Rome in May? Just starting my reading and need advice!

I'll be searching the regular travel sights like Frommers and Rick Steves but I thought you all might have some Rome experiences to share. We are excited to plan this trip because our daughter will be accompanying us for 1 week of our two week trip. Thinking of renting an apartment for a week or if we can find a reasonable hotel that would be good too. After she flies back to the states, we'll take a train to other areas. Is Rome do-able along with Florence in one week? This will be her first trip to Europe but she has insisted that we not repeat a trip we have taken before just to show her the sights. We've been fortunate enough to have gone to London, Paris and the Benelux countries on prior trips. Would go back to any in a heartbeat but she thinks we should go somewhere else. Any thoughts would be helpful.

In no particular order:

The Rick Steves night walking tour is an excellent thing to do the first night.

Water from fountains is drinkable and worth the experience

Pick up a tour guide for the Forum (most of them are free onsite). So much good info...

Pick up a tour guide for the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. Ask when best time to go is (our guide said afternoon and we practically had the place to ourselves)

Nero's Golden House is worth a visit

I'd consider spending a bit of time in the country before Rome...some contrast and different experience...then finish with mind-blowing Rome. If you feel like Florence is a must and you only have a week....a couple of days in Florence...a couple of days in Tuscany driving down to Rome...then three days in Rome. In May, Tuscany will be amazingly green and there will be all kinds of sagras and festivals.

There's so much good food...do homework and research...avoid eating on popular piazzas unless you just want to people watch

Pantheon is a must see

Have a great time!

Especially when you are trying to adjust to jet lag, etc. I would pick one or the other, and do it up right. A reasonable hotel that I stayed at was the Hotel Columbus right down from the Vatican. Centrally located, you can walk to alot of things from there, the Forum, the Colosseum, etc.

Here's their website: http://www.hotelcolumbus.net/index_en.htm

You can rent an apartment too, which gives you more room and probably laundry/cooking facilities, but I can't recommend any specific place in that department.

Go to TripAdvisor, I have been using them for awhile now to find little gem hotels and get advice on restaurants, etc.

May is a great time to go there, not too hot yet, and not too touristy, lots of daylight and sunshine. Have fun! -48