If you had 10-12 nights in Rome...

Lucky you! I might stay in two different locations.

We've been to Rome a number of times, and almost always stayed just northwest of Piazza Navona, on a quiet street called via Corinari. Once we stayed in Trastevere, and I liked the neighborhood, but it seemed like we spent an extra 20 min (walking, because we like to walk) every time we went many places, because Trastevere was further away from many of the places we went to.

We have had a 5 night trip to Rome, a 9 night trip to Rome, and almost 5 years of living in Rome. Plenty to do for a lifetime! But, unless you have been everywhere else in Italy already, consider 8 nights in Rome proper, centrally located, then 3 or 4 nights somewhere else: Sorrento, Florence, Venice, come to mind. Is this your first trip to Italy?

This will be our third trip to Italy, so it's time to visit Rome! The first trip was 9 nights in Florence/Tuscany. The second was 20 nights in Venice, Padova, Ravenna, Assisi, and Bologna. This trip will also be about three weeks; we're still in early planning stages so haven't yet decided where we will go after (or before) Rome. So many choices! We prefer staying in one location for at least three nights so we have time to explore and find "hidden gems" along the way.

I wouldn't break it up simply because of the inconvenience of parking and moving. For the most part Rome is fairly compact as to the major travel sights. If this is you first visit to Rome 10 to 12 nights might be a bit long unless you plan some day trips from the city to break it up. But since we have spent about three weeks in Rome over the past years, I cannot fault staying 12 days.

Maybe head towards Naples for several days? We spent a week there in March 2018 and the weather and sites were great. The food was amazing too. Our first time in Rome, we stayed 7 nights and enjoyed walking and exploring.

We have stayed a couple of times in the neighborhood where the entrance to the Vatican Museum is.
And we stayed at OliveTreeHill.com, a highly rated B&B in Zagarolo about 20 miles south of Rome in Zagarolo. There's an incredible number of important travel sites outside of Rome that so few travelers take the time to see. Our B&B host is just a great tour guide, and he also often cooks for his guests.

If you are planning to rent an apartment, you can either settle in and get to know the neighborhood in a week. Consider staying in a hotel for the first few nights, while you get to know the city and have 24/7 staff to offer advice and answer questions. If you're planning day trips (Ostia, Orvieto, Naples/Pompeii, Tivoli . . . ) it would be convenient to be within walking distance of the train station.

If I were going to stay in a flat, I'd probably choose Trastevere or Campo di Fiori because they are interesting neighborhoods, but the transportation isn't great. There are a few buses and the tram in Trastevere, but Campo di Fiori is only accessible by bus and still a few minutes' walk. Note that buses are as rare as an endangered species on Sundays, so getting taxis can also be hard.

Even if you're only planning hotel stays, I'd probably consider two locations. I've stayed near Barberini, which was walking distance to a few sights. One area I'd like to stay in is Piazza Navona so I could explore that area more.

You have about another 10 nights in Italy. Consider Naples and the Amalfi Coast, basing in either Sorrento or Salerno or maybe splitting the time between the two. Each has its pluses, no real minuses and early spring is a good time to go.

I find packing up and moving a real hassle. I also find Rome easy to get around if you like walking. So, in my opinion no need to move if you find a good place to stay. It's very nice to settle in to one neighborhood, feel a bit "at home".

After Rome, I'd look into heading south. Naples, Sorrento, Amalfi coast, and further south or Sicily. It sounds like you have seen a lot of the north and central Italy but not gone south, so that's an interesting area to explore. I've been to Naples and surrounds, and Sicily, but not the southern part of the boot, but it's high on my list.

More than any other place I've been in Italy, Rome is where I'd like to hang my hat in one place for an extended period of time.

We got a mere taste of it in February 2017 when we rented an apartment overlooking the Campo de' Fiori piazza for a week. I probably wouldn't have done that in the height of tourist season, but in late winter everything is chill & local, and we loved it. Early morning ritual was a brisk walk along the Tiber, double back for a caffe, then to the market to buy fruit & veggies for the day. We'd have breakfast in our flat and decide only then what we were going to do that day.

Even in a week we were able to be acknowledged by the vendors and shopkeepers when we gave them repeat business. Very neighborhood-y feel, definitely more like a small town.

The other thing I really dug about Rome was being on our way to the bus (it really wasn't that far, Chani, maybe 2 blocks max to Corso Vittorio Emanuele) and being sidetracked by a church or a store or something that immediately drew our attention & seemed more interesting than what we were going to see in the first place. So, with no real schedule, we'd stop for awhile, then move on.

Wandering by the seat of your pants works quite well in Roma, my favorite city.

Considering you have been to several places in Italy, 10 to 12 nights in Rome, in one location, can be a delightful immersion experience. March and April are usually lovely, temperate, and there are so many things to see and places to go! We never ran out of ideas in 5 years and still take about things we missed or want to go back to. We once had an apartment a couple of blocks from Camp de’ Fiori near Largo Argentina for 9 nights and it was our favorite pre move-to-Italy experience. No noise from the campo and easy access to trams and buses.

On extended visits to a city I like to stay in one location for the entire time. I enjoy getting to know the surrounding neighborhood, and I find it a nuisance to change apartments in the middle of a stay. Pick a location that's central to the sights you want to visit by foot and convenient to transportation to sights further away.

Because it's your first trip to Rome, I would split it between two locations. The first smack in the historic center with all its hubbub, preferably near the Pantheon. The second would be somewhere slower paced and a little off the beaten path, like perhaps the southwest end of Testaccio, near Mercato Testaccio.

Thank you to all for sharing your ideas and experiences. We had talked about heading south after our time in Rome, so the recommendations about Naples, Sorrento, and the Amalfi Coast are appreciated. Not sure yet if we will fly in/out of Rome or will fly open jaw; I'm just starting to track airfares. If we end up R/T from Rome we may start there for six days or so, head to the south, then spend the end of our stay at another location in Rome. Or fly into Naples and out of Rome.... I'm very drawn to the idea of staying in one location in Rome for an "extended" time, so will start researching accommodations based on the suggestions shared here.

For more replies about Naples to the AC, start another thread.

I'm not sure I'd want to start a visit to Italy in Naples though it might seem more efficient to fly there. It's very intense. Look at the possibility of landing in Naples and then either private transfer to Sorrento or train to Salerno. As Jay and I have both discovered, both are good bases for the area.