Hello, I been to Italy twice. Once with daughter (Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan)and once with a friend who has family there (San Gimignano, Lucca, Deszensano, Maderno on Lake Garda, Como). Both were wonderful experiences. I am now planning a trip with 4 of my friends in September of 2008. We are leaving September 17 from the California. The main part of the trip will be spent in an agriturismo near San Gimignano through a company I found on this website, La Bella Toscana.They have been very easy to work with, we will be staying at a property called Malva. I need some help in finding a hotel or apartment in Rome for the first two days of our travel that is in a location that is safe and fairly easy walking distance to tourist areas. I am looking for a 3 star property or similar. Any help would be appreciated. I plan on staying near the Rome airport for our last night since our departure time is very early. Again any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome to Slow Travel GGgirl! Your trip sounds wonderful - I look forward to hearing about your planning ... and of course the feedback after the trip.

Suggest you post specific questions over on the Italy Forum for more knowledgeable answers!

Enjoy!

quote:

I plan on staying near the Rome airport for our last night since our departure time is very early.

You should check on the Italy forum for threads on this subject.
There are a few relatively affordable hotels near the airport like the Hilton Garden ( I think), but a lot of the Fiumicino hotels Don't have free or convenient shuttle service to the airport. I had looked into this because I just assumed this was so until I started reading Venere.com reviews of some of the Hotels. The taxi fare from the airport to Rome city limits is controled at some like at something like 45 euros. Taxi fare in Fiumicino is not regulated by law, so some people get scalped on even short rides to the airport in Fiumicino.

If you stay at a hotel in central Rome they can arrange a very early cab/shuttle to the airport for you and it can be cost effective. My daughter and I stayed at a hotel near Termini (we came from Naples the previous day) and we had a shuttle arranged for by nthe htoel take us to the Airport.

But maybe you know all this already having been to Rome before?

Thank you for the suggestions. I think you may be correct us to stay in central Rome the last night and get an early shuttle. I have written to the Hotel Residenza Canali ai Coronari. They have a 3 day minimum stay during that time...hopefully they will "break" up that minimum stay with a 2+1 reservation. That hotel has a shuttle you can use to the airport.

I have stayed in this hotel by Termini. You can look at the map. It is across the street from the opera house, down the street from Palazzo Massimo al terme. I walked there from Termini with my rollie.
It was clean, rooms were fair-sized, and had good water pressure for the shower. The breakfast (included in the price) was above average. Yoghurt, coffee, pastries, croissants, toast, cereal, fruit, and soft-boiled EGGS.
http://www.venere.com/hotel/index.php?htid=111267&
You can read the other people's reviews about it.
They arranged for our transport to the airport in the morning.

Hello GGgirl and welcome to Slow Travel. I see you're going to San Gimignano. Hey - it's one of my favorite places and I'll be back there next April. I took my son last month. He loved it.

I tend to write about it a lot, as it means a lot to me. I had to give it its own category on my website. I'll look forward to meeting up with you in the Italy forum and talking with you about it.

Hello and welcome!!! Another Italy lover here as well.

Thank you so much for the information about the hotel in Rome. Hopefully I can get some reservations confirmed soon and so I can search the slowtalk forums for restuarant and sightseeing ideas.