Lauren1979

Hi, has anyone stayed in Monti? I was set on Trastevere but have read it can be noisy at night and busy with tourists. Monti sounds best for what I am looking for (walkable to center, but not too touristy) Testaccio seemed a bit out of the way, but sounds like it has some great restaurants.

Anyway, I am trying to find apartement or B&B in Monti and it seems like the borders are iffy. I don't want to be in a bad area or anything, so can anyone tell me the BEST streets in Monti to look (other than Cavor, which I know is kinda the central part), or the borders of the neighborhood? Looks like some maps say its all the way onto the other side (south and east of this big park whose name I don't know right off hand)

Also any budget but nice B&Bs?

Thanks!!!

sandralist

The borders are not "iffy" in the sense of them being unsafe in anyway. Monti has become so "buzzy" it probably not the hideaway it once was anymore.

The Guardian UK website just did another feature on "trendy" Monti (it did one 2 years ago too) so you might want to look those up.

annhig

Hi Lauren,

we spent a week in an apartment in Monti on our first trip to Rome, [of course it's IN Rome, but I suspect you knew that really] and really our only complaint was that we walked too much and didn't use the buses enough. it is of course convenient for the Colosseum, Forum etc., [and a number of "minor" sights that anywhere else would be major attractions]. The atmosphere is fun and interesting, there are lots of little "locals'" shops and businesses, and you've got access to the metro from the stop at Cavour.

The area around the via dei Serpenti [where we stayed] is very safe and not at all edgy - our teenage son happily went out every morning to get our cornetti for breakfast without any mishap and the little square across the road from S. Maria ai Monti is lovely for an evening aperitif and passeggiata.

My only reservation is that if this is a first trip to Rome, you are likely to spend a lot of your time wanting to see the area around the Piazza Navona - but then if you were staying there, you'd also be wanting to see the Colosseum and Forum too. So so long as you've got good shoes and like walking [and don't mind using the buses] it's a very good place to stay.

Lauren1979

Thanks to both of you! Where would you stay otherwise, if Monti has become too trendy? Trastevere looks quite beautiful but sounds really touristy!

I would probably spend some time around Piazza Navona and Piazza Farnese I hear is lovely, but I think lodging would be extra pricey there and would that area be way touristy?? I definitely want to experience a more authentic Rome..

sandralist

I didn't mean to imply that Monti has become "too" trendy. I was more making fun of the Guardian for writing the same article 2 years apart.

Do you mind my asking how that Trastevere is "really" touristy?

If I am not mistaken, just a few days ago there were several million extra people in the center of Rome. What is "authentic" for Rome is for it to be an international crossroads with zillions of foreigners passing through. There are really no neighborhoods of Rome that do not have a majority of native born Romans living in them. There are only differences in class and income.

In a few places there are some young people who have realized that the old family apartment is worth more as a holiday rental or a b&b than it makes sense to live in, so you will find tourists staying there. And of course around the famous attractions and famous piazze the restaurants and cafes serve more tourists than they do neighborhood people, but that is the norm everywhere in capital cities that visitors come to see.

Rome is in one way nothing like New York City but it another way it is, in that there are some parts of town that EVERYBODY knows are tourist magnets for visitors, and other parts less so, but there is no part of Manhattan where you can go and not find touristy things and restaurants, and if you really want to experience the life of the average authentic native born New Yorker then you should go find a hotel outside of Manhattan. The center of Rome is a mix of affluent visitors and very privileged Romans. If you enjoy a more youthful scene, then Trastevere, or Monti or around Campo de'Fiori offers that. But in all of these places you will see some of the shops and eateries are "canned" to appeal to a certain kind of visitor -- just like you would find in Greenwich Village or the East Village in Manhattan.

Various parts of Rome go in and out of being fashionable. I wouldn't worry about it. Find someplace that sounds right for you -- Monti is fine, Piazza Farnese is fine, Trastevere is fine -- at a price you like.

annhig

I definitely want to experience a more authentic Rome.>>

authentic? romans generally live outside the centre in places that tourists don't like for that very reason. the closer to the centre you get, the less "authentic" things become. that said, the area to the west of the via Coronari where we rented an apartment a few years ago was full of local colour, and, so far as we could tell, locals, though when I dropped by there last year, lots of the places that we had most liked had been "renovated".

another area to look at is near the Vatican near the station Roma san Pietro. It's cheaper as it's the "other" side of the river, there are lots of nice restaurants, bars and cafes, and only 10 mins from St Peter's. the hotel we stayed at was pretty reasonable but it was February:

http://www.hotelgravinasanpietro.it/

The best rooms have views of the Dome of st. Peter's.

there are plenty of buses to get you around Rome or the overground train station is just down the street.

jgg

We have been to Rome 3 times. Our first two times we stayed near the Pantheon which was an excellent location, centrally located especially for our first visit. Our last visit in March 2013 we stayed in Trastevere. It is really not too touristy and was not noisy (though I would guess that would depend on your exact location). We were in an apt on a very quiet street. I would not shy away from Trastevere for fear of it being too touristy - now staying near the Trevi Fountain - way too touristy!!

