Rome neigborhoods
 

I want to stay somewhere lively and am thinking about Campo de Fiori. Any advice?

It's lively. And central.
Wouldn't suit me but I'm older.

If you were to stay in Rome what neighborhood would you choose?

On our recent trips we stayed:

via dei Coronari -- just W of Piazza Navona; my favourite location

via del Babuino -- just N of the Piazza di Spagna/ Spanish steps; central and great shopping

via Cesare Beccaria -- an unusual location just N of Piazza del Popolo; very nice apartment just off the Tiber but 5-10 minutes outside the Historic Centre

Lungotevere Marzio -- killer apartment overlooking the Tiber; a little farther from the Navona area than I'd prefer but the apartment and its view made up for it.

Anywhere in the "tridente" -- the trident shaped area descending from Piazza del Popolo along via della Scrofa, via del Corso and via del Babuino -- is great.

The area just W of C de'Fiori is also nice, especially via Giulia.

I'd also be prepared to try less conventional areas: Monti (lively and funky); the Ghetto area (scarcely a "ghetto" nowadays + very central); the nearby area S of the Capitoline....

We always stay in the Termini area. It is lively enough BUT super convenient for transportation and a little less expensive with very nice neighborhood restaurants. A little out of the tourist flow.

We stayed on Via de Cappellari, just off the Campo, in May 2008. Loved it! We walked everywhere, from the Vatican to the Colosseum.

It's definitely lively. We enjoyed cocktails there every evening, the market in the mornings, and gelatos at night after dinner. There was always a crowd around. From here, you can also walk to the equally lively area of Piazza Navona, and to countless restaurants, bars, and shops in between.

This was our apartment, in case you are thinking of renting. I highly recommend Tim Pearson and RealRome.

http://www.realrome.com/propcappellarisplitlevel.html

I really enjoyed staying in the historic center last year. We were on Via de Porteghesi a quiet street that is within a 10 minute walk of just about anywhere. Right near Piaza Navonna, Campo Fiore, the Spanish Steps. A great central location and yet quiet and uncrowded.

We stayed in Trastevere.

http://www.angelishouse.it/

The appartment (very quiet) is less than 5 minutes walk from Tiber Island and from the north-west side of Viale di Trastevere (the sub-area of Trastevere that comes alive at night).

You'll also be within 10 minutes walk from the supermarket.

Also, on Viale di Trastevere, you get to cath Trams and Buses that will take you directly to the Rome we all want to see.

Nice place, really.

Many not as lively but very close to everything and quiet enough to get some sleep with open windows.

via Giulia (Wow!) and via Cappellari (both just west of Campo dei Fiori), Piazza Farnese, and via dei Coronari (just west of Piazza Navona) are ALL great neighborhoods.

I suggest staying few blocks (at LEAST one block) off Campo dei Fiori or Piazza Navona as these are major squares and have a lot of people (i.e. noise at night) as opposed to staying right ON the square.

This place is in an old palace (palazzo) at 98 Via giulia, which is a very quiet street but only about 1/3 of a mile from Campo de'Fiori. (The ad says 50 meters but it is more like 500.) So you can easily get to the lively places on foot or by bus on the Corso Vittoria Emmanuele two blocks from Via Giulia.

It's very roomy, beautifully furnished, clean, light, and comfortable. Look for my review on www.slowtrav.com