Hello Everyone,
We will drop our lease car off at Leonardo da Vinci airport and take the Leonardo Express to the Termini Train Station. From there I would like to know your opinion on the best way to get to the Il Rosario convent where we will be staying.

The convent is located approximately 3/4 mile west of the train station on Via di Sant'Agata dei Goti, near the intersection of Via Nazionale and Via dei Fori Imperiali (I know they don't intersect). We plan to arrive in Rome in the late afternoon.

Is it okay to just walk? Are the streets easy to navigate with suitcases? We each have a 25" pullman and a rolling carryon tote. Do we need to take a taxi or hassle with the Metro?

Thank you for your opinions,
Michele

That can be a pretty good hike from Termini. You could take the metro to Colosseo stop and then walk up.

You might want to consider just taking Rome Shuttle Limousine straight from FCO to the convent. For two the cost would be about 35 euros.

Sidewalks are very narrow, tend to be crowded and there are many places where you will find cobblestones versus pavement. Also, most intersections don;t have traffic lights - you cross by the chicken method (walk straight out into traffic staring at the drivers so they stop).

You couldn't pay me enough to do that hauling a 25" suitcase. Spring for a few bucks for a cab.

Take the metro to station Cavour -- very walkable from there.

If it were up to me, I'd probably work out a really *clever* route from Fiumicino to one of the minor train stations -- I adore the trip to Trastevere, for example but Ostiense might be prefreable in this case -- then a bus or metro ride to the Sant' Agata area.

The train to Trastevere (to take but one example) is half the price of the Leonardo express. But such manoeuvres are only for adepts...

ATAC's website, once you get the hang of it, is really good for planning trips using Rome city transport.

Thank you all,
daveesl -I will check out the limo service. That sounds like a good price!

nytraveler- I am a chicken, I would not be very good at that game! I would be trapped on the corner forever.

tedgale - Cavour is the stop we were told to get off at. I will check out the ATAC website for transportation options. I didn't even know there was a train from the airport.

By the time we reach Rome we will be at the end of our three-month stay. I hope by that point I will be adept at public transportation and can figure it out easily. Right now though it's a little intimidating.

Thank you all again,
Michele

Hi

From memory the Cavour metro stop was only 200-300 metres from the Termini anyway. This site recommends that stop - http://www.romaspqr.it/Inglese/S-Agata-dei-goti-ing.htm. But catching the metro and getting off there seems hardly worthwhile. I don't think the taxi will cost you much anyway. Depends how frazzled you feel.

The Cavour metro stop has a couple of flights of stairs to exit and if you were planning to walk up via Serpenti, it's uphill. Your best bet from the airport is Rome Shuttle Limousine (35€ for 1-3 people) or a taxi (40€ - fee set by city of Rome and includes luggage).

If you decide to metro/train when you leave Rome, the Cavour metro entrance for that direction doesn't involve stairs. You take via Serpenti to via Leonina. The metro entrance is on via Leonina.

Did you have to pay a deposit for Il Rosario? If so, how?

Thanks worldinabag and kybourbon,
The shuttle limo service is sounding better and better all the time.

Regarding Il Rosario: a deposit was not required. We will pay cash upon arrival. Even though it's 9 months away many of the convents are fully booked as well as several hotels we checked also. I wonder if it has something to do with the Nov. 1st holiday. Probably, or maybe the convents are becoming a more popular and budget friendly way to visit Rome.

I got on the ATAC site last night and from what I saw before my server shut down looked great. Will research it later today when I get home.

Thanks again for the help,
Michele

After you get to the convent, bus and metro is pretty good throughout Rome.

The 87, 81, 492 buses will take you to pretty much anywhere you want to go. Piazza Venezia is a main bus transfer stop, near where you are staying.

dave

Thanks for the info about the deposit. I tried to stay there last September. They were booked, but I had waited until two weeks before to try to book. What are their current rates? I ended up staying at Santa Sofia (Suore di Sant'Anna)off via Serpenti and didn't like their deposit requirement. You had to send one night with Western Union which cost almost as much as the room rate. Very annoying, but great location.

On ATAC, I printed the line maps for the tram and mini-bus routes. They are color-coded so be sure to print them in color. I had the Roma Pass which includes 3 days of transportation, so anytime I got tired of walking, I just hopped a bus/tram/metro.

Hi Everyone,
daveesl: I'm in the process of going over the ATAC website so the bus numbers you gave me will be very helpful. Thank you.

kybourbon: The rate for the Il Rosario convent is 94 euro/night for a double room with private bath including breakfast. I didn't think that was too bad. All I had to do was respond to the sister's e-mail, who was responding to my e-mail enquiry, and I am now reserved. They did not want any money up front.

I also contacted four other convents and all were fully booked, and this is nine months away. Yikes! I'm glad I didn't wait any longer.

Thanks everyone,
Michele

Remember to also do the night lines, as these are different than the day routes.

Thanks dave,
I wasn't able to download any of the bus maps from the website today because we have painfully slooooooow dialup internet here in my cave. Ughhh!!!

I will try again tomorrow and if not then that will be the first thing I pick up when we get to Rome.

Thanks again for all the suggestions,
Michele

Here are some directions for using the busses in Rome.
http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/rome_t...tation/bus.htm

Thank you kybourbon,
Great info about all the public transportation Rome. I keep forgetting to check the SlowTrav site for this kind of info and every time I do it's so useful.
Thanks again for the reminder,
Michele