Originally Posted by
Sheikh Yerbooty
Edit: Just noticed you said August. In that case, strike Paris, Rome, Firenze and Istanbul off the list. Too crowded, too hot, too many tourists. In fact, August is just about the 'worst' month for historical touristing in Europe.
Agreed. I was about to say the same thing.
While Rome is a great place to go for history and architecture, August is not the time, especially for someone's first international trip.
If it's European history the OP is specifically interested in, then something farther north in Europe is a better idea than Rome in August.
But if it's general history and architecture the OP likes, for August, may I suggest going southern hemisphere and doing something like Machu Picchu, and saving Europe for a time when it's less hot and less crowded.