Place to swim in Rome?

McTrusty mentioned the Roman Sport Center at the Villa Borghese. I swam there when we were in Rome one Christmas. It was the only place our consierge knew from a list I had gotten online. It was my only day to swim and it was worth the 26 Euro for that one day. I could have used any of the facilities and I did take advantage of the hot tub. It was interesting because each lane had at least one person, all slower than I am, and all men. I was very careful not to bother anyone. Pretty soon my lane mates were stopping on the turns to let me pass. If I were there for 3 months (I wish), I'd try to get information on joining. My visit was perfect. I took a taxi there because I wan't sure exactly where it was. It was a beautiful day and I walked back to the hotel, feeling like a million dollars (or Euros).

I recall seeing someone in the blogs saying they were swimming in Rome in the last week or two. That was probably me. I just got back from Rome this past week and swam almost every day, but just at my hotel pool. I think they have monthly deals for locals, but for non-guests I think it is about E15-20/day, but that includes the fitness center. The pool was outside 25m, but kept at 30C or higher (that's around 90F or above). It isn't necessarily a lap pool though; there aren't lanelines or markings on the bottom, but I could mostly swim between some of the depth markings. There are places for lanelines, but I never saw them used. The hotel isn't downtown, but about a 10-15 min taxi ride away (the hotel also has a shuttle to Barbarini Piazza). Shoot me a PM if you want more info.

the cavaliari hilton had a 25m outdoor but it was for guests. and i was there years ago. don't swim, just walk.:) some of the best pools i swam at in Italy :anim_coffee: were desenzano and of course riccione. sparkling clean pool. cortina - b/c it is a ski resort. let it go tooo hot.

We also just got back from Rome: www.crowneplazaromehotel.com/index.htm Don't know their policy on drop ins. One of the few hotel pools I've ever seen with lane markings and decent length.

Thanks, Steve. It looks like a nice pool, but it probably won't be open in fall. And unfortunately, most of the indoor hotel pools in Rome have astronomical drop-in rates. I'm hoping the Roman Sports Center near the Villa Borghese will still be offering its 100 euro special when I get there.

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.

Hi Cheakamus welcome in Rome! By the way the ending of your nickname (-us) is very common in latin, so you are in the right place! Jammers are for professionals and in Italy swimming is not so popular like in U.S., therefore you will find tipically amateurs wearing briefs. Flip-flops or rubber shoes are recommended to avoid warts. In Rome there are a lot of swimming pools. I would also recommend www.aquaniene.it (50 mt pool in summer) or www.piscinadellerose.it (50 mt pool only summer). About tools (briefs, pull buoys, caps,...) I recommed to visit Decathlon stores. Ciao