Leen,

I came across this apartment in Monti and thought you might like to see the reviews. Several are from first time visitors to Rome:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/VacationR...o.html#REVIEWS

I hope to stay in Monti for my next (but not yet booked) trip to Rome, so have been compiling notes and info I've stumbled upon. Here's a good entry from food blogger Katie Parla.

http://www.parlafood.com/eating-and-drinking-in-monti/

As I have not yet stayed there I can't comment much on the area, but since we are talking Monti I thought I'd share.

jmct,

There is another food writer in Rome who lives in Monti, so you might want to have her take too:

http://www.elizabethminchilliinrome....to-eat_21.html

And for the record, this is her description of Mont -- like I said, from a resident of Rome:

"Monti is the tiny neighborhood in Rome, tucked into the area between Via Cavour and Via Nazionale. Although Monti is not 'on the way' to anywhere, it is very centrally located. There are no big streets running through it, just around it. So it not only feels like a neighborhood, it is one in every sense of the word. When I moved here twenty years ago there were still a lot of artisans renting ground floor spaces. While many have had to leave, forced out by high rent, there are a handful left. And the stores and restaurants that have replaced them have given Monti a new - yet still authentic - feel."

Okay, I may be starting another small battle here but could anyone tell me about the Villa Borghese area? We may want to use some of our Hilton points and stay there but we have similar attitudes as Leen and want a more neighborhood feel for our first time trip. My husband and I will be going to Italy in July.
Thanks so much.

OK--I'll sdd a new idea. We stayed in the San Lorenzo district (near the University) on our first trip to Rome (first trip to Europe) 13 years ago and loved it so much that we are headed back for the third time. It is a bit out of the way--but three of our top five all time travel stories are about experiences and restaurants in this area. It actually shows up in some guidebooks now, especially for the restaurants.

Welcome, Leen! Just found this thread and am wondering about the area around Piazza Cavour. I am not familiar with the Airb&b's so this may be of no help. We stayed in Hotel Isa ( http://www.hotelisa.net/hotel-isa-ro...ican-city.html ) and loved the area.

Major bus lines at nearby Piazza Cavour and it was an easy walk over to Piazza Navona. We had not discovered the tram system at that point, so you might want to google a map of that--easier to navigate than bus IMO. But that was on our 3rd visit to Rome so we were a bit more familiar with the city at that point.

Good luck and have a wonderful trip. Please do a trip report when you are finished--maybe you can help settle some of the differences of opinion. :-d

MountainMomma you may get more responses if you begin your own thread with "Villa Borghese area" in the title.

MountainMomma,

I agree with jamerein that you should start your own thread, but when you do, you should specify which "side" of the Borghese area that you are talking about. It is quite a large circle and, for instance, the area nearest the Spanish Steps is quite commercialized for tourism, and some other streets have lots of embassies. If you have a specific apartment or hotel you are looking at, include what street it on in your question.

Another think you might do is look up a couple of the hotels in that area on TripAdvisor and read the reviews. Often people comment on the feel of a neighborhood, and whether they found easy transportation connections to things they wanted to do and see.

PS: MommaMomma,

About the battle, you can just ignore people who show up in your new thread to tell you that you shouldn't care if you are in a tourist neighborhood (even though you are the one paying for this trip.) I've said all I'm going to say on this subject, except to momentarily applaud you for wanting to experience the actual Rome not the Fodorite Rome, which is a packaged abbreviation of the actual Rome, less complete, with less flavor.

Thanks so much Zeppole for the information, and I might do this but now I am strongly considering the Monti area of Rome. We definitely will not have the packaged trip as we'll be out of the cities for a good amount of time, and we'll be on our own doing our own thing.
Thanks to you as well, Jamerin.

I've been to Rome yet again and still have not stayed in Monti (couldn't find an apartment that suited us in the area). However, we did stumble through several times on our last trip, including once for dinner at the DELICIOUS Asino d'Oro. I am posting here to recommend it.

To Leen: Coincidentally, my sister and I were in our mid-30s--I think I was just 34 but maybe exactly 35---several years ago when we first "discovered" Monti and agreed that we wanted to stay there. Different strokes and all, but at that time I found it much hipper (not at all edgy, though, fear not) than the very central part of the center. But San Lorenzo is good for that vibe too.

Wherever you stay, enjoy Rome.

