Leely

I'm taking another relatively last-minute, relatively quick trip to Rome. I'll be there 5 days, May 25-30. I'm "taking" my sister--she's never been to Italy.

About us: we're 2 mid-thirties, low-maintenance, budget travelers. Not picky, but as this is my sister's first trip to Rome, I'm looking for an atmospheric location.

I have been offered the following:

studio in the Jewish Ghetto, via Calderari E110/nt. Link:

http://www.vacanzeromane.com/apartments/suite811.html

Trastevere 1 bd, Avanti Arquati. E100/nt. Link:

http://www.ilglicine.net/Trastevere/tr_eng.htm

And Pantheon area, E110/nt. Link:

http://www.sleepinitaly.com/files/ap...nario.html#map

Any comments or suggestions? Thanks to all.

LAwoman

I guess it depends on how much you like yellow.

Leely

Ha ha, LAwoman. You should think about quitting your day job. I don't care much about the decor, I'm really more interested in the locations for a first-timer. As I've been to Rome before, I think all those locations are fine.

But for my sister?

mikeinfwtx

http://www.romanreference.com/index.html

check Roman Reference

LAwoman

Leely, I'm planning our first trip to Rome and also looking at apts., as a first-timer I'm drawn to the Pantheon area, for what it's worth.

Leely

LAwoman,

My first trip to Rome I rented an apt. btw. Piazza Navona and Campo dei Fiori--it was great. Then my mom came and met me and we upgraded to the Del Senato w/view of the Pantheon. She LOVED it.

Good luck with your apartment search and thanks for the joke. It made me laugh out loud.

LAwoman

Leely, glad you got a laugh, I hope someone else can give you some info you can use.

I was initially going to stay at del Senato, because it gets such raves, but they quoted €240 per night. For 4 nights and at current exchange rate, that was just too rich for my blood when there's some great looking apts to be had for €100. Hope you find something you like.

bardo1

The Via Del Seminario has the most atmoshpheric location hands down. An added plus is it's convenience to anywhere a first time visitor would want to go.

tedgale

Leely: if you are considering going with sleepinitaly.com -- for which I have been accused on another thread of being a tout, LOL!! -- look at their apartment San Salvatore in Lauro, which I describe in the thread tedgale trip report: Rome.

It is one bedroom with large living room, good kitchen, large-enough bathroom, large entrance. Living room has sofa bed -- and we paid 110 Euros per night in early to mid-March.

San Salvatore in Lauro is not perfect -- a tiny bit scuffed -- but it is large, antique-filled and 5 minutes walk from Piazza Navona, hence comparable to the Pantheon location, in convenience.

I would want more space than the 3 units you cite can offer.

Just a suggestion.

Leely

Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately, as I'm booking so late (what, 8 weeks ahead?), many desirable apartments are already taken.

Ted--my sister and I are practically twins; we don't need space, LOL. But the Lauro is booked, too.

I guess my hesitation with the Pantheon area is that it might not be neighborhood-y enough?

Calderari is a fantasy of mine that I'm afraid I will have to relinquish: it's just too small. I do like Trastevere as well.

Decisions, decisions.

LoveItaly

Hi tedgale, don't mean to hijack your thread Leely. Those comments to you tedgale on your thread are trolls. Am sure you know that of course. I just shook my head and smiled. Jealousy is a bad thing, is it not?

tedgale

Too bad about San Salvatore in Lauro. I wish you all the best in your search.

LoveItaly: Yes, I know the outrageous trolls are active. A nuisance but sooo transparent.

mermaid_

The studio certainly is yellow, isn't it? I love that color so it would be an easy choice for me. The Jewish Ghetto is very atmospheric and so close to everything so I'd pick it for that reason alone. Walk one way and you're across the bridge to Trastavere, walk the other and you're at Piazza Navona in minutes. We often walked through this area and wished we'd have stayed there.

I wouldn't choose the Trastavere apartment because it's not in the prettiest area of Trastavere. I love that neighborhood, but it's not uniformly wonderful! Some bits of it are a little drab, so I'd give that one a pass. (However, you still want to visit as the restaurants are fabulous and there are three very beautiful churches to look at there.)

The sleepitaly apt. in the Pantheon area could go either way. It's smack dab in the middle of the action, but is that a plus for you, Leely, or a minus? You'd be surrounded by hustle and bustle and tourists. That could be energizing or it could be draining. BTW, my husband and I rented from sleepinitaly when we were in Rome, and we thought they were great! They're very conscientious about answering emails. It was easy to work with them.

Leely

Hmm, that's exactly what I was wondering about re: the Trastevere apartment. I remember thinking some areas weren't so attractive--and others were great. Otherwise it's my preferred location (except for the Jewish ghetto, darn it).

Everything in my admittedly tight budget is booked in Navona/Campo dei Fiori area. I stayed by the Pantheon onc, but it was off-season.

Hmm. It's looking like the Pantheon might be the winner by default.

Thanks for your replies.