Rome! Rome! Rome!

The Rome part of the RS Italy book contains a section called "Planning Your Time" and includes an itinerary for Rome in 2 or 3 days. Good luck.

By train about 30 mins and maybe 45 with a shuttle from your hotel. There are several different hop on/off buses. Chose a route that hits your interests. Ride the bus around once just to see where everything is and what you want to see in detail. On the second time around get off where you want.

Amy, That's a very short time to see much in Rome! I'd suggest having a look at the "triangle ratings" of each of the sites, as this should provide you with a short list on locations you want to see. Rick has also provided some sample "walks" (ie: Night Walk), so you could consider those. If you want to see the "main sights", you might consider one of the "hop on / hop off" Red Bus tours. They cover the main tourist sights, and allow the option to get off, have a look and then board the next Bus. The trip from Siena to Rome is slightly more than 3-hours (depending on which train you choose), usually with one change in Chiusi. One suggestion though - you'll need to get from the centre of Siena to the station (which is at the bottom of the hill). I'd suggest pre-arranging a Taxi with your Hotel the night before, as that avoids unnecessary delays. You might consider buying your Siena - Rome ticket when you arrive in Siena, as you'll be at the station anyway. That way you won't have to queue to buy a ticket on departure day, just validate the ticket before boarding the train. I mention this as I had an "unfortunate incident" in Siena a few years ago which complicated my rail trip (I won't get into the details). Regarding the time to get from the "center of Rome to the airport", could you be more specific on which area you'll be staying? The trip from Roma Termini to FCO is 30-minutes via the Leonardo Express. It's an easy trip by train with no worries about traffic delays or whatever. Happy travels!

Rome in 2-and-a-half days: Day 1 - Half day: Take a guided tour of the Colosseum, Palatino and Forum with Francesca Caruso (FrancescainRoma@gmail.com). She will give you an appreciation for this marvelous city that will underscore everything else you see and do. This is a private tour, just you and Francesca for 3-4 hours. Very special! If you still have energy, take the Night Walk Across Rome before or after dinner. Day 2: See the Vatican (assuming it is a good day to see the Vaticn. Check Rick's book about hours and days.) Buy tickets in advance for the museum, wander through St. Peter's with Rick's audio guide. If the budget allows another tour, check out Walks of Italy's offerings for the Vatican. Evening (energy dependent) take Rick's "Dolce Vita Stroll." Or just hang out in Piazza Navona. Day 3: Many options depending on your interests and the weather! The Borghese Gallery, Rick's "Pilgrim's Rome" tour, The National Museum (Termini area), hunt down all the Caravaggios, ride the Metro out to Acquaduct Park and have a picnic. Perhaps that last morning before you go to FCO, a walk through Campo dei Fiori to see that market and have one last great Italian coffee and pastry! Ciao!

We had a noon flight and took advice from this board to arrive at the Rome airport three hours ahead. We were glad we did!

Janet,
Really? Three hours ahead? WOW! I was thinking no more than 2 hours. I will certainly take your advice. That cuts our trip down then to almost 2 full days in Rome. We just need to take the earliest train from the Siena area to Rome so we can take full advantage of the first day. Thanks everyone for the advice, I love it! Amy