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Message: [QUOTE="FfldCntyFan, post: 4328848, member: 71"] I hope this helps [B]Venice [/B] Venice is small but it is also beautiful (and fascinating). You can see all of Venice in two full days (including a visit to Murano) without needing to rush through anything if you plan well. I agree with an earlier comment that San Marco at night, and overseeing the lagoon is extraordinary. I also highly recommend walking Ponte Rialto (other side of Venice but not all that far of a walk) in the evening. Venice is my son’s favorite destination. I personally place Florence and Rome above Venice but in many ways that is similar to quibbling over Russell vs Wilt vs Kareem. [B]Rome[/B] You cannot see all of Rome in a few days so strategizing on what you want to see and planning accordingly is the best path. I will begin (and likely repeat a few times) by stating [B][I]beware of pickpockets[/I][/B]. They are everywhere and often work in teams to have someone distract you while another grabs your wallet, bag, whatever. If someone stops you to ask a question that logically shouldn’t be asked, look around immediately and put your hands on your belongings. Over the course of a bit less than a day (without rushing through anything) you can do a tour beginning at the Coliseum, then pass the Arch of Constantine and Palatine Hill towards Circus Maximus. From there head to Piazza Venezia, then Altare della Patria (I highly recommend taking that tour) then through Trajan’s market, the forum and Capitoline hill back to where you began. This offers quite a bit of ancient Rome as well as some modern beauty. A second tour that can efficiently cover less than a day would be to start at the Spanish Steps (I can’t believe that morons did what they did with scooters the other day), walk down to Trevi, then to the Pantheon (absolutely tour inside) and over to Piazza Navona. One stop that I highly recommend on this walking tour is to stop at Antica Birreria Peroni (Peroni’s brewery in Rome form the mind 1800’s that has been converted into a restaurant). Take your time on this tour, beware pickpockets and also beware street merchants/vagrants/refugees who will attempt to offer a trinket worth pennies only to attempt to guilt you into paying them five to ten euro for it. The Vatican is worth a day even if you are not religious. A lot has been spoken about it, one thing I will add is it isn’t a significant walk to Trastevere from the Vatican and the best time to visit Trastevere is in the evening. I will agree that early tours all normally the best. I will add, if you are going to be there in the summer an underground tour of the Coliseum may be difficult. Mid-fall it is borderline unbearable (due to heat, humidity and limited ventilation), I personally would not consider it in the summer but, it is something that should be experienced at some point and if this will be your only opportunity, it may be worth enduring. Don’t be afraid to do the tour at your own pace (as there is time to see quite a bit if planned reasonably well) and it isn’t a bad idea to stop at different shops, café’s, restaurants as you go. Finally, beware pickpockets, they are everywhere. [/QUOTE]

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