Hi Leen! I am also visiting Rome in August and I am also searching for the good neighborhood there. Well as far as the areas are suggested I also find good reviews about your mentioned areas and I have looked for one apartment as well form the agency I rented for my Paris visit.
I have chosen http://www.lodjee.com/mantellate-stu...rome-apartment in Trastevere and I found that it is near to Piazza Navona and St. Peter's Square as well and is having fairly less distance from the historic places as well. Moreover the rent is also an attractive part besides being in such a good location.
You can have a look and if seems good to you then can rent it for your visit and then surely send me the reviews about it so as to confirm it for my visit next to you in August ;)

Another thing to consider is your own strengths as visitors. If one of you has an infallible sense of direction or speaks a fair amount of the language, then anywhere within your budget would work for you. I do not have a good sense of direction and although my Italian is sufficient to understand simple directions, I prefer the Campo de' Fiori/Jewish ghetto area because it's easy for me to find my way on foot or with good information from the concierge about public transportation to any of the places I want to visit.

In any case, I don't like to be dependent on cabs or to be in a neighborhood that shuts down early. If I've had a long day sightseeing and it's late on a warm night, I can stroll over to Piazza Navona for a light supper and watch the world go by. The ghetto restaurants are open on days when other restaurants are closed, so that's a bonus, too.

We have been to Rome twice. The first time we were there for a week and stayed in an apartment near the Vatican. It was a nice location, however, I felt that other then the day we went to the Vatican, we spent way too much time riding the subway back and forth across the river to get to other sights. So for that reason I would suggest staying on the side of the river opposite from the Vatican. Last year we were there for only 3 days and stayed in the Hotel Nerva. It is right across the street from the Forum and very convenient to our meeting place for our Tour of the Forum. We booked a tour with "From here to Eternity." There were restaurants nearby within walking distance and the hotel recommened a fun restaurant near the Pantheon. Do be prepared for hot weather. Both times we were there - May and Sept. it was extremely hot. If you are looking for an apartment we've had good luck with VRBO in several places. Do try to fit in the Borgese Gallery. It is an outstanding museum as well as the National Museum.

zeppole, do you own Italy or something? Does it ever ever occur to you that your opinion of something is simply YOUR opinion??

I've been to Rome at least 10 times in the last 40 years. Among other areas I have stayed are the areas near the RR, the Pizza della Republica, Pantheon, Trastevere, and most recently the Via dei Coronari. When we return, we hope to stay in the same pension on VdC, if we can.

And if it helps to know, we are one-small-suitcase-each travelers who use public transportation whenever possible. I speak Italian. I have twice visited my relatives in a tiny out-of-the-way mountain village. I'm not exactly an Italy novice...but I don't consider myself an expert, as you seem to consider yourself. However, unlike you, I do consider my opinion as valid as anybody else's.

"actual Rome not the Fodorite Rome"

By definition, there simply is no way that a traveler can experience "actual" any city in that first visit. And "Fodorite" Rome is pretty special. Things are touristy because they are popular. They're a gift and a curse I suppose, but no need to sneer about them.

Now if you want to splurge, stay at Raphael:

http://www.raphaelhotel.com/index.html

We've been to Rome 4 times. Our last visit was 10 days long, and we took our son. To save money, while still having a prime location, we rented an apt about a block from the Trevi Fountain. It was fantastic! Close to a metro stop and walking distance to virtually everything. Here's the link- http://www.casatrevi.it/home_en.htm . The owner is really helpful. She will arrange transport to and from airport if you wish and provides lots of good recommendations. Wherever you stay, get a place close to a metro stop and buy a pass. The metro is easy to use and allows you to get almost anywhere without too much walking.

I've said all I'm going to say on this subject,>>

LucieV,

I think I am an expert in the kind of travel that seeks to avoid touristy spots, and in avoiding places altered by mass tourism.

TDudette,

Rick Steves couldn't make the fortune he has selling books called "Rick Steves' Italy" if there wasn't a parallel universe of tourism that you can go to as a tourist and not the actual universe. I simply don't know what to say to people who cannot tell the difference between a genuine experince of a place and a packaged one. I gather nothing I say will change that worldview. You apparently think it is scientifically based as well as enjoyable. Nobody asked you to leave Fodorite Rome. The question was from somebody who never wants to go there. Why begrudge her a truthful answer from someone who knows what she is talking about? If she had asked to go to Botswana, you wouldn't have answered since you've never been. Why answer here?

annhg,

They changed the subject.

poetess,

I have yet to encounter the Roman neighborhood that shuts down early.

zeppole, you may think so. But you really need to know the truth: you're not. Not by a long shot. With all due respect, of course.