We're looking at staying in an apartment near the Piazza del Popolo. It doesn't appear as central (whatever that means) as the Navona/Pantheon area, but it's hard for me to judge the pros and cons. Anyone have any experience with this area in terms of walking distances, the quality of the neighborhood, etc.? Thanks.

I haven't stayed at that area, but I did something that maybe gives you a clue on distances
I am disabled (not wheelchair user) and I went walking from a restaurant just beside the Pantheon till the Piazza del Popolo where I was supposed to meet our coach. It was some years ago and I now probably won't walk this distance but if I did..it should be easy for you )

We stayed in an apt right near the piazza last summer and found it very convenient.

On our first trip to Rome my husband and I stayed in a hotel in the Parioli neighborhood which is just north of Piazza del Popolo. We loved the area and in my opinion, an apartment there would be wonderful. You're off the main tourist track. When we'd head into the Piazza for the metro we found people mostly headed for work. After only our second visit to the small grocery store in the neighborhood, il signore greeted us as regulars. I would not hesitate to return.

We depend mostly on the metro when we visit cities but because Rome's is not so extensive and the city isn't all that spread out, we did a lot of walking. Several times as we wandered around we found ourselves back at the P. del Popolo quite by accident.

Lucky you to go to Rome!

We stayed in a hotel right off Piazza del Popolo in November and found it to be a great location. We walked everywhere in Rome.

Agreed - Piazza Del Popolo is a fine area. We walked everywhere (we do love to walk) and were very pleased with the close location of the metro for getting to and from the airport via the train station.

We stayed in Prati which is across the bridge from the Pza. del Poppolo. It's a nice area and you can take the via del Corso straight to the Spanish Steps from there.

We stayed at Hotel Locarno in 2001, which is located near Piazza del Popolo. It was convenient walking to all the sites.

Thanks for the affirmative responses. Looks like we can book the apartment with peace of mind.

You are only a few blocks from the Spanish Steps ..And a 15-20 minute or so walk from Pza Navona and Pantheon. Lots of good restaurants within a few minutes too. It's an excellent neighborhood. There is a good grocery store inside the Spanish Steps metro station, take the elevator going toward the Via Veneto and it's right at the base of the steps leading to VV.

You may get more informed responses if you post the exact address. The problem is that many places are advertised as "close to X", when in fact they are some distance from X. I don't know if that's the case here. It could also be in a very noisy area, but the address will make that clearer.