Need help on where to stay in Rome
 

My husband and I are going to be in Rome in June. I have never been to Italy before and I'm reading a lot of confusing, contrasting things on which area is best to stay in. We are looking at Airb&b for a place to stay. There is a ton at reasonable prices but I need to make sure I am choosing the right area. We are looking for a place to stay that is close to all the touristy things, walking distance or a short bus or something. We want to stay in a neighborhood that is not all touristy. Where we can wake up and see cafes and markets opening and locals living their life. Although these names are foreign to me, I have been reading a lot and hearing people in forums and travel sites mention Trastevere, Campo de Fiori and Piazza Navonna. Btw, it will be my husband and I traveling, no kids and we are 35. Please help a novice! Thank you!!

Hi Leen! I'll be in Rome in June too so have been researching the same thing. You have the right areas listed to meet your criteria, although my opinion would be to stay in the Navona or Campo areas to be a bit more centrally located to the sights and just visit Trastevere. You could also check Sleep in Italy to find an apartment instead of a B&B if you are going to be there for enough time.

I'm writing a trip report on Rome right now (be prepared...it's long and I'm still working on it!) frim last summer and talk about all those areas. Click on my name and it is the first in the trip report section. It has links for my pictures too.

The areas of Rome where the street life is most overwhelmed by tourists and tourist-oriented restaurants/bars are around the Spanish Steps, the piazza Navona, the piazza della Rotonda (the Pantheon), the Campo de'Fiori, and the entrance to the Vatican museums (which is "behind" St Peter's, not on the river side of St Peter's).

Despite the presence of the Colosseum in the Monti neighborhood of Rome, it is a residential neighborhood, with a lot of young professionals your age, and lots of restaurants and shops to support their interests. More wealthy is the residential area between the piazza del Popolo and the piazza Navona. If you step away from the Campo de'Fiori in the direction of the river, you still find interesting residental life around the heart of the jewish ghetto (near Teatro Marcello/Portico d'Ottavia), or further up, beyond piazza Farnese, along the via Giulia and the via di Monserrato.

You can also cross the river and find nice residential spots in Trastevere, but it does mean extra steps for touring (or learning to use the trams and buses) and you need to be careful you are not directly on the streets where loads of young people like to come to hang out in the inexpensive bars and pizzerie, and make noise until wee hours of the morning.

From Monti, the Jewish Ghetto, or the piazza del Popolo area (be sure to stay inside the city), you can walk to most of the most famous sights in Rome. It is still good to learn about some of the buses that criss-cross the city, so you don't give up too soon on seeing some beautiful places just because you are so tired of walking the cobblestones.

The Guardian UK newspaper just did a feature on Rome's Monti neighborhood you might find interesting to read:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/201...ood-city-guide

II'd have to agree with Zeppole on the touristy part right around Piazza Navona. I was thinking that west of Navona tucked more into the curve of the river is less touristy. I've read about lots of little restaurants that locals go to there and when we walked around there, we didn't see the throngs of tourists. Thoughts on that area Zeppole? We found an apartment in there for June. We stayed on via governo Vecchio last time and that was crowded, but it was good for us.

I agree that if you stick to the streets that curve along the river you are much better off, with less mega-tourist impact right around the piazza or via del Teatro Pace. Still, i think it is a bit boutquey around there, with lots of rental apartments and plenty of English heard on the streets. It's more of a "slow travel" kind of area, where affluent tourists rent apartments. I still think it is better to get all the way across the Corso Emmanuele II, toward the river, and hang out much closer to the river, or way down by the Jewish Quarter, making sure to avoid getting too close to the Campo de'Fiori. Or pick another area entirely.

Still, i think it is a bit boutquey around there, with lots of rental apartments and plenty of English heard on the streets. It's more of a "slow travel" kind of area, where affluent tourists rent apartments.>>

lol, I'd never thought of myself as one of those affluent tourists, and when we stayed in that area we heard virtually no english except our own. in fact the apartment we rented in Monti on our previous visit was far more plush and we heard far more english in that area.

IMHO having stayed both in Monti and in the area to the west of the Piazza Navona, I can recommend both, but for a first time visitor would tend towards the Piazza Navona rather than Monti because you are closer to more of the things you are going to want to see on a first visit.

