Rome in July

The 25th, plan on some down time during the heat of the day. It is HOT! About 5:00PM it starts to get better. Maybe ID a museum you'd like to see (they are open until 8:00 for the most part). The National Museum at Palazzo Massimo is a good choice, or the Borghese (reservations required for the latter). Have dinner after dark and take a nice stroll like Rick Steves' Night Walk Across Rome. Do the Colosseo/Palatino/Foro Romano before the Vatican. It will give you a good grounding in Roman history. I highly recommend a guided tour here as there is so much to take in. Francesca Caruso or Walks of Italy. GO EARLY! Then lunch and rest, back out for the evening. Rick's Dolce Vita Stroll is nice at night, too. If it's the 27th, it must be the Vatican. Again, a guided tour is ideal. Walks of Italy is great. Try to schedule so you aren't in Piazza San Pietro between Noon and 6:00: It is beastly hot. The Vatican is pretty much a whole day deal, and tiring though exhilerating. Repeat the pattern for 28 and 29: Outdoors in teh AM, find an indoor entertainment for the afternoon. Rick's book is full of ideas. Some off the beaten path places we like include Palazzo Braschi Museo di Roma and Villa Medici with a noon-time English tour daily. Palazzo Farnese (French Embassy) has a 5:00PM English tour -- book well in advance -- on Wednesdays. Castel San Angelo is open for nighttime tours in the summer (last Engllish tour was at 10:45PM this summer), and there is always the festival along the Tiber in the summer with shops, restaurants and entertainment every evening.

See RoninRome.com for tourism tips in Rome. He covers all such subjects.

Thanks David.

Do the the Vatican on Thursday and Coliseum & Forum for Friday. Book the Coliseum/Forum for the morning - you don't want to be there in the heat of the afternoon.