Two full weeks in Rome. Recommended tours?

If you like Art and peeking into people's homes, try Palazzo Doria Phamphilij on the Via Del Corso not far from the "wedding cake". The family still calls it home. From the outside it looks like nothing, but once you enter the palazzo, it is amazing. The first level was were the horse drawn carriages would drive in the family. Then you climb this regal staircase into the apartment. They also have a small cafe where you can have afternoon tea. We were there last February and were the only ones in the place. Besides their website, you can read about it online at italymagazine.com.

Perhaps Domus Aurea, which I believe is only open on weekends and requires pre-booking.

The non-Catholic (aka "Protestant") cemetery is an interesting place to walk around on a nice day.

If you don't already have plans for a bit of time in smaller places, I highly recommend a day-trip to Orvieto. Orvieto has a lovely hill-top historic district and is 75 minutes by train from Rome. Some of the trains depart from Tiburtina; others, from Termini). Many of the trains are regionals so the fare doesn't increase if you wait till the day of travel to buy the ticket. You do, however, need to allow time to accomplish that step. The vending machines worked fine for me except on a few occasions when the didn't recognize the number of my Carta d'Argento; service at the staffed counters can be slow and/or the lines may be long. Orvieto is worth a full day (or even a night or two).

Sent you a PM. Domus Aurea is a great idea but book ASAP as places are limited.

Villa d'Este in Tivoli is glorious in spring. Palazzo Colonna, only open briefly on Saturdays, worth a visit as is the recommended Galleria Doria Pamphilj. The book "111 Places in Rome You Must Not Miss" has many quirky options to consider.

Check out eatwith.com for options for eating in the home of real Romans with fellow travelers. It was a highlight of our last trip and we'll definitely do it again. We enjoyed the dinner with Barbara in Trastevere: https://www.eatwith.com/users/435779?c=USD

*Near Via Claudia I discovered what I thought was a unique church. Santo Stefano Rotundo. About 15 minutes from the Colleseium. Beautiful frescos. Hours vary.

Enjoy.

The responses sent to my post have increased our excitement about our upcoming two weeks in Rome. Thank you.

I’ve kept google busy looking at the recommended travel pages for tour guides and unique experiences. Almost at overload, but without your help, the search would have taken months. And I’m grateful for followers of Rick Steves, who represents the soft spot in our chaotic culture today. A break from news whenever I visit this website. Thank you again.

We’ve always enjoyed the Walks of Italy small group tours(not affiliated-but pleased customer); the Vatican Museums/Sistine Chapel/St.Peters daytime tour is pretty brutal due to crowds and heat, so this trip we’re taking our son and his girlfriend on the early morning tour which goes in before it opens to the general public. Or you might consider the peaceful night tour(minus St.Peters).

The Borghese Gallery is a controlled entry(both times and numbers)so that promises to be a more user friendly experience anyway(note: all bags/cameras must be checked there) if you manage to get a time(you can book it yourself or going with Walks of Italy books your entry ticket and a guided tour).

The Borghese Gallery is a controlled entry(both times and numbers)so
that promises to be a more user friendly experience anyway(note: all
bags/cameras must be checked there)

Absolutely agree: this is a not-to-be-missed collection in a much more approachable setting than the Vatican's. One small correction? Cameras are allowed but no flash. Now, they may require checking them if there's a special exhibit of a private collection but some recent visitors mention being allowed to shoot snaps, and I'm seeing some of those posted on the TripAdvisor review page for the museum.

Sheila, browse through the contexttravel.com to see what day tours they have. (No, I don't get a kick back!) We used this company for a tour of the Vatican several years ago and were so impressed we were able to convince friends to take one too. Yes, their small tours are expensive but well worth it.

There will be plenty to keep you busy in Rome during your stay. But if you tire of the hustle and bustle and want a change of pace, consider a trip out to Ostia Antica. Easy to get there using public transit, will only take a half to three quarters of a day, usually very few people, and the ruins are really amazing. Google it and see what you think.

If you get there and still have open time, the TI is always a good source for local tours. We do not do the same amount of pre-plan that is prevalent on this site so the TI is often our go to when we first arrive in a city. We prefer a loose style of travel but after 20+ years we are very comfortable with our approach.

Kathy; cameras in the Borghese??? You just made our day(my son & myself). The very patient wife and girlfriend, not so much. Although a tiny part of me was looking forward to having to see things without ‘focusing’.

If I had 2 weeks to spend in Rome I would visit the Monet exhibit of 60 works from Paris’ Musée Marmottan Monet. See the bottom of https://anamericaninrome.com/wp/2018/02/march-2018-events-in-rome/

TI? sorry, I don't understand

TI = Tourist Information office. And I agree. That's my first stop after dropping off my luggage--sometimes even before doing so. That's a good place for spotting announcements about special events, checking on the latest opening hours of sights you want to see, getting a city map, etc. Often you'll see flyers for things like cooking classes, though I don't remember the situation at the Rome T.I. office.

Kathy; cameras in the Borghese??? You just made our day(my son &
myself).

LOL, Doug! Now I'll feel bad if you get there and they're no-noing cameras due to a special exhibit. But the rules regarding photography in Italy's state-run museums changed back in 2014, and it is supposed to be allowed in all of them (no flash, tripods, monopods or selfie sticks, and possibly some restrictions on filming) except when otherwise requested, e.g. special exhibits or specific pieces of art. The "detailed info" page for the museum on ticketone (http://www.tosc.it) hasn't been updated in yonks.

But you don't HAVE to bring the camera if you don't want to 'focus'. :O)

There is a very large Tourist Information (TI) in Termini on the south side of the train or your right if facing the tracks. Just follow the signs. There are also small TI offices scattered across Rome. Generally in a little hut/house in a plaza. Again, there are signs pointing to the,.

A day trip to Ostia Antica, the ancient seaport of Rome, The Ara Pacis (I've seen photos that it's specially lit at night but I missed that).

The Ara Pacis has a special exhibit at night too; you go through and it lights up certain sections of the monument to show what they would have looked like "back in the day."

I know you want tours that will maximize your enjoyment of Rome, and some of that described above is plenty worthwhile. But I'll tell you what--if you booked nothing and just wandered the entire two weeks, finding a great place for morning caffe here, and a wonderful bakery there, or finding a gem of a church with historical significance while on your walks, that's the real Roma to me.

As I've advised before, I tell people to start an extended stay in Rome by going to Termini to obtain a weekly bus/Metro pass, which gives you the absolute run of the place. The passes can also be gotten at most any tabacchi shop in Rome. At one of the kiosks at Termini--I think near the exit to the buses--you can purchase for 3 Euro a laminated transit schematic map that will explain in detail the routes to get you easily from Point A to B. That and the RS Rome guidebook, you'll be empowered.

Except for the chaos around Easter, it's a perfectly fine time to travel around Rome. Temperate weather, not too many crowds, it would be a shame to tour your way through the Eternal City without allowing yourself to 'be' a Roman, if only for a few days.

I will be in Rome in early May for a week and I booked my 3 tours through Dark Rome. Their prices were great and the selections were as well. I booked a day trip to Pompeii w/lunch, a Trastevere neighborhood history stroll with an exclusive 7 course dinner in a 17th century villa, and a crypts & catacombs afternoon tour with a dark heart of Rome "haunted" tour. Those are the things that interested me and my teenage son the most so, they are booked and paid for. I would also suggest a website called "romewise", it is an American woman who is married to an Italian and now lives in Rome and she gives you information on every aspect you could imagine in Rome! She has great tour recommendations. Have fun!