I just have to disagree with annhg, not about her experience of the area, but the presumpton of what somebody else wants to see on a first visit.

Not only do many people come to Rome mainly for the sights of antiquity, for which the Monti area is much better positioned, many people come to Rome and want to experience the city's contemporary life. That is much, much harder to get around the piazza Navona, which has just been frozen into a tourist warp.

You will certainly hear plenty of English in Monti because the Colosseum is so close.

I don't know why affluent tourists -- meaning people who go to Rome or other foreign trips every year or twice year -- never notice they are affluent tourists, in an area of affluent tourism. Anybody who can afford to live in central Rome is doing very well, and Monti is not a working class neighborhood. But it has its own contemporary Roman life, and if I am reading Leen's post correctly, the are keen to experience that as much as they might be keen to toss a coin in the Trevi fountain, glimpse the Pope or eat a gelato in I Tre Scalini.

annhg,

One other thought:

If I am not mistaken, your last trip to Rome was in the month of February. Based on that experience, you cannot tell somebody truthfully that they won't need to wade through a tourist mob in June every time they walk out their door if they book near piazza Navona. You knwo, I was in the Vatican this past January and was alone in the map room. Shoudl I tell somebody not to worry about the Vatican being overcrowded when they come in June, and just go whenever you feel like it?

It is worth while to note the location of the Colosseum when looking for a place to stay in the Monti neighborhood. Near the piazza del Popolo, perhaps the via Margutta would be too much of a stage set for some people looking to peek in on the everyday life of Rome, but it is hardly a tourist mob scene.

I really admire the OP for wanting to come to Rome and see how Romans live and create their lives apart from tourism.

We have rented apartments:
1. on via del Babuino near Spanish Steps
2. near via Flaminia just N of P.zza del Popolo
3. on via dei Coronari nr P.zza Navona and
4. on the Lungotevere Marzio near the Ara Pacis (3 times)

The only area that felt overwhelmed with tourists was the Spanish Steps.

That, Campo de' Fiori and the Trevi Fountain area are three zones I would avoid.

I think the OP will be surprised, as a first-time visitor to Italy, how deeply "Roman" just about every corner of central Rome feels and how it all pulses with a "Roman" vibe.

In short, I'd focus on visual attractiveness, safety and convenience -- rather than focusing on avoiding other tourists and finding sthg "typical" and neighbourhood-y. It ALL feels that way.

Monti or Trastevere will likely be less expensive than Navona, the Ghetto or the Tridente (area south from P.zza del Popolo, between the "trident" of 3 streets: v. del Babuino, v. del Corso, v. di Ripetta)

I just have to disagree with annhg, not about her experience of the area, but the presumpton of what somebody else wants to see on a first visit.>>

aren't you doing the same thing? and without the experience that i have of being a first time visitor to Rome staying in Monti, which is just what we did. yes it is convenient for the "antiquities" but most other sights will require a metro of bus trip, or very sore feet, whereas staying near the Piazza Navona [in a much cheaper apartment, I might add] we found we were able to get to most places we wanted to see far more easily, and we could more easily return to the apartment if we wanted to. Certainly Monti has its own contemporary roman life, but that comes at a price, if you are a first time visitor, of spending most of your time getting away from it. Nor was the corner cafe where we had our breakfast every day for about €3 each full of affluent tourists, in fact it too seemed to be in a very local and cheap [in the monetary sense] neighbourhood.

and I have never tossed a coin in the Trevi fountain, glimpsed the Pope, or eaten a gelato in I Tre Scallini, or wanted to.

Leen - if you click on my screen-name, you can see my trip report for our last trip to Rome, where we stayed in the very area that Zeppole seems to disapprove of so much. then you can make up your own mind!

All of the areas under discussion are safe. All are visually attractive.

I really have to disagree that the via dei Coronari is not tourist central.

Perhaps other people are not sensitive to the feeling that an Italian neighborhood or town altered by tourism has. But there is a definitely to me a very distinct difference in vibe and appearance.

