I have had the good fortune of being able to visit Rome twice in the past 18 months. Once for work and the other with the family in July 2018. Rome is indeed an amazing city, great food, great people and history for days. Oh and shopping! Keep in mind, Rome in July is packed with people. You'll find that most tourists are trying to visit during the summer, and by August the locals are heading out of town for their own vacations.
The first time I visited Rome, I stayed at a great hotel - Forty Seven Hotel. More of a boutique hotel with an amazing roof deck and their breakfast is quite good. This hotel is right in the middle of many of the historical ruins and walking distance to what the Romans call "The Wedding Cake" or the The Altare della Patria, also known as the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II. You can also easily walk to the neighborhood of Trastevere and two blocks down you can check out the Bocca della Verità. Yes, this is the same bocca that was in "Roman Holiday" with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. As for Trastevere, it is a funky area with artists, small boutiques many breath-taking cathedrals and restaurants everywhere.
The beauty of Rome is that it is completely walkable. Your best bet is to walk if you can, Ubers and cabs are available, but because the winding and narrow city streets - it will take you twice as long to make it to your destination.
My most recent visit was very different because it was a family trip. The hotel location was very important - price and size. I ended up renting a condo/apartment instead of a hotel. Hotels in Europe in general have very small rooms - so my family would have easily needed three rooms. After doing research, I settled on an apartment called the Suite & Spa Spanish Steps. First of all, the apartment that I thought I booked was totally different. It was still nice, but note you'll likely NOT get the apartment you see online. The apartment slept 8, with a terrace and it was 5 minutes from the Spanish steps. In terms of location it was spot on. Overall the apartment was nice, had a good (tiny) kitchen and decent bathroom. Note that when we arrived we of course had 5 suitcases; and there was NO elevator. We had to lug the bags up three flights of stairs. The rental company did help us arrange for a pick up at the airport - one way was $100 EURO - and cash only we found out. The price for this space was $1800 EURO for five nights. Would I stay here again...likely but I would ask more questions (like bedding arrangements) and ask for pictures of the property ahead of time. Three of our kids were sleeping on sofa beds.
As for grocery shopping, there was a small grocery store that had a relatively good selection (mainly wine, bread and meats) - but also the "other" essentials. The store is called the COOP.
Getting around. As I mentioned there are Ubers and cabs galore - and for a big family, Uber offers a van pick up for up to 8 ppl. This saved us having to get two cars to travel everywhere. Be ready to make accommodations for pick up locations because Ubers/cabs aren't able to fit down some of the streets - especially the vans.
Where to eat. In Rome you can't go wrong. Real Roman pasta, pizza, and lots of fresh fish. When you have the chance order the Turbo fish...I highly recommend it Here are a few places where we ate:
1. Ristorante de Roma, Alfredo alla Scrofa - Alex loved the pizza. Great wine selection, antipasti and pasta. Reasonably priced and good service.
2. Canova - Bar ristorante Piazza del Popolo - low key spot with plenty of seating inside and outside. Wide variety on the menu and open to requests or small changes. In the evening if you're outside you see all the activity from the Piazza - it's a nice spot and medium priced.
3. Enoteca Ferrara - we ate at this restaurant as a recommendation from a friend, and it was amazing. Ok - this restaurant is not for a conservative palate. If you have picky kids - this won't work. We started with charcoal bread - yes, new to me too. Interesting. Antonio wolfed down a plate of mussels, and I had the Turbo. Pricy, but a good foodie experience. Be aware that when you walk into the restaurant it seems very casual like a pub almost. Then you walk towards the back and it's completely different - like a hidden-away gem. Highly recommend.
4. Gelateria Piazza Navona, Tre Scalini - obviously gelato is everywhere, but this spot has good wine, food and a large variety of gelato. They specialize in the Tartufo - not fast service.
5. MadeITerraneo - here is another restaurant that you would never know existed had it not been for a google search. Located at the top of an indoor mall, this restaurant has good but limited menu. Truthfully, you're paying for the view. I would say it's a great place for a drink and appetizers - food was so-so.
What to do. There is no shortage of sights to see and places to visit. A couple of must do's are:
The Colosseum - tickets can be purchased in advance or at the gate. Your tickets will give you a 24 hour re-entry. Tickets cost 12 EURO for adults, youth/kids under 17 enter for free.
The Pantheon - Free entry, this tour is self-guided or you can pay for a tour. It will be packed and it's a relatively small place because of all of the visitors.
The Trevi Fountain - such a beautiful location. Open 24/7 but the square can get packed with people. Bring your selfie-sticks.
The Knights of Malta Keyhole - tucked away, a small view of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The keyhole is part of the property owned by the Priory of the Knights of Malta, a Roman Catholic religious order of crusader knights that originated in Jerusalem in the 11th century. It is the oldest surviving chivalric order in the world and is a sovereign entity under international law. The estate also hosts the embassy of the Order of Malta to Italy. Definitely make the time to see this.
Piazza Navona - the Piazza is a wonderful place with musicians, restaurants and lots of families and children. The piazza also has three fountains designed during the Papacy of Gregory XIII. Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi located in the center, designed by Bernini in 1651. Fontana del Moro Sculpted by Giacomo della Porta and later by Bernini and Fontana del Nettuno was also created by Giacomo della Porta in 1574, but remained unfinished for approximately three-hundred years, until 1878, when it was decorated by Antonio Della Bitta and Gregorio Zappalà.
The Vatican - Lucia is fascinated by cathedrals and bells. Clearly this was a highlight for her. We didn't buy tickets to tour the cathedral, though you can, we simply walked around St. Peter's square and did a little shopping.
Shopping! Boutiques, Zara, Bata - all stores worth checking out. And if you're a soccer fan, of course the AS Roma Store.
Flying in and out of Rome. We flew into Ciampino airport from London Stansted on RyanAir. Ciampino is a small airport and easy to navigate, this is a domestic only airport. As for RyanAir - wow what a nightmare. Good price, but another barebones airline. We spent $147 pp for a non-stop flight. If you don't mind delays and paying for EVERYTHING in flight - then this is your airline.
We left to Paris from Fiumicino Airport via AirFrance. Fiumicino airport is much larger as it is an international airport. Give yourself plenty of time to arrive and get through the check in process.
Getting to and from downtown Rome to either airport is going to cost around 100 EURO via Uber.
Final thoughts.
Rome is a great city, people are friendly and accommodating. Taking a family (or in our case a big family) didn't seem unusual or difficult. If you don't speak Italian, Spanish works. Most Romans speak English.