the vatican: hotel in this area or not??

We have stayed several times at Santa Maria Alle Fornachi which is in a quiet neighborhood near the Vatican.
It is a former convent which is close, has a great breakfast included, and quiet; pretty plain, but at 95E secure and well worth the price.

I generally don't like to stay near the Vatican because it's a distance away from everything else. I prefer the Centro Storico, in that respect. But if you are going to spend most of your days visiting Vatican things, then you might as well consider it. In terms of niceness of the area, that area around Vatican/Monte Mario/Prati is one of the top in Rome to live in.

I failed to write it down, but I believe we stayed at the same former convent that Jerry did. There may be several in and around the Vatican, very Spartin-like, but safe and for Rome very affordable. This particular former convent catered to people of German descent and had a daily "code" word for entering an old German Cemetary that is adjacent to St. Peter's. consider using Rome's bus system, I was surprised how handy it was.

If you want to spend more than one full day exploring the Vatican then it does make indeed sense to choose a location in the area. But it is a good distance away from all other sites, not really walkable. We preferred to spend our 4 nights in the historic centre where we could walk to every site we wanted to see. For the one day dedicated to the Vatican we took a cheap taxi out there.

Fergie, We stayed at Le Finestre Sul Vaticano B&B which is very close to Vatican. We loved it there. It's further away but if your fine with using their metro, it's right by the Cipro stop and easy peasy to get everywhere else! What we loved is that it's a neighborhood, not just a tourist section. On the same street as the B&B there's a supermarket,(which helped save soo much money rather than eating out for every single meal) flower store, Gelato shop, clothing stores, coffee shops, resturants, laundry mat,pub and bus lines (one that takes you to the Borghese Gallery). We are most likley staying there again in November b/c we loved the B&B and area so much. Let me know if you want the email of the owner.

Beatix and Roberto are correct. I would look for an area more central unless, of course, if you are planning to spend a lot of time at the Vatican.

I ALWAYS stay in this neighborhood because I like it quiet at night, unless I want to go out on the town, in which case I taxi to one of the more "lively" areas, i.e., Trastavere, Piazza Navona, etc. I also, always go to St. Peters/Vatican on every trip (half dozen times). The restaurants are less "touristy" meaning the food is better and so are the prices. I particularly like Piacere Molise restaurante & pizzeria, and have been known to eat there 4 out of 7 nights. The best gelato is also at The Old Bridge, across from the Wall that leads from the Vatican Museum to the entrance to Vatican City. My husband on our last trip demanded to stay in the Termini area (train station,) which many people recommend because of the proximity to transportation connections, and he admitted he was wrong! Neither of us felt comfortable in that area, and found the restaurants that were within walking distance to be inadequate.
We've found when staying in the Vatican area, that if we want a night out after walking the other sites, we usually end up in Trastevere for dinner, and take ONE taxi back to the Vatican neighborhood and to our quiet hotel. When we're not doing Vatican sites, we find the bus to be very efficient to take us anywhere in the city, and our hotel always tells us which bus to take to get to the site we want to see that day. My advice is if most of your time will be spent doing the Vatican/St. Peters, stay there! If not, then stay in a central location close to Piazza Navona/Campo di Fiori, and enjoy the hustle and bustle and night life. Just another opinion! Rome is wonderful, and I'm sure you'll Have fun, no matter where you stay.

I used to think it was a mistake to stay "over there," but since some relatives did so last fall, I found it to be a very good alternative to the center. Pratai/Vittoria is lovely and lively. Good restaurants and shopping, especially shopping on Cola di Rienzo. Easy transportation by Metro, Tram and bus, especially the 492 which runs close to Piazza Navona from there. If the apartment (many in the area on VRBO) or hotel suits you, then don't shy away from the area. You can also walk to the Centro Storico in 20-25 minutes.

Fergie, hotel dei Consoli was terrific. So close to Vatican. We were a few years back but the atmosphere was very great. Were there for 25th anniversary and had excellent time.

Just remembered due to another post, Hotel Alimandi , right across the street from the V. museum and a short walk to St. Peter's . Look at their website and check Rick Steves guidebook. Very good A/C. Maybe pricier then my previous post, but well worth it. You didn't state when you would be there, if summer time, the A/C is terrific. We seemed to have a time finding rest., but these brothers try hard to help their customers.

My first trip to Rome, the Vatican was also my primary interest (and I spent 5 days there, between the basilica, museums, Scavi, etc). Staying nearby was great, although I no longer remember where I stayed (it was a convent). Try to visit the basilica when it first opens in the morning for the quiet; I get in a line before opening time. When the light is right, late afternoon can also be lovely (and is quieter than midday). And if the weather is nice, do go to the roof for some wonderful views over Rome (as well as the view of the basilica from the the height of the base of the dome); and if you want to climb to the top of the dome, there are stairs leading up from the roof.