Brief summary:

Trip to Rome was uneventful. Despite it being Easter Sunday, we managed to find good pizza and gelato not too far from the hostel.

Today: visited the Ancient City. The Colosseum is certainly impressive, but expensive -- more time spent waiting in line than actually seeing the structure itself.
Ate lunch at a restaurant nearby, and learned the hard way that it was perhaps rude to decline the bread (standard with all meals, but seems to typically cost a euro per person) and ask for tap water -- an angry waitress chastised us ("This is bar, not restaurant!")

Spent some time in the Roman Forum, then walked to the Pantheon (impressive on the outside... it was closed), and the Trevi Fountain (just beautiful). Always amusing how certain sites (particularly Trajan's column) were very heavy-handedly Christianized by the Church.

Went for gelato at San Crispino, allegedly Rome's best. Personally, though, I didn't think it was so superior to other gelaterias to justify the small portions and high prices (over twice the typical cost). A disappointment, but a tasty one.