We spent a week in Rome as part of a 30 day trip late this June. We stayed in Santa D. Mole which is really a bedroom community in the burbs. We liked it. We were in a quiet place off the beaten path at night where little English was spoken. I'm glad we went, but I find Rome exhausting. Of all the places I've been it's where salespeople and scam artist are most in your face. The buses are saunas and the metro crowded and there is much walking to be done to get anywhere. But it's worth every step. We love to see things in Rome, but it is hot and this year it was hotter got to 38 one day. So we developed a pattern of going into the city very early and knocking off touristing at about three. Our big splurge for Rome was a private Context Tour of the Colosseum Forum and Palatine area. Because their groups are very small and there are four of us a private tour didn't cost that much more. Our guide was very knowledgeable and well worth the splurge. It's definitely a tour company for history geeks, but then we are history geeks. We day-triped to Ostia Antica which I can't recommend enough especially with kids. The ruins are mostly open to be explored all over and climbed on and into. Our young teenage girls loved it. Unlike Pompeii there's shade there. Our other vacation from our vacation in Rome was biking in Borghese Park. It's cooler up there, the views are grand and there isn't much traffic. We rented two motor assisted peddle cars with canvas roofs and spent a delightfully cool and carefree hour touring the park. We did the Sistine on Friday night which I highly recommend. You have to get reservations in advance, but they cost no more than other reserved time slots and the museums and it is much much much less crowded.
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