tigrlvr

I will be going to Rome next week and the hotel was booked by a tour company, but we have lots of free time and would like to explore Rome in the evening and night. I have read other threads indicating the area aroud Via Cavour is a seedy area. Anyone familiar with this area? Also need some restaurant recommendations in this area.
My first trip to Italy and so excited!

tigrlvr

Sorry, since I'm a NEW Fodorite I'm kind of unsure what info to give.

We will have 2 days in Venice:
Hotel Carlton & Grand Canal in Santa Croce...across from train station.

2 nights in Florence at Hotel Athenaeum Via Cavour 88.

4 nights in Rome at Hotel Palatino Via Cavour 213m near Via dei Fiori Imperiali.

If anyone can help with restauranst/shops near these hotels, I would be SO grateful!

Vttraveler

Your hotel is right near the Cavour Metro stop. close to the Colosseum and Forum. The only time we spent right in the area of the hotel was one afternoon when we were trying (unsuccessfully) to find a bank with an ATM we could use. I would not say the area is seedy. Via Cavour is a busy street
One good inexpensive trattoria quite nearby is Hostaria da Nerone at via Terme de Tito 96, uphill from and overlooking the Forum

jjkbrook

Id not say that is a seedy area. Its a busy commercial street close to lots of interesting sights and places to eatand while not charming, you can quickly walk into charming neighborhoods like Monti and over to the Forum, etc. There are some parks in that area where lowlifes hang out but in general its perfectly exceptable. Id try to get a room facing the back, though!

Re restaurants, you have fine options like Osteria Nerone, 313 Cavour and Trattoria Monti nearby - see also this recent thread on chowhound, esp post by mbfant near the bottom.
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/485074

tigrlvr

Thank you vttraveler and jttbrook for the info. I feel much better now.

I'm glad there are trattorias close and I'll check out chowhound site.
pn

sshephard

I've stayed in this hotel several times. Not seedy. Close to the forum and the Colosseum.

And right out the front door, across Cavour and up a flight of steps - Saint Peter In Chains - home of Michelangelo's Moses.

I've had street side rooms but I've never had a problems with noise.

tigrlvr

thanks sshepard.
Do you have any favorite places/suggestions of where to eat or shop close by the hotel?
Will it be safe for 2 women to walk around the area at night?

Vttraveler

In addition to being right next to San Pietro in Vincoli you will be a short walk from Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the great basilicas of Rome. There are also a number of other churches with beautiful artwork (Santa Prassede is known for its Byzantine mosaics)

I don't know how early your scheduled tour time will start but if you have time in the early mornings, my husband and I found that this was a great time to explore the city. (We left our teenage son sleeping in the apartment during these excursions) The churches open at 7 or 7:30 a.m.

And in the evenings the Roman ruins and facades of the large churches are illuminated.

Slight correction on Hostaria da Nerone--it overlooks the Colosseum, not the forum

I hope you have a wonderful first trip to Italy. OUr family spent a week in Rome last February and we are feeling sad because we can't go back this year.

ParadiseLost

"Bad area" Yes!!! The neighborhood behind that hotel is very dangerous.
Cutthroats, muggers, brothels, prostitutes, pickpockets, low lifes, etc live in that area.
That section is called Subura and it is a slum.
Julius Caesar's family lives there in a nice safe house, they are Bluebloods in name only not in $$$ though.
Thank the Gods when Julius Caesar finally got some power and money he moved out of there.

But 2000yrs later the area is very safe though, day and night .

For restaurants I would avoid the ones on Via Cavour, I'm sure there are exceptions but they seem very touristy to me (waiters hawking to the tourists as they walk by).

There is one I would highly recommend though, it's just a few blocks away.

Leave the hotel and turn right on Via Cavour heading to the Roman Forum which you can see.
Now take your 1st right, 1 block over is Via M. dei Monti, turn left on that street.

You are heading in the same direction as you were on Via Cavour just 1 block over.

Now ~80m before Via M. d. Monti ends on the right is the Taverna Dei Fori Imperiali. You can't miss it with the name on the awning and a few tables out front.

The owner speaks excellent English and will tell you the Specials of the day.

Also right across the street from him is a nice neighborhood pizza restaurant.

A review
http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/ 2006/10/16/rome-picks-and-pans-part-two/

The street it's on is very cool, it's narrow and Medieval/Renaissance looking, which it is.

It's a very ancient street called the Argiletum which led from the Roman Forum to Subura.

Of course that street is below ground level today but you can see it in the Forum of Nerva from the sidewalk on Via d. Fori Imperiali, look across this Forum to where the Via M. d. Monti ends.

You can also see it to the right of the Curia in the Roman Forum.

There is one restaurant off Via Cavour I believe on Via del Colosseo to avoid.
I tried to find my post on it with no luck but the name is something like Cletheo.

If someone else posted my experience there I wouldn't have believed them, every bad and rude service stereotype I ever read about or experienced all in one meal .

The finale was as the waiter walks by without breaking stride he drops the bill on the table and says over his shoulder "Service not included".
Regards, Walter

ParadiseLost

Review URL was open above
http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.c...pans-part-two/

i_am_kane

In June, 2006, we ate lunch at a clean, lovely, bright and airy restaurant in that area.

The name is Trattoria Otello alla Concordia, Via della Croce, 81. If my memory serves me right, the restaurant does not face Via Cavour. It is tucked away on what looks like a side street and, at that time, had either planters or bushes in front. I didn't see any vehicles on this side street, so it may have just been a wide alley.

There were a few cops out on Via Cavour watching street construction, and they had to direct us to the restaurant.

tigrlvr

vttraveler, paradise lost, & i am kane-
Thanks so much for the great restaurant info. We'll definitely check them out. I appreciate it.
I've always dreamed of going to Italy and now it's less than a week away!

Thanks. pn

annhig

hi, tigrlvr,

we stayed in the monti area mentioned by others at easter 2 years ago. if you walk west, you'll come to a big junction, with cars parked in the middle of the road. LOL. there's a nive trattoria/pizzeria here with great stuffed courgette flowers amongst other dishes.

head north along the via dei serpenti towards the via nazionale [runs parallel with cavour]. you'll soon reach a lovely square with cafes and bars and children playing around the fountain. carry on up the road, and there's a good gelateria, a tabac where you can buy bus tickets, a "pound" store, a wine bar, some good neighbourhood restaurants, two delis, a little shop with fruit and veg, etc. etc.

head up another street and there are lots of lovely little artisan workshops and individual shops and an small supermarket.

plenty to see and enjoy and very safe - we had no problems letting our kids go out to the shops and cafes.

regards, ann

Jimjim

We had a most enjoyable stay in this hotel a few years ago. As was previously stated, it is a short distance from the Colosseum and the Forums. Not too far away is the "Wedding Cake Palace".

Don't miss the church, St. Peter in Chains across the street.


Walking up Via Cavour towards the Rome train station, there is a large outdoor market. They sell produce, meats, live chickens and ducks, fish swimming in tubs, also clothing, tools and all most everything you can imagine.

While we watched a lady selected a chicken and had it butchered and plucked right on the sidewalk. Very different from Cape Cod!

Enjoy your trip, JJ

tigrlvr

hi Ann & JJ,
Thanks so much for the directions to all the great places.They sound wonderful and I just can't wait to get there.
This site is just so full of info and great suggestions.
I appreciate all your help.
pn

Ozziez

Hi tigrlvr

I would be very interested to hear feedback about your trip. We are staying at the Hotel Palatino in Rome in December 2008, also as part of a tour. If you have time, please post your impressions of the hotel in Rome, and of your trip in general.