I know that the train station area can be seedy.Is there a "good" area near the train station?
Thanks,Monique

My (30 something) husband and I were in Rome in March and we stayed at a place (owned by Americans, I think) called The Beehive, right near the train station:

http://www.the-beehive.com/

The place is like a very cool/hipster/upscale hostel in that it's a younger crowd and there are some shared bathrooms, but the place is really GREAT. Very mellow with a little cafe in the basement and relaxed lounge area outside, also. We actually stayed in an apartment a couple blocks away which was GREAT- up a dumpy old elevator to a room (3 rooms shared a kitchen and bathroom and computer with free internet). The ceilings were like 20 feet high- it was like staying in a basketball court. And all for 75 euros per night!

My point: I did not think the area around the train station was bad at all. It is a tad bit off-putting when you first emerge from the station, but we walked all around at all hours of the night and did not find it scary. It's a bit ethnic/middle eastern- with lots of kebab joints (tasty!) so I think some people get scared by the locals, to be totally honest, but they seemed perfectly harmless to us.

I read that the Termini area of Rome had improved somewhat when I was planning for our Sept07 trip. We stayed on via del Tritone, just at the Barberini piazza... We didn't try walking to Termini, though.

I stayed in the Termini area in July 2006 and September 2007 and never felt comfortable walking around, even late at night. I am in my late 20s, and although I was usually with my SO, I don't think I would have felt uncomfortable alone.

It may not be the most picturesque part of Rome, but it didn't seem unsafe.

Just stay alert, as you would in any big city.

The north side of Termini is nicer than the south side. We stayed at the Morgana Royal Court on Via Marghera (about 3 blocks north of the train station) and never felt unsafe.