Recommendations for Rome, Italy

[Ashtar]

I'm going with my partner for a six nights in Rome, does anyone have suggestions of where to go / what to see ? Is there anything geeky to see in Rome? Where are the best places to eat / hang out?

We are planning on going to La Traviata in a church on the first night, but haven't made any other concrete plans yet.

[Zorg]

A great restaurant I went to is Forno la-Renella (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/rome/restaurants/bakeries-patisseries/forno-la-renella) in Trastevere, really good for a nice lucnh if you're down that way.

Obviously there's all the historical things. My advice is to go as early as you can to beat the tour groups, makes it much more pleasant. Palatine hill has a lot of gardens (the Farnese Garden) which are a bit less travelled for the daytime.
Another bit of advice is if you are going to do the historical things, try and pre-buy your tickets, or buy them away from the attraction. Not only does it save you time, it can often get you past some of the queues.
Some things have "express" tickets, which cost a little bit more, but have their own line. For instance when I was there at the Vatican museum (which is separate from St Peter's) the express wait was about twenty minutes to get in, the non-express was about three to four hours.

[danirijeka]

First and foremost, when in Rome DON'T do as the Romans do. :smalltongue:

Well, "what to see" is a bit overwhelming - there's so many sights it would be impossible to condense in one single post. One recommendation for one day would be starting out from Piazza Venezia and snake your way through until Piazza del Popolo. It LOOKS like a short trip, but there's enough sights to take you one full day:

Piazza Venezia:
- The Vittoriano
- Capitol Hill and the nearby Aracoeli Church
Along Via del Corso (with deviations):
- The Pantheon (on the left)
- Piazza Navona, and its fountains (on the left)
- Trevi Fountain (on the right)
- Via Condotti, leading to Piazza di Spagna (on the right)
- The Ara Pacis and the Augustus Mausoleum (on the right)
- Via del Babuino
- The twin churches in Piazza del Popolo, and Piazza del Popolo itself

Not to mention that every single church along the way houses fine works of art well worth a stop.

Stay away from the Parliament buildings these days.

I don't really know about where to eat, though - I always went when I was a student, so lunches were just sandwiches with ingredients bought in markets, and dinner in the most simple-looking places (a good rule of thumb for dining in Rome on a budget is: if it looks good and it's cheap, the food is terrible. If it looks completely outdated, it's great 90% of the times).

Be on the lookout for pickpockets anywhere there's a crowd. :smalleek:

The advice for express tickets above is very sound - check in advance if they're available.

Finally - what do you mean by "anything geeky"?