Area of Rome?

[mafiadon]

I just booked a 4 bedroom 2 bath apartment in Rome in the Campo De' Fori - Piazza Navona area. Is this central to most things like places to eat and major sites to see. Also is it a nice and safe area? Thanks for any help. Linda

[Bobal]

It's about as central as you can get - an excellent location close to many of the sights and near lots of places to eat :)

[cruisemom42]

It's a great area. Easy to walk to either the historical center (Colosseum, etc) or the Vatican. And it is one of the best places to be in the evening -- safe and plenty of good places to eat, people watch....and of course, eat gelato.

[Captain Canuck]

except it has those annoying "living statue" idiots getting in the way of your pictures...love flying thousands of miles to look at stuff only to have some punk dressed up standing in front of Berninis fountain

 

 

you are going to have a really really good time...I am jealous

[mafiadon]

Thanks for all the info, it makes me feel better that I got a good place as I have never been to Europe. I am so excited to see all the beautiful sights in Rome and Italy. Linda

[Captain Canuck]

Rome is pretty safe...major problem is pickpockets....money belt or a passport pouch are good ideas....

 

you might also be swarmed by gypsy kids to distract you while your pockets are picked..

 

best defense is to be aware of your surroundings and look like you know what is going on...

 

also make sure you have comfortable walking shoes...much of the old city is within walking distance of your hotel but cobblestones can be tricky...some of the streets are tricky so a decent map is a good thing...but if you get lost you will just find something else to look at

 

I love Rome..it was my first trip to Europe too

[Captain Canuck]

..told my wife about my posting...she told me that I might be painting too negative a picture...pickpockets are a problem as is the swarming but there are lots of tourist police and most people don't have problems...don't want you to get the wrong idea...just be aware of the potential and have a great time...the pantheon is not to be missed.

[twoatsea]

We love the Navona area; our favorite area for staying. However, no metro there. So, if you are staying for quite a while, you might want to use the bus system & it is not easy to learn on the spot. There is also the #110 red double decker HoHo bus, but for long stays, that would be cost prohibitive, IMO (16euros pp per day).

 

In P.Navona area, you can catch the #116 bus. It's a mini-bus. It goes to Vatican City, Via Veneto, P.Barberini, Villa Borghese, don't remember where else. Doesn't go to the Ancient City. Once at Vatican City you can use that metro which will take you to Termini to switch to the line going to the Ancient City. Or, take #116 to Barberini, walk to Termini, & use both metro lines there. Or, as mentioned, you can walk from Navona, but takes some time & energy. The metro is safe (only beware of pickpockets), easy to use, & cheap.

 

If you want to know how to use the Rome bus system, I gave all the details in a thread on Fodors. Go to fodors.com, click Talk, click Europe, & you will then be in the Europe talk board. In the search bar, enter Julie_Hurst (don't forget the underscore). Then scroll to & click 'Italy' & click search. Title of my post is "How We Used the Rome Bus System". It is very detailed, so may seem too much, but once read, you can easily use the buses. And, the buses are cheap, convenient, & will save your energy for walking & standing at the tourist sites!

 

RE: crime - luckily Europe does not have the violent crime that we in the USA have. Like any major city, just be ready for pickpockets. Carry passports & valuables only in a waist money belt which is placed next to your skin & placed as low as possible into your underpants - no one is going there without you knowing it - just don't wear boxer shorts - in case the waist strap breaks! For your day's money, put it in a neck pouch worn under your shirt. Even front pockets can be picked. Carrying a bag is dangerous. If it is grabbed & gets caught on your neck, shoulder, etc., you could be injured.

 

We always go in November & we have never seen gypsies or swarms! Guess they all went to Florida!

 

Have fun; we love Rome!

[mafiadon]

Thanks so much for all this great info. We will be with a group of 20 friends so we are kind of a mob our selves:D Linda

[twoatsea]

No fair - don't swarm anyone, Linda! If we see swarms that look like gypsies, but are wearing 'white tennies', we'll know it is your mob! ;) :D

 

Have a great time.

[mafiadon]

No fair - don't swarm anyone, Linda! If we see swarms that look like gypsies, but are wearing 'white tennies', we'll know it is your mob! ;) :D

 

Have a great time.

 

I think the gypsies should be afraid of this group:p and I will make sure that we all wear white tennies so you will know we are just a bunch of crazy americans.

 

Linda

[Captain Canuck]

not the dreaded swarm of new tennis shoe wearing tourists

[twoatsea]

Linda & Captain Canuck, can you see the image? Just made me laugh reading your posts - I can see it so clearly - ahhh, those white tennies! ROTFL :cool: :D :rolleyes:

[mafiadon]

Linda & Captain Canuck, can you see the image? Just made me laugh reading your posts - I can see it so clearly - ahhh, those white tennies! ROTFL :cool: :D :rolleyes:

 

Everyone will have to wear sun glasses to ward off the blinding glare of 40 feet in brand new white:p tennis shoes Linda

[Captain Canuck]

every year the tourist show up with theri new tennies..its only really funny cause we do the same thing