Another vote for spending the full time in an apartment in Rome. As others have noted you could take day trips if you want to leave the city (Orvieto, Ostia Antica, one of the Etruscan cities, Tivioli) but I predict you will find so much to do right in Rome that you won't want to take many side trips.

Rome is a wonderful city to explore at a leisurely pace. We enjoyed an 8 day stay there this year much more than previous trips of 3 or 4 nights. The central historic district is really quite compact and wonderful for walking

I would suggest you go to a book store or library and look at some books with detail about the different neighborhoods and possible suggested walking tours. We used the DK Eyewitness guide which has beautiful illustrations and gives you a sense of all there is to experience.

There are many good apartment rental options. I do think staying in the historic center is much more pleasant than the Vatican area or farther out. Many people enjoy Trastevere which is an interesting area of the city and somewhat less expensive than the Pantheon/Piazza Navonna/Campo de'Fiori area.

My recommendation for a good book to read in preparation for the trip is Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling

A good thread discussing many apartment options in Rome
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34792021

THANKS so much for that great link on apartments. It helped me out immendsely. I had been avoiding the idea of the Trastevere area because I had read it is overrun with crowds, noisy and full of tour buses. Now that I know the difference between the north and south I can start looking again.

I am perhaps now (but this changes several times a day) inclined to think 3 or 4 nights in Naples and then the other 9 or 10 in Rome.

The streets in Trastevere are too narrow for tour buses.

There are of course tourists (and bus groups) EVERYWHERE in Rome (the historic center). I thought the most were in the Piazza Navona and Spanish Steps areas.

But I guess if you can't beat them, you might as well join them. LOL

julies--the apartment we rented last February was in the Jewish ghetto neighborhood just across the Tiber from the part of Trastevere that is recommended by Franco. The ghetto is a very interesting area and quiet but centrally located.
Most days we walked across the river to/from Trastevere via the pedestrian bridges on the Isola Tiberina to visit churches, catch buses, walk on the Janiculum (Gianicolo) hill, etc. I enjoyed Trastevere.
The agency we rented from, realrome.com, has fairly inexpensive apartments in Trastevere and other parts of the city, and the owner, Tim Pearson, is very pleasant to deal with.

My husband and I rented an apt. in January 2007 for 7 nights and would have stayed 10 if we could have. The apt was close to Campo dei Fiori, very central to everything.

I agree that the longer you stay, the more you will love it. It's a city that can be rough on the surface but such a jewel just below that surface. Walk your legs off, you will love it.

Here's a link to my trip report that has several long walks through various areas of the city, all with the goal of an elevated view across the city.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34933984

Julie -
I loved Assisi and agree that's worth thinking about.

We walked through Trastavere last December and really loved it. I would stay there next time if it's more affordable. It was lovely, old and there were many restaurants.

You've all been an immense help. I have a tentative agreement to take an apartment to the west of Piazza Navona for 10 days. We'll spend the other 3 days in Perugia with a day trip to Assisi.

Thanks so much again! I'll let everyone know how this rental works out when we return.

Final final update I promise because I have now made final confimation on bookings. And, I will let all of you helpful people know how this turns out after we get home. Because of several reasons we ended up structuring our trip so that we have the first 5 nights in an apartment in Venice and then we will be spending 8 nights in Rome in an apartment in Trastevere.

Have a Great trip! I'm jealous!

Hi julies,

that looks a pretty good idea. I like the split of 5 days in venice, 8 in Rome.

we have a week booked in an apartment in Venice at easter, so I'll be looking out for your trip report with interest.

do you mind posting the details of the apartments you've booked?

regards, ann

annhig--

Here is the link to the Venice apartment. It looks great on the website, so I hope in reality it is as nice as it appears to be. The agency has been great to work with too, and the price is extremely reasonable.

http://www.veniceapartments.org/html/marco_polo.html


We are renting this place in Rome. The deciding factor was the great price the owner offered us because we could fill in a last minute cancellation she had. This one has had lots of good reviews on slowtrav.

http://www.liveromelikearoman.com/

Hi julies,

they both look like good choices. I was surprised how much availability there was for eaaster in Vencie this year - we were spoilt for choice.

i particularly like the look of the Rome apartment. am I right that it's round the corner from St. Maria?

Even nicer than St. M is St. Cecilia's, IMO - if you pay 3e to go in the crypt, and walk past the excavations, you can find the most wonderful mosaic chapel.

Have a wonderful time,

regards, ann

julie - your Rome apartment looks fabulous! Be sure to walk up the hill to see the view from Janiculum hill before sunset. The golden light over the entire city is breathtaking. We went several times to see that view--it was always different. Especially fascinating to us were the flocks of birds over the city that we watched from the hill.

I agree with the recommendation to go up to the Janiculum for the spectacular view out over the city.
On the way down/up you can visit St. Pietro in Montorio with Bramante's Tempietto. Although many places in Rome are very crowded, this church with its Renaissance masterpiece had almost no other visitors when we stopped there.
http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildi...an_Pietro.html