No Need To Pitch A Tent: save money and camp in rome

Rome is a busy city and a popular tourist destination.  Any trip to Italy almost has to compulsorily include Rome and Vatican.  What this means is that, like most places in Italy, the local Hotel and Hostel owners know that they can price gouge.  There is a way around this which at first, doesn't sound appealing but is  truly nowhere near as bad as you think.

When looking for a place to stay in Rome on hostelworld.com you will surely see several "campgrounds" pop up as the cheapest places to stay. Throughout Europe this is often the case.  Just outside major cities (particularly in Italy) there will be "campgrounds" that boast cheap prices and amenities, as an American you would not expect.  Before you dismiss the idea off-hand consider a few things.

The accommodation is not what you expect.  With my budget tighter than normal last time, I decided to give one of these places a try.  Expecting a trashy plot of land on the outskirts of Rome where I would be given a cot in some makeshift bunker with 30 other people and hole to pee in (despite the pics on-line) I arrived to find some very nice amenities.  Now, like all the articles on this site I am restricting myself to first hand experience so I am speaking only of the specific place I stayed, but considering the size of the place it would be unlikely that you find Tiber Village Campgrounds full. If you did there are other campgrounds in the area.  True there was dorm style accommodation that I would avoid but most of the rooms were actually one room trailer type "cabins".  Each has its own bathroom and shower (the price is a bit more if you want them to turn the water on for the shower in your place.  Save the money and walk the 50 feet to very nice, clean and warm showers up the pathway).  In my place there were two cot type, but comfy non-the-less beds, a night stand and electrical outlets.  Out front is a small table and chairs and best of all you can lock up your place feeling quite comfortable about your belongings. There is even a little patio light that almost makes it feel like home for a night or two. 

You don't have to worry about going hungry outside of town.  Tiber Village not only provides a small market where you can purchase fruits, snacks, water, wine and a bunch of other goodies  but they also have a full service restaurant and bar.  One word of caution however; be sure to pay attention to the hours of the market.  They tend to close earlier than you would think.   The rather sizable restaurant has all sorts of food choices and functions just like any cheap restaurant in town.  Table service and all.  You can get pizza, sandwiches, pasta and even breakfast.  There is outdoor and indoor seating and of course a full bar. Every night there are a few hours of "happy hour" where a large number of tenants come on over to the patio area and exchange stories and pitcher purchases.  This is a great place to meet other travelers and don't forget to try the sangria. Outside in what they call the "biergarten" you can find fussball tables, pool tables and ample seating. Beer does tend to get a bit pricey for the captive audience after happy hour but you certainly can put enough away before last call.  In any case, no one is stopping you from bringing your own in from town.

It's not as difficult to get to as you may think.  My biggest concern about staying at a campground outside of Rome was that the commute to and from the city center would be a pain in the butt.  This really wasn't the case.  The trip from the Flamino metro stop on Line A in the city (get off the metro and go up, out and too your right), on the above ground metro, line F, headed out of town towards Viterbo takes about 20-25 min.  Get off at Prima Porta, walk out of the small station and wait in the parking lot just outside.  Yeah, it will look a bit dumpy but its safe and if a bus is not there already it will be very very soon to take you another 3 minutes up the road to the campground.  Just so it is no surprise; the above ground Flamino metro stop where you get onto Line F is in need of updating and the metro is a bit...shall we say "used" compared to the newer underground trains...but hop on before the crowds do, grab a seat and see how many foreign words you can translate from the graffiti and enjoy the ride.   Don't forget, buying the Roma Pass will cover the cost of your transit out to this stop (don't go any farther though your pass doesn't cover it). 

Don't feel like going into town? The "campground" is also a nice place to relax and re-coup before hitting all the sites in Rome.  There is a nice swimming pool with a poolside bar that is a great place to relax and mingle on those extra hot days in July.  You can get all your laundry done at the convenient washers and dryers located right inside the camping village.  And if you need to book your next hostel or write home there are 5 or 6 computers with Internet access located in the restaurant which are not used much after the majority of the travelers head into town by 10 am. Also, like a lot of hostels these days there is a free wireless connection.

Of course there are benefits to staying in Rome itself such as eliminating the transit time but on a budget you can get everything you would expect from a local hostel and save 5-10 Euros a night here.  Not bad when you consider this could be a meal or two during your site seeing days.