We ate twice in Testaccio and I would not choose to stay there for a visit - not well located.

Lauren1979

Thanks!!

Does this have a good loc:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...ome_Lazio.html

or this one: (some reviews say noisy)

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...ome_Lazio.html

or this one:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...ome_Lazio.html


Thanks!

tarquin

I avoided staying in Trastevere for years, thinking it was like the Latin Quarter in Paris, ie unacceptably teeming with party people. Last year we needed a large apartment and found one on Via del Moro, close to Ponte Sisto. It wasn't noisy, there were good artisanal food shops nearby, and it was walking distance to almost everywhere we wanted to go.

kybourbon

I prefer links to the actual B&B/hotel over a Trip Advisor link which usually doesn't have accurate maps. Of the three, the Trastevere would be the most convenient to sites.

I've stayed in Monti quite a few times and prefer the area on the central side of Cavour (Cavour is a very busy street). The park area to the other side of S. Pietro in Vincoli can attract some undesirables later in the day.

>>> like the borders are iffy.<<<

The borders aren't iffy, but B&B's/hotels list iffy locations claiming to be in an area they aren't. If you state a budget and amenities needed, you will probably get more suggestions.

http://www.archeo.it/mediagallery/fotogallery/354

Monti is not that walkable to everything, but does have transport options in addition to the Cavour metro stop. There are a lot of buses you can catch on Via Cavour. There is also the little electric buses that run through the historic center. The 117 comes through Monti (from the Piazza del Popolo/Spanish Steps) and runs by the Colosseum all the way to S. Giovanni in Laterano. The bus comes in handy when you develop Roman foot.

http://www.atac.roma.it/files/doc.asp?r=9

annhig

to my mind, the first one is too far from the major sights [apart from the Colosseum] to be attractive if this is your first visit to Rome.

IMO either the 2nd or 3rd one would be more convenient for most of what you want to see.

jmct714

I stayed at the Villa della Fonte earlier this month. I LOVED it, but you are very close to the noise of Piazza Santa Maria. I think there are rooms that face away from it, but mine didn't, and I could hear all of the fun at the piazza well into the evening (and until about 2am on the weekend). I was up so I didn't care, but it may bother others. It was an easy walk to the river and on to the Centro. Great place, but bring earplugs.

I stayed in Monti in November (Via Cimarra) and loved that area, too, but took buses and metro a lot more often.

Lauren1979

Thanks everyone!!

Sounds like trastevere is more convenient than monti for location and less walking. just gotta find a quiet, romantic, inexpensive (under $170 a night) B&B....

jmct714: i saw that place and it's in my range of price, but yeah the reviews all said something about the noise....

Well some folks suggested I say what I want:
quiet romantic B&B, picturesque streets, close to delicious UNtouristy restaurants..under $200 (closer to $160 is perfect)

any suggestions would be fantastic!!

jgg

Would you consider staying in an apt? Check out vrbo.com and airbnb.com. Your money tends to go further with an apt.

Lauren1979

Is this a good spot?

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1418867

It's on the quieter side of trastevere from what I read in reviews

annhig

it looks terrific and for that price, I think I'd put up with a bit of noise.

and it's near the lovely Santa Cecilia, which was the first church I ever visited in Rome [you must pay a small fee to go down into the crypt to see the mosaics]. I'd go for it.

Lauren1979

Thanks! We ended up booking this apartment by the river in Trastevere.

Thanks again for your help everyone!


https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1418867

The other place that looked awesome and was the same price was this in Monti:

http://www.cibelebb.it/maia%20cibele...oma%20eng.html

Moe "charming" and less cluttered than the apartment, but ultimately we decided having a whole place to ourselves beat out the bed and breakfast..

annhig

Lauren - I liked it when you posted that link before, and I'm glad you've managed to book it. in particular I love the big windows, and the position of course.

the other one would also have been good i think, but being in an apartment in Rome is a bonus for me.

Lauren1979

Annhig-

Thanks! I was originally thinking monti would be less touristy and more off the beaten path (like in paris we are staying near the canal st martin, which is totally trendy and some tourists so by no means off the beaten path, but it's not like staying in the Latin quarter) and I thought trastevere would be like the Latin quarter (tons of Americans, students, etc) but after these posters' replies I'm happy with trastevere. Central, by the river and beautiful it sounds. They key selling point for this apartment was the fact that it is quiet.

If anyone has some great local non touristy trattorias to rec, please do! Thanks a million!!

annhig

well, you will find tourists in Trastevere, but also ordinary romans. ditto Monti as well, but it is less central. [slightly].

There are quite a few threads here about restaurants in Rome - just use the search function.