Comments on my Rome itinerary

May 26th: Drive Siena to Rome - drop off car at the Villa Borghese location Check in/drop bags at Flamini Domus Charming Suites Lunch at Volpetti - buy picnic provisions for apartment Trastevere - Combo of Michelin Guide and Rick Steves' Walks? 18:00 - Twilight Stroll with Walks of Italy (Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, etc.) May 27th: Taxi to Termini 7:35 - fast train to Naples Train to Pompeii - self-guided Pompeii tour Train to Naples Pizza - Da Michele? National Archaeological Museum? 18:50 - fast train back to Rome May 28th: Campo di Fiore Market Baths of Caracalla Public Rose Garden (on/near Aventine Hill) San Pietro in Vincoli Lunch - recommendations near/between San Pietro in Vincoli and the Colosseum much appreciated (basic, but good quality trattoria type places preferred) 1:30 Meet with Alessandra Mazzoccoli for private tour of Colosseum (including underground and 3rd tier reservations for 2pm), Forum, Palatine Hill and Basilica of St. Clemente Walk back to apartment passing through/stopping at: Piazza Campidoglio, Teatro di Marcello May 29th: Jewish Ghetto - including visit to Great Synagogue Borghese Gallery Villa Borghese Gardens Piazza di Popolo May 30th: 7:45am - Pristine Sistine Tour with Walks of Italy (Includes Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica) Climb Dome? 3:15 Scavi Tour May 31st:
Fly home: FCO>EWR DH and I aren't huge art people. We can certainly enjoy a museum, but we're really into history more than art. Obviously, Rome has so much more to offer than what we can see in a short time, but any suggestions or comments on our itinerary are most appreciated.

My two cents: We "strolled by" the Pantheon on our way to another attraction, happened into the French national cathedral nearby and the church with the Michelangelo stature of Jesus. I think these are the three most under-appreciated sites in Rome. I could have spent 4 hours between those three sites. On the other hand, we went to the vatican and walked the maze they make you go through before you can see the sistine chapel. We saw all the artifacts those nice crusaders took "in the name of god". It got sort of old. But I digress. The colloseum is very well hyped, but brick ruins are brick ruins. I could have done with 2 hours for the whole colloseum area. So, in summary...the Pantheon and nearby French Cathedral and church with Michelangelo's statue of Jesus, way cool. Vatican museum and Colloseum...way hyped. However, St. Peters is awesome to behold. The square, etc. must be seen. The Trevi Fountain is off the beaten path. Your first night "stroll", I'm not sure how possible that is. Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps? Maybe you could do it. The outside of the Pantheon is not much to behold, except maybe the colums they looted from Egypt. You should not miss the inside.

Thanks for your input Ted. Do you know the name of the church with the Michelangelo statue? Also, the "stroll" our first night in Rome is a 2 hour walking tour with Walks of Italy. The reviews are good, so I imagine that it's doable :) The tour does include a stop to see the interior of the Pantheon, but I imagine that we will pass by again since it is not too far from where we're staying.

Hey Amy, We are headed to Italy in September, and seems like we have similar interests. We are also going to book the Waking in Rome Tours for the Sistene tour and the Night Walk. We are also debating doing the Colliseum Tour with them.... but I see you are using a guide? Any reason behind the guide?? Thanks!
Laura

Amy: "May 28th: Campo di Fiore Market, Baths of Caracalla, Public Rose Garden (on/near Aventine Hill), San Pietro in Vincoli"
This morning is all over the city. Perhaps you should plot it out on a map and then see how you would make so many "hops" in a few hours bus, metro, taxi? The Rose Garden is pretty, but IMHO, not a destination. Campo dei Fiori is a walk-thru in the morning, maybe a stop for coffee and pastry. In the evening, if you get a chance, stop in a cafe for an aperitivo. Better scene! At the end of your May 28 tour, if you are passing through the Campidoglio, consider ascending the Vittorio Emanuel Monument on the "Rome from the Sky" elevator. Fabulous view! Your May 30 looks good. We did exactly this with Walks of Italy in the AM and the Scavi at 3:15. In between (tour ends at Noon), we walked to Trastevere for lunch at Dar Poeta. Be sure to get back in time to go thru Security at the Basilica if you have a backpack or daypack. If you only have a purse, you can go right to the Ufficio Scavi. The security line can be an hour long, so I like to warn people in case they have a bag to check. Oh, and we did not have time or energy to climb the dome after this very full day! Ciao! Buon viaggio!

