I will try to be a little more compact with Rome! We were there 4 nights.
We arrived about noon on the Fast Train, Termini Station. As noted, we head for the official taxi line which was very easy to see. It cost us about 10 Euros and the trip was so much fun...the excitement and difference in being in Rome from Venice. I'm just giddy again. We arrived at our hotel, the Albergo Del Senato, next to the Pantheon. There is an official taxi stand right next to the Pantheon which is convenient. This is a beautiful upscale hotel, with a rooftop 360 degree bar. (We went up there every evening before dinner for a couple drinks. It was gorgeous and relaxing. As a matter of fact, we felt no need to dine at a rooftop restaurant after already spending 90 minutes each evening up there.) We unpacked, freshened up and went to explore. Of course, the first place we visited was the Pantheon, which is just unbelievable. Then we headed out to explore. Our favorite piazza is the Piazza Novana. I liked the size and all the restaurants around it, where each day we went over to sit and eat or have a drink and people watch. The Italian men and women are so chic...I'd almost say the men more. Love all the scarves they wear.
That first night we did the Travestere Twilight Tour. Wow, that neighbor is much more "happening" than I was envisioning. The tour lasted 4 hours, there were 8 of us. They take you to out of the way places to sample appetizers, drinks, we went to a restaurant and 3 floors beneath it was a jewish synagogue in 1 A.D. It is not their wine cellar. We spent about 15 minutes down there (very dark), hearing the history of where we were sitting, sampling the wines and appetizers. We ate street food, real gelato, a dessert store. We learned the history of the neighborhood. WE did get to sit down for about an hour at a restaurant and eat 3 types of pastas and any drinks we wanted. It was a fantastic way to start our trip. If we had been there longer, we definitely would have gone back to Travestere!! Highly recommend this tour, particularlu the Twilight one...so pretty at night.
Day 2: In the morning we walked to Campo de Fiori to see the Market..very enjoyable. Went to the Trevi Fountain, which still had scaffolding, but it was very visible. I was surprised at how small the Piazza is...in pictures it just looks huge. Went shopping along the Via del Polopo. I don't even remember where we had lunch....again we only went to ONE restaurant I had spent hours researching..haha. In the afternoon we went with "Walks of Italy VIP Collosuem underground tour/Palatine Hill/Forum". We did this in the afternoon. Our guide was Fernando, and he has his Phd in Archaelogy. Very passionate about his job, and makes you feel that you are the first tour he's ever given...doesn't seem bored at all. Loved this tour, recommend it. So many things to learn. We, in our modern age, think we are SO SMART. We have nothing compared to the brilliance of the Romans...when you see how they have managed to build something like this in 8 years...with no modern machinery and holding up for 2,000 years...it is simply astounding. The precision of the stones and how they were laid or squashed together to hold up the colloseum. Wow.
Day 3: In the morning we just walked around and then met a H.S. friend and her husband that I hadn't seen for 22 years. They travel around for his job, and currently are in Italy. We spent the afternoon with them at the Domus Romane. I was really looking forward to that, as it is so highly rated...but we were all a little disappointed. It took us a long time to find it and it wasn't exactly what I thought. I suppose if we were there for any extended period of time, I might feel differently, but with so many other attractions that Rome has to offer, I feel this was not a good way to spend our time. Continuing.,....