I want to thank Ron, Ken and everyone else that provided great suggestions and helped make my trip a great success :)
Ron--you are spot on with your advice, from making sure to stay as far left as possible when entering the colosseum to making reservations at Il Latini in Florence!
Just a couple things that might help:
1) There is no one at the Palatine Hill entrance at 9am when it opens. We got our tickets there and had the Palatine all to ourselves for about an hour. Then we walked directly into the Forum and waited to go in the Colosseum after lunch when the lines werent so bad.
2) A great B&B to stay at is the Suites at Piazza del Popolo. The guys there are great and it is kept in immaculate condition. Check it out on Trip Advisor (we paid around 110 euros a night).
3)Make sure you know if something closes in the afternoon for while, nothing more frustrating than going to a church or exhibit and it not opening back up until 3pm.
4) Angel Tours are fabulous! We got the Vactican tour at 130pm and walked directly in. Katherine our tour guide was cheery and very knowledgable. Plus our tour lasted around 4 hours so it wasnt bad for 25 euros each (plus ticket).