Staying in and navigating around Rome

**Disclaimer**

This post is not intended to be a thorough guide on accommodations/transit of Rome. Its more of what we did, how we did it, and our observations of how things function.

Transportation

We did not fly into the Rome airport. Instead, we arrived by train at the main Rome terminal. The terminal is pretty much the hub of transport for rail and the metro lines. If you plan on utilizing public transport this is a great place to pick up public transit tickets from automated kiosks. Look for the kiosks that say ATAC.

Tickets

The tickets can be purchased in a variety of increments. The standard is a 100 minute pass. The 100 minutes begins when you first validate the ticket on the bus, tram, or metro. Other options include 24, 48, or 72 hour passes. We had a few days in Rome so we went with the 72 hour passes. If you’re not near an automated kiosk, bus passes can be purchased from tobacco shops. Look for Tabacchi shops. Effectively these serve as general purpose stores.

Buses

Most of our transit involved using the bus lines and Google Maps on our phones. We have ProjectFi with Google as our cell phone carrier which has been amazing for international service. Google Maps and the bus signs say there is a schedule but they seem to run on their own time so if you have a deadline leave early and have a back up.

Uber

Uber works in Rome but only with Uber Black. You’ll get a nice car and a very professional driver but you’ll pay more than a normal taxi. We used Uber once after a late diner with lots of wine and the convenience was extremely nice at that time.

Playing chicken

Interacting with traffic is completely different than any place we’ve ever been. Traffic will not stop for you unless you put yourself in its way. Effectively “playing chicken” Traffic is an offensive sport in Italy. There is no defense; only offense and scoring/winning is getting to live.

Where we stayed

Most of the tourists we talked to stayed in Trastevere or in central Rome. I think Trastevere would be an excellent choice but I might not want to stay central to Rome since the dining options aren’t as good and its loaded with tourists. We stayed in the San Lorenzo neighborhood because of its proximity to the terminal and we found it to be a delightful area.

San Lorenzo

The San Lorenzo area is not very touristy and used to be a working class neighborhood. It more of a university area at present but still looks very working class. There is quite a bit of graffiti in this area but don’t let this put you off. When the sun goes down this area blossoms with life. Restaurants are simply incredible with excellent and reasonably priced cuisine. Don’t let the pink skull deter you in the picture below. This alley becomes a great restaurant when the sun goes down.