Need help on where to stay in Rome
Mar 17th, 2012, 03:39 AM
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Need help on where to stay in Rome
My husband and I are going to be in Rome in June. I have never been to Italy before and I'm reading a lot of confusing, contrasting things on which area is best to stay in. We are looking at Airb&b for a place to stay. There is a ton at reasonable prices but I need to make sure I am choosing the right area. We are looking for a place to stay that is close to all the touristy things, walking distance or a short bus or something. We want to stay in a neighborhood that is not all touristy. Where we can wake up and see cafes and markets opening and locals living their life. Although these names are foreign to me, I have been reading a lot and hearing people in forums and travel sites mention Trastevere, Campo de Fiori and Piazza Navonna. Btw, it will be my husband and I traveling, no kids and we are 35. Please help a novice! Thank you!!
Mar 17th, 2012, 04:05 AM
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Hi Leen! I'll be in Rome in June too so have been researching the same thing. You have the right areas listed to meet your criteria, although my opinion would be to stay in the Navona or Campo areas to be a bit more centrally located to the sights and just visit Trastevere. You could also check Sleep in Italy to find an apartment instead of a B&B if you are going to be there for enough time.
I'm writing a trip report on Rome right now (be prepared...it's long and I'm still working on it!) frim last summer and talk about all those areas. Click on my name and it is the first in the trip report section. It has links for my pictures too.
I'm writing a trip report on Rome right now (be prepared...it's long and I'm still working on it!) frim last summer and talk about all those areas. Click on my name and it is the first in the trip report section. It has links for my pictures too.
Mar 17th, 2012, 04:06 AM
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The areas of Rome where the street life is most overwhelmed by tourists and tourist-oriented restaurants/bars are around the Spanish Steps, the piazza Navona, the piazza della Rotonda (the Pantheon), the Campo de'Fiori, and the entrance to the Vatican museums (which is "behind" St Peter's, not on the river side of St Peter's).
Despite the presence of the Colosseum in the Monti neighborhood of Rome, it is a residential neighborhood, with a lot of young professionals your age, and lots of restaurants and shops to support their interests. More wealthy is the residential area between the piazza del Popolo and the piazza Navona. If you step away from the Campo de'Fiori in the direction of the river, you still find interesting residental life around the heart of the jewish ghetto (near Teatro Marcello/Portico d'Ottavia), or further up, beyond piazza Farnese, along the via Giulia and the via di Monserrato.
You can also cross the river and find nice residential spots in Trastevere, but it does mean extra steps for touring (or learning to use the trams and buses) and you need to be careful you are not directly on the streets where loads of young people like to come to hang out in the inexpensive bars and pizzerie, and make noise until wee hours of the morning.
From Monti, the Jewish Ghetto, or the piazza del Popolo area (be sure to stay inside the city), you can walk to most of the most famous sights in Rome. It is still good to learn about some of the buses that criss-cross the city, so you don't give up too soon on seeing some beautiful places just because you are so tired of walking the cobblestones.
Despite the presence of the Colosseum in the Monti neighborhood of Rome, it is a residential neighborhood, with a lot of young professionals your age, and lots of restaurants and shops to support their interests. More wealthy is the residential area between the piazza del Popolo and the piazza Navona. If you step away from the Campo de'Fiori in the direction of the river, you still find interesting residental life around the heart of the jewish ghetto (near Teatro Marcello/Portico d'Ottavia), or further up, beyond piazza Farnese, along the via Giulia and the via di Monserrato.
You can also cross the river and find nice residential spots in Trastevere, but it does mean extra steps for touring (or learning to use the trams and buses) and you need to be careful you are not directly on the streets where loads of young people like to come to hang out in the inexpensive bars and pizzerie, and make noise until wee hours of the morning.
From Monti, the Jewish Ghetto, or the piazza del Popolo area (be sure to stay inside the city), you can walk to most of the most famous sights in Rome. It is still good to learn about some of the buses that criss-cross the city, so you don't give up too soon on seeing some beautiful places just because you are so tired of walking the cobblestones.