It is in the nature of Fodor's that when new posters come here and state what they would like to do and see in Italy, that the responses they get often include recommendations that they might be overrating or overvaluing certain destinations or experiences. I really have no problem with that. But I want to reiterate that for me, I understand perfectly why someone would want to come to Rome and, if at all possible, avoid a very touristy experience of Rome while at the same time not positioning themselves too far from the tourist sights. I do the same when I travel. I have found my research ahead of time has paid off gloriously. Whenever I spot a fellow traveler, I urge them not to be talked out of their curiosity and their values.

annhg,

No, I am not doing the same thing.

Leen wrote in her first post:

"We are looking for a place to stay that is close to all the touristy things, walking distance or a short bus or something. We want to stay in a neighborhood that is not all touristy. Where we can wake up and see cafes and markets opening and locals living their life."

I told her which areas of Rome that are within easy distance of the touristy sights are not all touristy.

You, on the other hand, wrote back to Leen:

"IMHO having stayed both in Monti and in the area to the west of the Piazza Navona, I can recommend both, but for a first time visitor would tend towards the Piazza Navona rather than Monti because you are closer to more of the things you are going to want to see on a first visit."

What Leen said Leen wanted to see on their first visit was local life that wasn't all touristy. That is an important value to them - or so they have said. I have tried to include it in my advice, not just what is convenient to what the consensus is about what is a touristy sight to see.

Here's an interesting thread from last year about the piazza Navona:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...zza-navona.cfm

and here is recent one from a frequent Fodor's poster and frequent traveler to Rome:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ione-monti.cfm

>>>We are looking for a place to stay that is close to all the touristy things, walking distance or a short bus or something. We want to stay in a neighborhood that is not all touristy.<<<

You can't really have both. If you want to walk to things, you will be in a touristy area. If you want an area that is not touristy, you won't be in central Rome.

As for the Monti area, I've stayed there multiple times. It's convenient to the Forum and Colosseum. For everything else, you need transport or it will be a very long walk. It's mostly open to traffic, unlike some other areas mentioned which are pedestrian only. I would suggest somewhere more central for a first time visitor or the Trastevere area (pedestrian area, not the part that allows cars). Trastevere has tourists (as does Monti), but it also has lots of restaurants with outdoor seating.

Leen - The important thing you left out is your budget. How much do you want to spend per night? You've waited late to book Rome for June.

Leen,

One indeed can have both in Rome. What is going on here is a very ingrained ideology from Fodor's committed tourists to almost punish people who dare to seek out a non-touristy experience of Italy.

Most of us have no trouble walking from Monti to everything else we want to see in Rome except the Vatican and the Galleria Borghese. Many people who post on Fodor's are elderly. But if you look at a map and think Monti is too far, you can be in a residential Roman neighborhood in the other places I mentioned if you prefer. (For me, the noise impact of Trastevere from all those outdoor restaurants is a real hazard, and if I have to walk that far, I'd rather be in Monti because it is more mature.)

Leen, had you come here asking about where to find a quiet hotel in Rome (or Paris or London), you would have gotten several responses that "In a big city, you can't expect quiet" -- because some people could care less about noise and never bother to research for double glazing.

If you had posted on Fodor's about wanting to drink nice wine in Rome and asking where to find restaurants with the nicest wine lists, you would have gotten lots of responses from people telling you they always drink the house wine and so should you -- because they could care less about wine and wouldn't know the difference anyway.

Instead, you asked about getting a non-touristy experience on your first trip to Italy, and yiou are getting the answers you are getting. I live in Italy, I don't like touristy places. I know the difference. Rome has many, many corners that are mercifully more free of it than not where you can walk to the sights..

Good luck!

By the way, you might want to ask on another message board. All of them have their share of people who will mock you for wanting to experience contemporary Rome with the tourism, and some people won't know what you're talking about, but this is a pretty narrow demographic of sightseeers.

Leen, something which helped us for this trip was to find an apartment or hotel location on Google maps and then look at the street view - not just at the apt, but also zooming down the streets and looking at the surrounding area. We had a lot of choices in several different areas and when we looked at the street view, we were easily able to rule some out based on what the area looked like and the feeling it evoked in us. You might get a certain feel for the immediate area...number of cars parked, cobblestone streets, etc. Worth a try. It won't tell you if the people are speaking Italian or English though. ;) (I suppose you could look to see if they are wearing white sneakers...Oh, I won't go there - that's another thread!)

