I returned from Rome about a month ago. I want to thank the Forum posters for their help and valuable info on sights, ticket buying etc. This will not be a trip report so much as comments about different aspects of the trip and hopefully have some value for others.
Overall impression of Rome:
It's big, noisy, exciting, exhausting, sometimes exasperating and always interesting. Above all, it needs time to see it's wonderful sights. If you are interested in Roman history and art, give it as much time as possible. Know that you will not see everything. If you try to rush around in a few days, only going to top tourist sights, you will likely not like it. We were in Rome for 16 nights so had 15 full days for sightseeing. We needed them all and easily could have had more. Some express the opinion that Rome is dirty. I don't agree with that but you will see a fair amount of trash in the streets. That is inevitable in such a big crowded city with a ton of visitors, some of whom just don't care. If I were to make a suggestion to the mayor, it would be that a small thing like more and bigger trash cans would be helpful in preventing trash can overflow. Before we went we read about crazy traffic. I had envisioned running across streets for my life or being stuck on the sidewalk waiting for a break in traffic. This proved to be largely a non-issue. The traffic was pretty orderly, people stopped at lights etc. We didn't try to cross at circles, just walked to where there were stop lights. You do need to move along and watch for vespas etc. In the small back streets, stick to one side or the other. As to personal safety issues, we did not feel unsafe or nervous at all during entire stay. No, we weren't out at midnight but we did walk back from dinner after dark with no problems at all unless you count the pesky cobblestones. TIP: Take a small flashlight with you for navigating the small streets after dark. Rome does have plenty of graffiti, some areas much more than others. I'm not referring to street art.
Crowds:
Much has been written about the tourist hordes in Rome. Yep, it is very crowded. Sidewalks tend to be narrow even on the major boulevards and back streets are small. However, there are some great sights that are not crowded and provide a respite from your fellow humans. I will mention some of them in my comments about sights. I would not recommend going to Rome in 2025 which is a Jubilee Year when even more visitors are expected.
Airport arrival/departure
We flew non-stop into FCO. Passport Control was fast, used biometric id (have your picture taken at turnstile). There are officials to help people. You then go to a line of booths and an official stamps your passport. Then followed signs to baggage claim It turned out you take a transport to baggage area. We had booked a driver service thru the hotel and I would recommend this. The cost was not much more than the taxi rate and you avoid the taxi lines when you are exhausted from the long flight. TIP: For the return flight from FCO, upon entering the airport and approaching the check-in area, officials would not allow entrance into the check-in area without proof you had a ticket. If you already had your boarding pass, you could show them that. Otherwise, you needed to show them a printout of your e-ticket confirmation with ticket numbers (which we had) or on a phone. However one couple in line with us could not get phone service inside the airport and so had nothing. So best to have a printed backup.
Running out of space so will continue on next post.