Mar 17th, 2012, 04:09 AM
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The Guardian UK newspaper just did a feature on Rome's Monti neighborhood you might find interesting to read:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/201...ood-city-guide
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/201...ood-city-guide
Mar 17th, 2012, 04:30 AM
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II'd have to agree with Zeppole on the touristy part right around Piazza Navona. I was thinking that west of Navona tucked more into the curve of the river is less touristy. I've read about lots of little restaurants that locals go to there and when we walked around there, we didn't see the throngs of tourists. Thoughts on that area Zeppole? We found an apartment in there for June. We stayed on via governo Vecchio last time and that was crowded, but it was good for us.
Mar 17th, 2012, 04:47 AM
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I agree that if you stick to the streets that curve along the river you are much better off, with less mega-tourist impact right around the piazza or via del Teatro Pace. Still, i think it is a bit boutquey around there, with lots of rental apartments and plenty of English heard on the streets. It's more of a "slow travel" kind of area, where affluent tourists rent apartments. I still think it is better to get all the way across the Corso Emmanuele II, toward the river, and hang out much closer to the river, or way down by the Jewish Quarter, making sure to avoid getting too close to the Campo de'Fiori. Or pick another area entirely.
Mar 17th, 2012, 04:57 AM
#7
Still, i think it is a bit boutquey around there, with lots of rental apartments and plenty of English heard on the streets. It's more of a "slow travel" kind of area, where affluent tourists rent apartments.>>
lol, I'd never thought of myself as one of those affluent tourists, and when we stayed in that area we heard virtually no english except our own. in fact the apartment we rented in Monti on our previous visit was far more plush and we heard far more english in that area.
IMHO having stayed both in Monti and in the area to the west of the Piazza Navona, I can recommend both, but for a first time visitor would tend towards the Piazza Navona rather than Monti because you are closer to more of the things you are going to want to see on a first visit.
lol, I'd never thought of myself as one of those affluent tourists, and when we stayed in that area we heard virtually no english except our own. in fact the apartment we rented in Monti on our previous visit was far more plush and we heard far more english in that area.
IMHO having stayed both in Monti and in the area to the west of the Piazza Navona, I can recommend both, but for a first time visitor would tend towards the Piazza Navona rather than Monti because you are closer to more of the things you are going to want to see on a first visit.
Mar 17th, 2012, 05:04 AM
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I just have to disagree with annhg, not about her experience of the area, but the presumpton of what somebody else wants to see on a first visit.
Not only do many people come to Rome mainly for the sights of antiquity, for which the Monti area is much better positioned, many people come to Rome and want to experience the city's contemporary life. That is much, much harder to get around the piazza Navona, which has just been frozen into a tourist warp.
You will certainly hear plenty of English in Monti because the Colosseum is so close.
I don't know why affluent tourists -- meaning people who go to Rome or other foreign trips every year or twice year -- never notice they are affluent tourists, in an area of affluent tourism. Anybody who can afford to live in central Rome is doing very well, and Monti is not a working class neighborhood. But it has its own contemporary Roman life, and if I am reading Leen's post correctly, the are keen to experience that as much as they might be keen to toss a coin in the Trevi fountain, glimpse the Pope or eat a gelato in I Tre Scalini.
Not only do many people come to Rome mainly for the sights of antiquity, for which the Monti area is much better positioned, many people come to Rome and want to experience the city's contemporary life. That is much, much harder to get around the piazza Navona, which has just been frozen into a tourist warp.
You will certainly hear plenty of English in Monti because the Colosseum is so close.
I don't know why affluent tourists -- meaning people who go to Rome or other foreign trips every year or twice year -- never notice they are affluent tourists, in an area of affluent tourism. Anybody who can afford to live in central Rome is doing very well, and Monti is not a working class neighborhood. But it has its own contemporary Roman life, and if I am reading Leen's post correctly, the are keen to experience that as much as they might be keen to toss a coin in the Trevi fountain, glimpse the Pope or eat a gelato in I Tre Scalini.
Mar 17th, 2012, 05:19 AM
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annhg,
One other thought:
If I am not mistaken, your last trip to Rome was in the month of February. Based on that experience, you cannot tell somebody truthfully that they won't need to wade through a tourist mob in June every time they walk out their door if they book near piazza Navona. You knwo, I was in the Vatican this past January and was alone in the map room. Shoudl I tell somebody not to worry about the Vatican being overcrowded when they come in June, and just go whenever you feel like it?
