Where to stay - Rome & Florence

Dear Jill,

Have you tried the search feature located up and to the right? There is tons of info available. Have a great trip and GO EAGLES !!

Hotel Maxim in Florence--very near the Duomo, on a pedestrian only street

On limited funds I would highly recommend Rome: Residenza Navona First. Florence:Residenza Il Villino

I've stayed in both of them.

I to have stayed at Navona First in Rome and liked it very much. Please check out this website with is recommended in Ricks book. www.cross-pollinate.com It is a bed and breakfast and apartment booking site for Rome, Venice and Florence. It is owned and operated by an American family living in Rome. I have used them many times and have never had a problem. You will also find "Navona First" on their website. They have great prices. Have fun!!!!

We stayed at Dei Mori B&B in Florence this summer and highly recommend it. It is centrally located, only two blocks from Piazza della Signoria and the Uffizi Gallery. The staff is very friendly and made excellent/affordable restaurant and entertainment recommendations. It was very comfortable for my wife and me. We also recommend the Artviva walking tours. Oh, there was an American Express office next door that was very helpful with train info and reservations.

Dennis

The Beehive in Rome was absolutely wonderful! My husband and i spent 3 nights there and loved everything from the relaxing lounge to the delicious cafe meals! We are also newlyweds. Another bonus is that it is about a 3 minute walk from the train station/metro, so getting around the city is easy. http://www.the-beehive.com/

Hi Jill. Twice I enjoyed staying at Hotel Italia in Rome and Hotel Il Bargellino in Florence. Both are reasonable in price.

Jill, first of all, congratulations!

For Hotels in Rome, I'd suggest checking Rick's Italy book. I find that's the best way to both find a hotel in my "price range" as well as choosing the area of town that I want to stay. I really enjoyed my stay at Casa san Guiseppe (in the Trastevere area) when I was in Rome this spring.

In Florence I'd certainly recommend Hotel Aldobrandini. It's an easy walk from Firenze SMN railway station, and I found the owner to be wonderful and very helpful!

Happy travels!

try the beelevue house in florence and the hotel canada in rome. both have great locations and very nice places. congrats and good luck :):)

I agree with Mark and Tim. Go Phillies, too!

I agree with Mark and Tim. Go Phillies, too!

Check out the youth hostel - wait, I'll give details - called Ostello Archi Rossi, in Florence. I booked thru Hostelworld.com

I was there a few days ago and if you are on a budget . . . .

Location: it is a 5 minute walk from the train station and no steps (okay, a couple of curbs and 2 steps in the entrance, a lot of the rooms are one flight up, but I had a ground floor). The area was quiet at night and I felt safe coming back as late as 10 or 11 pm (woman alone). From the hostel, it's 10 to 20 minute walk to most of the major sights (Academia, Duomo, Uffizi).

Rooms: They have private rooms. I had a single with shared bath, but I think some of the doubles include a bath. The rooms have computers and free internet access. Mine had a sink. Everything was very clean and the rooms are spacious. I paid 36 euro a night.

Food: Breakfast is included. There is a large fridge for storing your own food (and wine). They sell a variety of snacks, frozen dinners and beverages at less than minimarket prices and they sell fairly tasty dinners every night except Sat. The dining room is a great place to meet others (ALL ages) and get up-to-date info on where to go and what to do.

General: All the staff I met (I was there 5 nights, so met pretty much everyone) were friendly, out-of-their-way helpful and spoke excellent English. There is a lovely courtyard garden that was almost always vacant. Everyone I talked with said it was the best hostel they'd encountered. The 11 pm to 7 am silence rule is pretty generally enforced. Before you leave, do your laundry - 3 euros each for large American washers & dryers and the detergent is free.

I don't know what limited funds means, but you could try Hotel Smeraldo in Rome and Hotel David in Florence.

I second the cross-pollinate suggestion. We had a wonderful experience with them. We booked an apartment just south of the Colloseum and 2 blocks from the metro. We were 2 couples, so needed a larger apartment, but we paid 130 euros a night. (that was 65 euors or about $90 a night per couple.) We ate breakfast at the apartment, and one night we got pizza close by and took it back to the apartment- it cost 10 euro per couple for excellent pizza. Staying here put us in an area of more reasonably priced restaurants (a little out of the touristy area) but just one metro stop from the all the action. Look into the Roma Pass, If you are planning on seeing any of the sites covered, it is an excellent value and includes a three day transportation pass that included all buses and the metro. Cross-pollinate has a booking site that lets you put in what you want to spend per person and then lists what is available. They have rooms and apartments all over the Rome area. Have a wonderful trip.

Jill,

In Rome we stayed at Hotel Max and in Florence Hotel Balcony. Max is near Termini Train Station and Balcony is right down the street from the Duomo. Both clean, safe, reasonably priced and breakfast included.

We stayed at the Hotel Dali in Florence for a week this past May. Marco and Samanta were delightful hosts with clean and comfortable rooms. Well located blocks from the Duomo it was easy to walk everywhere. Lovely small cafes nearby as well as a small grocery and internet point.

Samanta will book your museum reservations for you which is a HUGE timesaver!

Hi Jill,

I liked the Balestri in Florence. Nice view of the Arno, close to everything and the people at the front desk were beyond helpful. They helped me get tickets to see Jesus Christ Superstar while I was there.

And the breakfast is descent.

In Florence stay at Residenza il Villino. The owners are terrific. My wife and I celebrated our 25th anniversary in June by travelling with our son (18) and daughter (15) to Italy for our first trip to Europe. We started in Florence, then to Monterosso in Cinque Terre, and ending in Rome. Our best memories of our trip was the time we spent in Florence, and the hospitality of our hosts at il Villino.

