Europe finally..Rome accomodations

Old Dec 19th, 2015, 11:43 AM
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Europe finally..Rome accomodations

I am back to use different threads for pulling my first trip to Rome/Europe. I am researching accommodations now. Does anyone have information or stayed at ...Grand Hotel Gianicolo. I may be staying at end of 25 day trip in Rome for 7-10 days.

Thank you
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Old Dec 19th, 2015, 04:24 PM
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I haven't stayed there, but it's farther from the center of Rome than I would want to be for my first visit.

Did you look at any of the links I and others posted in your original "Europe finally" thread?

Lee Ann
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Old Dec 19th, 2015, 05:05 PM
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Agree it looks kind of far from the center - I would look more near Pza Navona or the Pantheon to be really near the center - esp better for walking home after dinner.
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Old Dec 20th, 2015, 01:41 AM
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A good chunk of the Gianicolo area of Rome is hilly, and if you have an uphill walk after returning from a day of sightseeing in Rome, your legs might really feel the exertion. Also, if you get a rainy day, the hotel is a long walk not only from many of the most-often visited tourist sights but also public transportation stops. You might find yourself spending more on taxis than you planned.

Various people define the "center" of Rome differently for themselves -- Catholics, people traveling with kids, young couples, history buffs -- and it really is of no use to you to stay in somebody else's idea of "central" for them if in fact you are planning a different sightseeing agenda or prefer not to be in "tourist central" all the time and would rather stay in an area where Romans outnumber tourists in the restaurants, markets and piazze.

My suggestions are

1) that you read reviews of the Hotel dei Gianicolo on Booking.com and Tripadvisor if you haven't already

2) if you want to consider other locations, print out a tourist map of Rome and put an X on all the sights that are your priorities to visit, and when you've done that, identify which part of Rome offers you the greatest walkability to the greatest number of your selected sights.

3) that if you want the advantage of having easy access to both public transportation + easy walkability to many of Rome's most famous tourist sights, pick a hotel in the general area of the Largo di Torre Argentina

4) if you prefer not to be in the most crowded tourist areas all the time, give a miss to the immediate areas of the piazza Navona, the Trevi fountain, the Pantheon, the Spanish steps, the Campo de' Fiori, via Veneto and the Vatican, and instead consider Trastevere, the Jewish Ghetto, Testaccio and some parts of the Monti area, with an eye toward easy access to public transportation.

Finally, it was stated about that there is some advantage to being near the Piazza Navona or Pantheon "esp better for walking home after dinner." This is simply an absurd belief. One wonders if the writer had even been or Rome or stayed sober while they were there. Rome abounds in restaurants, overflows with them, and they will be near wherever you stay. Truth be told, the better restaurants with few exceptions are overwhelmingly not near the piazza Navona or the Pantheon. So you really need to be careful not to put too much credence in tourists' very limited picture of tourist Rome, which the full-blown capital of Italy receiving millions of pilgrims and visitors every year, only a tiny fraction of whom stay near the piazza Navona and all of whom find plenty of good restaurants and markets a stone's throw from where they are staying.
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Old Dec 20th, 2015, 01:42 AM
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Here's a printable tourist map of Rome

http://www.tripomatic.com/lp/Rome-Pr...e-Tourist-Map/
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Old Dec 20th, 2015, 02:05 AM
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For convenience, I agree with the Campo di Fiore-Piazza Navona-Pantheon suggestions.

For budget, join the thousands of Europeans who stay in the modest hotels behind Termini.

For perhaps a nice combination of both, I am intrigued by Sandra's suggestion of the Largo di Torre Argentino. It is certainly a transit hub, and I would at least look in that area for my next trip.
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Old Dec 20th, 2015, 03:02 AM
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Ackislander,