We would have considered our apartment from last summer but it was booked. We never heard any English in that building even though it was on a very busy and probably touristy street.

We loved sitting at a Campo dei Fiori cafe watching the market open up. There may have been tourists there, but we had more fun watching a tiny Italian lady all dressed in black squeezing the produce for 45 minutes, or the lady with the dog drinking at the pump. Would I avoid something because there are tourists? Not when I could see some of the daily life there as well!

I'd love to hear about some markets, though, which are not as well known for another experience, if you know of any Zeppole, but Campo dei Fiori was really fun for us.

Having stayed away from the sights and also near the sights, for us, it was more fun to be closer.

The idea that Rione Monti isn't "central" in Rome is just nuts! There is a mental tourist map of Rome whereby Monti becomes not central, but it is irresponsible and misleading to suggest to somebody that " If you want an area that is not touristy, you won't be in central Rome."

Shame, shame.

<<Many people who post on Fodor's are elderly....

I live in Italy, I don't like touristy places. I know the difference. Rome has many, many corners that are mercifully more free of it than not where you can walk to the sights..>>

as a non-elderly person who doesn't live in Italy but does live in a place that has its own annual tourist invasion I know the difference too. but i also know what it's like to be a foreign tourist on a first trip to Rome, overwhelmed by the sights, sounds and sheer size of the place. As DS said on our first trip, Rome redefines the word "BIG". Zeppole knows where she's going, what she wants to see, and how to get there. we don't. buses are confusing, walking everywhere is tiring, and that's before you've actually stepped inside a museum or gallery.

I agree with kwren - for a first visit, central is best.

Lena,

Here is a website that describes all the quarters of Rome since you posted you didn't know much about them. (Scroll down a bit)

http://www.romanhomes.com/your_roman...ti-quarter.htm

You might find this web page interesting for more information on the piazza del Popolo neighborhood I mentioned above:

http://www.roninrome.com/shopping-dining/via-margutta

and if you are still not put off by the thought of Mont for a first time visitor like yourself:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/07/03...pagewanted=all

and here's a website that describes all the pedestrianzied streets of Monti (and describes the quarter as "central" -- not to tourists, I guess, but to Romans)

http://www.romanhomes.com/your_roman...er-streets.htm

And this is sweet: "Rome Quarters Comparison: How to Choose the Right Apartment"

http://www.romanhomes.com/your_roman...comparison.htm

annhg,

Can you explain this? This is a thread from last year where you and kybourbon talk about how wonderful Monti is for being a non-touristy place.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ayed-there.cfm

There is nothing wrong with you sharing with Leen that the first time you came to Rome you were totally confused, and I guess it's ok that you think that's going to happen to everybody, but to start suddenly denying what you yourself posted last year isn't fair to Leen.

Last year, you couldn't wait to tell everybody that the shops and restuarants in Monti catered to locals, not tourists. And now you are trying to pretend that never mattered to you.

I bet a 35 year old can make up their own mind if you simply give them accurate information. You may not be elderly, but nobody needs a second mommy to lead them around by the nose, and plenty of 35 year olds come to Rome and are not overwhelmed.

Wow, how many more of these threads can I find with a google search?

here is another recent thread where kybourbon is chattering at length about how Monti has so many more regular shops and tourists shops, is pedestrianized, has lots of outdoor cafes, and how it is much closer in than other apartments. She's joined by Zerlina (whatever happened to Zerlina?) in thinking a Monti apartment is a good option location wise, yada yada

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ere-navona.cfm

What gives here, folks? I really doubt anybody has since been to Monti and changed their minds (or that they moved Monti). Why try to mislead Leen?

Leen, I really don't wnat to you to stay in Monti if you don't want to. I'm just really annoyed at these people. Please stay in the touristy areas if you would rather not walk some extra steps (but skip Trastevere).

