I found Rome to be an excellent walking city. Only as a last resort did we hop a bus or take the subway. There’s just too much to see and every turn presents a new and often wonderful vista.
Agreed. Rome is a great walking city, once you get used to the fact that the streets don’t run straight and are liable to change names every few blocks. It takes about a day to get acclimated to that, and then it starts to feel natural. Just hang on to your map ....
My recommendation to anyone headed there for a first visit would be to spend the extra bucks and get a good hotel in the old city. We were near the Spanish steps which was a great central location, but there are plenty of other options. You will pick up a lot just by being anchored in a neighborhood, as opposed to being a drop-in tourista, and you will quickly discover that just about everything is within walking distance. The subway is also easy to use, with good signage.