent. Enjoy, go til exhausted, and then start planning your return!
