Florence & Rome 3 nights. Is this itinerary doable?

No problem. Rushed, of course, but that's the time available and what you want to see

Is there any way to convince your travel companion of the folly of doing this? Is this really a once-in-a-lifetime trip? (If it is, you should really squeeze Paris and London in as well as Rome and Florence!!!)

But if you really must see both a little of Florence and a little of Rome in 3 days, then your plan is as good as any. I suspect, though, you will end up seeing much less than what is in your plan, because you will be exhausted.

Good luck!

one-in-a-lifetime trip to Europe

If that is literally true, then what you propose, to do what you want to do, is probably as good as it gets.

Combined with what your plan earlier in your trip, this could be a "one-in-a-lifetime trip to Europe", as surviving it may be the singular achievement

Good luck

We did Rome in one day - we were staying in Arezzo - drove to FCO parked the car and took the train into town ... it was one heck of a long day but we saw all the big attraction. Life's short! Have a great day.

I don't know how to improve the logistics if you accept the premise. The problem lies in equating "see as much as possible" with spending a lot of time on trains and checking into/out of hotels in order to set foot in two different cities rather than taking advantage of more of what there is to see in one city. The more different cities you go to during such a very short period, the less you will actually see. Unless the only things that matter are places whose pictures appear on calendars.

I am totally brain-dead after a sleepless overnight flight, so I would never pre-purchase a ticket to do something on my arrival day after a transatlantic flight. Perhaps you are arriving in Florence from elsewhere in Europe or know that you and your travel companion deal better with overnight flights than I do.

The Spanish Steps are pretty much nothing. I think your other Roman sights are a lot more interesting, as are Piazza Navona and the Trevi Fountain (if you can see it for the crowds).

Leave off the "or not" after Duomo Museum - you MUST see this fabulous museum!

Agree with acraven re Spanish steps, they could be put last/ dropped, and after the Vatican especially. The Vatican tour is terrific with Walks of Italy. We did it last May. It will leave you tired. I'd have an idea where you will go next and the bus or taxi rank nearest the Vatican. The Vatican tour organizes early and next to a coffee spot with outdoor chairs and at the time they still had some delicious pastries. Get there early. If I had your choices, I would make a bee line to the 'wedding cake' aka Monument Vittorio Emmanuel building for an incredible and photographic gold mine of Palatine Hill and the outside of the Coliseum. Go up in the elevator, its cheap so have some euros, walk around back to get to it from the outside, not in the building. From here you can see a great deal. Consider finding a roof top bar near by so you can sit and watch the sunset there. I know there is one at a hotel close by but cannot recall its name. Just google roof top bars near the Coliseum.

I like to see the Trevi at night or early morning. its crowed at night. Pantheon is worth stopping by. Another great coffee(Eustachio's/ spelling?) shop is a short jaunt toward Campo Fiore on the pathway immediately to the right of the Pantheon as you stand facing the taxi stand beside it. That's also a great taxi stand to use to get to your next destination.

Florence is amazing and I hope after you arrive you don't decide you have made a mistake in not spending your entire time there. While I love the Uffizzi it is time consuming to see. Have tickets already purchased on line to avoid the ticket line, its long sometimes. Another option is the Bargello. I thought this one was more relaxing to meander as there are fewer people. Its a beautiful museum and not as crowded so less time, but they have odd hours so don't assume they are open, check. There is a beautiful view of Florence from Piazzale Michael Angelo across the Arno next to the San Minato church.

Plan to be tired, prioritize, prioritize so you can drop less important things later in the day or rearrange.

I really, really hope this would not be once-In-a-lifetime trip for her, but considering her life’s demands, we have to assume and treat as ...

She’s used to running after kids, so pace is nothing for her!

We will have had 2 days in Brussels ( cheap RT tickets!) to recover from jetlag before we fly to Florence.. .

And, yes, we’re hitting Paris and London!

The Duomo is for me, since it was under renovations when I was last in Florence... I’ll put it on list!

Thanks, everyone, for your input.