Rome - one night enough?

Personally, I found the Forum and Palatine Hill far more interesting than the Colosseum. We did tours of both that included the Colosseum and then the next day we did the Vatican. Both took about 6 hours and we're glad we didn't rush. We used https://www.througheternity.com/en/rome-tours/

Gosh, you've given us quite a lot to share with you! One night in Rome? I do 2 weeks every year and after 17 years I still have a 'to do' list. That said, You do have a logistics problem: what are you going to do with your luggage while you're at the Vatican? Your hotel will probably keep it for you, or you could store it at Roma Termini. And, coming back from Sicily, you should come back the day before especially if your flight is in the morning. Don't trust that you can get from Sicily to FCO according to the published schedule. So, that gives you two night in Rome! Maybe a good time to walk around Trastevere, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain. I particularly like going by the Foro Romano at night - the 'dreamy' lighting makes me feel like I'm looking back in time.
I LOVE Sorrento and get there every time for about a week. I also love Sicily and spend at least a week there too (my next trip is a few weeks longer, I hope).
What do you think about this?

Rome is one of the most important cities in the world of travel. It is certainly worthy of 4 days or even longer.
We once stayed 20 miles south of Rome Termini at Zagarolo, and found as much to see in the suburbs as in the Rome center city.
With only 12 days, Sicily is something you should visit on your next trip. Most travelers put priority on seeing Rome, Florence and Venice.

Sicily is the reason we are going at all.

First, to see Rome well you need a couple of week, certainly more than a day. BUT -- if that is all you have, then see a couple sites and see more the next time. Over the years we have spent a month in Rome and haven't seen everything. If that is your arrival day, jet lag will curtail much of you will want to see and do. You will sleep through the night tour. Give that one up. Sicily is a little hard to get to from Naples. I would go directly from Rome to Sicily since Sicily is your primary reason for going. Don't understand why you are not flying more directly to Sicily.

What time of year is your trip?

Have you all traveled to Europe before? I'm worried that you're counting on accomplishing so much on your arrival day and very early on your first full day. Due to jetlag and sleep deprivation during the overnight flight, those are times when I'm barely able to remember my name. You'll probably need a 6 AM--or earlier--wake-up call to get to the Vatican for the early-entry tour. (Are the three of you sharing a bathroom? How much extra time will it take you to get ready in the morning, especially if you are fuzzy-brained?)

I'd definitely go for the walking and eating goal on your arrival day. Planning a pre-paid evening activity is risky, I think, and even if you manage it, will it allow you to get to bed as early as you may need to with the Vatican visit looming? You'll encounter a lot of fabulous churches while just wandering around. Many will be both open and free. You could stop in to see a few of those without needing to plan anything or pay money in advance. It can be nice to have some 1-euro coins to feed the light meters so you can see into the beauty that lies in normally-dark chapels.

Five or six nights in Sicily is, to me, at least as big a challenge as one night in Rome. Sicily is a large island with highlights widely scattered and without the really rapid rail service you'll find in many parts of Europe. In 4 or 5 days you'll only be able to see a couple of areas.

I belong to the "there are no must-sees that apply to everyone" school of thought, so I'm not going to tell you what you have to see in Rome. It depends on your own interests. Of course, with three of you, there's a good chance you'll be dealing with divergent interests. I'm in Rome right now. It's my fourth trip, and I'm still not going to go to the Forum or inside the Colosseum--but I'll go look at the outside of the latter if I'm in the area. I'm an art and 20th-century architecture person rather than a pre-20th-century-history person. I like to wander around interesting neighborhoods, so much of my time cannot be chalked up to seeing any well-known sights. I expect to be in Rome for close to three weeks between now and mid-March, and I don't expect to run out of things to do.

I say, give yourself some time to experience Rome without running from sight to sight. You'll either be intrigued and want to return, or you won't.

You are joking???!!
Of course, one nights is no where near enough time to see Rome. There is so much to see there.

DO your research.

Don't you want to see the Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trajan's Market, Capitoline Museum, Castel St. Angelo as well as several other historic sites.
Nero's only palace is open for booking.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g187791-Activities-Rome_Lazio.html

You need about 5-6 days in Rome. Sorrento is nice as well as Sicily, but Rome overpowers those places.

