12 Best Neighborhoods In Rome, Italy: A Guide To Its Best Local Spots

Are you wondering what are the best neighborhoods in Rome? I have been to Rome a few times, and each time, the Eternal City just keeps on giving me new experiences and places. Rome, which is in the Italian region of Lazio, has 21 neighborhoods. You can anticipate finding at least one historical monument in each of the districts due to the city’s lengthy history, which dates back to 753 BC.

Roman life revolves around lazing around charming streets, spending hours at sidewalk cafes, and people-watching charming piazzas. Here are some of the best areas of the city.

Read More: Best Things to Do in Rome (Italy) for First Time Visitors

Here are the Best Neighborhoods in Rome, Italy:

1. Trastevere 

Grab a coffee or spritz at the renowned Bar San Calisto, which has hosted guests such as Anthony Bourdain, or go for gelato at Otaleg, where you can take your pick of experimental or traditional flavors. Both establishments are located in the same neighborhood. Piazza Trilussa is a small piazza that overlooks the Tiber River and the Ponte Sisto bridge, and it is known for hosting live musical performances in the evening.

Piazza Santa Maria, which is just around the bend, is a popular gathering place for street artists. Here, you can anticipate the unexpected, such as jugglers, fire spinners, magicians, and more. Trastevere is an excellent neighborhood for visitors and people planning to live in Rome permanently because it is always bustling with activity, people are friendly there, and many of the locals are fluent in English.

Because the number 8 tram runs through Trastevere and connects it to the Centro Storico, this neighborhood is an excellent starting point for exploring other parts of the city. Trastevere is also connected to the Centro Storico by this tram.

2. Centro Storico 

The historic center is the Rome that most people visit; it is a densely packed maze of cobbled alleyways, Renaissance palaces, ancient ruins, and baroque piazzas. Boutiques, cafes, trattorias, and chic bars line its theatrical streets, and market vendors and street performers occupy its energetic plazas.

The Pantheon and Piazza Navona are the main attractions, but there are also a ton of other buildings, museums, and churches, many of which contain artwork by artists like Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Bernini, and others.

Many visitors arrive by bus and exit at Largo di Torre Argentina. From there, it is only a short distance to the Pantheon and Piazza Colonna, Rome’s political hub. One of the finest private art collections in the city is housed nearby at the Galleria Doria Pamphilj on Via del Corso.

All roads lead to Campo de’ Fiori, which is home to a vibrant daily market and a bustling late-night drinking scene, on the opposite side of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, the area’s main thoroughfare. The medieval Jewish Ghetto, a charmingly atmospheric neighborhood of romantic nooks, secret piazzas, and kosher trattorias, can be reached by shopping your way down from “il Camp.”

The historic center offers a variety of lodging options, ranging from affordable pensioni to cozy apartments and opulent high-end hotels. However, there aren’t many inexpensive restaurants, and prices are generally high. Additionally, noise can be an annoyance, especially if your room looks out onto a busy street or square. The atmosphere, location in the middle of the action, and the abundance of dining and drinking options far outweigh the drawbacks of staying here.

3. Trevi 

In the heart of Rome, the Trevi neighborhood is a stunning and opulent district. The neighborhood has the cobblestone streets for which Rome is known and grows somewhat like a maze, with charming roads opening up on endearing squares, secret passageways, and stairs.

If you want to be in the heart of everything in Rome, this neighborhood is a must-see, and it’s also one of the best places to stay. The Trev Fountain, one of Rome’s most well-known attractions, is the area’s most notable feature, and tourists enjoy visiting it because it is convenient, attractive, and well-served.

The Trevi District is home to many breathtaking sights, but occasionally the influx of tourists can make it feel a little oppressive. Because of the numerous tourists, it occasionally feels less authentic than other central locations, and the crowds and cramped conditions during prime hours can be oppressive.

Overall, arriving early in the morning on foot or choosing lodging on a quiet street and making the most of it after sunset, once the day visitors have left, are the best ways to enjoy this area.

4. Prati 

The Prati neighborhood has a feeling of being out of place. Prati offers a sophisticated, European experience that wouldn’t feel particularly Roman without its residential population thanks to its open, wide streets and variety of architectural styles. Prati is home to many white-collar Romans because parking is less expensive and there are more housing options there than in Centro Storico.