If I am not mistaken, bvlienci also encourages people to take a look at the immediate area of Largo di Torre Argentino for Roman stay, and Rome appears to be her favorite inside-Italy travel destination. Another Fodorite recently took up the suggestion for a repeat visit to Rome and came back with a trip report highly praising the location. It's not only a good location if you want to occasionally use the trams or buses that are so readily available there. You are smack in the center of the very oldest areas of the original Roman city of eons ago, so it's wonderfully atmospheric yet it is walkable to many premiere tourist sights of Rome. It's got an overload of affordable untouristy restaurants and cafes nearby and other excellent food options in markets and shops. Finally, it has somehow escaped thus far being a gussied up, noisy all-tourist depot that some of the more famous "central" areas of Rome-for-tourists have become.
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Old Dec 20th, 2015, 03:03 AM
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my typo -- correct spelling is Largo di Torre Argentina
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Old Dec 22nd, 2015, 04:09 PM
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Largo di Torre Argentina is 5 minutes walk from Campo di Fiori and 10 minutes walk from Piazza Navona so if that miniscule distance is not central and can bring a whole new flavour to someone's experience then by all means, knock yourself out but don't go thinking it's some hidden gem as it is made out to be. Perhaps some more specific information about streets/restaurants in the area would help the enquiry?
From my perspective, the little streets around the Turtle Fountain are certainly atmospheric but there is a handful of those and this area runs into the Jewish Ghetto. Would love to know about the markets as I've clearly missed those in my numerous trips to Rome.
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Old Dec 22nd, 2015, 04:41 PM
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I am puzzled why Largo di Argentino is considered better than Pantheon area, Piazza Navona or Campo di Fiori? Why is this? It's so close to all 3 and didn't seem particularly unique or special to me and we walked in the area and thru it often. We walked all over Rome and never used public transportation. Found it easy to walk places.
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Old Dec 22nd, 2015, 10:10 PM
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For one thing, the Largo di Argentina nabe has far fewer tourists and touristy ambience, a plus in itself, and it is easy to find some bars that are friendly and not charging annoyingly elevated prices. I really don't want to be around so many tourist traps. But if you never use public transportation in Rome, then the real value of the location is lost on you.

I spend most of my time in museums in Rome, and can often walk several miles just inside a museum. I like to take public transport back at the end of the day if I end up a long-ish distance from my apartment/hotel.

I tend to travel in winter, for lower crowds, and often it is too chilly once the sun goes down for comfortable walking. I don't like to walk in the rain either.

But most of all, I simply dispute that all the Roman sights of great interest are within an "easy" walk of the places so frequently mentioned as "central" places to stay. From the piazza Navona, it is a 50 minute walk to San Giovanni di Laterano from the piazza Navona. 40 minutes to either the entrance to the Vatican Musems or the Galleria Borghese. An hour to the villa Doria Pamphilj. I want the option to go all over Rome -- to places like Testaccio, the Maaxi, Centrale Montemartini,Quartiere Coppedi, the Appian Way or the EUR.

A lot of people don't use trams or buses in Rome because they don't know how, even though the network is actually quite easy to figure out and even they are actually quite exhausted and very sore at the end of every day.

I live on the Italian Riviera where I need to walk hundreds and hundreds of stairs every day just to do shopping and empty my garbage. So I'm quite used to walking. But it's an asset to my stays in Rome to have accomodations where I can either walk out the door and get a tram if it is raining and I want to visit someplace 40 minutes by foot away, or to be able to get a tram/bus at the end of my sightseeing day so I can shower before dinner, etc.

Plus, I like cats, and that's where the cats of Rome have been hanging out for centuries, in an unbroken stream of time.
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Old Dec 22nd, 2015, 10:56 PM
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blueeyedcod,

I prefer to walk 15 minutes to the market at Circo Massimo (di Campagna Amica) than shop in the Campo de'Fiori, so I appreciate being closer to it in the Torre Largo di Argentina than I would be in the piazza Navona -- which again, is just too touristy for my taste.

Your post is a straw man. Who said it was a hidden gem? Yestravel's description is pretty good. Visitors walk through it all the time, right there in plain sight. Just an ordinary Roman neighborhood -- but some of us go to Rome to be in Roman neighborhoods with the Romans!

As for your request to be your guide to what you didn't see or find around "the Turtle Fountain" (piazza Mattei), you don't sound honestly interested in anything different from what you already are familiar with know and awfully sarcastic about anything different. Try a meet up with nytraveler next time she is in Italy. I think you probably share more of the same interests and attitudes, wheras I've yet to see any indication we do.
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Old Dec 23rd, 2015, 05:49 AM
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We all walk at different speeds and I find the ones listed above to be a bit longer than what it took us. For example an hour walking from Piazza Navona to Doria Pamphilj Gallery would be creeping along for me as it's about 1 km. Just want to point this out so people don't think it takes everyone as long as mentioned above to get from some points to another.

