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47 years ago I tossed a coin into Trevi fountain. . . .

I did it properly, back turned, coin over the left shoulder. I was 20, in Rome for a week as a student on a field trip. It is time to go back, as promised by the coin, so we are planning for next October.

In 1967, a nice bowl of minestrone cost the equivalent of 8 US cents. I bought a beautiful leather jacket for $30 ( and probably paid way too much). I know it isn't that inexpensive any more, but we are not students any more either!

I would appreciate suggestions for apartments in a central area, maybe near Piazza Navona or Campo di Fiori?? Or Trastevere? We like to walk everywhere if possible, but prefer pedestrian zones and riverside paths to walking alongside traffic. (This is one reason we love Venice so much). We are happy walking 8-10 miles a day.

I know Rome will have unavoidable traffic, but would like to stay someplace where we can at least walk a bit free of major traffic. And of course we will take buses when appropriate. That is what we do in London when we run out of parks and riverside paths.

Posted by
1501 posts

Lola!!! Congratulations on your return to Rome!!! Regarding costs, of course you certainly will not get that 8cent bowl of Minestroni ever ever again, but you can still get a great pizza or panini for under eu10!

I rent apartments frequently in Europe, most especially Florence and Sicily, and always use either VRBO or Home away. Things have changed in Italy, and Trastevere is still nice, but it can be noisy, but still quieter than Compo di Fiori. I like the Prati neighborhood (Vatican) and do NOT recommend (despite others' preferences on this website) the Termini area near the Train Station. As a 60+ female, I just don't feel really comfortable in that neighborhood after dark, nor do I care for the restaurants. I like to have an ELEVATOR these days too! So check that out when you're looking at the apartments.

Again, God's Blessings to you for your upcoming return to Roma and I'm sure others will chime in for more specific recommendations. Just wanted to give you a 'heads up' re neighborhoods and that lovely elevator idea!

Make sure you get good references on the websites, and If you're not on the ground floor (which is really, really nice especially if there's a little garden) make sure you've got an elevator!

Posted by
17601 posts

Hi Donna-- thank you for your comments. We have been blessed with good health and strong knees, so we actually prefer stairs to elevators. Our Venice apartment for a month had a dedicated elevator for the apartment, but I only used it when I had to take the trash and recycling out.. I have serious claustrophobia and would choose stairs over elevators always.

I would love to hear more adviceb about neighborhoods. I need to get a good map of Rome so I can understand and make sense of things.

Posted by
11613 posts

Re: maps: I find that a general map showing the rioni (districts) of Rome helps with figuring out neighborhoods. You can probably find one online for free. Then a regular street map to help plan your daily outings. I like one with an index to find street names. After many visits and chunks of time living in Rome (before Schengen), I still sometimes need it to find an obscure street that's a few hundred meters long.

You can keep up with progress on restoration work at the Trevi Fountain at skylinewebcams.com

Posted by
11852 posts

With all of your travels, Lola, it's difficult to believe you have not been to Rome in 47 years! I hope she does not disappoint you. We stayed here in Dec 2011 and loved the location and the apartment, near Largo Argentina. Despite the location it was quiet, in the ZTL, and easy to walk most everywhere. Stayed here in 2011 (Palazzo Olivia) and I understand it has been completely renovated (which it needed). It was super convenient and the only traffic was motorini which we did not hear from our apartment.

I too love Prati, and my nephew and his family stayed there in July. I did not like their apartment, but the neighborhood was very convenient. It is well connected by tram, metro and bus, as well as foot.

Posted by
17601 posts

Thank you, Laurel. I will add those apartments to my folder. The Palazzo Olivia in particular is just our style.