Rome Neighbourhoods

Baldo is west of the Vatican, Piramide a bit too far out for my liking. I've stayed with this chap a couple of times, not sure of his pricing presently:

http://www.silviosholidayhomes.com/

Saint Angel and Giulia apartments, about a 15 minute walk east of the Vatican. They were quite enough for me, even if on a main road. Silvio is a very friendly, helpful chap. If you have problems with his website, he is also on Airbnb and VRBO.

While there is a market in Prati, it is very small as compared to the market in Testaccio. Historically Testaccio was the off-loading location for food barges into Rome, so the area has a rich gastronomic history. The market there is large and varied, and there are many good restaurants. You’d also enjoy the walking food tour of the neighborhood, which will help familiarize you with the neighborhood and all it has to offer. IMHO You’ll also find Testaccio less crowded than parts of Prati, which can suffer from crowds headed to The Vatican.

Gerry, Baldo Degli Ubaldi is in the Aurelio neighborhood and not Prati. We've stayed in Prati, just a block or so from the Lepanto metro station, and liked it very much; no trouble with crowds or noise. But that neighborhood is an area E/NE of the Vatican; you would be SW of it. I can't give you advice about Aurelio but it may be useful to know if you're doing some of your own research?

Editing to add: haven't stayed there but have done some sightseeing roughly in the Piramide area and I might opt for that one over Aurelio.

Those markets in Testaccio are great -- I'll vote for that area, and that metro station is also a little less grotty.
Commuters on foot and on scooter will stop around those cafes in the late afternoon for a quick coffee on their way home from work,
so the prices and snack quality are a lot more favorable than in the tonier areas above the Vatican or within the tourist triangle.
And the converted power station (now classical museum) may seem somewhat familiar to you if you know the Battersea equivalent :-)

Thanks everyone for such prompt replies. I wasn't too sure about that Prati area as I got that from a Rome neighbourhoods map and it looked like it extended southwest to where the apartment is but it appears to be further out and Aurelia is probably a better name to use.

From these four posts, it would seem that the Testaccio neighbourhood is a better choice for us because of the markets and restaurant choices. The two apartments are similar so the neighbourhood will likely be the deciding factor.

Patricia: do you have more information about the walking food tour of the neighborhood? That's a great way to orientate ourselves. I'm not too concerned about being too far out as long as I'm close to the Metro.

Thanks again for the input. I'll wait for a few more comments before deciding. Bye for now, Gerry

Testaccio has been our top choice of Roman neighborhoods to stay in for several years. It is not cute or quaint, and parts of it are downright unappealing. We like to stay about four blocks northwest of the Piramide metro station, on one of the peaceful streets near Volpetti's.

It's close to the market (8 minute walk from Volpetti's), the Testaccio hill, the pyramid and lovely cemetery, the train station you use to go to Ostia Antica, buses and trams, and many good, small restaurants. One metro stop south is the interesting neighborhood of Garbatella (where we have also stayed) and the Montemartini museum (ancient sculptures in a cool old power plant).

We easily walked from there to the Baths of Caracalla, to the Giardino degli Aranci for a view over Rome (less than 15 minutes away, but uphill), to Eataly, and to Trastevere (a cuter neighborhood, but also full of tourists).

In April, we'll be staying in Testaccio again and will see what it's like to take the train between the Roma Ostiense station and the Rome airport (thus avoiding going to Termini station).

One airbnb apartment in Testaccio I can recommend for a couple is Casa della Robbia "COZY & DESIGN APARTMENT- ROME CENTER". Modern, problem-free apartment in an old building with an elevator. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2300468?wl_source=list&wl_id=58130491&role=wishlist_owner&adults=1&children=0&infants=0

Nancy

For what you want the Testaccio area sounds perfect. It has good metro links to central Rome as well as trains to Ostia Antica as well as to the beach area further on. The market is great and there are all sorts of wonderful food shops and restaurants. Also some interesting sites including the Protestant cemetery; the Roman sites under the market; Mt Testaccio, an artificial hill created over centuries by the breaking of olive oil jars after shipping and others. The food walking tour is well worth taking to find out all about the area.

The food tour you want is a Taste of Testaccio Food Tour. You’ll find it easily if you google. The same company also does tours in Trastevere and Prati, although the Prati tour is new and not done as well, IMHO, as those in Trastevere and Testaccio. Your tour will include stops in a couple of small deli-type establishments, a bakery, and a gelato shop, as well as the market, and it will end with a pasta dinner at a local restaurant. In addition you will learn about the history of the Testaccio neighborhood. I found the guide personable and informative and I enjoyed it very much.

