coliseum on 6 day Rome Tour

Gail, itineraries for both the 2015 and 2016 7-day Best of Rome trips (I believe you're taking one of these?) list visits to the Colosseum and Forum on Day 2. You see the Colosseum in the morning, and the Forum in the afternoon. The Colosseum, Forum and Palatine are all included under a single ticket BUT you need to visit the Palatine immediately after your Forum tour (they're sort of connected) as you can't leave and return later in the day without buying a new ticket.

From the RS Rome tour pages:
"Then we'll tour and hear vivid tales of the larger-than-life Colosseum. After a break for lunch, we'll tour Ancient Rome's birthplace: the Forum. You'll have the rest of the afternoon and evening free to wander through the nearby Palatine ruins…"

Don't underestimate the how photogenic Rome is at night! You can get some pretty awesome shots after dark when the monuments and fountains are all lit up. Take a wander over to backside of Piazza del Campidolgio for a great view of the Forum from above, and the Colosseum takes on a different presence when illuminated.

Kathy , thank you for your post . I read about the trip but with all the notes ect. I guess I overlooked day 2. I do want to go out and night but hoping to be with someone from the tour. The first two days I will be by myself " if my plane is not delayed " even then hopefully one whole day to do a few things. I read that you can go up in Peter of chains "church " on the roof so I plan on getting their really early , get in early so I can get the best light. You might be able to help me on this , going to Monti which I don't think it's too far from where I am staying near Coliseum area. They have vintage shops "my granddaughter wants something I know in that category " but some of the shops are open till 7 or 8 and it's dark of course.. Being alone would you chance it , then maybe trying to get a cab back.. are there numbers to call for a cab ? Do you go out like in London on a main street waiting for one to go by ?? Been to London a lot but not alone, we did go out at night with no problems. Still I am not used to traveling alone overseas AND I don't speak Italian.. going to try to learn some I hope. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Yes I will write down your idea of where to take a good pix.. love suggestions since after the fact you wish you had done this or that. Not much time searching out places.
Thanks again

Gail -
I have been to San Pietro in Vincoli and do not recall any opportunity to access the roof. Are you sure you're not confusing it with the dome and viewing platform at San Pietro (St. Peters) at the Vatican? Just as there are a ridiculous number of St. Mary's (Santa Maria's) in Rome, there can be multiple St, Peter's (San Pietro's) as well.

We're not at all nervous about exploring Rome at night but I'm not a shopper so can't help you with Monti. We've also done almost all of our exploring on foot with only a quick jump or two onto the metro; have never taken a cab nor felt the need to.

Not speaking fluent Italian is not a big problem but I'd advise learning the basic manner words/phrases; please; thank you; good morning; good evening, yes; no; etc.

After several trips to Rome there's nothing in particular I wish I had or had not done. We gave it TIME- which is probably the the most valuable advice I could give. TIME allowed us to cover some of the main attractions but to wander away from the masses. We didn't take any tours (we haven't taken an RS tour) and planned most of our days around the weather, opening hours and what we felt like doing. With 6 days and a lot of afternoons free, you'll be able to play it by ear.

Where to take photos is a crapshoot that depends on light and weather. After three trips I've yet to be able to land into certain spots on a favorable day for the lens. You sort of have to make the opportunities, and there are a lot of those if you're willing to keep your eyes open. There are also any number of suggestions from professionals that can be explored with a google.

I wouldn't be afraid walking Rome after dark alone, unless it was the wee hours. Ask at the hotel for a number to keep with you to call a taxi and maybe you could have a shop person call for you. The other thing I would do is pick up a card or two from the hotel, so you can show it to the taxi driver and he'll know exactly where you want to go. Are you staying at the Lancelot? We have found that the RS phrase book for Italian is very helpful. Months before we go on a trip, we get it out and quiz each other every evening during dinner. And Rick has some fun phrases in there also. We've never had trouble with taxi drivers in Rome not understanding us, more than that we have had some that are very chatty and want to know where we've been, going, and if we love Rome. You'll have a great time.
Mimi

Thank you , Yes I am staying at Hotel Lancelot. St. Peter's roof top view in Rome "learned about that last Sat. when Rick S. live chat ".

Monti has some vintage shops very popular now so I want to look for something for my granddaughter or me. Hoping, " the real deal made in Italy ", items. If I can find good prices on terrific deals - upscale- middle price Italian items here then maybe a break over there . I have a list of shops with addresses some stay open till 8 in the evening.

Thanks again for your advice , it's nice to know this so I can just forget about "what to do " ??

I'll respectfully disagree with chinalake about the size of the historic center of Rome. Compared to many other cities we've been to it's really rather compact; around 3 miles from top to bottom and side to side. You will have a long-ish hike from your hotel to the Vatican for that RS tour but during your free time you should try to group your sightseeing by area so you're only covering sections.

And public transit is nothing to be afraid of; we chose not to take the buses because we could see more on our feet and travel into corners that they can't go. The metro was easy and as I said, we only used it a couple of times to cover ground when we were in a hurry or were sightseeing farther outside center.

So you understand that it's the Vatican's St Peter (San Pietro) that offers the view from above, right?

Yes that is correct.. I checked it out on the church website.

Gail, I don't know exactly when you are going, but I was in Rome in May and some of the best pictures I got were right after the sun went down. The sky was a dark blue and the monuments were lit up: excellent lighting for all of that white marble! There was nice ambient light and the spotlights brought out the depths and shadows on carvings. Absolutely the best photo I got of Trajan's Column!