When I go to Rome I will be staying near the piazza della republica. IS that a nice area? IS it a lively area? Will I have resturants there?

It is directly in front of the Termini train station. It is ok, but not the nicest area in Rome, really depends on where "near" the Piazza you are. <BR><BR>

McDonalds, the St. Regis hotel and the Fontana delle Naiadi are there.<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>

So is the Museo Nazionale (Baths of Diocletian), with the fabulous Palazzo Massimo right across the street. But as Bob said, it depends upon where exactly you are.

I agree with the previous posters. But all in all, Piazza della REPUBBLICA (two 'b''s) is not that bad, especially the further down you go on via Nazionale towards via del Corso and Piazza Venezia. Of course, you get your regular pr*stit*te types standing in the streets, etc. the closer you get to the Termini, but you'll be fine. The other Fodorites are correct about the baths of Diocletian across the street which are awesome. Another good thing you can do from the Piazza is hop on Bus 64 down via Nazionale that meanders onto corso Vittore Emmanuelle II and stops off of via della Conciliazione by St. Peter's. Just watch your valuables -- there can be a lot of pickpockets on that bus since they know many tourists are going to the Vatican (I prefer the subway to the Vatican since the new station drops you off 3 minutes from the Vatican Museum entrance and you dont' have to walk up the hill). Do you have the exact street address of your hotel? Also, you're not far from Santa Maria Maggiore which is a must see too.

Old timers will remember that Piazza della Repubblica used to be known as Piazza Esedra (for the fountain at its center).

I believe that its fountain is the largest one in any Roman piazza, if not in all of Rome.

Hello!! We stayed VERY near there - a great place to walk from, and we never felt unsafe..... Where exactly are you staying - wonder if it's the same hotel? Anyway, the square has a lot of character and we enjoyed it very much!<BR><BR>There is a nice cafe (open late) and a few shops there - the buildings are lovely, and the traffic in the daytime is busy and exhilarating!

I am sorry I forgot to mention the hotel. I will stay at the st regis grand hotel. WHat is next to it?

Eye Spy.--- the metro stop you are talking about, is it Ottaviano? It looks from my maps to be a lot farther than 3 min. so we were going to take the bus which seems to get you closer.<BR>It is our first trip. <BR>

Hello Steve,<BR><BR>No, - the new station Eye Spy mentioned is the one AFTER Ottaviano.<BR><BR>It's called CIPRO/MUSEI VATICANI - so you can't go wrong.<BR><BR>Hope this helps ...<BR><BR>Steve

I stayed recently at the St. Regis Grand. The hotel itself is very nice and lives up to its reputation. However, there is not much at the Piazza Republica, in terms of things of interest to tourists. Although, the Via Veneto is less than a 10 minute walk if you're looking for a cafe, etc.<BR><BR>There is a cab stand just outside the hotel and we never had a problem getting a car to go out for dinner. One I'd highly recommend is the Sabatini restaurant in the Trestavere section. Reservations are essential.<BR><BR>There is a really nice Roman style restaurant just a few blocks from the hotel. I can't remember the name but it is family owned and has a sporting motif. One of the brother's played professional soccer, if this rings a bell for anyone else reading this.<BR><BR>(FYI, if you are bringing clothes that need pressing, you might think about bringing a travel iron. The hotel doesn't provide irons and the cost for pressing is a bit steep, i.e. $9.00 for a man's dress shirt.)<BR>