Good advice so far. I would add, try to get a hotel right in the center of the city. Most of the big attractions are fairly centrally located, if your hotel is there you can walk to most everything. They also have an underground metro system that I found very easy to use. You can take it to the Vatican, which is THE must see attraction in my opinion. It is very expensive there. And people aren't kidding about the pick pockets, but if you stay aware, you won't have a problem. If something unusual happens, it is probably a ploy to divert your attention. People may spill stuff on you, packs of kids surround you, people stop suddenly in front of you while in heavy pedestrian traffic. I had one attempt made on me the 3 weeks I was there, I knew what was happening right away. 4-5 people came right up to me and held a cardboard sign in my face, they were all talking rapidly like they were trying to sell me something. I pushed the sign away, turned around and walked away. They knew I was onto them, and gave up on me looking for an easier target. You may go all 6 days without anyone trying it on you, but it does happen quite a bit.
