Go to http://www.swimmersguide.com
Italy does require caps for everyone.
We were in Italy in April/May and using the guide I found several places to swim. It is a lot of fun. People will not necessarily speak much English at these pools but everyone knows why you are there and if you do not speak Italian, you can point and gesture and someone will understand.
Enjoy.
Glenn
Betsy,
There is always the Three Rivers Swim Club in Rome, Georgia…
However if you are talking about the other Rome, you may want to contact Maryyyyyy (Mary Kristel Lokken). Mary lives in Florence and has been a frequent poster to the discussion forum, although I haven’t seen any recent posts.
Also, if your Italian is molto bene, check out www.federnuoto.it/masters.asp
Have a great time!!!
Thanks for the help.
Glenn, I'll check the website. I agree that the experience will be worth the effort, regardless of how much actual swimming I get in.
Rob, I tried to contact Maryyyyy, but her profile does not give an email address. I'm hoping she will respond.
Rich, I will ask at the hotel. My problem is how to explain that I want a lap pool, not a hotel pool. As a 65 year old woman, I don't exactly look the type to want a workout. I'll try, however. I have alreacy contacted the concierge about reservations for dinner on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I'll add a pool to my requests.
Betsy
At the risk of stating the obvious and appearing unitentionally facetious...if you're staying in a hotel or something...have you called them to ask? This way you might get one that's very nearby where you're staying.
After you swim, be sure to try some gelato at Tre Scalini in the Piazza Navona. Not to be missed.
I LOVE THAT PLACE!!!
We stayed over by the Vatican, and my mom would insist that we walk over there every night for dinner and gelato (to appease, we went every other day). The ambiance was awesome!
Glad to see a pool was found! Perhaps a "What's the most exotic pool you've been to?" thread...
I did it! I was able to find a pool and swim while in Rome!!
Many thanks to all who made suggestions. Glenn, swimmersguide.com was very helpful.
I showed the listing to the Concierge at the hotel. He only recognized Roman Sport Center at Villa Borghese. He called to double check and made sure I knew that a guest pass was 26 Euro. That is pretty high, even for a full day pass, but I really needed to swim. The Concierge also warned me that the Sport Center is underground. When you approach, it seems you are going into an underground parking garage. The facility is very nice. The pool is 25 m with 5 lanes, with lane lines but no flags. When I arrived there were 1 or 2 in each lane - none were very fast. I picked a likely lane mate, and it worked out well, even when a third person joined us. Everyone was very polite, swam in circles, and let you pass on the turns.
I finished up with the hot tub, but I didn't use the weight room. There was also a water aerobics class going on when I arrived (the pool was L shaped). I took a taxi to the pool, but did the 25 minute walk back to the hotel. It was a great outing. The person at the desk when I entered spoke some English, but no one else. I did my best to at least greet people and thank them in Italian. It was a unique experience.
