Originally Posted by
ksucats
The more thinking & looking around I do, the more I think Paris might be easier for us to manage. We have only made one overseas trip & that was to London last year. I am very experienced at travel within the US - have been pretty much everywhere at least once (New York close to 10 times) & have no problems getting around any where here. However, I am still pretty intimidated by going overseas & our next trip will be to a non-English speaking country. My wife really wants to go to Rome. Can anybody chime in as to which will be easier for an American family to get around.
Very easy. There is no need to be intimidated.
As noted already, stay in the city center, rather than veering toward the chain hotels. Also, you might consider a multiday pass on one of the hop on/hop off busses. Yes, they are touristy - but very convenient, the kids love them, and they give you an excellent idea of where things are located.
Finally, since you aren't going until next year, why not see if your local community college offers an intro to conversational/adult education Italian class. Something that meets just once a week and helps you w/the basics (please, thank you, ordering in restaurants, etc...) You'll have no problem finding people who speak English in Rome, but a little bit of local understanding makes things a lot easier.