best use of short time in Rome

Not sure you'd get your money's worth. If arrive and leave mean airport times, you're really short of time in town. If they're train times, you're a little better off, but at the most you'd have time for vatican, colesium, forum, spanish steps, trevi fountain. Colesium and forum are on one ticket, rest of stuff is free. So you'd spend maybe 25 euros each for one ticket and a few subway rides. Doesn't seem to work for me.

When we have limited time in any one place, the first goal for us is to figure out what is important to us to see. Some will tell you the Spanish Steps area is a must see, to us it isn't, or if we go by there, its usually in the evenings on the way to something else. The Roma Pass can be of value if you are going to at least 2 of the more expensive entry sites on their list and if you will be using the metro/busses quite a bit. For many those two sites are the Borghese Gallery and the Colosseum/Forum/Palatine Hill entries. With such short time, the Borghese may not be worth a stop to you since there are so many sites to see and it is a bit out of the way and does require reservations. You are limited to 2 hours at the Borghese, and it is wonderful if you like Bernini sculptures, but in a short time is it one of your must sees? There are also lots of free sites that would fall on our must see list, Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Camp de Fiori, Trevi Fountain at night. Be aware that if one of your must-sees is the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, the Roma Pass is not valid for entry there. If you have an idea of what your must sees are, that would help in suggesting a schedule. Some things are easily seen in the evening, like the Trevi Fountain and some of the piazzas, some things need to be seen in the daytime.

Here's what I would do:

Go to the Vatican on Tuesday afternoon. That evening have dinner at Piazza Novona and walk to Trevi Fountain afterwards.

Wednesday morning to see the Coloseum, Palantine Hill and Roman Forum. Walk to the Pantheon and have lunch around that area. That afternoon go the catacombs on outskirts of the city.

That night to go the Spanish Steps and have dinner around that area.

Thursday AM to go Borghese Gardens.

Nuts, I misread, thought only one night. Do what the other two said.

Sherry,
Tod made a very good suggestion. You could also like he said go to the Vatican on Tuesday afternoon and hire Ron (www.roninrome.com) for a full guided day tour on the Wednesday, you would cover a lot of the sights with an entertaining and knowledgeable guide.