Husband and I stayed at the Hotel Lancelot in Rome, and at the Hotel Silla in Florence, 2 years ago.
Both were quiet, friendly, safe, very comfortable, offered great breakfasts. We'd definitely stay at either of them again.

Casa Rabatti in Florence. That's where Rick stays with his family. We LOVED her. We felt like we were staying with our Italian mama who looked out for us - and gave our 12-year-old wine!!! Inexpensive and convenient, too. (Info in Rick's book).

Also, Casa Su Roma in Rome. Ask for a quiet room. You get a private bedroom in a very nice apartment. Breakfast included and a shared kitchen if you want to go that route. Plus, Maria speaks perfect English.

Say hi from us at both these places.

Hotel Suisse in Rome is a charming, friendly, quiet small hotel near the Spanish steps. Reasonably priced. Breakfast is served in your room, which makes it seem honeymoon-like. Very helpful English-speaking staff. Have fun!

Jill,
We just returned from three weeks in Italia. The last four nights we stayed in Florence at the Bed and Breakfast Ape Rosa. www.aperosa.it/

It is located in a quiet part, more residential part of the city, but the bus stops right in front. It is a 10-15 minute ride to the station and a five minute walk to the historic center. The building used to be part of Napoleon Bonaparte's brother's estate. It is truly lovely. We paid 99€ a night because we were staying several nights. The owner, Isabella, speaks wonderful English and all communications prior to our trip went well. While we were there, Isabella and her assistant, who also spoke English, helped us with many things including directions, bus route information, restaurant recommendations and museum passes.

I liked it so much I posted a review on Trip Advisor. Here is the link if you are interested. Feel free to email me if you'd like.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187895-d758451-r21301985-Ape_Rosa_B_B-Florence_Tuscany.html

Good Luck

In Florence, Soggiorno Alessandra (soggiornoalessandra.com)was straight from the train station, over the first bridge there, and down a few doors to the right - maybe 7-8 minutes. We were on the 3rd floor, private bathroom for 72 euros/night w/ RS book discount and cash. There's a small sink and fridge in the room and an electric kettle with packaged croissants, etc. She provided lots of guidebooks and any other help. Two doors down is a wonderful restaurant, Dante's where they make their own wine. Around the corner from that is bancomat and a gelateria and the Arno!
Rome I'd have to recommend Luciano Pascucci for service and public relations officianado! Down the street from the Castile and about 5 min. walk from Piazza Navona. He planned pretty much everything for us each day, provided breakfast and a carafe of cappuchino! Also internet and wonderful conversation.
http:www.lucianopascucci.it He was 100 euro/night. We had our own bathroom, generous closet and room filled with gorgeous antiques.

Cavour Forum Suites is a new B&B on Via Cavoreabout 3 blocks from the Roman Forum. It is absolutely beautiful with modern amenities. The hostess, Mary, is a complete joy who wants to make your stay perfect. Although Via Cavore is a busy street, the windows are nearly sound proof. I was lucky to get the room with the Juliet balcony! I highly recommend this b&b. In contrast to the modern Cavour Forum Suites, Dei Mori in Florence is a b&b with historical charm. The rooms are cozy, clean with beautiful old-world character. Enrico was the perfect host offering tips to getting around, recommending restaurants and sincerely caring if our stay was enjoyable, including transporting our luggage up the 47 "charming" steps! I also recommend this property.

Another for Hotel Dali in Firenze. Didn't get to meet Samanta, but Marco was wonderful- Very helpful. Walking distance from the train station, just a couple of blocks from the duomo. We walked everywhere from here. We had a large, very clean room with lovely touches. It books up, so it would be good to reserve as soon as possible.
Rooms went for 50 euros in March. No breakfast, but Marco will direct you to a great bar, around the corner, that has very reasonably priced baked goods and espressos. And to the central market for well priced lunches.

Ricks recommendations are always great. We are staying for the 3rd time at Hotel Aberdeen in Rome. Two blocks from Termini, about 135 euro in early September per night. Very clean, nice breakfast, friendly staff, quiet and safe location. I hesitate to recommend it because I fear not available for my visits. Enjoy, Lorie

Um, this is a zombie thread from five years ago, revived by a suspicous glowing posting of a couple of lodging choices. Presumably the OP and her hubby have been to Italy by now.

Another recommendation for the Dei Mori in Florence. My fiancée and I were there just last month. Not only were they very welcoming and accommodating, but they were a great source of local knowledge as far as things to do, museum reservations, places to eat, and most importantly - gelato! We tried most of their recommendations and they were all spot on. One final point of recommendation. When we left the Dei Mori, our next destination was Venice. We asked if they could mark the location of our hotel on our map, and gave them our copy of our reservation - which had the hotel address on it - to use. Unfortunately, we neglected to get the reservation back, and only realized this on the train. Using the train's wifi, I sent a quick email to the Dei Mori staff to see if they could scan the reservation and email it to me. Unasked, they called ahead to our next hotel for us and sorted everything out for us while we were en route. Wonderful, wonderful hotel - run by equally wonderful people. PS. Congrats!

As you have limited funds you should always be prepared to ask for some sort of discount. It costs nothing to ask. As you will be staying 3 days/nights in each place this should be enough of a reason to ask for a special rate. Having said that, prices in Rome are fairly inflexible in my experience, even in off season. A nice place in Florence that ticks all the right boxes is the Relais Tiffany - http://relais-tiffany-firenze.com/ TA reviews It changed ownership a couple of years, ago and the new owner Julia made every effort to make our stay in Florence perfect. As for Rome, it seem that such places are becoming harder and harder to find. Good Luck!

Hmmmm, the original post on this thread was dated October 2008. Do people think the then newlyweds are returning for their fifth anniversary celebration, and are still consulting responses to their old query? Maybe their budget has changed by now, hope so.