It is worth while to note the location of the Colosseum when looking for a place to stay in the Monti neighborhood. Near the piazza del Popolo, perhaps the via Margutta would be too much of a stage set for some people looking to peek in on the everyday life of Rome, but it is hardly a tourist mob scene.
I really admire the OP for wanting to come to Rome and see how Romans live and create their lives apart from tourism.
One other thought:
If I am not mistaken, your last trip to Rome was in the month of February. Based on that experience, you cannot tell somebody truthfully that they won't need to wade through a tourist mob in June every time they walk out their door if they book near piazza Navona. You knwo, I was in the Vatican this past January and was alone in the map room. Shoudl I tell somebody not to worry about the Vatican being overcrowded when they come in June, and just go whenever you feel like it?
It is worth while to note the location of the Colosseum when looking for a place to stay in the Monti neighborhood. Near the piazza del Popolo, perhaps the via Margutta would be too much of a stage set for some people looking to peek in on the everyday life of Rome, but it is hardly a tourist mob scene.
I really admire the OP for wanting to come to Rome and see how Romans live and create their lives apart from tourism.
Mar 17th, 2012, 05:19 AM
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We have rented apartments:
1. on via del Babuino near Spanish Steps
2. near via Flaminia just N of P.zza del Popolo
3. on via dei Coronari nr P.zza Navona and
4. on the Lungotevere Marzio near the Ara Pacis (3 times)
The only area that felt overwhelmed with tourists was the Spanish Steps.
That, Campo de' Fiori and the Trevi Fountain area are three zones I would avoid.
I think the OP will be surprised, as a first-time visitor to Italy, how deeply "Roman" just about every corner of central Rome feels and how it all pulses with a "Roman" vibe.
In short, I'd focus on visual attractiveness, safety and convenience -- rather than focusing on avoiding other tourists and finding sthg "typical" and neighbourhood-y. It ALL feels that way.
Monti or Trastevere will likely be less expensive than Navona, the Ghetto or the Tridente (area south from P.zza del Popolo, between the "trident" of 3 streets: v. del Babuino, v. del Corso, v. di Ripetta)
1. on via del Babuino near Spanish Steps
2. near via Flaminia just N of P.zza del Popolo
3. on via dei Coronari nr P.zza Navona and
4. on the Lungotevere Marzio near the Ara Pacis (3 times)
The only area that felt overwhelmed with tourists was the Spanish Steps.
That, Campo de' Fiori and the Trevi Fountain area are three zones I would avoid.
I think the OP will be surprised, as a first-time visitor to Italy, how deeply "Roman" just about every corner of central Rome feels and how it all pulses with a "Roman" vibe.
In short, I'd focus on visual attractiveness, safety and convenience -- rather than focusing on avoiding other tourists and finding sthg "typical" and neighbourhood-y. It ALL feels that way.
Monti or Trastevere will likely be less expensive than Navona, the Ghetto or the Tridente (area south from P.zza del Popolo, between the "trident" of 3 streets: v. del Babuino, v. del Corso, v. di Ripetta)
Mar 17th, 2012, 05:26 AM
#11
I just have to disagree with annhg, not about her experience of the area, but the presumpton of what somebody else wants to see on a first visit.>>
aren't you doing the same thing? and without the experience that i have of being a first time visitor to Rome staying in Monti, which is just what we did. yes it is convenient for the "antiquities" but most other sights will require a metro of bus trip, or very sore feet, whereas staying near the Piazza Navona [in a much cheaper apartment, I might add] we found we were able to get to most places we wanted to see far more easily, and we could more easily return to the apartment if we wanted to. Certainly Monti has its own contemporary roman life, but that comes at a price, if you are a first time visitor, of spending most of your time getting away from it. Nor was the corner cafe where we had our breakfast every day for about €3 each full of affluent tourists, in fact it too seemed to be in a very local and cheap [in the monetary sense] neighbourhood.
and I have never tossed a coin in the Trevi fountain, glimpsed the Pope, or eaten a gelato in I Tre Scallini, or wanted to.
