[Terradude]

A couple of suggestions. When you're in Rome, plan your days out by quadrants and get ready to walk. Taxis are crazy and you can out pace them by foot. Lots to see, and do and eat along the way. If the menu is in English...walk away. If it's multiple languages...run. Do a few good googles for places to eat around you. look for short lines....no lines - bad, long lines? who has the patience? Instagram et al has made some places too popular but excellent places may just be around the corner.

As for Pompeii et al....it's big, there are lots of people and I wouldn't miss it for the world. I've always been a history buff and walking there is like stepping back (literally) into history. Herculaneum is amazing too but buried much hotter. I've been to the area a number of times and always stayed at Sorrento. smaller but walkable compared to Naples. I couldn't muster the courage to do Naples yet - I will, eventually. I love the tradition of ordering grappa or lemoncello and having the whole homemade bottle come to the table. Careful though. Sorrento is the launch point for Capri and the Amalfi coast. take a tour. If you don't want to stay down there, you can reach Pompeii via fast train from Rome. We did it in one day in May - on our way back the new pope was elected.

In 10 days you can fit something else too. My favourite place is Umbria. Assisi is fantastic, Orvieto is amazing and Perugia is a fantastic city with ruins interwoven in their modern walkway system. Try the porchetta.

For accommodation - we have loved staying at Agrotourismos. basically farms where they were encouraged to build cottages or rooms to rent out. Our favourite was Poggio Alloro near San Giminagno. They have them all over the country. We found that the prices were as good or better than ABB and we had the added benefit of eating with the locals. When my nephew told the grandfather that the liked Grappa, he had a friend for life. Again...the food was amazing.

Italian cuisine is most definitely the best in the world - especially when you're there. Have a coffee and cornetto at a stand up bar with a number of local priests. Order a sandwich and sit in the sun. Again...try the porchetta. Enjoy.