I shouldn't say I "never used" public transportationin Rome as we have taken it to places like Ostia Antica and didn't find it difficult to navigate. But yes, many people don't take public transportation in any city for a variety of reasons.
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Old Dec 23rd, 2015, 11:01 AM
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<40 minutes to either the entrance to the Vatican Musems >...from Piazza Navona??

Really? Then you don't know Rome as well as you claim.

No one said Largo Argentina is a hidden gem but me - it was dressed up by you to appear that way. As usual you turn a simple enquiry into a personal attack which leads me to believe you don't know what is around the Fontana della Tartarughe and its streets either. And FWIW I was there last month, walked from Teatro Marcello around these little streets and appreciated their beauty all the more as it was Sunday afternoon and no one was about.It is hardly 'anything different' to me - just after your information as you appear to know this area. Looks like you don't.
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Old Dec 23rd, 2015, 11:49 AM
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Yes, it did leave me to wonder how well the "expert" really knew the area. The walking times were pretty absurd.
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Old Dec 23rd, 2015, 03:57 PM
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To the OP: If you were looking at this hotel because of budget, do consider renting an apartment if you are going to be in Rome 7-10 days. It can be much more economical to stay in an apartment. It's true you don't get free "breakfast", but you can fix yourself other meals and the rate per night can be quite a bit cheaper than a hotel in the same area. I use RentalInRome.com, but I'm sure that other posters can recommend other sites, if you want to submit another post here are start a new one on apartments in Rome.

Buon viaggio!
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Old Dec 23rd, 2015, 04:11 PM
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Those cats in the Largo Argentina have seen better days.

That Grand Hotel Gianicolo is in an absolutely horrific location. I would never stay there even with the swimming pool.

Can you afford the de Russie?

Thin
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Old Dec 23rd, 2015, 04:31 PM
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To the OP, it might be helpful to share your budget. That may lead to more fruitful discussion for your purposes than the merits of any given neighborhood. But you might also look at The Beehive--a budget hotel/hostel near Termini. It is well reviewed and books quickly so bear that in mind. There are kitchen facilities as well, which can help cut down on cost.
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Old Dec 23rd, 2015, 11:54 PM
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I've been to Rome a few times and have yet to come up with a "favorite area." I once thought Trastevere would be perfect for its neighborhood feeling but I love the area around Campo di' Fiori and the Jewish ghetto. Someone mentioned the Monti area and after walking through it, I certainly felt its charm. The streets behind Piazza Navona are lovely and there are some interesting holiday apartments to be found there.

My favourite moment in Rome so far has been the deliriously decadent and yet simple activity of sipping wine on a rooftop in the evening while relaxing in one of those lounge sofas. That's when you can actually breathe in the atmosphere without the crowds and just relish the delight of being in ancient, lovely Rome.
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Old Dec 24th, 2015, 04:47 AM
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We stayed in the Hotel Nazionale in Rome. It is right near the Federal Parliament building, and walking distance to Trevi, Pantheon, and Piazza Novena. Good restaurants nearby. As another has suggested, it is better to walk Rome, as the traffic can be quite hectic. We found the hop on and off bus not worth the effort. The lines are long and the buses are caught up in the traffic more than moving. We walked everywhere from our hotel - to the colosseum and the Vatican and also to Travestre and the Jewish Ghetto. Bring comfortable walking shoes and take bottled water. The tourist sites are very crowded. We went in early May it was quite hot. The Hotel Nazionale was an excellent location, tucked back from the city noise because of the piazzas and the guards around the parliament building but easy to walk to everything. The hotel staff is warm and accommodating and the service and rooms are very nice. If you have the time be sure to take the day trip out of Rome to the Amalfi coast and see Pompei on the way back. We booked a tour thru viator that was pricey, but well worth it. It was a van with only 8 people with a guide for the drive down the coastline and then a small group tour of Pompei, which was well worth it. Took us out of the noise of the city and some beauty of the small towns on the coast and then a visit to historic Pompei, and back in Rome in time for a late dinner. It is a full day, but well worth it.
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