Photographer, tripod or selfie stick for first trip to Rome?

Ask a trustworthy looking fellow citizen to take that picture. I've been glad to do it dozens of times.

I've taken lots of photos for tourists, too. If you are worried about your phone being stolen, don't use it for selfies. Bring a cheap P&S camera that no one would want to steal - or a spare phone.

Rocking mom, tripods are not allowed in many places, and can be a hassle to carry around anyway. And please, no more selfie sticks!! I agree you have to be careful who you hand your phone to.
Assuming you would like your couple-photo in front of someplace special and memorable, like St. Peter’s, the Colosseum or similar,, I’ll offer a couple of ideas to start: (1) if you take some kind of group tour of a special site, ask the guide or another tour member you befriend to your take your photo, when you are very near the background that you want; if asking another traveler, choose one who is already photographing, hopefully they’ll know how to frame a good photo; (2) if you are near the photo you want, look for a couple taking each other’s pictures, or a dad photographing the mother and kids, and offer to take their photo all together; many will appreciate that and accept, and then will almost inevitably ask if you would like them to do the same for you. If the background of the photo is not so critical, then most restaurant waiters or hotel staff are used to being asked, as long as they’re not super busy at that moment.

I walk around with a DSLR or larger mirrorless camera. I get asked plenty to take photos for people--I think the equipment makes me look safer--or it could be my advancing years, but I'll choose option A :-).

If you are in front of some famous site, I'm sure there will be other people such as me walking around taking photos. I would say make sure you see him/her actually taking photos, then ask them to take one of the two of you. I never mind doing this.

walk around with a DSLR or larger mirrorless camera. I get asked plenty to take photos for people--I think the equipment makes me look safer

More likely, people assume you know what you are doing and are likely to take a decent picture. I get asked a lot too. Sometimes I've got the camera on a tripod at sunset when the light is changing rapidly, at a busy tourist spot, and I've had people interrupt me in those situations to ask me to take their photos and I've turned them down. (Not much time to shoot while the light is perfect!) Otherwise, I generally say yes.

We always look for another tourist with a decent camera, then ask them. We try to be discriminating so as not to pick a person who may run off with your camera. Usually it will be a couple who wants their photo taken and are struggling to get one, so I’ll take theirs and ask them to reciprocate.

I constantly get asked to take people's pictures and like the others I assume it's because they see the equipment I'm using and think a) she probably knows how to take a photo and b) her camera is better than mine so why would she steal it. So that's probably your best bet, find someone with a decent camera who is already photographing the area and ask them. You are more likely to get your camera stolen off a tripod (or knocked over and broken).

Sorry but I'd rather have great pix of historical sites with NO people in front of them! Easier said than done, eh? Many others feel the same way so please don't monopolize the prime spots for personal shots, not that you have any intention of doing so (I'm sure you don't.) :O)

If you want to have a shot of you and your significant other in front of ____, then ask another tourist to take one with your camera or phone. I've done plenty of those for people who've either asked me or I've volunteered to do the deed for. Lots of other folks are in the same position of wanting a photo memento of their trip but not being in a place where they can do it with tripod and timer.

Leave the selfie sticks at home, please, or only use them in quiet spots where most other tourists aren't around. Tripods are not allowed inside most attractions, and they won't work well in crowded outdoor spots. I've set my mini one up only in relatively deserted locations or at times of the day when I don't have to fight a crowd.

Thank you all for your great responses. I feel more comfortable with the idea of asking others to take our photo.

Sorry but I'd rather have great pix of historical sites with NO people in front of them!

I agree with this, but it often requires setting the alarm for an early wake-up. At least at 4AM there's never a problem using a tripod, and most likely the only other person at, say, the Trevi Fountain will be another photographer!

I don’t take a lot of selfies but do take a lot of architects and landscape pics - and hate when I get people in them so at peak times the trick is to be patience, find an angle and get lucky.

I bought a mini tripod on AMZN for ~$15, it’s about a foot long and is the perfect size not to annoy me or anyone else but is a great stabilizer when I take long range shots and gets the camera just a bit further away if you’re taking that selfie. The camera stays in the tripod and my camera cord is attached via caribeaner to my backpack so the contraption is attached to my person and close by for easy access.

Sorry but I'd rather have great pix of historical sites with NO people
in front of them!

To each their own, but I like the added personality of being in front of some shots, or even of some stranger from a distance that adds perspective in terms of size and scale. I've never used a selfie stick but my wife and I will take selfies together and we also have no problem asking others to take a photo. Personally, I've never had a problem with a person with a selfie stick but it doesn't take much digging in this forum to get a grasp on the hate for them. As long as you're careful and not swinging it around I can't see why people would have a problem.

"get photos as a couple in front of the more popular historical sites"
Isn't that we have Photoshop?

I have used a monopod as it doubles as a nice walking stick when I am not using it to stabilize shots.