We rented an apartment in the Jewish Ghetto neighborhood and really enjoyed staying in that part of the city. Unfortunately the apartment we rented in March does not have A/C so I wouldn't recommend it in June. I would also consider the area of Trastevere across the river from the Ghetto, near the Isola Tiberina, although it isn't quite as centrally located.

annhg,

Can you explain this? This is a thread from last year where you and kybourbon talk about how wonderful Monti is for being a non-touristy place.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ayed-there.cfm

There is nothing wrong with you sharing with Leen that the first time you came to Rome you were totally confused, and I guess it's ok that you think that's going to happen to everybody, but to start suddenly denying what you yourself posted last year isn't fair to Leen.

Last year, you couldn't wait to tell everybody that the shops and restuarants in Monti catered to locals, not tourists. And now you are trying to pretend that never mattered to you.>>

yes Zeppole, I can explain it, and so could you if you had bothered to look at my first post on that thread:


<<hi leeley,

we stayed in Monti [actually in an apartment on the via serpenti] for our first week in Rome, and though I wouldn't recommend it for a first -time visitor, for someone like you, i should think that you'd love it. local shops and restaurants, lots of atmosphere, and easy access to the rest of Rome via the buses on the via nazionale, and the metro at via cavour. >>

leeley was a 6-7th time visitor to Rome, the OP is a first time visitor. I know, because I've been there as a first time visitor, that for all its advantages and charms, I would rather have stayed where we stayed the 2nd time as a first time visitor. that is MY experience, which in this respect is at least as valid as yours.

I think that I've probably contributed as much as I can to this thread which has degenerated into an unseemly spat between the two of us, rather than a friendly exchange of information, so i shall leave the field clear for you to carry on doing what you do best.

This was my first time posting and I cannot THANK YOU all enough for the helpful advice! I am going to take time and really digest it.

Zeppole I REALLY want to thank you all for the valuable information! You did read my post correctly. I am someone that likes to live like the locals as much as I can in a foreign country to really experience it.

Kwren, I laughed out loud at your 'white sneaker' comment. I know exactly what you mean! That was so funny!

kybourbon, I find your post to be a little judgmental. It seems to me that zeppole has clearly shown I can have both. On top of it, you end with a judgmental, pointless comment to stress me out by telling me 'You've waited late to book Rome for June'. By the way, I am not booking Rome, I am booking a room in a B&B located in Rome. I'll have my husband call up his boss and tell him next time he decides to send him to Paris for business kybourbon says you have waited too long. Sorry, that we want to take advantage of the opportunity and vacation in Rome afterwards. Next time you are volunteering 'helpful' advice I would leave the judgmental tone out of the comment. It's really not all that helpful.

Wow, I cannot believe I missed out on this thread. Ky and Annhig, you did not tell me another Zeppole vs the World thread was going on.

Zeppole, you know I love you, we've been arguing for years.

:-)

dave

Leen: I don't know Kybourbon but I did not find his/ her post judgmental. I read it as a simple set of assertions with some useful insights. It was intended helpfully, I think.

To be frank, it seems a little ungrateful for a first-time poster to criticize someone on such shaky evidence, when he or she did offer serious if unwelcome advice and opinions.

I have eaten a tartuffo at I tre Scalini, and it was worth every tourist in sight.

I have seen the Pope. Meh.

I ALWAYS toss a coin in the Trevi fountain.

Does this make me a bad visitor to Rome? Am I redeemed if I swear I've been to the Coppede quarter?

Hey dave! Loved your winter in Rome threads. Thanks for pointing out what is obvious to everyone else. Usually the World is bobthenavigator, st cirq and Stu Dudley, not me or annhig.

Leen - I don't see pointing out you've waited late to book Rome for June as judgmental. It's not a judgment, it's just stating a fact. Rome is not Paris and doesn't have the big hotels so the most desired places are booked very early.

As for valuable information, I would think the value would be first hand experience from people that have actually stayed in an area multiple times instead of someone Googling about it and then posting exaggerated versions of comments.

>>>The idea that Rione Monti isn't "central" in Rome is just nuts!<<<

Actual comment: "I would suggest somewhere more central for a first time visitor".

<<<is pedestrianized<<<

Nowhere did I say that and it isn't.

