Itinieraries for Rome and Venice

http://www.italylogue.com/planning-a-trip/itinerary-for-5-days-in-rome.html

when you first get to Rome that will serve you well for the rest of your stay: buy a bus map, and find the Colosseum.

From the Colosseum, walk by the Roman Forumand look down over the ruins. Walk to the exquisitePantheon – and this time actually go through the front doors. The Pantheon is free to enter, and it will give you some perspective later on for what Roman buildings look like when they’re more than just rubble.
 Get a scoop of gelato and stroll toward the Spanish Steps for a look at the city’s best-known staircase and for some top-notch people-watching. Then, with the change from your gelato, wind your way to the Trevi Fountain and wait your turn to do the ritualistic coin-throwing routine.

You can avoid the long lines by buying a ticket at a different monument that also includes the Colosseum, which is ideal if you’re planning to visit all the big monuments. You can also buy a ticket online in advance.

you can do the Colosseum, the Forum, and Palatine Hill in that first full day in Rome. 

Vatican City merits most of one day, especially if you’re doing a guided tour of the Vatican Museumsand St. Peter’s Basilica in one go. I do recommend getting a spot on a guided tour of Vatican City, partly because the museums are so vast
A guided tour typically starts by 9 or 10 in the morning and can last 4-6 hours, usually with a break for lunch between a swing through the museum and a tour of the Basilica, and most guides arrange it so you’ll meet them in Vatican City. Be aware that St. Peter’s has a strict dress code 

After your tour of the Vatican, you’ll still have daylight left and could visit a couple other things – like the nearby Castel Sant’Angelo (now a museum) and its bridge (lined with angel sculptures), or the Campo dei Fiori (a popular food market by day and lively square by night) just across the river. You could even walk along the Tiber to the Trastevere neighborhoodand spend the rest of the afternoon and evening there if you wanted to. It’s well-known for having cheap eats and great nightlife, so it could be the ideal way to end your day.



http://www.italylogue.com/planning-a-trip/itinerary-for-2-days-in-venice.html
the city’s top sight – St. Mark’s Basilica – aren’t too long when you wander by. If that’s the case, jump at the chance to visit this amazing church. It’s my favorite church anywhere (so far, at least), and it’s worth an hour (if you visit all the mini-exhibits within the basilica, that is, including taking the steep staircase to the roof where you can look over the square).

Along with a spin through St. Mark’s, the other attractions to visit during your first day in Venice are the Doge’s Palace (right next door to St. Mark’s, and worth the admission if for no other reason than it’s the only way to walk over the famous Bridge of Sighs) and the Campanile (bell tower) in front of St. Mark’s (you can take the elevator to the top for a view over the basilica),

Later in the evening of your first day in Venice, swing by the Rialto Bridge – it’ll still be kind of crowded, but it’s sometimes less busy at night when the day-trippers have left. And this is a great time to take that leisurely “cruise” along the Grand Canal on the #1 slowvaporetto water bus that I listed as one of my 20 things everyone should do in Italy.

you can spend a good part of the day on an excursion visiting the three major islands in the Venetian lagoon. Murano is famous for glass-making, Burano is famous for lace-making (and it’s brightly-painted houses), and the remote Torcello is where the city of Venice got its start.