Vaticano, Navona or Trastevere apartment

Cathy:
Rome is so walkable that I'm not sure it matters. We stayed near P.za Navona and loved it, walking to and from the Vatican, taking a tram to and from Trastevere (although that was walkable too). Now that I have been there, I would stay in Trastevere if I found the right apartment. You definitely will want to eat dinner in Trastevere once! We like Palazzo Olivia near P.za Navona, FWIW. And that is magically central, reasonable taxi fare to and from Termini. I wonder about the Vaticano location. If it is west of Citta Vaticano, I think you will need to use the Metro more, so maybe less walkable? Ron in Rome can tell you. I think he lived in that area.

I wouldn't stay near the Vatican if you want to walk everywhere. I just returned from Rome and quite a few areas in Trastevere seemed to be a little rough after dark. I go to Rome just about every year and this was the 2nd year in a row I noticed this. During the day it was great though and the real touristy areas were fine after dark, just don't wander too far. For a perfect place any time of day, my favorite is the Monti area but stay away from Termini (although it has cleaned up quite a bit). Navona is also a great choice. There's not really a wrong place to stay there except for along the river which is also a little sketchy after dark and the trees are full of birds that pooh on everything (see the cars wrapped in tarps during the day). As far as restaurants, there are fantastic places in every neighborhood as well as touristy not so great ones. I wouldn't base my apartment choice on that. Smart move on the apartment thing. I have done that my last couple of visits. I don't do anything else anywhere anymore.

Laurel & Leslie, thanks for your input! The Olivia is booked. I have sent some emails via vrbo.com. I'm not familar w/ the Monti area - where is it? Thanks again.

Navona, Pantheon, Campo de' Fiori would be my first choices to recommend. Centrally located and excellent restaurants, cafes, etc. And, yes, Rome is very compact for such a major city, so you can't really go wrong in the historic center. As you're discovering, most places will have started to fill up, so do act quickly. Best wishes.

Cathy:
Monti is behind the Colosseo, includes the area around Santa Maria Maggiore, San Pietro in Vincoli, San Clemente. It's quite a large rione.

My recommendation is also Palazzo Olivia...loved it & would stay there again in a heartbeat. The area can't be beat & the apartment was great.

Monti is just east of the ancient center between the forum and Termini. It's full of government buildings, dignitaries, and full time professionals but it feels like a neighborhood. I'm not sure if this is your first trip, but if it is Navona is a great starter location....not that Monti isn't. It's just a little more relaxed and off the tourist grid without being outside the tourist areas. My best advice is to avoid what people specifically tell you to avoid and the rest is travel style preference. Most of us agree on the wrong points yet we all have favorites when it comes to preferences. Have a great time! There really is no "bad" spot in Rome.

We have stayed in the Vatican area a few times, most recently in 2009. It can be less expensive to stay here compared to the Piazza Navona or Campo de' Fiori area so that's the attraction for us. It's a bit of a walk to the main sites but you can take the bus if it's more walking than you want to do. We like to walk and it makes it easier to justify the daily gelato. We found our last accommodations through Bed and Breakfast Association of Rome (http://www.b-b.rm.it/) but have used vrbo.com successfully in other cities.