Rome April Vacation with Family

I found this forum very helpful in terms of planning my recent trip back to Rome and wanted to share my thoughts. I visited 10 years ago with my husband but this time all 4 of us (incl. two teens) visited the city. We rented the same apartment we did 10 years ago, just off Piazza Navona. We walked every where, planning one section each day but allowing for some freedom in late afternoon and evening exploring a neighborhood. Our kids are old enough to enjoy Rome at night (safe). The only major differences I found were 1) security, and 2) selfie sticks (they are everywhere!). Yes there are baggage scanners and metal detectors at the major sights (St. Peter's Basillica, Roman Forum, Colleseum) but it didn't really slow us down. Castle S'Angelo and Capitolone Meseum were great (not as packed). We even timed our visit to Capitolone on Roma's Birthday and got in for free. I was disappointed that the Spanish Steps were closed (due to renovation/cleaning). Many more streets are closed to traffic and governement buildings had noticeable police presence. This was welcoming and not alarming. There were even signs in front of certain sights and even in the Forum. Helpful. We armed ourselves with restaurant recommendations and spent the week comparing pizza and gelato places with the kids. They key is to do your homework before hand in terms of what you want to visit, so you don't get over whelmed. Thanks again for all of the help on this forum.