Originally Posted by
chauming
Rome will certainly cost more, much more, starting with airfare, cab and other travel costs. There's always the language barrier with a foreign country. The beaches in Hawaii are second to none. If you can jump over these hurdles, go with Rome.
If you've never been to Europe then you really must jump these "hurdles". And really you don't need taxis (trains are fine), airfare to Italy in September needn't be so much more expensive than to Hawaii, and the language barrier is part of the fun (Italian is quite easy for the basics and most people will speak English anyway).
While I could recommend nearby countries, there's a lot you can do just in Italy without getting bored or feeling like you've missed out. There's Rome, Venice, Florence, Milan, Bologna, etc... and all these cities have Hiltons.