Maybe because I was there twice as long, but Rome made a much bigger impression on me--at least in terms of tourist sites--than Florence. I mean, when I think of Florence I think of the really filthy hostel I stayed in, an evening walk and gelato with Kyra, and standing on line for hours waiting to get in to museums while my sister whined that we were wasting our time--but not much about the museums themselves, except that Kyra and I enjoyed them and my sister was bored. Whereas in Rome I was basically alone (Kyra hadn't arrived in Italy yet, and my sister was drinking with other tourist kids at night and then sleeping late), so I have all of these memories of places to see.
In either city, I think more important than seeing the sites is just spending several hours--half a day at least--walking aimlessly. You'll see a bunch of the sites, too, that way. Especially in Rome where it's more about historic buildings than it is about art in museums. But just take in the city, get a feel for it, get a feel for how different it is than any city in America (and how different Rome and Florence are from each other--just walking around they feel very different from each other, even if they have things in common by virtue of being very old Italian cities).
In Rome you have to visit the Forum and its surroundings. It is conveniently located right next to the Colosseum. On the other side of the Forum is the current seat of government, which is interesting to walk past in its own right. And, as you say, you have to spend a day in the Vatican. If you're only there for two days, my suggestion is half a day walking around and getting lost, half a day at either the Vatican or the Forum/Colosseum, and a full day at the other. If you start your walk in the right place and get sufficiently lost, you might find the Trevi fountain; if you don't get lost you'll probably run across the Pantheon. Pretty much you can't go anywhere without hitting something interesting. My little sister and brother went to Rome for spring break two years ago, and spent the whole week just walking around aimlessly, and that was enough because they just kept running into famous landmarks. Oh, also don't forget to buy some gelato for walking around with. All the adults there eat gelato.
Florence needs half a day of walking around, and I guess a day at the Uffizi is reasonable, and otherwise just think of specific works you want to see, figure out which museums those are housed in, and visit those (and then I'm sure you'll find enough at each museum to keep your attention for quite a while more).
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Date: 2011-05-28 07:20 am (UTC)In either city, I think more important than seeing the sites is just spending several hours--half a day at least--walking aimlessly. You'll see a bunch of the sites, too, that way. Especially in Rome where it's more about historic buildings than it is about art in museums. But just take in the city, get a feel for it, get a feel for how different it is than any city in America (and how different Rome and Florence are from each other--just walking around they feel very different from each other, even if they have things in common by virtue of being very old Italian cities).
In Rome you have to visit the Forum and its surroundings. It is conveniently located right next to the Colosseum. On the other side of the Forum is the current seat of government, which is interesting to walk past in its own right. And, as you say, you have to spend a day in the Vatican. If you're only there for two days, my suggestion is half a day walking around and getting lost, half a day at either the Vatican or the Forum/Colosseum, and a full day at the other. If you start your walk in the right place and get sufficiently lost, you might find the Trevi fountain; if you don't get lost you'll probably run across the Pantheon. Pretty much you can't go anywhere without hitting something interesting. My little sister and brother went to Rome for spring break two years ago, and spent the whole week just walking around aimlessly, and that was enough because they just kept running into famous landmarks. Oh, also don't forget to buy some gelato for walking around with. All the adults there eat gelato.
Florence needs half a day of walking around, and I guess a day at the Uffizi is reasonable, and otherwise just think of specific works you want to see, figure out which museums those are housed in, and visit those (and then I'm sure you'll find enough at each museum to keep your attention for quite a while more).