Actual comment in one of those threads: "It's safe with some areas pedestrian only"
And in this thread: "It's mostly open to traffic, unlike some other areas mentioned which are pedestrian only"

The people discussing where to stay on those threads were mostly repeat visitors to Rome (Zerlina has been many times and Leely states she's been there 6-7 times), not newbies. No one has changed their mind as annhig pointed out, nor are we trying to mislead anyone. We like Monti, but it's not great for first time visitors not familiar with Rome who want to be able to walk most places (it will be uphill from much of Monti to most places). The other areas mentioned are pretty much pedestrian only, Monti is more traffic than pedestrian only. Some of the streets in Monti have the heaviest traffic in Rome and there are areas in Monti I would simply not want to stay.

>>>yes it is convenient for the "antiquities" but most other sights will require a metro of bus trip, or very sore feet, <<<

They don't call it Roman foot for nothing. Like you, I am surprised to find out from this thread that I am elderly and affluent.

tedgale, In no way did I want to come off ungrateful. I am VERY appreciative with all the advice given as I previously stated. To tell someone 'You've waited late to book Rome for June' seems kind of unnecessary to me and in no way helpful. Thanks for weighing in just to argue but offering no advice yourself ;) I really did not come on here to argue with people.

kybourbon, I appreciate your other advice. I guess your end comment made me feel stressed!

Actually I did post advice -- and at some length -- early in the thread. Backed off when the fireworks started.

The first time we went to Rome we stayed out of centre a bit and completely regretted it. I whole heartedly recommend staying in the central area, or if you want o get a bit out of the tourist centre, trastevere.

Ps - taking sides in the 'firewroks' is a sure way to not get a lot of input on this forum. I think most of us that post do so in good faith and tone is hard to decipher over text. Just something to keep in mind.

tedgale, I must have missed it. There's a lot going on in here. You are right jamikins. I did not intend for any drama.

Well said, jamikins

Ky and most others are absolutely correct in how they describe the Monti area. It isn't horrible, it can be okay, I've stayed there before and know of some great little spots to eat that are cheap and good. BUT, it really isn't central and it can be a hassle, like say standing at the Colosseo bus/metro stop for over 30 minutes in the rain in February waiting on the 87 which didn't come for 2 days.

Kybourbon is one of the most knowledgeable people around on Rome. I know it really well, better than my own home town in the States and a heck of a lot better than most, but Ky knows things, places and info that I have no clue about. And it is almost always correct.

Now, can we all just get along. :-)

(see how nice I am being, no snarkies here)

dave

Leen,

You're welcome.

Dave,

It's not me vs. the World. Just the worldview of Fodor's about travel, especially travel to Italy. And your experience with Rome buses in a snowstorm is hardly relevant

To other folks,

You really are misleading people if you tell them Rome is not "in the center". You may believe it is not in the historic or touristic center, but it is. While I have got no problem with people making a touristic map of Rome in their heads that gives the Vatican a lot of weight, the reality of touring Rome for most people is that they will visit the Vatican/ St Peter's once, for only one day of their visit at most, usually less. Most of them will wish they had realized beforehand just how far out of the center the entrance to the Vatican museums is, and not tried to book a hotel that leaned toward St. Peter's out of the belief that was more "central" to their sightseeing, since of course they are going to be going to the Colosseo and Forum as well.

Only Leen knows what his or her top target sights for touring are, but please bear in mind that for a great many people, the Vatican and St Peter'sl are not the biggest attraction of Rome. It is a one-day wonder (or less). And that therefore, being within walking distance of the Vatican (which actually isn't even in Rome, but we'll let that pass) isn't "central" for them. They may have a plan to visit famous sights of antiquity, and not just the Colosseo and the Forum, but the baths of Caracalla or via Appia.

But moreover, when they say they would rather be a step away from the areas of Rome most heavily impacted by tourism, even if though they already know they are a first time visitor, please respect their request and not tell them the less tourist-impacted parts of town are without attractions or they don't exist or that when it snows you can't get a bus.

Oh, damn. I forgot: In a world where most people don't have a job, live on pennies a day, etc -- Fodor's folks are affluent by any definition of the word. And they are certainly older than 35 by quite a measure.