Awesome! you guys have really given me some awesome starting points.
The wife has never been to Rome, surprisingly, despite having lived in Italy and when living in Canada, she goes back every 2 years for about a month each trip. I agree that its nice in that I have someone who will be able to speak fluently and keep me out of too much trouble but hearing about the sites from the locals can be a mixed blessing.
Its always great to get the Canadian tourist's perspective on things as they're often quite different from the locals'. Also, I'll probably get a lot more interesting (and relevant) info from some anonymous guy on the internet who randomly went there after being barred from going to vegas with the boys due to a rough and rowdy past than I will from my 65 year old father in law
With regards to the no pictures thing in the churches - how common are these rules? Will many places allow photography? Should I be bothering to lug along the 'ol dSLR or looking for maybe along the point and shoot lines?