I would go exactly where I wanted to go.

With only 12 nights, and given the travel time required between each of your places, I think it's too much. Your arrival day in Rome will be jet lagged and you'll be tired (unless you booked business or first class flights. Forget a night tour; you'll likely be begging for sleep by the time you've had dinner. And you will need a good night's sleep if you are going to be up at the butt crack of dawn for an early entry Vatican museum tour.

Speaking of dawn, what time of year is this? The number of daylight hours will seriously impact your sightseeing ability.

If you aren't arriving in Sorrento til late afternoon/early evening, then you only have 2 days for sightseeing. What do you want to do while you are there? And how are you getting to and from Sicily? You will definitely want to be back in Rome the night before your flight if you've booked a round trip flight rather than a multicity ticket. I think you might want to consider leaving Sorrento for another trip.

If Sicily is really where you want to go, then skip those first few nights in Rome. Book a flight to Palermo or Catania that leaves the Rome airport about three hours after your arrival. That should allow enough time between flights.

Spend a week or so in Sicily, then fly back to Rome and spend a few nights there prior to returning home. Thus all of your Rome nights are together and you’ll be able to make the most of your limited time.

I don’t think you need to feel bad that you cannot devote sufficient time to Rome, it would take years to see it all anyway. Break up your travel time, and just make the most of it, whether that means seeing one thing or nothing.
I would, however, reevaluate how much you are going to be able to see in Sorrento in three days, and whether it is worth the time spent in transit. Consider putting those days on Sicily.

Ditto what Charlene suggests

Thanks, Robert, good advice.

Frank, Flying to Sicily for PHX AZ is expensive and lengthy. Rome is much more doable.

Agree with the others. ONE night is not enough, even for a fast-forward itinerary.

What I suggest is plan for the first day you land to be a "throw-away" day...but, of course, you will not throw it away....there are things you can see/do that day, but if you all (or even one or two of you become exhausted from the flight) you can grab an early dinner, get to bed early.......or reverse, get situated at the hotel/walk a bit, then take a nap, then go out for an early dinner and get to bed early.

Then the next morning, IF all you really want to see is the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel, then get there early (there will be lines) or book a private tour (for early or late entry). If you plan to see St. Peter's, by all means, have contingency plans. It took our THIRD visit to be able to inside St. Peter's...the first two times it was closed> first for a private mass, then the second time the beatification (sp?) of (I think it was) Pope John Paul. I have a photo of myself doing a "thumbs up" as we entered on the third visit to Rome.

If you have not already done so, I suggest checking the itineraries of some of the group tour providers (such as Rick Steves, Tauck Tours, etc.) to see what they have in their itineraries for Rome and how they divide up time.

Either way, have a wonderful trip and create wonderful memories!!

How are you planning to get to Sicily?

This is a good idea, Charlene. Thanks

If Sicily is your focus then let that be your priority.
If your flight into Rome arrives early enough you could conceivably just continue on to Palermo via a connecting flight ... allowing yourselves plenty of time to clear the arrival procedures at FCO and cycling back thru security. If that's too much for one day then find an airport hotel and set out fresh the next morning.
Save Rome for the end of your itinerary so you'll already be in place for your flight home.
Though Rome is indeed worth an extended stay, if that's not your particular interest this trip then don't worry about satisfying someone else's expectation of what your itinerary should look like. It's your trip - organize it the way that works best for you.

Per Charlene's suggestion, it looks like ITA runs multiple flights per day from FCO to Palermo - round trips dirt cheap for random dates in May.

Go where you want to go.

Most of the advice above is good (and/or well-meaning) but people travel for different reasons. If you do not care about seeing Rome, don't waste your time there (I know, hard for many to believe or relate to, but folks have different interests and motivations). If you're flying to Rome just because that's the least expensive way to get where you actually want to go, then minimize your time in Rome and ASAP catch a flight to Palermo (or Catania, perhaps Trapani or Comiso) the same day, and be done with it.

Just know that you will be, let's just say, skipping a LOT of what most people would say makes Italy special (and which would also not only help provide context for a first-time visitor to any other part of Italy, but would also be a useful introduction to the country). Your trip, your choice.

