Sunday, when you land, probably won't be a great sightseeing day for you--so why not make it a "wandering day" and a people-watching day? You need to see some of the piazzas, and obviously, you can't see even this list of top 10, but some of them might appeal to you:
http://www.letsgo.com/article/2807-rome-s-top-10-piazzas)
My choice would be to take the public bus (Rick Steves tells you which number to take) to Campo Fiori. It's only a block from Campo Navona, so you can do both with the same trip and wander in a leisurely manner. I love Campo Fiore because it's a market-square. You can buy a bottle of wine, a scarf--even a vegetable peeler as I wound up doing.
Campo dei Fiori, Between P. Farnese and C. Vittorio Emanuele Cushioned between stately Palazzo Farnese one block away and the busy C. Vittorio Emanuele, Campo dei Fiori is an enclosed world of its own where students, merchants, nighttime revelers, and performers make it their home. At its center, the somewhat ominous statue of a cloaked Giordano Bruno towers above the crowds. Aside from his imposing figure, street mimes clad in ridiculous garb are the only other even remotely statuesque shapes around. During the day, check out the market where merchants sell everything from _fish to fresh produce to valcohol to clothes (M-Sa 7am-2:30pm). At night, the Campo is literally abuzz with the chatter of diners, while the clink of wine glasses and the thumping of a few disco-like clubs add to the jocular clatter of this happening center for city life. From P. Navona, head towards C. Vittorio Emanuele and cut straight across to Campo dei Fiori. Watch your valuables at night. Free. Wheelchair access. Has outdoor seating.
Read more:
http://www.letsgo.com/10337-italy-t...and_activities-centro_storico-c#ixzz1xsUckRcb
There are lots of places to eat there. We went several times to the same one because we loved it. As you face the part of the square where you entered, go (as if you were leaving) to the left, instead of the right where you came in). The first restaurant that is "fully on" that street to the left you would be leaving on, not partially on the square itself, is the one. It's right across from a museum. Anyway, the prices were lower than those on the square, and we loved it. We particularly loved the pizza with ham, corn, and a cream sauce. It sounds odd, and my pepperoni-loving husband was leary of it, but it was outstanding. Outstanding enough that returned twice.
After eating, go back to the square and exit where you came in. Walk a block and you'll be in Piazza Navona----fountains, maybe street performers, good people watching.
You can then catch the same public bus you arrived on.
That day would be a good one to see the Pantheon, and it's easily reachable from Piazza Navona. Rick will tell you how.
Go to the Pantheon--it doesn't take long to see even though it is great. On the walk between Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon, you'll find Rick's favorite gelato stop. We returned more times than we should have. We also tried his second favorite, and while good, it wasn't as good as the one close to the Pantheon.
For an arrival day, I suspect that will be enough, and it will let you wander, people watch, eat, and see a sight or so.
Unlike others, I'm not a fan of the hop on, hop off buses; I like absorbing the local flavor a bit more.
On Sunday, you'll see the Col. When you exit the Col., you'll be looking right at the Forum. You used to be able to enter the Forum there, but you no longer can. You'll have to go to the street and walk on the sidewalk up to the entrance. Be sure to note the big maps of the Roman Empire on the way. You'll enter the Forum at about the half way mark. Unless Rick has changed his guide tour, he starts by the Col. , not in the middle, so you'll have to re-orient.
If it were me, I'd pick and choose from what's around there--and there's a lot--rather than heading off (with the possible exception of heading for the catacombs on the Apian Way, again using the public bus). Rick mentions a student eatery close to the Col. We ate there a couple of times; it was good. It's "around the corner" from the main street and up a block and a half or maybe two.
On Monday, you'll see the Vatican. After that, I suspect you'll want a change of pace. That might be a good time to go to the Catacombs on the Apian Way. Be sure both you and the kids have some knowledge of what you'll be seeing in the Sistene Chapel so you appreciate it.
I think if you want more wandering time, that's about all you'll have time for without feeling like you had a check list and marked items off as you went.
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