what to do in rome;
first off avoid at all costs the area near the stazione termini (where too many tourists wind up staying);
i recommend this place here :
http://www.hotelforiimperialicavalieri.com/
see it on google maps. you want to be near v cavour, trust me on this one. if that one's busy there's many other not-so-expensive places near that one. having a friend in rome who can go and get you the rooms for a discount would be a major plus (yeah, they charge locals less; it's true.) look @ goggle maps, see v.cavour? in that road and one over - two down, from v fori imperiali to where the Metro cavour sign is, all that is good.
let's assume 7 full days in the city. water is expensive, cafe's that have tables are deadly dear, but you can have an espresso and glass of water at the bar for 1 euro. note the awesome fountains ("nasone", "big nose") giving free water almost everywhere, use them - bring an empty bottle or two.
day 1 - near the colosseum.
google the finnegan's in v. dei serpenti; there's a sandwich bar there called polvere di stelle. grab a couple then go to the colosseum - buy tickets, do the tour. walk to the arc, then right and through the ruins. ask for the circo massimo, then walk to there.
go here : http://www.comune.roma.it/wps/portal/pcr?jppagecode=dip_pol_amb_roseto.wp it's a rose garden 50 yards near you. next to the circo massimo there is a slope - up there is the garden. it's amazing, blowjob guarantee. walk down torwards the river, to the "bocca della verita' ". stick your hand in it, then walk back towards piazza venezia. go up the long red stairs to the campidoglio. visit the campidoglio, palazzo venezia (the big white thing, the "typewriter"),walk down to the forum (foro romano). walk out of the forum and you're 100m from your hotel.
relax. cross the road and go to the enoteca 313 in v.cavour. have some light dinner, and try the pistachio ice cream. take it easy on the first day and go to be early.
day 2 - the vatican and shit.
(good idea to start the day with a couple sandwiches, again. you might want to try the alimentari (food shop) on the corner, near the metro cavour; try the rosette, famous italian bread.)
take the bus (omg you've never seen a bus so packed) 64 from p.venezia (short walk from the hotel) and ride it to the end. make it early if you can.ask for the walk up the cupola, do the walk.
the sistine chapel is here. take some pictures, then head down. there isn't much else to see here. walk along via della conciliazione to castel st.angelo, and go inside. take the short tour, and have some not so excellent ice cream in the top bar. walk back out and down, in the mole adriana, the green stuff below the castle. cross ponte st.angelo, and walk straight. that's where i was born, dog!
go eat at the nearby "ristorante pizzeria ponte vittorio" (google), i recommend the agnello alla scottadito, rucola e bresaola, straccetti, bruschette e panzanella. (then slowly, get on the left hand side of corso vittorio and walk it all to the statue of giocachino belli, between p.navona and p.campo de fiori. alternatively you can walk along v.dei banchi vecchi which is the parallel one on the right. there's a couple nice spots here to see, some churches, your call.
once you're here, go to the left and see piazza navona. the bar tre scalini i sone of the few places whre it's ok to spend 5euro for a ice cream. sit down and enjoy.take the wife inside Al Sogno, and buy a teddy or two(on the lefthand end of the square). take any bus back to p.venezia, then back to hotel.
day 3 - relax!!!
go to eat at the ristorant al cardello, twenty yeards away from the hotel.
walk along the fori to p.venezia (again) and then down into that long, straight road (v.del corso); bring your wallet cuz wife will want some of your money. walk all the way to piazza del popolo.
go up the stairs to the green thingie, and ask for the orologio ad acqua. see it, walk back down to pza. del popolo; walk all the way along via del babuino, until you get to the quite awesome piazza di spagna. look at google maps, all the small lanes between these 2 roads you just walked are full of clothing shops, mostly couture. keep walking straight until you see that butt-ugly tunnel, then turn right and walk to fontana di trevi. don't go in the fountain .. you'll get arrested.
there's a great if somewhat commercial sushi bar in the nearby via della mercede, called hamasei. expensive, but worth it. one of 2 amazing sushi in rome.
wheter you do that or not, walk back down to the street you first went into (v.del corso) ; walk back to the hotel, relax.
day 4 - food!! (try to have 1 serving shared for all these, there's quite a lot.
a sushi bar which is simply amazing (hasekura) is near by - via dei serpenti. or try the fusion restaurant called FISH - also amazing and 3 doors down from hasekura.
take any bus to largo argentina. once there head into via di torre aregntina and try the very first bar thingie you see - have a milkshake, try the monterosa it's amazing. walk ahead until you hit the pantheon. looking at the entrance, on the left is a shop called la casa del caffe, big ugly yellow letters, go and try the world-famous and fucking unforgettable granita di caffe they have. walk back whence you came from, or, take the parallel road (via dei cestari), which incidentally has a nice shop at the very end called La Chiave.
