Bag check Roma Termini

I intended to do a similar thing last year but changed my plans when I saw how huge the line was for "Deposito Bagagli" at Termini. The other thing I was concerned about was how long it might take to pick up my bags when I came back. I ended up taking my rolling bag with me to the nearby Santa Maria Degli Angeli e Martiri. I was soooo happy I had packed light.

I was in Rome two weeks ago and had to check my bag for a few hours on my last day there. I took the ticket (€6 for the first hours, and then 0,50 d for every extra 30 minutes) and stood in line for 10 minutes and only two people passed, so I was really afraid of arriving to retrieve my bag and not getting it on time for my train....
There is a more expensive option, €12 , which gives you priority. I took that, they called me immediately, left my bag and had priority to retrieve it as well. It's not ideal but if it's your only option (in my case it was), there is that.

Ask your AirBnB host if you can do an early check in or if they have a place for you to drop your bags. Maybe you did but we've done AirBnB for years and early check in and/or bag drop off has never been a problem. Sometimes they have charged a small fee but it was worth it. Again, maybe you did try this but if not just a tip!

Thanks for the suggestion LGATX, our host was unable to meet any earlier on our checkin day...but is being flexible with our bags on our checkout day.

There are a couple other luggage-checks around Termini. I think Bibbo Luggage Storage (bibboluggagestorage.com) has been discussed in the forum previously.

As a backpacker, I frequently considered bag check but the lines at all the major train stations were sooooo long. The only one without much of a line was Naples. You could also try the trick of leaving your bags at a hotel. There is usually a brand name hotel (Holiday Inn, Marriott etc) near the station. If you tip the bag boy generously and tell him you'll be checking in a few hours later they usually don't question you. I have even gone as far as pretending to check in then going to the porter.

Note that larger hotels are worried about terrorism so they may have a strict "hotel guest only" bag storage policy...but I find that a porter used to getting a euro a bag will be very helpful when you offer him the 8-10 euro you would have spent on bag storage. Don't forget to smile and use your broken Italian!

I've never tried it in a big city, but I was able to store bags for a few hours at a 3-star hotel in Viterbo. I just walked up to the front desk with a 5-euro note in my hand and smiled. The hotel was very quiet at the time, with no guests around, and that may have helped. Like Mandy, I figure cash straight into a pocket is attractive to a lot of people if it doesn't interfere with their regular work.

I've used a similar technique (but less money) to get a free map of the city when I arrived at a time when the local tourist office was closed. Desk staff have been very nice about the maps, often going out of their way to make sure I understand that I am giving them money for a map that is normally free.