Best rione to stay in Rome in over New Year holiday

Alyssa, somewhere in the Centro Storico is exactly where you want to be as that's where most of the attractions tourists want to see are located. It's not a "neighborhood": it's roughly the whole of the old city inside of the Aurelian walls, or where they were, anyway. There can be some different definitions for it but that's the one I choose to go by.

I'm curious why you would want to know about accommodations outside of it? Convenience and walkability - especially with a young child - are big pluses if you may want to return to your hotel during the day. Metro and buses are both options for transport within this area as well.

Agreed. Centro Storico means 80% of touristic sights can be walked to...without the nasty metro system or figuring out buses that may or may not arrive. :) It is the best and most charming place for first time tourists....Trastevere can be loud especially at New Year's eve..and you will be constantly crossing the river...

You never know how a young child will react to jet lag, being in Centro Storico gives you the freedom to go back to the hotel for a 1 hour nap etc, or to drop off purchases, change clothes etc.

I stayed at Hotel Adriano last October.. it was perfection...and I rarely rate hotels that way...for the money it was everything and more..nice lobby with varied seating areas, great breakfast, super staff and very clean, quiet room facing rear courtyard as requested....

...it was 5 minutes to Piazza Navona, 8 minutes to Pantheon ( morning coffee at Sant Eustache was more like the British elevenses!) 10 minutes to Trevi Fountain and under 15 to Spanish steps, Campo Dei Fiori, and Trastevere about 15 or so in other direction...used metro to see Colosseum, took cab to my aunt's near Vatican and that was it, taxi from train station to get to Naples..done, no public transit nightmares.

Why reinvent the wheel..you are a tourist in one of the world's greatest cities!??
Enjoy!

...without the nasty metro system

Hmmm. We've only hopped it a couple of times as it's not a particularly extensive system - and we're hearty walkers - but didn't find it to be any worse than metros in other cities where we've used them.

Centro Storico is your best bet as you will need to walk on NY Eve. The buses and Metro shut down at 21:00. It's crazy, I know, but for the four New Years' we lived in Rome, you walked or took a cab after 21:00, although I think it reopens in the wee hours. Cabs get increasingly hard to find around midnight.

Thank you all! While we have been to Rome before, this is our son's first time. But he doesn't nap and doesn't complain about walking (as long as there is food to keep him occupied.) The kid walks 10 miles at Disney without complaining...We just wanted something a little different but you all make good points about the differences during a major holiday!

Different neighborhoods in the centro storico can be quite different, anyway. I would stay in Monti or Piazza Navona/Pantheon/Campo dei Fiori.