Leen - if you click on my screen-name, you can see my trip report for our last trip to Rome, where we stayed in the very area that Zeppole seems to disapprove of so much. then you can make up your own mind!
aren't you doing the same thing? and without the experience that i have of being a first time visitor to Rome staying in Monti, which is just what we did. yes it is convenient for the "antiquities" but most other sights will require a metro of bus trip, or very sore feet, whereas staying near the Piazza Navona [in a much cheaper apartment, I might add] we found we were able to get to most places we wanted to see far more easily, and we could more easily return to the apartment if we wanted to. Certainly Monti has its own contemporary roman life, but that comes at a price, if you are a first time visitor, of spending most of your time getting away from it. Nor was the corner cafe where we had our breakfast every day for about €3 each full of affluent tourists, in fact it too seemed to be in a very local and cheap [in the monetary sense] neighbourhood.
and I have never tossed a coin in the Trevi fountain, glimpsed the Pope, or eaten a gelato in I Tre Scallini, or wanted to.
Leen - if you click on my screen-name, you can see my trip report for our last trip to Rome, where we stayed in the very area that Zeppole seems to disapprove of so much. then you can make up your own mind!
Mar 17th, 2012, 05:27 AM
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All of the areas under discussion are safe. All are visually attractive.
I really have to disagree that the via dei Coronari is not tourist central.
Perhaps other people are not sensitive to the feeling that an Italian neighborhood or town altered by tourism has. But there is a definitely to me a very distinct difference in vibe and appearance.
It is in the nature of Fodor's that when new posters come here and state what they would like to do and see in Italy, that the responses they get often include recommendations that they might be overrating or overvaluing certain destinations or experiences. I really have no problem with that. But I want to reiterate that for me, I understand perfectly why someone would want to come to Rome and, if at all possible, avoid a very touristy experience of Rome while at the same time not positioning themselves too far from the tourist sights. I do the same when I travel. I have found my research ahead of time has paid off gloriously. Whenever I spot a fellow traveler, I urge them not to be talked out of their curiosity and their values.
I really have to disagree that the via dei Coronari is not tourist central.
Perhaps other people are not sensitive to the feeling that an Italian neighborhood or town altered by tourism has. But there is a definitely to me a very distinct difference in vibe and appearance.
It is in the nature of Fodor's that when new posters come here and state what they would like to do and see in Italy, that the responses they get often include recommendations that they might be overrating or overvaluing certain destinations or experiences. I really have no problem with that. But I want to reiterate that for me, I understand perfectly why someone would want to come to Rome and, if at all possible, avoid a very touristy experience of Rome while at the same time not positioning themselves too far from the tourist sights. I do the same when I travel. I have found my research ahead of time has paid off gloriously. Whenever I spot a fellow traveler, I urge them not to be talked out of their curiosity and their values.
Mar 17th, 2012, 05:34 AM
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annhg,
No, I am not doing the same thing.
Leen wrote in her first post:
"We are looking for a place to stay that is close to all the touristy things, walking distance or a short bus or something. We want to stay in a neighborhood that is not all touristy. Where we can wake up and see cafes and markets opening and locals living their life."
I told her which areas of Rome that are within easy distance of the touristy sights are not all touristy.
You, on the other hand, wrote back to Leen:
"IMHO having stayed both in Monti and in the area to the west of the Piazza Navona, I can recommend both, but for a first time visitor would tend towards the Piazza Navona rather than Monti because you are closer to more of the things you are going to want to see on a first visit."
What Leen said Leen wanted to see on their first visit was local life that wasn't all touristy. That is an important value to them - or so they have said. I have tried to include it in my advice, not just what is convenient to what the consensus is about what is a touristy sight to see.
No, I am not doing the same thing.
Leen wrote in her first post:
"We are looking for a place to stay that is close to all the touristy things, walking distance or a short bus or something. We want to stay in a neighborhood that is not all touristy. Where we can wake up and see cafes and markets opening and locals living their life."
I told her which areas of Rome that are within easy distance of the touristy sights are not all touristy.
You, on the other hand, wrote back to Leen:
"IMHO having stayed both in Monti and in the area to the west of the Piazza Navona, I can recommend both, but for a first time visitor would tend towards the Piazza Navona rather than Monti because you are closer to more of the things you are going to want to see on a first visit."
What Leen said Leen wanted to see on their first visit was local life that wasn't all touristy. That is an important value to them - or so they have said. I have tried to include it in my advice, not just what is convenient to what the consensus is about what is a touristy sight to see.
