Bearing in mind that I was there in 1994, but I thought the Forum was pretty rad.
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You can easily put eyes on the Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and Colosseum in that amount of time. They are all relatively close together, except the Colosseum is a little further out. But it is close enough to walk from the other 3 monuments. You’ll probably be pressed on time for any tours though if you only have 5 free hours. Roman Forum is pretty neat as well and near the Colosseum.
And there are baggage drop places near the train station to check your luggage before you go exploring. Some are self check (like Amazon lockers) and some you check your bags with an attendant.
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Life-saving stuff here thanks. With it being football season I have had no time to look into anything and am I little overwhelmed with the fact I’ll be in Europe for the first time later this week lol
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I’d leave an hour for the Vatican. Even if you are not Catholic, there is amazing Christian art, history, Churches, stained glass, etc.
A drive by open airbus tour like I recommended before gets you the most spots the fastest in Rome. From there, pick a couple spots you want to spend more time at in detail.
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Eat some cacio e pepe.
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An hour for the Vatican is pretty ambitious even with tickets and a speedy entry.
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Had Cacio e Pepe and Prosciutto e Mozzarella. One of the meals that really stood out on our trip.
Go into as many Churches as you can. The interiors are breath taking.
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Apparently, pick-pockets are a thing in Rome. Watch your butt.
We didn’t have issues, but was told it’s a thing.
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Ours was Pizzeria Da Remo
If you can swing it, the early entry into the Vatican is worth it. We did it and were able to see everything without crowds. I think it was like $60-70 per person though.
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I agree if you want to do it “right” but he could hit the hot spots externally. Given he only has 5 hours total in Rome area, I was slotting 20% for Vatican for at least a “walk by” 
Is this what you had in mind? 
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That’s exactly how I do it 
Few of my trips are truly “vacation”. It’s usually a few hour window on the side between work meetings - so it’s very much “speed” looking or open air bus tours. Besides, I am not artsy so I have no need to read every sign and evaluate every historical detail like some do - y’all know who you are
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For sure be careful, but most pickpocket stories are really overblown. Yes they happen and you’d be better off just keeping your phone/wallet in front pockets, but I’m pretty sure 80% of the stats are drunk people in clubs.
We had half a dozen people tell us how terrible pickpockets were in Barcelona, in the US and once we got there. We were there for 5 days and saw most of everything and never once felt like there was even a chance for it to happen.
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Brussels is possibly the first European city I can confidently say I marginally disliked (it’s still an old Euro city and that’s cool), but even there I wasn’t afraid of pickpockets.
I normally use a lanyard that I wear under my shirt, store credit cards and hotel card in it. Haven’t used it this trip.
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So is the general consensus on pick pocketing to be aware but it isn’t as common as the internet would have me believe?
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You thinking about it right now is probably enough to keep you from being pickpocketed. They go after the low hanging fruit like exposed backpack pockets, open purses & drunk people. Having a wallet and your phone in front pockets will prevent you from being pickpocketed 99.999% of the time.
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Exactly. Just use common sense and be aware of your surroundings.
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Yep, never had an issue with it when I put my phone/wallet in my front pocket. Mostly be aware on subways/congested areas.
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