August in Rome
 

My husband and I will be in Rome from August 2-7. I know it's not ideal, but I'm in law school so I only have vacation in August.

My question: does anyone know what is going on in Rome from August 4-10? The St. Regis is completely booked, and the Westin Excelsior is $728/night during this week vs. $550/night the rest of the month. I've searched the net, but I can't seem to find anything. Please respond so I can adjust our sightseeing itinerary accordingly!

Could you give us an idea of what neighborhoods you would consider and your hotel budget?

Generally, there are no national holidays or major liturgical celebrations at that time, so I don't know why the St. Regis is booked other than it could be filled with people taking advantage of an August discount. Many hotels discount the entire month, the Excelsior seems to only discount the second half of the month. August 15, The Feast of the Assumption, is when Italians traditionaly begin vacation. If you are interested in five star hotels, check the de Russie and the Exedra.

How have you tried to book? If it was via an internet site, some sites don't book this early. Have you contacted these hotels directly?

We have to stay at a Starwood property. My husband travels a ton, so we are using points for our entire stay (15 nights in total). I called Starwood, but they couldn't account for the inability to book through points for the Regis nor the high rates at the Excelsior during that specific week. I just wanted to make sure that the Vatican wouldn't be closed down or something during those dates.

The Vatican won't be closed, but the Pope will likely be in Castel Gandolfo.

Be sure to get a hotel with air conditioning. It will be hot in Rome in August!!

Thanks for the all the info. Hopefully, we have air conditioning. We live in Chicago, so we are used to hot, humid summers. And I'd much rather be in Italy than Chicago for a few weeks!