Prati is bordered on one side by the Tiber River and the Vatican City on the other. Romans stroll down the upscale Via Cola di Rienzo, a well-known shopping avenue that divides the area, in the evenings.

Visit the Chiesa Sacro Cuore Del Suffraggio if you have a particular interest in architecture. This church is renowned for its intricate neo-gothic exterior, which is very similar to the Duomo in Milan.

Don’t skip the sinister Museum of the Souls of Purgatory inside. The Olympic Stadium and Piazza Cavour, a stylish, well-connected Piazza that highlights the surrounding architecture, including the Corte di Cassazione, the Palace of Justice, where the Supreme Court convenes, are two additional must-see locations.

5. Trieste 

Within walking distance of Rome’s historic center, on the northern side of the city, is the Trieste Salario neighborhood. It takes you away from the area with Rome’s most well-known attractions and is a residential neighborhood that is typically ignored by tourists.

However, if you want to live in Rome or just spend a day exploring a different side of the city, one made of parks and families rather than expensive tourist attractions, this is an area with some interesting sights and one that is also beautiful to take into consideration.

You must first travel to Porta Pia. One of the ancient gates in the Aurelian Walls and a significant location in Roman history is Porta Pia. The Macro Museum follows. It is a noteworthy exhibition space and one of Rome’s museums of modern art. The historical significance of Villa Torlonia and its lovely park for children make it another must-see.

6. Pigneto

After a protracted process of urban regeneration, “Il Pigneto,” formerly a well-liked and neglected neighborhood, rife with racketeering, feared by the “Roma bene,” and beloved by the renowned Italian author and director Pierpaolo Pasolini, has been transformed into the gentrified crown jewel of the alternative Roman scene.

The phrase “the pinewood” literally refers to the rows of tall pine trees that once surrounded the neighborhood’s historical villa, Villa Serventi. The perimeter of Il Pigneto is formed by the triangle formed by Via Prenestina, Via Casilina, and Via dell’Acqua Bullicante. The neighborhood is divided into three sections, each with squares, streets, and alleys honoring Italian cities, illustrious generals, or geographical figures.

Some claim that strolling through Pigneto is unlike strolling through Rome. The city as a whole has a fresh, new feel thanks to the diversity of architecture, alternative shops, vintage stores, bars, and restaurants. Additionally, the population of this area is extremely diverse, ranging from young university students and immigrants to the original residents of Pigneto.

7. Torpignattara

It’s not a suburb, and it’s not the same as any of Rome’s 15 administrative districts. Torpignattara, a district that also deviates from its actual definition as an urban area in the eastern part of the capital, has something quite distinctive about it, though for a variety of reasons.

A demographic factor is one of these causes: Rome has one of Italy’s highest population densities—approximately 50,000 people—on an area of more than 2 square kilometers. This area of Rome has never been so densely populated in all of its history.

Our earliest records date back to the Roman Republic and describe a rural region in front of the city gates with broad, green spaces that were only broken up by the villas of the nobility and the aqueducts that supplied water to the Romans. “Ad duas lauros” is the name given to the area by two imposing “lauros” that framed the entrance to these villas.

In addition to building summer homes here, nobles and emperors also enjoyed having their tombs built nearby. Starting around 330 AD, one such tomb was the mausoleum that Emperor Constantine dedicated to his mother Helena. Torre delle Pignatte was the name given to the location because pignatte (amphoras) had been used in the cupola’s construction.

8. Esquilino

Just south of Termini in Rome, the Esquilino neighborhood is a diverse and eclectic gathering place for bookworms, artists, and foodies. Many of Rome’s immigrant populations reside in Esquilino, which has a very distinctive, multicultural atmosphere. This is especially apparent in the neighborhood’s wide variety of dining establishments. Anyone who disputes the existence of quality international cuisine in Rome has never visited Esquilino.

You can find delectable Indian, Chinese, Bangladeshi, Thai, and Ethiopian options here, amidst gorgeous, sociable piazzas (to name a few). Esquilino also features a wide variety of shops, galleries, and cafés that specialize in books and academia in addition to its many eateries.

The Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II is one of the best sights to see in this area. In the summer, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, the largest and most important piazza in Esquilino, is the ideal location for a picnic. Also, don’t miss the temporary gelateria that has opened up outside the building next to the Vittorio Emanuele metro stop.

