Hi,
We stayed near the Pantheon last Nov in an apartment (Sleep in Italy, via del gesu).
We loved the area and there were 2 little supermarkets within 5 minutes walk so it was easy to stock up with breakfast things.

We walked almost everywhere form here apart from the Colosseum and the Vatican. The bus system wasn't difficult to use (and my Italian is verrry limited, think pizza, cafe latte and ciao bella!) Thank you was often 'merci', oops, gracias, arrr, gratzi??

Good thinking, Tuscan.
But wait a second - how do you know I'm not young?!?!
(hee,hee)

Good to know, flyer. I'm listening to both How to Speak Italian and How to Speak French tapes in my car at every chance. Now I'm so mixed up I'm not speaking English properly anymore, do yous knows what I'm sayin'?!

summer: it's your 25th anniversary!

Hi Summer,

I stayed in a different apartment in the same building as #1 on your list. I loved the location--just a short walk to the Campo di Fiori, lots of good little restaurants around, and walking distance to Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, I even walked back from the Vatican one beautiful sunny day.

The building has a beautiful courtyard and was pretty quiet.

There's some big bank in the piazza di monte di pieta so there were always a bunch of security-type guys loitering out in the square. At first they made me nervous, but they never bothered us.

How are you (or your husband) with maps? Get a good Rome street map and start studying it. Once you've chosen where you're staying, look at all the big sights in reference to it. I've found this really helpful when I go to a new city. By the time I get there I feel like I've already "walked" the streets.

You'll have a great time wherever you stay. Rome is my favorite place to be (I wish I was there right now!)

Have fun!

Patti

Oh, crumb! What was I thinking, admitting to a 25th anniversary?! Now there's no going back, I guess...

Patti, I'm a total map geek. My favorite thing to do is to go on Google Earth and "walk" the streets of Rome! It really is giving me a good feel for where everything is. I think I need a life!

Thanks for your help!

We have just returned from a 3 night stay in Rome. We stayed in the
Trastevere area. It was great. We stayed in a B&B http://www.arcodellauro.it/
Look it up. The owner Lorenza was brilliant, so helpful. Full of information & the restaurants she recommended were excellent. One was literally 50 paces from the B&B. No tourist were in them, they were filled with local people. We will definatley go back.
We walked everywhere!
Have a great time, it was our first visit & we enjoyed it even in the rain.

I'm a little late to the party here. You've probably already made a decision.

Last fall we stayed in a different apartment in Pza Rondanini. The location is sooooo fabulous! I can't imagine better for first timers. In addition to the 3 restaurants there is a little bar for morning coffee. We made our own coffee, but popped down for some of his the minute he opened!

[Our apt was Rental in Rome - Rondanini. The unit itself was delightful, but sadly it wasn't clean. I do not recommend it.]

Restaurant tip: Armando al Pantheon. Reservations.
Go on a Thursday night. They only serve the special oxtail (coda ....) that night. The best meal we had in Rome! The appetizers were also good.