I am renting a villa northeast of Rome near Poggio Mirteto. After checking a couple of internet sites, it looks to me like it is about an hour + ride to the Roma Tiburtina station. Then I have to make metro connections to travel to other locations in Rome. I have found the train schedules on the Trenitalia website. Is it best to buy a pass daily? Are all of the trains basically the same? How is the Rome Metro system? Is it easy to navigate? Is it safe when taking the usual precautions to avoid thievery?
I can't help with the trains, but as for the Rome Metro, it's a lot more basic than that of other cities in Europe. There are currently only 2 lines and large parts of Rome (Pantheon - Piazza Navona area) are not served. The advantage of this is that the system is pretty easy to figure out. The trains have signs inside that show the route and they announce the stops. The A line is newer than the B line and does a better job of marking the stops.
The biggest risk of confusion is figuring out which direction the metro is heading. At some stops, such as Termini, it's very easy to tell. At other stops, the street entrances go to opposite sides of the platform.
With a money belt and a good grip on your belongings, the metro is safe. It can be very, very crowded. Our group of 4 got separated during rush hour when 2 made it on and 2 did not. Be alert and wear that money belt!! and you should be fine. Depending on the size of the crowd, you may need to be a little more assertive/pushy than normal to get on/off the metro.
Jean,
You can get the metro into Rome at the Tiburtina station. Tickets on the metro are $1.00 each and you can buy a bunch at a tabacchi shop to use for your daily excursions. There are only two metro lines in Rome - A and B - going to different areas in the city. The maps in the stations are very helpful as are the attendants. Yes, you are safe when taking the usual precautions. Have fun!! Boni
You're reading the train website correctly. There are about 2 trains per hour between Poggio Mirteto and Roma Tiburtina, taking 47 minutes. The regional train only costs 2.70 euro each way, so probably best just to buy tickets as you need them. For Metro, it would be a good idea to buy the daily ticket. It's called B.I.G., costs 4 euro, good until midnight, includes both Metro and buses, available at ticket windows or self-service machines. Be sure to validate both your train tickets (before boarding) and Metro tickets (just once for daily ticket). I agree with Liz and Boni that Rome Metro is safe and convenient with normal precautions for any big city.
Thanks