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Piazza Navona, Rome. 500 years before today’s visitors, Renaissance Romans came here to enjoy Bernini’s fountains. A millennium earlier, Romans crowded this square for the thrill of chariot racing.

Explore Rome Italy — The Eternal City

Fountain of Western Civilization

Rome Italy — The Eternal City occupies its 7 hills on the River Tiber a few miles southwest of Italy’s geographic center. Few places on earth have as long and as significant an importance to human culture as does Rome. With more than 4.4 million residents, metropolitan Rome is western Europe’s fourth largest city and third most visited. Most visitors come to see the famed 2,000-year-old relics of the Roman Empire and 400-year-old late-Renaissance architectural glories of Vatican City.

The Pantheon of Rome. Its unreinforced concrete dome remains the largest of its kind after nearly 2,000 years.

The Pantheon — Roman temple in continuous use for nearly 2,000 years — is one of the best-preserved structures remaining from the Roman Empire. Every year millions of visitors pass through Rotunda Square (Piazza della Rotonda) to see the Pantheon and its impressive fountain. The Pantheon is as close as a 1-minute walk (or as far as 15 minutes walk) from Home At First‘s Rome Italy apartment locations.

HOME AT FIRST’s

Rome Italy — The Eternal City. How it works:

• Contact Home At First. Tell us about your dream of travel to Rome Italy — The Eternal City. We will tell you about getting there, where we stay (you’ll love the locations!), and how best to get around (via public transport, taxi, or by walking).

— Tell us how many people will be with you, and their ages.
— Tell us when you would like to travel, and for how long.
— Tell us if you would like to combine a visit to Rome with a visit to another part of Italy or to any other Home At First destination in Continental Europe, Scandinavia, or the British Isles.
— Ask for a Free Trip Proposal with Cost Estimate.

• We prepare an itinerary & cost estimate with all the lodgings & transportation you need. We send it to you via email and/or postal mail.

• You review our proposal; accept it, reject it, or revise it until we have it just right for you. It is, after all, your dream trip, to be done the way you wish.

• Once accepted, we request an initial payment by check along with your signed acceptance.

• We begin putting your plans in place, securing your LODGINGS, FLIGHT RESERVATIONS & TICKETS, CAR RENTALS, and/or any TRAIN TICKETS, TAXI TRANSFERS, OR TRANSPORTATION PASSES required. Most Home At First Rome Italy — The Eternal City guests arrive by air; some come from other parts of Italy with rental cars; some get here by train. Full-Package or Lodging & Ground Transport guests have a choice of included round-trip taxi transfers from Rome’s FCO International Airport or a 1-week Rome Transpass valid for the city’s buses, métro, and airport trains.

• Payment in full is due 90 days prior to departure, or when you are ready to lock in your included airfares, whichever comes first.

• All travel documents for your trip — including a guidebook appropriate for your destination — will be sent to you by 30 days prior to your trip departure date.

• You follow our directions from your arrival point to your Rome lodging, where you will be met at a pre-set time by your lodging’s host, who will show you around, see to your comfort, and let you get some rest.

• Have a nap. Get some groceries for your kitchen. Make supper or go out for a meal. The fun begins now.

Get a Free Quote

SCENES WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF HOME AT FIRST’S ETERNAL CITY APARTMENTS

The Forum of Trajan, or Trajan's Market, nearly two millennia old. In central Rome. 2000-year old relics of the Roman Empire mix with architectural splendor from the Renaissance, Baroque, and neo-classical periods.
The great dome of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican reflects in the Tiber River at the Sant'Angelo Bridge.
The 2,000-year-old Colosseum — as much an icon of Italy as pizza and Ferraris — is still the world's largest amphitheater.
The Spanish Steps are one of Rome's most popular visitor destinations.
Roman architecture includes major styles first developed in Rome, including Classical, Renaissance, Neo-classical, and Baroque (shown here).
Tourists flock to Rome's Trevi Fountain for selfies and to toss coins into the water.
Photobombing Gucci. Rome is one of the world's fashion centers and home to many haute couture houses.
Rome — The Eternal City Apartments are located on narrow, cobbled streets, with minimal traffic in Rome's Old City.
Cucina Romana: Pizza, not necessarily with tomato sauce.
Cafe restaurants are everywhere on the pedestrian streets of old Rome.
Cafés abound across Rome. Many open early to serve rich Italian morning coffee. People watching and phone checking are ever-present café activities.
The neoclassical Victor Emmanuel II Monument dedicated to the Italian nation occupies a prominent place by the Piazza Venezia in the center of Rome.
A vast park of the ruins of the Roman Empire — including the Roman Forum — extend from the Colosseum to the Victor Emmanuel II Monument. They may be explored by bike or on foot.
High Baroque buildings and fountains are found at Rome's Piazza Navona. Bernini's Neptune wrestles a dolphin as the centerpiece of the Fontana del Moro in the foreground. Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers with the Agonal Obelisk is in the background. In Roman times this large square was the site of chariot races and other Roman games and sports. Later it was a principal market square.
The streets of old central Rome are a maze of narrow, mostly traffic-free alleys that invite exploring on foot. At some intersections, like here at Piazza di Pasquino, the space opens enough to let the bright Roman sun shine cut through the shaded streets. Many of these streets come alive in the evening hours with lively indoor/outdoor restaurants.
Some Roman café-restaurants even open for coffee and breakfast Sunday mornings. This one — near the Vatican — expects full tables soon after morning mass.
Rome's Castelo Sant'Angelo is reached by an historic footbridge across the River Tiber. Originally built as a mausoleum for Emperor Hadrian, the castle — adjacent to the Vatican — became a castle for popes. Today this ancient landmark is a museum.
The Vatican is the world's smallest country and an enclave of Rome just across the Tiber River from the city's historic central core. Occupying the site of the Circus of (Emperor) Nero, where traditionally many early Christians were slaughtered, St. Peter's Square & Basilica are ground zero for the world's 1-billion-plus Catholics. The Vaticano Obelisk is the last relic standing from the Circus of Nero.
Even in Rome a red Ferrari stands out on a busy street. You may wish to drive one, but probably not in the chaotic traffic of Rome.
The Tiber is to Rome what the Seine is to Paris and the Thames to London. The river flows north to south, dividing the city into a western third and eastern two-thirds. The photo shows the River Tiber at the Vittorio Emanuele II Bridge.. To the right (west) is the Vatican City. To the left (east) is Rome's historic central core.
Although the ruins of the Roman Empire will draw your primary attention, the unremarked narrow streets of central Rome's historic core will delight you with their unexpected charm.
This balcony in Rome's historic center is festooned with flowering plants in the red, white, and green of the Italian flag.
People-watching is one of Rome's universal activities. The abundance of outdoor cafés makes people-watching and watching people-watchers readily available day and night.
Waiters, police officers, taxi drivers, ticket vendors, and others who work with the public add a theatrical element to Rome. The city has a big personality visible in its grand architecture, swaggering history, bold cuisine, flashy cars, trendy fashions, and -- perhaps especially -- in the vitality of its people.

