We just returned from our 10 day (8 on the ground) trip to Rome. Before going, I read so many others' reports and picked up some great information that I (our group of 6) can't thank you enough. I am going to just highlight some observations about Rome which I hope will help someone with their planning.
We arrived Saturday, Feburary 18 and left Sunday, Feb 26
Make sure you have thicker souled walking shoes, the cobblestones are everywhere and can be a problem if you don't have sturdy shoes. We walked an average of 8 miles a day, and it did start to take a toll by the end of the week. By the way, we ranged in age from 58-65.
Plan on only eating Italian food. I know, that is one of the reasons you go to Italy, but if you are thinking of trying anything else, forget it. You have to seek out any kind of ethnic food. I have a Chinese friend taking her parents in July and asked me to look around.
About the food, definitely go by Rick's recommendations, especially the following:
Dar Poeta for pizza
Enoteca Corsi - lunch only
Trattoria der Pallaro - no menu whatever the chef Paola makes that day, with the experience
I will add from Frommer's recommended Fiaschetteria Beltramme
Can't say we ever had a bad meal,it was more like "this place was a little better". Hard to even put one one the bottom. We mixed it up all week eating risotto, gnocchi (had it 3 times, light as a feather), pasta, polenta, and pizza.
Wine - the alcohol in each restaurant's house wine varied. I know at home 2 glasses of red wine have me a little buzzed, and I drank more than that each night. Only one place had a higher alcohol level and we could tell after one gulp.
We live in Brooklyn and don't particularly like Italian pastries here - but we were blown away in Rome. The panna cotta and cheesecake were especially delicious. Light and fluffy with great flavors. All the food that we find heavy here were so light, hard for me to explain.
Coffee - I don't drink it, but my husband is addicted. A duplo espresso is always on his lips. The best coffee he drank while there was at Tazza d'Oro near the Pantheon. It is in Rick's book and our Walks of Italy tour guide also mentioned it. It is near the Pantheon. We also purchased bags of beans as gifts.
Gelato - please don't judge me, I don't eat it, don't particularly like it. That said, my sister, who would eat nothing but gelato and pasta for the rest of her life thought this was the best place - Antica Gelateria Trevi. It is near the Trevi Fountain.
Hotel - when planning this trip back in June, the hotels in the Pantheon area Rick recommended couldn't accommodate 3 couples. Yes, even then they were booked. So, I asked my Italian friends and the Hotel Regno was one mentioned. I will recommend this place to everyone. It was on the Via del Corso. 2 "blocks" Roman style to the Pantheon one way and 2 blocks to the Trevi Fountain the other. There is a bus stop 1/2 block away with about 6 different busses. You can see the Victor Emmanuel Monument right down the block. The location couldn't have been better. We could walk EVERYWHERE and we did.
It was clean, the staff extremely nice and answered all questions politely and patiently.
The breakfast was delicious, I ate so many doughnuts in the 8 mornings then I have for the past 2 years! They had a wide variety of meats (salami/ham/prosciutto), cheese, cereal, pastries, rolls, yogurt, jams, fresh fruit, tomatoes. The eggs and bacon were 1.5€ and up extra, but there was enough to eat without them. The staff was so nice, she would put our hot water with tea and coffee on the table as soon as she saw us.
Tours: walks of Italy- took the Pristine Sistine tour with Julietta. Great value, great guide. Also took the VIP Colosseum with them, another fantastic tour though I couldn't imagine taking this 4 hour tour in the summer. Except for the short time below, the sun would be beating me down for sure.