Rome Housing 7/13-7/19
 

My wife and I are planning to travel to Rome from 7/13-7/19 arriving after spending 9 nights in London.

We're on a tight budget and I have been looking at VRBO/Homeaway...etc etc

I have been given reasonable quotes of around $800-$1000 for the 6 nights. I have also found a B&B (www.bbrosmini.it) for 80 EURO's a night for a total of $631.

Anyone have any advice or suggestions. We want to "relax" and experience Italial culture a bit after a busy trip to London. We will not have a car and are completely unfamiliar with the transportation system.

Suggestions?

You definitely do not need a car in Rome. Stay in the area around the Pantheon, Campo di Fiori and Piazza Navona or Trastevere and you can walk almost everywhere you want to go. There is a limited metro service and the buses are great.

It may be worth buying a Rick Steves Rome book. I dont particularly like his style of travel, but his books are great for beginners with lots of info about logistics of sites, walks and how to use transit.

Ditto to what jamikins has to say about where to stay. My wife and I rented an apartment in Trastevere for a week from rentalinrome.com. We found them easy to deal with and they had many choices in all price ranges all over the city. Looking back on it we may have wanted to get a little closer to the Vatican. Depends on what you were interested in seeing. Reading all this makes me more anxious for our 2 week trip in May (Sorrento, Umbria, Tuscany, Venice, Milan). CAN'T WAIT. Enjoy your trip and laugh a lot! :-)

Also check out www.slowtrav.com for rental reviews in Rome!

You do much better using Tripadvisor to check out reviews for Roman rentals, since they are usually much more up-to-date and with a wider range of selections. You can search for your exact dates according to price, size, amenities, etc, and the reviews are candid and unedited.

You need to be careful in Rome about noise issues if you want to relax. Many people who aren't arriving in Rome with a big agenda for sightseeing find the areas near the Tiber river (from Teatro Marcello/Ponte Palatino to the Ponte Principe/Ponte V. Emmanuele, or crossing over into Trastevere) to be very appealing for their ancient winding streets and alleys. People who like shopping and a little upscale buzz enjoy the via Margutta/via Ripetta.

Some apartments right near the piazza Navona, the Campo de'Fiori and in Trastevere are party-central for binge drinking teens or late night cafes. Check reviews.

By the way, in July, Rome is very hot.

I should make clear that the via Margutta and via Ripetta are near piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps.

I am considering this apartment:

http://www.flipkey.com/rome-vacation-rentals/p286001/

It seemed to be the best mix of location/price.

Any strong opinions?

I think you will be happy with that choice. vVry central!

Note it is on the 2nd floor (N. American 3rd floor) and I didnt see that it said it had a lift, so you may want to ask that or be prepared to carry all your bags etc up. It says its on a quiet street, but in that area you are likely to get some noise early morning.

This would be the dealbreaker for me: (from the reviews):

If you are a light sleeper who goes to bed early it would pay to have earplugs as you could hear the talking and laughing from the restaurant.

I would also think the apartment gets a fair amount of noise from the large piazza of the Chiesa Nuova. It's not a party spot -- it is a church square -- but it does attract people who just want hang out. The Corso is quite close by as well, and it is a major traffic thoroughfare.

If you are not put off by reports of noise, then it is an excellent location. There is a bus stop just a few steps from the door that will whisk you to and from Termini Station, and can get you to St Peter's and even a bit further to the entrance of the Vatican museums if you choose to go. Get a bus map and look to see where you can pick up a bus (maybe the 116?) to get you to the Villa Borghese if it is in your plans.

But like I said, in my own personal case, I'd have to keep looking because I am quite familiar with Italian restaurant noise, and in summer, Italians don't eat until a late hour and linger over dinner in outdoor spaces well into the night.

PS: And when restaurants dump their wine bottles and get their garbage collected, it gets noisy.

The stairs won't bother us. We've lived up a flight for several years. We're young and strong :)

The noise may be an issue although I was a residence hall director for several years and lived in an all male, freshman residence hall at a party school with my wife. We were able to sleep through it.

I think we'll be fine. :)

I think I am set on this one. Now to pay a deposit and hope all goes well.

On to make an itinerary post. On the the more interesting decisions.

One more thing, since I kept on reading reviews: People complained the internet connection was "spotty at best. " Another dealbreaker for my needs, but perhaps not yours.

Sorry! I see we were posting at the same time. Have a great trip. (I'm an extremely light sleeper so I never would have survived 3 days as a residence hall director!)