As above, Baths of Caracalla, Giardino degli Aranci, lovely Santa Sabina, Cimitero Acattolico and other interesting things to see will be reasonably easy walks from your apartment. Yep, I'd go for it.

Do "walk" along some streets in Google Street View. I just don't want you to be surprised by the graffiti --- it does not signify what it does in America. My husband translates some of it for me and it's often things like "I love you forever, Claudia" and "Make tea, not war." Some of it is amazing artistic or amusing street art. Most of the neighborhood is apartment buildings --- it has its own kind of charm, but it's not charming in the way that a medieval neighborhood is or a neighborhood full of houses can be. Some streets are tree-lined and there are several parks, but you won't see many window boxes or sidewalk containers full of flowers. It's an area where YOU discover all it has to offer.

Try eatingitaly.com for the tour. Lots of great reviews on here and Tripadvisor and I have family that used them too

Well, folks, it seems Testaccio beats out Aurelia as the place for us to stay. It is closer on foot to the historic centre of Rome and very close to the Metro for trips father afield. Thanks, Nancy and Kathy, for all the suggstions on places to vist. Many of these are not the usual tourist sights which is nice for us as we've been to Rome 3 times and have done most of the famous attractions.

Plus it's all about the food, right? I was not aware of the gastronomic history of Tesstacio although I know there is a great market there which I'll be visiting many times. The cooking tours will be on our agenda for early on in our stay as a good orientation to the neighbourhood. The "walk" through the neighbourhood using Google street view is a great idea. I've used to look at the street where apartments are located but not ventured further afield. I know that the area is a gritty, working class section of Rome but we love "getting our hands dirty" when we visit Italy. I'm not going there to talk with other tourists. Now I need to learn more Italian. Is DuoLingo any good?

Thanks again for all the useful feedback to help me make a decision on where to stay. Grazie! Gerry

I'm not going there to talk with other tourists. Now I need to learn
more Italian....

Gerry, I applaud your enthusiasm for learning some Italian (go for it!) but to be honest, I don't know how much time you're going to spend chatting up the locals, and especially if only for a week in Rome. Yes, you will interact with them when you do business but like the rest of us, they have work, errands, chores and other stuff that needs attention plus their own friends and families to hang with. Most that you will come into contact with will not be on holiday, as you will be.

And please don't discredit interaction with other tourists? We've had wonderful conversations with lovely, engaging and very interesting travelers from other counties. Some of our favorite conversational moments abroad have been with non-locals, and some of them can have valuable pointers to share! Heck, we've come away with names, addresses and invitations to come visit them in France, in Ireland, in Asia, etc!

I just saw this recommendation for local pizza comparison in Testaccio:

"Compare and contrast new and old in Testaccio with gourmet pizza at Giulietta vs classic staple Da Remo."

That should be a dependable pointer for your food rambling!

Kathy, I should have elaborated more on that comment about speaking with tourists. Of course, I will be doing that as other tourists are a wealth of information about things to do and see. We too have made connections with fellow travellers from other countries.

What I meant to say is that I want to be able to have a reasonable conversation with Italians in their language in cafes, at markets, in the park, on the Metro, etc. as a way to learn more about their culture and lifestyle. I've found that the locals appreciate my trying to talk their language even if we have to fall back on English. I did not mean to say I'd exclude speaking with other tourists. Some of the non-locals may not even speak English although I find that most Europeans second language is English. After a week in Rome, I'll probably be happy to speak with someone from home.

Testaccio is a great area. I did not find it "gritty" at all. I stayed in an apartment there for 4 weeks several years ago.

Volpetti is a great place to get cheese, salami and all sorts of other lovely things and they used to have a "tavola calda" restaurant around the corner. It was a great place to get lunch - lots of lovely food - you push your tray along and ask for what you want. You can see everything available. A bit of Italian would be helpful here but just the basics - please and thank you, numbers.

Testaccio market used to have an awful lot of shoe sellers, I don't know what the situation is now that the new market has opened. There used to be a tomato seller in the old market who sold only different varieties of tomatoes. He wanted to know what you were going to do with them before recommending the right ones.

There's also a great restaurant in the neighbourhood - Flavio Al Velavevodotto.

There's a cemetery at Pyramide and several famous people are buried there - they run a tour in English.

All in all I think you will be very happy if you stay there.

Further to a previous response, I have taken the train to and from Fiumicino airport to the Ostiense train station and it was just as efficient as going to Termini and then back out again. In fact it was pretty painless and not really much more time despite there being a few more stops. Avoiding Termini was worth it.

And, there are taxis available at Ostiense should you need one.