Mar 17th, 2012, 05:40 AM
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Here's an interesting thread from last year about the piazza Navona:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...zza-navona.cfm
and here is recent one from a frequent Fodor's poster and frequent traveler to Rome:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ione-monti.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...zza-navona.cfm
and here is recent one from a frequent Fodor's poster and frequent traveler to Rome:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ione-monti.cfm
Mar 17th, 2012, 05:57 AM
#15
>>>We are looking for a place to stay that is close to all the touristy things, walking distance or a short bus or something. We want to stay in a neighborhood that is not all touristy.<<<
You can't really have both. If you want to walk to things, you will be in a touristy area. If you want an area that is not touristy, you won't be in central Rome.
As for the Monti area, I've stayed there multiple times. It's convenient to the Forum and Colosseum. For everything else, you need transport or it will be a very long walk. It's mostly open to traffic, unlike some other areas mentioned which are pedestrian only. I would suggest somewhere more central for a first time visitor or the Trastevere area (pedestrian area, not the part that allows cars). Trastevere has tourists (as does Monti), but it also has lots of restaurants with outdoor seating.
Leen - The important thing you left out is your budget. How much do you want to spend per night? You've waited late to book Rome for June.
You can't really have both. If you want to walk to things, you will be in a touristy area. If you want an area that is not touristy, you won't be in central Rome.
As for the Monti area, I've stayed there multiple times. It's convenient to the Forum and Colosseum. For everything else, you need transport or it will be a very long walk. It's mostly open to traffic, unlike some other areas mentioned which are pedestrian only. I would suggest somewhere more central for a first time visitor or the Trastevere area (pedestrian area, not the part that allows cars). Trastevere has tourists (as does Monti), but it also has lots of restaurants with outdoor seating.
Leen - The important thing you left out is your budget. How much do you want to spend per night? You've waited late to book Rome for June.
Mar 17th, 2012, 06:13 AM
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Leen,
One indeed can have both in Rome. What is going on here is a very ingrained ideology from Fodor's committed tourists to almost punish people who dare to seek out a non-touristy experience of Italy.
Most of us have no trouble walking from Monti to everything else we want to see in Rome except the Vatican and the Galleria Borghese. Many people who post on Fodor's are elderly. But if you look at a map and think Monti is too far, you can be in a residential Roman neighborhood in the other places I mentioned if you prefer. (For me, the noise impact of Trastevere from all those outdoor restaurants is a real hazard, and if I have to walk that far, I'd rather be in Monti because it is more mature.)
Leen, had you come here asking about where to find a quiet hotel in Rome (or Paris or London), you would have gotten several responses that "In a big city, you can't expect quiet" -- because some people could care less about noise and never bother to research for double glazing.
If you had posted on Fodor's about wanting to drink nice wine in Rome and asking where to find restaurants with the nicest wine lists, you would have gotten lots of responses from people telling you they always drink the house wine and so should you -- because they could care less about wine and wouldn't know the difference anyway.
Instead, you asked about getting a non-touristy experience on your first trip to Italy, and yiou are getting the answers you are getting. I live in Italy, I don't like touristy places. I know the difference. Rome has many, many corners that are mercifully more free of it than not where you can walk to the sights..
Good luck!
One indeed can have both in Rome. What is going on here is a very ingrained ideology from Fodor's committed tourists to almost punish people who dare to seek out a non-touristy experience of Italy.
Most of us have no trouble walking from Monti to everything else we want to see in Rome except the Vatican and the Galleria Borghese. Many people who post on Fodor's are elderly. But if you look at a map and think Monti is too far, you can be in a residential Roman neighborhood in the other places I mentioned if you prefer. (For me, the noise impact of Trastevere from all those outdoor restaurants is a real hazard, and if I have to walk that far, I'd rather be in Monti because it is more mature.)
Leen, had you come here asking about where to find a quiet hotel in Rome (or Paris or London), you would have gotten several responses that "In a big city, you can't expect quiet" -- because some people could care less about noise and never bother to research for double glazing.
If you had posted on Fodor's about wanting to drink nice wine in Rome and asking where to find restaurants with the nicest wine lists, you would have gotten lots of responses from people telling you they always drink the house wine and so should you -- because they could care less about wine and wouldn't know the difference anyway.
