Area or Hotel recommendations in Rome

We like the Piazza Navona to Pantheon area. One hotel I recommend is Palazzo Navona, historic exterior, modern, hip interior. Roof top bar.

In October 2022 I stayed about a block north of Piazza Barberini. I liked the area, felt safe, there are a lot of shops & restaurants nearby and it's easy to get a bus, metro, or taxi from the piazza. I stayed at the Basillo 55 hotel in a Superior Double room and liked it very much. I'd stay there again.

We prefer the Termini area -- Hotels Sonya, Aberdeen, Contilla --- because it is the transportation hub of Rome. Get lost in Rome hop any bus with Termini in its overhead sign and you will be home. Nice restaurants and convenient to walk most places.

I stayed at the Hotel Lancelot during the RS Rome city tour. I loved it and would stay there again.

Has anyone stayed in the Rome City Center? It's close to Spanish Steps and Borghese; is this a safe area?

The are near Piazza di Spagna/Villa Borghese area is known also as “Il Tridente” (The Trident). It is one of the most upscale areas in Rome. I can’t recommend any hotels in that area because I never stay there (too expensive for my wallet).

Anyplace in the Rome Historical City center is safe.

The less safe areas in Italian cities will always be far away from the inner city. Unlike the US, in Europe city centers and inner cities are the safer areas. Suburbs and the areas far away from the city centers, the “periphery” as the Italian call them, is where the less safe areas may be. Not all periphery areas are unsafe, of course, some are also upscale, but if there are less safe areas those will generally be away from the city center. Since you, as a tourist, probably prefer to stay in the historical center, you don’t have much to worry about safety. The historical centers of Italy is where the Italian upper class lives. Those areas, which are also generally closed to car traffic (except for residents), are known as ZTL (Zona traffico Limitato, or Limited Traffic zone). ZTL, in the Italian jargon, has become synonymous with “wealthy”. So the “upper class” is often referred to as the “ZTL class”.

Now, it doesn’t matter where you are staying in Rome (or any large city anywhere in the world) you still need to watch out for thieves and pickpockets who tend to target tourists. So don’t leave your valuables unattended, like your wallet or smartphone on a restaurant table or half hanging out of your back pocket. Pickpockets a d purse snatchers are quick. So watch out and be alert, especially in crowded places (like buses or any event where crowds may form).

We're staying four weeks in Rome this fall, and our last visit was in 2015. We did a lot of research including pulsing this Forum and decided on two neighborhoods: Trieste and Testaccio. We picked them specifically to have contrasting experiences. Trieste is more upmarket, greener/parky, and established residential. Testaccio is more hip, up-and-coming, and has a thriving food scene. In both cases we are renting apartments rather than staying at hotels.

Love the Pantheon area.