BTW: Having a guide to the Colosseum./Palatine/Forum is a great idea. It is a complicated and interesting area. Also, I think the church Ted referred to is San Luigi de Francesco, near the Pantheon and Trevi.

@ Laura - Our tours are with Walks of Italy. There are many companies (Rome Walks, etc.) with similar names, so I'm not sure if you meant you were booking with the same company. We booked the Pristine Sistine Tour because we liked the idea of getting into the Sistine Chapel before it was wall to wall people. Actually, I think I asked Laurel (by PM) about this tour a few months ago, and she had enjoyed it? If it wasn't Laurel it was another poster on here. We booked the Twilight tour (also with Walks of Italy) on our 1st night because we thought it would be a good orientation to Rome, and allow us to get some details we might not know otherwise. The choice for a private guide was pretty simple for us for Ancient Rome. We had narrowed the tour companies we liked for Rome down to Context or Walks of Italy. Their Ancient Rome Tours are 4 hours and 170 euros for 2 people (Context) and 3 hours and 120 euros for 2 people (Walks). Since our private guide costs 50/hour, we'd pay only a bit extra to have the tour at 1) The time we want, 2) The length we want, 3) Cover the sites we want and 4) At a pace we want. We were able to add the Basilica of St. Clemente to our tour because my husband was reading about it and it seems so interesting to us. Also, if we decide to linger longer in one area we have the option to do that. We can ask any questions we have without having to worry about how silly or obvious the answers are, etc. Finally, our guide has already been extremely helpful by providing me with information and details about the underground and 3rd level tours at the Colosseum. It's nice to have someone there to be able to ask! And now the 1 thing I hate about this Forum, I can't see the replies that I'm replying to! So I'll have to post this and then re-read the others..

Please pack me in your suitcase!! I wanna be going again in May instead of planning for March 2012!! :)

@ Laurel - Plotting out the points on google maps is a good idea, I always try to do that when I can. Good suggestion :) Our B&B is on Vicolo del Bollo, which is less than a 2 minute walk from Campo de Fiore so we planned coffee and a quick bit, and a little bit of shopping for the rest of our stay (brought back to the apartment). I have a feeling we will stop by Campo de Fiore for at least a short while every night to check out "the scene." Then we'll take a taxi to the Baths. It's going to be a long day, especially after Pompeii the day before, so I don't want to start it off with a 35-40 minute walk :) There should have been a question mark after the rose gardens. They're not a priority, but they're about a 15 minute walk from the Baths, so its an option (suggested by our guide-and free!) depending on how long we spend at Caracalla. to be continued...

They're supposed to be beautiful, and at their peak in May, but I am doubtful that we'll actually get there that Saturday. The other option is to stop by the gardens after our tour of the Jewish Ghetto (15 min walk from the Great Synagogue), but that will depend on what time we get there, what time I can get Borghese reservations for, and how much shopping I still need/want to do :) Either way we will likely hop on the metro at Circo Massimo and take it to Cavour. From Cavour it is a short walk (<5 min) to San Pietro in Vincoli. Then depending where we eat we can walk (<15 min) towards the Colosseum, or jump back on the metro for 1 stop if we're back near Cavour. Does that seem more reasonable to you? For our Monday, we have a pretty big gap from when our tour ends (~noon) and when the Scavi tour begins. We were thinking about taking a taxi to eat someplace decent (since its our last full day in Italy). Will I have to check my hand held video camera? I could possibly fit it into my cross body, but I wouldn't be able to zip it closed...

@Bethanne - Can you squeeze into a 21" carry-on? Oh, and you have to weigh less than 17 pounds :)

Thanks for the response:) I meant Walks of Italy :)
We have both the tours your taking, plus the Colliseum tour down with them. We are still debating on what to do with Pompeii... and are looking to see if the recommended guide is available for a tour there (we would get there by train), since we are particular about our needs there. I'd love an update on your trip when you get home (if you have time :)). Our trips and interests seem very similar!!

Seems you've done your homework Amy. Be prepared to be flexible adn you will do well! we loved San Clemente, too. Glad you plan to see it.

Hi Amy, The church with the Michelangelo statue of Jesus: Santa Maria sopra Minerva http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria_sopra_Minerva The French National Church in Rome is: San Luigi dei Francesi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Luigi_dei_Francesi So, you've got the Pantheon and then two other churches nearby. Piazza Navona is close by. Have a great trip!