we're gonna avoid piazza campo de fiori for now, as it's something of a world of its own.
back in largo di torre argentina, walk towards the bridge (where the train tracks are at), and stop at the ice cream parlour Gelateria Alberto Pica (right next to the very first train stop after the end of the tracks, about 50 years down). it's next to a pharmacy, around the corner. i recommend the chocolate ice cream.
get to the bridge but don't cross it - go left, until you see a small bridge leading to the micro-island isola tiberina. go to the island, walk down, then back out the other side. walk back to the other side of the bridge you didn't walk across of, and you'r ein piazza sonnino.
here there is a pizzeria called Ai Marmi but known to everyone as L'Obitorio (the morgue) due to the marble-slab tables they have. the pizza here is world-class, i kid you not. eat to your heart's content, then walk down via della lungaretta. check out the fabulous square, then turn the corner to the left under the arch and have a sit at the cafe' di san callisto, where you'll have a "Peroni grande al vetro" each. relax. don't be alarmed by the hash smoking clientele (it can happen).this is a great place for socialising; somehow find your way back to the hotle (you're a lot closer than you think).
day 5 - living the life of a romano.
wak up late, grab sandwiches. take the nearby subway to Piramide and from there the train to Ostia. chillax on the beach. when you come back walk down the via marmorata to the bridge. on the left is a nice restaurant and one of my favourites, Lo Scopettaro (try the tripe, or the oxtail - "coda alla vaccinara" and "trippa alla romana"; this is one of the few places left that still has REAL roman food, and well made/priced). on the right is the bocca della verita', isola tiberina and places you were at earlier. this area is called testaccio and is one of the true roman places; it becomes alive at night, but you sort of have to know where to go. You could easily be next door to a awesome club and not know it.
your key destination is campo de fiori. take any bus along lungotevere aventino and ride it until the big bridge you didn't go on yesterday.
it's maybe 3 stops, or you can just walk. either this, or after the restaurant you can go back to Piramide, walk along viale aventino until you bump into the colosseum. your hotel is just there, should you want to shower and stuff. change into your night clothes, maybe.
make your way to piazza campo de fiori. bus 64 will take you there, when you see corso vittorio and the statua di gioacchino belli, get out and go left (instead of piazza navona, which is now right). campo de fiori is the hub of rome, or at least, for those people who follow a particular trend. there's many subcultures in rome, but of all, these guys are perhaps the best to meet. from here on, you are on your own, just make sure you don't get too tired.
fyi rome has some seriously impressive discos. some are outside, far to reach, some are inside and are very famous but can be expensive to get in.. and sometimes you can't actually make it inside. yeah, they are really posh.
if you do make friends among the locals (or naturalised) when it gets to be really late, ask them if they know where to get "bombe e cornetti" (bombs and horns)
day 6 - gianicolo and yet more walking.
take the bus 64 to the restaurant Ponte Vittorio and get to the bridge, but don't cross - walk left, to Ponte Principe Amedeo Savoia Aosta (via degli acciaioli), cross it, and look for a winding road on the left hand side, called via del gianicolo. walk that sucker all the way up, until the end of Passeggiata del Gianicolo. cross the arch (we like arches), turn left, and see the entrance gate to a gree thingie called Villa Dora Pamphili. you're gonna want to spend most of the day here, exploring the villa. google it - it's enormous. makes central park look like a joke. ideally, and with someone to guide you, you would make it to the other end (note on the map how v.pamphili is TWO big green thingies), but the first one (the more triangular shaped one, which has via leone XIII crossing it) is the better part - the other is just a big field really. whichever way you come out of, you will want to get back to the place you entered from. you're shooting for Fontanone del Gianicolo / porta san pancrazio. walk down that winding road with gorgeous view, and soon enough you will be back near the bar you were at two days ago. you're probably knackered by now and wear shoes two sizes bigger than when you started, so head back.
day 7 - head back to piazza navona and just walk around the smaller streets. relax, and get ready to pack.
this 6-day plan gives you a lot and makes sure you don't get hurt or run into some of the worst aspects of rome ppl just dont tell you about. ofc rome to the locals is much more, but you need to have "special tastes" to enjoy it. drink beer? there's a few places you wouldn't want to miss. smoke weed? same - places to see. like discos? swinger clubs? industrial and gothic? raves? jazz? there's plenty for everyone, but you have to know what you're getting to enjoy it. and some things can take more effort than just walking.
one final edit: rome has everything you can imagine. these listed are just the things unique to rome. but for some specific interests, just ask. theatre, music, shows of all kind, etc ..
TL, DR ??
go to piazza navona, walk around, eat ice cream.