Personally, I would do everything on the Italian mainland that you want to see first, do Sicily after that, and be back in Rome the night before your flight home. If you do go to Sorrento (before Sicily), then consider flying from Naples to Sicily (rather than from Rome; you'll save time and money by not doubling back to Rome, though flights will be more limited from Naples).

I can't help but wonder about the focus on Sicily to the exclusion of so many other worthwhile places...for those not glued to screens or dialed-in to pop culture, there has been a boom in casual tourist interest in Sicily thanks to a certain highly popular TV show. That kind of exposure is always a blessing and a curse when the Great Eye of pop culture focuses on a place you care about, but once that happens, there's no undoing it.

That TV show may have nothing at all to do with the OP's interest on Sicily, which is admittedly at odds with what passes for "conventional wisdom" of many Italophiles here (who would typically expect that one first focus on the big blockbuster destinations on the Italian mainland eg Rome, Venice, Florence, etc. before eventually venturing off to Sicily. Whatever the reason, if your real goal is Sicily, then go there, maybe without any stop in Rome at all (other than the airport connection) and with no guilt/apologies.

Whatever you decide to include, do be sure to count your days & nights carefully and be realistic about how much ground you can really cover, lest you build an itinerary that leaves little time for actually being in any of those places.

This is your trip. You decide what is important for this trip and what to leave for another. That it works for you is the only thing that matters.

David, Our grandparents are from Sicily and that's why we want to go. I'm not swayed by pop culture.

Awesome. (I've never seen the TV show either, but have heard it's very popular, and has inspired tourist interest).

Sicily is indeed beautiful and has many charms (so does the rest of Italy, of course...an understatement; trying to decide what to include and what you need to skip is always the dilemma).

In many cases, I find it's best to "push on" (from your international flight arrival city) all the way to your actual destination, on your arrival day, simply because it's often the most efficient use of your time. If flying from North America and arriving in Rome (morning arrival), you are not going to be good for much sightseeing or other activities on that day (you'll likely be very tired), so it would make sense (to me) to continue on to Palermo (or wherever you actual destination is). Might as well get some use out of that day - even though you're tired, I figure it's a better use of that day than trying to tough out some sightseeing, stopping to recover, and then move on the next day (this essentially buys you another usable day).

Presumably you need to back in Rome the night before you depart, so it's better to organize your time there (however much you choose) in one block at the end of your trip, rather than splitting it.

Thanks, David.

We are flying to Sicily via Rome like you in May. We are staying in Rome two nights rather than going to Sicily the same day. The reason is connecting flights to Rome were about $450 cheaper than than the one direct. I wasn’t comfortable booking a flight the same day even hours later with a connecting flight. Last time we flew to Italy we ended up going via jfk and then Paris because of the delays going into jfk. We arrived more than 3 hours after we were supposed to.

We initially had one night in Rome and were just going to walk around. We were able to add another night so we now have one full day. But we don’t expect to do much the day we arrive after flying internationally and certainly an evening tour would be out of the question. We have previously been to Rome but it was many years ago.

I guess what I am saying if your situation is such you don’t feel comfortable booking all the way to Sicily in the same day, just walk around Rome. See what you can see and plan to come back some other time if you want to see more.

Beth, Are you going straight to Sicily or stopping somewhere after your night in Rome?

I would see Rome if you haven’t ever been to Italy. Sorry people are so quick to say that it takes weeks to see Rome. Well that’s not doable your first trip. But a couple days can give a good feel for the Rome vibe. Get a hotel that you can walk from. Your travel day can be rough…don’t schedule much of anything. Just get your bearings and just walk. Would be tough to see Colosseum esp at night. I made that mistake on arrival day.. I was literally dragging myself around. Give yourself…maybe 2 nights in Rome. We loved Sorrento but don’t need quite the time there. Totally understand your family needs to see Sicily!! It’s doable! Enjoy!

We are flying to Catania late afternoon after 2 nights in Rome. We are spending 14 nights in Sicily going clockwise starting in Taormina and ending in Palermo. We fly back the night before our international flight to Rome, staying near the airport. We have a noon flight back but I wanted some margin for error, since it is an unconnected flight on Ryan air.

Personally I would not go to Sorrento on this trip. I would add those days to Sicily. Sicily is a big island and there is so much to see. It is some trouble to get there as you have found out so good to spend as much time as possible.

Ideally a few nights to see the sights