Instead, you asked about getting a non-touristy experience on your first trip to Italy, and yiou are getting the answers you are getting. I live in Italy, I don't like touristy places. I know the difference. Rome has many, many corners that are mercifully more free of it than not where you can walk to the sights..
Good luck!
Mar 17th, 2012, 06:17 AM
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By the way, you might want to ask on another message board. All of them have their share of people who will mock you for wanting to experience contemporary Rome with the tourism, and some people won't know what you're talking about, but this is a pretty narrow demographic of sightseeers.
Mar 17th, 2012, 06:18 AM
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Leen, something which helped us for this trip was to find an apartment or hotel location on Google maps and then look at the street view - not just at the apt, but also zooming down the streets and looking at the surrounding area. We had a lot of choices in several different areas and when we looked at the street view, we were easily able to rule some out based on what the area looked like and the feeling it evoked in us. You might get a certain feel for the immediate area...number of cars parked, cobblestone streets, etc. Worth a try. It won't tell you if the people are speaking Italian or English though. 
(I suppose you could look to see if they are wearing white sneakers...Oh, I won't go there - that's another thread!)
We would have considered our apartment from last summer but it was booked. We never heard any English in that building even though it was on a very busy and probably touristy street.
We loved sitting at a Campo dei Fiori cafe watching the market open up. There may have been tourists there, but we had more fun watching a tiny Italian lady all dressed in black squeezing the produce for 45 minutes, or the lady with the dog drinking at the pump. Would I avoid something because there are tourists? Not when I could see some of the daily life there as well!
I'd love to hear about some markets, though, which are not as well known for another experience, if you know of any Zeppole, but Campo dei Fiori was really fun for us.
Having stayed away from the sights and also near the sights, for us, it was more fun to be closer.
(I suppose you could look to see if they are wearing white sneakers...Oh, I won't go there - that's another thread!) We would have considered our apartment from last summer but it was booked. We never heard any English in that building even though it was on a very busy and probably touristy street.
We loved sitting at a Campo dei Fiori cafe watching the market open up. There may have been tourists there, but we had more fun watching a tiny Italian lady all dressed in black squeezing the produce for 45 minutes, or the lady with the dog drinking at the pump. Would I avoid something because there are tourists? Not when I could see some of the daily life there as well!
I'd love to hear about some markets, though, which are not as well known for another experience, if you know of any Zeppole, but Campo dei Fiori was really fun for us.
Having stayed away from the sights and also near the sights, for us, it was more fun to be closer.
Mar 17th, 2012, 06:23 AM
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The idea that Rione Monti isn't "central" in Rome is just nuts! There is a mental tourist map of Rome whereby Monti becomes not central, but it is irresponsible and misleading to suggest to somebody that " If you want an area that is not touristy, you won't be in central Rome."
Shame, shame.
Shame, shame.
Mar 17th, 2012, 06:32 AM
#20
<<Many people who post on Fodor's are elderly....
I live in Italy, I don't like touristy places. I know the difference. Rome has many, many corners that are mercifully more free of it than not where you can walk to the sights..>>
as a non-elderly person who doesn't live in Italy but does live in a place that has its own annual tourist invasion I know the difference too. but i also know what it's like to be a foreign tourist on a first trip to Rome, overwhelmed by the sights, sounds and sheer size of the place. As DS said on our first trip, Rome redefines the word "BIG". Zeppole knows where she's going, what she wants to see, and how to get there. we don't. buses are confusing, walking everywhere is tiring, and that's before you've actually stepped inside a museum or gallery.
I agree with kwren - for a first visit, central is best.
I live in Italy, I don't like touristy places. I know the difference. Rome has many, many corners that are mercifully more free of it than not where you can walk to the sights..>>
as a non-elderly person who doesn't live in Italy but does live in a place that has its own annual tourist invasion I know the difference too. but i also know what it's like to be a foreign tourist on a first trip to Rome, overwhelmed by the sights, sounds and sheer size of the place. As DS said on our first trip, Rome redefines the word "BIG". Zeppole knows where she's going, what she wants to see, and how to get there. we don't. buses are confusing, walking everywhere is tiring, and that's before you've actually stepped inside a museum or gallery.
I agree with kwren - for a first visit, central is best.
