Rome - 3 nights or 4 nights

If I could do the extra day I would - use it to take a day trip somewhere, or explore the overlooked parts of Rome...we had 5 nights in Rome (really about 4 days tho) and it was not near enough - 7 days would be almost perfect! Have fun - Italy - Rome - was our 1st stop on our 1st trip to Europe - whew! An experience!

With just a little research, you will never run out of interesting things to see and do in Rome. We've been three times totaling almost three weeks and I still have a huge list of things to do and see there. I think it's called the Eternal City in part because it would take more than a lifetime to see and do everything.

The more time the better, although brace yourself, because in the summer it will be an absolute mob scene here. Just in the past few weeks the tourist hordes have started to arrive!

Good point. Depending on what Joseph means by "summer" he might be more than ready to get the heck out of Rome.

That is a consideration too. I am more concerned about a "mob scene" of tourists than I am about the heat in mid July. Also, I hope I am not being overzealous by extending my trip from 14 nights into 17 or 18 nights.

There are plenty of places in Rome proper to get away from the crowds. For example, here's a little video clip I took in a lovely little park very near the Colisseum. (If you look closely, you can see it in the background.) I think I was probably the only tourist there. Or go to the National Museum of Rome (aka Palazzo Massimo), near the Termini entrance. It was practically deserted when I was there during a weekday in May. Here's a photo of the stairwell to prove my point. And, you'll always have Ostia Antica an easy ride away, although in the summer the train could be packed. (Ostia Lido is the next stop after Ostia Antica, and that's the beach that Romans go to.) Do NOT go to Pompeii in July if you're trying to get away from the crowds. It will be a mob scene. And the train rides would be miserable.

" Neither the cost of my flight nor the cost for lodging is a primary concern" No brainer- do the extra night. You could add 30 more nights and still not see everything.

you're not being overzealous. All of my European trips are about 3 weeks, so you are doing the right thing, in my opinion, by staying longer. If the mobs are getting you, or Rome is a bit too intense (Rome IS intense), you can day trip to Pompeii, ororvieto or something outside of town.

You will never regret staying longer. With the price of plane tickets these day's make the most of it. We used to go for 4 weeks and loved it. So much to see so little time.