Rome Italy Apartments

Home At First’s Rome Italy — The Eternal City Apartments are superbly located in the heart of historic Rome on the east bank of the River Tiber, where they are within 10-15 minutes walking distance west to St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. Located close to the spectacular Piazza Navona and the 1,900-year-old Pantheon, our apartments are within walking distance (or a short cab ride) of the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Roman Forum, and the iconic Coliseum. Our lodging locations are within legions of restaurants and street cafés lining the historic district’s largely traffic-free streets, alleys, and plazas. Numerous shops, activities, museums, and galleries are conveniently close by. Minimum lodging in Rome: 3 nights.

Getting Around Rome Italy: Because driving and parking in Rome are notoriously daunting challenges, we recommend guests plan to walk to shops and restaurants, and use taxis or public transport only for distant destinations. As part of their full package, Full-Package or Lodging & Ground Transport guests staying in Rome receive their choice of round-trip, pre-arranged taxi transfers to their apartments from Rome’s FCO International Airport, or a Rome transpass valid on the Metro, buses, streetcars, & certain trains for the week they will be staying at our Rome lodgings.

Three Sample Rome Italy City Apartments

Shown and described below are three popular Rome Italy Eternal City Apartments used by Home At First guests. They are shown here as samples of different sizes and capacities. While the range of apartments to choose from is extensive, the standard of quality and service is the same regardless of apartment or location.

NOTE — FOR BEST VIEWING: each of the following apartment descriptions begins with a slide show.
You can move from slide to slide (forward or reverse) by clicking on the direction arrows below each slide.
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SAMPLE APARTMENT ‘A’

TIBER

Located near the Tiber River mid-way between the Vatican and the Pantheon, this modern, 2-level, ground floor apartment is stylish & practical, but lacks any view from its two small windows.

• Lower Level: The flat’s open-plan kitchenette, sleeping, living, & dining areas are on the lower lever. There are a flat-screen TV, WiFi, & a small dining area. The large double bed sleeps two. The very well-equipped kitchenette has a large refrigerator/freezer, dishwasher, gas range, oven, toaster, coffee maker, microwave, & washer/dryer.

• Upper Level: A 10-step stair-case climbs to a handsome stone and tile mezzanine bathroom with shower.

The apartment is non-smoking, air-conditioned, and heated as needed.

SAMPLE APARTMENT ‘B’

PANTHEON

A comfortable, solidly-furnished, studio suite on the 2nd floor, this conveniently-located family apartment is a 10-15-minute walk to the 1,900-year-old Pantheon via pedestrian streets lined with café-restaurants & shops.
• Its sleeping/dining/living room sleeps 2-4 persons on an extra-long double bed & a convertible sofa double bed.
• The enclosable kitchenette has oven, refrigerator, dish-washer, microwave, coffee maker, & washing machine.
• There is a large, flat-screen TV & 4-person dining table.
• The bath has a tiled shower, toilet, bidet, & hairdryer.
• The apartment has with WiFi, air conditioning, & heat as needed, plus windows overlooking a historic street.

Note: Access is via an indoor staircase (12 steps) — no lift.

SAMPLE APARTMENT ‘C’

VATICAN

This handsome apartment is on the third floor with window views of the building’s historic Roman neighborhood just 15-minutes walk from St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.
Its large open-plan kitchen sleeping/dining/living room is quite comfortable for two persons. The bed is an extra-long double. The couch becomes a double sofa bed, able to sleep 1-2 kids. The well-equipped kitchenette has an oven, refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, coffee maker, & washing machine. There is a large flat-screen TV & dining table for four. Its private bath includes a tiled shower, toilet, bidet, & hairdryer.
This apartment has WiFi, air conditioning, and on-demand heat.

Note: Access is via an indoor staircase (28 steps) — no lift.