I was hoping someone here might have direct experience of a pool in Rome, open to the public, either for masters' or general swimming. I will be there for three months this fall and don't want to lose it! Unfortunately, the information at Swimmer's Guide is extremely limited and often out of date.
So just to update everyone, the Roman Sports Center in the Villa Borghese Park was a bust — 270 euros a month to swim and probably other fees as well. But the good news is that with the help of a local friend, I did find a place to swim — Centro Sportivo "Santa Maria," Via M. Boiardo 28. It's between the Colosseum and S. Giovanni in Laterano, which is about a half hour's walk from our apartment in the Campo de' Fiori (depending on how many tourists are milling around in front of the Colosseum and Forum). It's a nice pool, clean, 8 lanes by 25 meters, not overly chlorinated nor overly warm, not terribly busy in daytime (I had a lane to myself yesterday). But there are no gutters and the walls are high, making it a bit of an effort to get out of unless you use the ladder. There's a time clock and paddle boards, but I think you have to bring your own pull-buoy.
The price is reasonable, by Rome standards. Membership is 80 euros a year, so obviously, the longer you stay, the cheaper it is. They have different monthly fees: 72 euros for just lunchtimes, Monday to Friday; 107 for mornings only, 7 days a week; and 125 for the full meal deal. They also have single guest passes at 18 euros for non-members and 12 for members, which is probably the cheapest you're going to find if you're visiting for just a few days.
I'm told that there's also a masters group, which I believe meets at night, but management is separate from the pool itself, and you need to contact the coach well in advance. (There's also some information about this on the Swimmer's Guide website.) I'm going to look into it next time I come to Rome.
A couple of points to note: You do have to have a doctor's certificate to swim here. I brought a one-liner from my doc in Seattle which stated simply "'Cheakamus' is fit to swim as much as he wishes." They accepted this after I supplied a translation with the help of Mr. Google and some university letterhead. I've heard that other pools are not as accommodating.
You have to wear a swim cap ("cuffia"), so bring one with you, as they cost 10 euros (!) at the local sports stores. Men I think are required to wear briefs — at least I didn't see anyone wearing jammers (but I could be wrong). Most Italians also put on a robe and flip-flops to move between the pool and lockerroom and even between the showers and their lockers (10 steps). But it's not obligatory, I believe. Your own lock, soap and towel completes the necessities.
I hope this is of help for anyone else visiting Rome. I'm really looking forward to swimming every day, once I get back from a trip to the countryside.
So just to update everyone, the Roman Sports Center in the Villa Borghese Park was a bust — 270 euros a month to swim and probably other fees as well. But the good news is that with the help of a local friend, I did find a place to swim — Centro Sportivo "Santa Maria," Via M. Boiardo 28. It's between the Colosseum and S. Giovanni in Laterano, which is about a half hour's walk from our apartment in the Campo de' Fiori (depending on how many tourists are milling around in front of the Colosseum and Forum). It's a nice pool, clean, 8 lanes by 25 meters, not overly chlorinated nor overly warm, not terribly busy in daytime (I had a lane to myself yesterday). But there are no gutters and the walls are high, making it a bit of an effort to get out of unless you use the ladder. There's a time clock and paddle boards, but I think you have to bring your own pull-buoy.
The price is reasonable, by Rome standards. Membership is 80 euros a year, so obviously, the longer you stay, the cheaper it is. They have different monthly fees: 72 euros for just lunchtimes, Monday to Friday; 107 for mornings only, 7 days a week; and 125 for the full meal deal. They also have single guest passes at 18 euros for non-members and 12 for members, which is probably the cheapest you're going to find if you're visiting for just a few days.
I'm told that there's also a masters group, which I believe meets at night, but management is separate from the pool itself, and you need to contact the coach well in advance. (There's also some information about this on the Swimmer's Guide website.) I'm going to look into it next time I come to Rome.
A couple of points to note: You do have to have a doctor's certificate to swim here. I brought a one-liner from my doc in Seattle which stated simply "'Cheakamus' is fit to swim as much as he wishes." They accepted this after I supplied a translation with the help of Mr. Google and some university letterhead. I've heard that other pools are not as accommodating.
You have to wear a swim cap ("cuffia"), so bring one with you, as they cost 10 euros (!) at the local sports stores. Men I think are required to wear briefs — at least I didn't see anyone wearing jammers (but I could be wrong). Most Italians also put on a robe and flip-flops to move between the pool and lockerroom and even between the showers and their lockers (10 steps). But it's not obligatory, I believe. Your own lock, soap and towel completes the necessities.
I hope this is of help for anyone else visiting Rome. I'm really looking forward to swimming every day, once I get back from a trip to the countryside.
