Please Critique My Rome Itinerary (4 days)

It's a full itinerary, but possible. I had a few immediate reactions, though:

• Day 2 is a long day with a lot of walking and the opera, Those 21:00 starts kill me. I suggest a couple of hours downtime, preferably with a nap, in the afternoon. Or you'll be napping at the opera!
• Large breakfasts are hard to come by, especially good ones. There are some places in Campo de' Fiori that advertise "American breakfast" but don't set your expectations too high.
• I did not care for La Tavernaccia da Bruno despite several food reviewers' recommendations. We liked the antipasti and shared a fine pasta, but the secondi were gristly and unfortunate. It is quite out-of-the-way, so take a cab if you go. If you are open to taking a taxi and like seafood, instead try La Fraschetta del Pesce. It is an experience. The family fishes at Anzio and the fresh catch comes here daily. Il Commandante (the Captain) will welcome you warmly but make a reservation!

Thank you Laurel! That is too bad to hear about Tavernaccia da Bruno--it really looked good in the pictures, but I'll be sure to check out your recommendation.

I agree about the 2100 opera time. With restaurants opening at 7:30, it either means a very rushed dinner or a very late dinner.

I would skip CT and add those days to Venice

1.5 days in Venice is like opening a bag of chips and eating just 2.

Hi Daniel -
Day 1:

• Gelato at Ciampino, Dinner at Colline Emiliane

Unless there is a gelataria called "Ciampino" in central Rome, Ciampino is the location of one of the airports and a long way from central Rome. ??? Colline Emiliane is also quite a walk from Camp di Fiori.

Day 2:

Afternoon: Castel Sant’Angelo; explore Trastevere neighborhood
(shopping);

Castel Sant' Angelo isn't anyway near Trastevere, Colosseum, Palatine, etc. It's very close to the Vatican so that's what you should combine it with.

Day 4: • Morning: Vatican (St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican Museum;
Sistine Chapel) • Lunch at Pizzarium • Afternoon: Vatican (see above)

I'm confused? If you've done the basilica and museums in the morning, what more of the Vatican do you think you need for the afternoon? That is when you should do Castel Sant’Angelo as they're roughly in the same area.

• Dinner at La Tavernaccia da Bruno

This is healthy distance from anything else you have on your agenda this day, and especially from Gelateria dei Gracchi. Have you looked it up on a map?

@Kathy: Thank you for your helpful comments. I moved Castel Sant'Angelo to the Vatican day and put Villa Farnesina on the Trastevere day. Ciampino should be Ciampini, which is near the Pantheon.

As for the dinner restaurant distances, those are generally fine with us. Our usual travel routine is to get up early, have a full and busy day, and then go back to the hotel around 6pm to rest for a couple hours before having a late dinner. We also appreciate walking after dinner--helps to justify that extra antipasto and ordering dessert.

@Joe: I agree that 1.5 days in Venice is too few. But CT was an absolute must for my girlfriend and it seemed like the easiest place to cut a day (we also cut out Bologna).

The Galleria Borghese focuses on Baroque, not Renaissance, art, especially sculptures by Bernini. Google "Michelangelo David" and "Bernini David" and you should notice a difference.

On your Day 4, note that Pizzarium is located on the BACK (northwest) side of St. Peter's, the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. After visit those three, you will exit on the front, or east (southeast?) side of St. Peters / the Vatican Museums / the Sistine Chapel. And after spending a wonderful morning walking, walking, it will seem like a very long trip to go back around the entire Vatican to go to Pizzarium. We basically did this once; it was painful. Also, note that Pizzarium is a takeaway, so you will be looking for a bench to sit somewhere outside. We did that too. My lovely hubby was not too happy about that part. Also, the pizza al taglio at Pizzarium has a thicker crust; it reminds more of pizza bianca than most pizzas I've had other places in Rome. Not that it's bad, it's just a matter of personal preference.

Enjoy!

IMHO ....seriously...6 days in Tuscany is a lot with consideration of only 1.5 in Venice...I would do 3 in Venice, especially if you are a couple, it is so romantic. While true each town in Tuscany has it's own character...it is very much the same when compared to the originality of Venice...the magic of Venice.

It is also extremely hot in Italy like Arizona hot....so unless you can get to a pool in Tuscany, you may want to add more time in CT, like 3 days...

Breakfast in Italian is an non event.

Seems like no breakfast at your hotel...so if you have a mini fridge in the room stock up on yogurt and fruit etc until you can get out for a coffee and cornetto like the locals do...then have a bigger lunch, rest in the mid afternoon and head out to sight see again in the early evening, think landmarks and strolling, not museums. Have a lighter dinner and stroll after dark...

Enjoy!

Good point about breakfast: it really is a non-event in Italy. For locals who don't just grab something at home, it's an espresso or cappuccino and cornetto taken standing up at a bar. If you are wanting something more substantial, then stocking your townhouse with provisions from the market is probably the way to go. Will you have a mini fridge?

Breakfast has routinely been included at all of our hotels in Italy (so far) so we fill up in the morning, grab a snack midday and then eat an early dinner: no lunch. Time for a sit-down lunch is time we personally prefer not to spend but I realize that doesn't work for most tourists.

If you have a townhouse in Rome, I'm assuming it has a fridge. If so, you can do no better for breakfast than to shop at the morning Campo de' Fiori market for oranges, strawberries and grapes. Then right across and down a couple doors from the Hotel Campo is the nondescript Express store, which looks like a simple 7-11 type, but goes back about 200 feet and has a wonderful butcher counter with maybe 10 kinds of prosciutto and speck, great cheeses and a fantastic wine area.

Restaurants, inexpensive ones off-the-radar but great quality, abound in the vicinity. Do not eat at any of the perimeter joints on the piazza, where hawkers may call out for you to come in and dine with them. Bypass those. Go to Roscioli bakery for a pizza slice, so many kinds each day. At Emma Pizzeria--also owned by Roscioli--when we were there in March I had the finest spaghetti alla Carbonara of my life. Finally, a little hole-in-the-wall called Elle Effe--a 2-minute walk away--features Sicilian cuisine, is reasonably-priced and should not be missed.

Great area to stay!

I wouldn't skip the Galleria Borghese. It's fabulous and one of the favorite art experiences we've had in Europe.

It's fabulous and one of the favorite art experiences we've had in
Europe.

I would agree, Patricia. We enjoyed that one much more than the Vatican, truth be told: excellent collection, far fewer bodies to contend with, and a fascinating setting.

I'm giving a third vote for the Borghese, and it not being overkill with the Uffizi, the Florence Accademia, the Bargello, and whatever else you see in situ in both Rome and Tuscany. If you're into painting, the Borghese is better than the Vatican, though the Vatican does have the single best piece of art I've ever seen (Sistine Chapel). The Uffizi is a bit overwhelming compared to the Borghese, which doesn't stack paintings quite the same way as the Uffizi. Don't get me wrong, I loved the Uffizi, intensely, and they have an amazing collection (and more Caravaggio than the Borghese, which is a plus for me), but the Borghese is a really nice way to get into the Ren art.

Thanks everyone for the great tips.

I looked a little more into Galleria Borghese and agree it is a can't-miss, so it's back on the itinerary.

Town House Campo dei Fiori is actually a hotel, so we will probably doing an espresso and a pastry for breakfast.