Explore the recently renovated piazza and take a look at the Magic Door, which was formerly the entrance to the alchemy lab at the 17th-century villa known as Villa Palombara before it was demolished to make way for the Esquilino neighborhood. Although no one has been able to decipher the legend’s cryptic inscriptions on the doorway, they are said to hold the key to creating gold.

9. Ostiense 

The largest Eataly outlet in the world draws most visitors to Ostiense, but the area has a lot more to offer. Modern thinking and fashionable street art define Ostiense.

One of Rome’s most multicultural neighborhoods is Ostiense. Ostiense has a thriving music scene and a deep love of the arts. With numerous expansive street art installations that draw on the histories and architectural motifs of buildings to create social allegories, Italian street artist Blu has contributed to putting Ostiense on the street art map.

When “Hunting Pollution,” the biggest piece of eco-friendly street art in Europe, was installed in the neighborhood in 2018, it garnered national and international attention. The mural, which shows a bird emerging from water, was painted using a special paint that creates oxygen and fights smog. It serves as both an artwork and a political statement as well as a representation of the forward-thinking attitude of Ostiense people.

10. Monti 

Rome’s Monti neighborhood is a hip, young area. Monti offers a small-town atmosphere while being close to busier neighborhoods like Esquilino and Termini, much like a more affluent, less touristy Trastevere.

The Monti art scene is well known, with a focus on fashion. Palazzo delle Esposizioni, one of Monti’s top attractions, is a hub for the arts. A movie theater, library, Michelin-starred restaurant, and well-known art gallery are all located inside.

The Mercato di Monti (Monti market) features emerging artists, vintage dealers, local fashion designers, and jewelers. In the numerous little negozi, or clothing stores, found all over Monti, one can find a lifetime’s worth of vintage clothing.

The center of Monti is Piazza della Madonna dei Monti. Stop by for a spritz and take in the stunning view of central Rome while feeling like a local.

11. EUR 

A contemporary and somewhat “new” neighborhood in Rome’s south is called EUR. The name of this neighborhood comes from its original purpose as a venue for the 1942 World Expo Fair (Universal Expo in Rome – E.U.R.). Due to the start of World War II, the expo was cancelled, and the district’s planned structures for the event—primarily convention centers—evolved into a bustling commercial and residential area.

A sizable park with a man-made lake, a well-known amusement park, and vibrant nightlife are among the EUR landmarks found here. The area has regularly hosted the Formula E World Championship since 2018, with one of the longest city circuits in this competition, in the month of April. The neighborhood is pleasant by day, but at night it takes on a very unique character because all the major structures have impressive lighting.

The architect Marcello Piacentini, who gave shape to the ideas of the Mussolini regime and the desire to bring the classical and monumental splendor of the Roman Empire back into modern life, created the entire EUR original plan.

This area has wide streets and buildings that reflect the rationalism and straightforward lines of the fascist architecture of the time, which aimed to celebrate the greatness of the Italian people and its culture. This is in contrast to the Renaissance and Baroque style of many of the city’s major landmarks.

This method of implementing the district plan has produced tall, angular buildings with characteristics typical of the emperor’s time, including overlapping arches, white marble, and travertine.

12. Sant’Eustachio

The heart of the Roman historic center is the Sant’Eustachio neighborhood, which is situated between Piazza Navona and the renowned Pantheon (Centro Storico). However, despite its small size, this neighborhood draws visitors because of its upscale hotels and side streets lined with genuine Roman trattorias.

Additionally, Sant’Eustachio is in an ideal location because the majority of the city’s important historical sites are close to the neighborhood and can be reached on foot.

Sant’Eustachio, along with the Parione and Regola districts, comprised the Campus Martius (Field of Mars) region in pre-Roman times. Sant’Eustachio was, in fact, the administrative hub of the Campus Martius, with a number of government buildings situated there. Sadly, the majority of them have not yet reached them in recent times.

St. Eustachius, a martyr for Christianity in the second century, is the name of the neighborhood. The area underwent significant reconstruction during the Middle Ages, which increased the number of private homes owned by members of the middle and lower social classes on the neighborhood’s land.

Today, the Sant’Eustachio district is a distinctive area thanks to a variety of excellent Italian cafes and restaurants that are situated there as well as its close proximity to the Pantheon and Piazza Navona. Consider visiting Sant’Eustachio and be prepared to expand your knowledge of Roman history. The neighborhood also has many historical sites to explore.

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