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10 of the best Airbnbs in Rome
When it comes to operatic splendour, few places can compete with storied, sensual Rome. With its piazzas and priceless ruins casually crumbling on street corners, the Centro Storico (historic centre) stretches for nearly nine miles between the 3rd-century Aurelian Walls and the Janiculum Walls. It's essentially a triangle with Piazza del Popolo in the north, the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain to the east, and the Pantheon and Piazza Navona to the west.
Featuring about 25,000 archaeological and historic sites, the Centro Storico is the place to stay if you're a first-time visitor. Of course, most other tourists also have the same idea, and the areas around Piazza del Popolo, Campo dei Fiori and Piazza Navona can be heaving — but it is magical to step out of your front door into the heart of the action.
Although still in the Centro Storico, more residential areas such as Monti, Trastevere and Prati are within about 30 minutes' walk from the major sites, but have a far more Roman feel. Meanwhile, up-and-coming Pigneto is about three miles away — and is arguably the cooler and better-value option for return travellers.
The city's hotel scene has matured magnificently since F Scott Fitzgerald's flea-ridden stay at the Grand in the 1920s, as described in his essay collection The Crack-Up. However, given that it attracts more than 30 million tourists every year, the chance to feel like you live in Rome — no matter how briefly — is intoxicating. Aside from being more affordable than hotels in the Centro Storico, private rentals also offer the opportunity to have a privileged glimpse of life as a local.
Whether you seek a bibliophile's bolt hole or a penthouse for aperitivo soirées, here's where to call home in the Eternal City.
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££ | SLEEPS 4 | Best for bibliophiles
If you dream of moving to Rome to write a novel, this is the apartment in which to do it. In a low-slung, ochre-painted building on a quiet street in Trastevere, it is brimming with character and books. Aside from a large wooden wardrobe, the master bedroom is elegantly pared back — but the study, which contains a sofa bed, is covered with leather-bound volumes from floor to wonky wooden ceiling. All of the rooms have air conditioning, but this spot is best suited to the shoulder or winter season when you can eat tortellini in meat broth and then curl up on the sofa and set to work on your masterpiece — or read one that's already there.
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£ | SLEEPS 2 | Best for value for location
In the former stable blocks of Palazzo Lancellotti, this studio is owned by the Lancellotti family, who also own the quiet piazza itself — and its ancient olive tree, which the apartment overlooks. Although small, its vaulted ceilings, mezzanine bed and intricately patterned floor — made with antique marble from imperial Rome — create a sense of refinement that's rare at this price point. Ponte is in the heart of the Centro Storico, mere minutes from the likes of Piazza Navona, the Vatican and the Pantheon, yet it retains an upscale local feel. You might see high-heeled women shopping for designer handbags (and making light work of those cobbles), and convivial groups lunching outside smart trattorias.
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£ | SLEEPS 2 | Best for aesthetes
As this list demonstrates, it's not difficult to find aesthetically pleasing apartments in Rome. But if you crave exquisite architectural details, look no further than this one-bedroom haven, which has high ceilings with coffers, gilt chandeliers and hand-painted frescoes. This patrician building hails from the 16th century, and has an internal courtyard where vines trail from stone balustrade staircases: it's easy to picture horse-drawn chariots rattling through the arched gateway. All of the major sights of Rome's historic centre are walkable, while Campo dei Fiori's many restaurants are just across the square.
££ | SLEEPS 5 | Best for location
A few steps from the Roman Forum and Colosseum, this bright apartment is ideal for first-time visitors. It's in a fully refurbished building and features a bath, laundry facilities and a spacious open-plan living area. Although much of the furniture is mid-century, a few well-chosen antiques and a balcony with table and chairs nod to Rome's ever-present past. There are two double bedrooms including one with a mezzanine floor mattress, so it's a good option for families too. The parks of Villa Celimontana and Colle Oppio provide respite from the busy avenues, while Monti's characterful backstreets beckon just outside your front door.
£££ | SLEEPS 12 | Best for intergenerational groups
A penthouse with an enormous roof terrace overlooking St Peter's Basilica, this address carries a hefty price tag — and the style, space and privacy to match. With five bedrooms spread over two floors and four bathrooms, it's possible to put all of the children on one level while the adults enjoy the calm upstairs, or to divide it into family groups. The owners have a penchant for jewellery-box colours and contemporary art, which creates a modish, joyful atmosphere, and there's also a gym, laptop-friendly desks and a long table for group meals. Known for its upscale restaurants and wide avenues (many created during Mussolini's reign in order to accommodate military processions), Prati is where Rome's successful older crowd live and dine.
£ | SLEEPS 3 | Best for sophisticated couples
In an 18th-century mansion with views of the Villa Borghese Gardens, this split-level loft has been furnished in a classical, cosmopolitan style. Polished floorboards, antiques and a working fireplace create a refined air, complemented by a small terrace in the eaves. It's on the edge of Piazza del Popolo, a grand square known for its twin baroque churches. The Spanish Steps lead up to the Hassler Bar, the spot for excellent dry martinis, while the Borghese Gardens contain neoclassical temples and fountains, as well as the illustrious Galleria Borghese.
£ | SLEEPS 2 | Best for solo travellers
With its sunny balcony and quirky pieces such as a record-shaped coffee table, this studio feels like the home of a trendy thirtysomething. It's a fair guess since it's in Pigneto, the coolest place to live for those in the know — though still considered the wrong side of the tracks by others. This once-gritty district was made famous in the Sixties by the filmmaker and philosopher Pier Paolo Pasolini, and its independent bars and cafés still attract beautiful people sporting statement sunglasses and mullet-inspired haircuts. Note, it's about three miles from the Centro Storico, so is more suited to returning visitors who've already had their fill of the main sights.
££ | SLEEPS 4 | Best for living like a local
Aside from crooked beams and the odd antique rug, there's little furniture in this one-bedroom penthouse — but its pièce de résistance is a suntrap terrace just under the dome of the Basilica of Sant'Andrea della Valle, a few steps from Campo de Fiori's food markets. This is where you'll take morning cappuccino and afternoon espresso, the Roman way. The apartment sleeps four but with its well-appointed kitchen, workspace and bath, it's the perfect space for a couple to make-believe that they live in the Eternal City.
£££ | SLEEPS 6 | Best for groups of friends
This two-bedroom apartment is sufficiently pared back to suit everyone in the group's taste, yet rich in contemporary Italian style with wooden floors and modern black furnishings that pop against the white walls. It is located in Trastevere, the riverside district that embodies Rome's movida — its party scene. The botanical gardens and Basilica Di Santa Maria are a walk away, as is the Gianicolo viewpoint, from which it's possible to see all seven of the hills of Rome. The area's real appeal lies in its cobbled backstreets and bohemian institutions such as Bar San Calisto, where poets and politicians have mingled until the early hours since 1969.
£ | SLEEPS 2 | Best for socialites
Featuring an enormous roof terrace with panoramic views, wall art and stained glass doors, this apartment oozes erudite charm. It's such a snip because it doesn't technically have bedrooms; rather, a dining room and two living rooms with sofa beds. This is a space for night owls to invite friends back to for cacio e pepe after a day of vintage shopping and a night of bar hopping. Residential Monti is the equivalent of London's Stoke Newington. Come aperitivo hour, the Piazza della Madonna dei Monti is a meeting point for well-dressed creatives sipping spritz, and it buzzes long into the evening with wine bars and pizza restaurants spilling out onto the streets.
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