PRECISE HOUSE MANTEGNA ROMA – A Perfect Rome Base Between the Airport & City Center

Need a place to rest your head between the Rome airport (Fiumicino, FCO) and the Rome city center?

If we’re flying out of Rome, I often look for a room at one of the hotels at the Rome airport, but in busy tourism moments the rooms are often sold out or pricey (lookin’ at you Rome Airport Hilton!).

Other times I want to stay in the city center and soak up the Eternal City for one last day or night. That can be lovely, but also a logistical pain in the bum getting to the airport (traffic, dragging luggage to the train station, hoping the driver arrives, etc).

How about something in between?

I found a place, and I’m happy to share it, because it’s in the perfect spot between Fiumicino Airport and the city center. You can head into town and also easily get to the airport.

I recently stayed at this hotel with my mom and 3 boys before she flew out of Rome FCO early the next morning.

Here’s the scoop on Precise House Mantegna Roma – our family’s new ‘base’ between FCO and the Rome city center.

Good To Know: It’s called Precise ‘House’ but it’s a HOTEL.

You may also want to read about Accommodations in Italy

This page contains affiliate links. If you purchase from the links, we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Please see our Disclaimer for more information.

Precise House Mantegna Roma – Why We Love It

Location – As I mentioned above, it’s in a great spot in a neighborhood between the city center and FCO airport.
Price – On our first visit, we paid about $370 (about €318) for two rooms for 5 people total. I had been planning on booking the Rome Airport Hilton but the prices were over my budget for our night.
No fuss – Check in was quick and easy, staff communicated well
Free parking – True, you probably won’t need it on holiday in Rome, but we did, and it’s FREE and ON-SITE – nice!
Rooms – Clean, roomy enough (especially compared to rooms in the city center), free snacks

Good To Know: We used the hotel for flying out of Fiumicino (FCO), but it’s also really close to Ciampino Airport (CIA).

Why You May Want to Skip Precise House Mantegna

This isn’t your hotel if:

You want to walk from your hotel to airport check-in. Stay at the Rome Hilton.
You want to explore Rome and walk to your hotel in the evening. Stay in the city center. You’ll need to taxi or bus to/from the city center from Precise Hotel Mantegna.
You want to stay in a hotel full of history. This is a business-style, modern hotel. Think clean lines and lots of white. No Roman statues or Villa Borghese-worthy art on the walls. Note: They do have a spectacular olive tree in the front of the hotel though – it satisfied my art craving.

Our Stay at the Precise House Mantegna Roma

I had originally planned on spending the afternoon in Rome with my mom and 3 boys, followed by a dinner and stroll in the city before taking a bus or taxi back to the hotel.

The reality was, we (Italy) were in a heat wave, so I nixed the outdoors time and we drove down to Rome later and went directly to the hotel.

We arrived in the area (EUR Garbatella) in the early evening and to me, the area had a young-business-person vibe, with 20-somethings out jogging in the park, people sitting in little cafes on the street, etc. Yes, we noticed some graffiti some not-overly-polished spots, but it felt safe and like a nice place to wander around and see ‘real Rome.

Outside the entrance of Precise House Mantegna Rome, looking across paved property toward multi-story apartment buildings. — *Apartment buildings, seen from the hotel entrance*

Good To Know: We drove, but if you don’t have a car, you can get to the hotel by bus or taxi.

We arrived at the hotel. As shown in the photos on the website, it’s a business hotel. We liked that it’s in a neighborhood with apartment buildings (vs a business district), so it felt like a place that’s lived in (vs empty at night).

Main entrance to Precise House Mantegna Rome hotel. Three cars parked out front. It's a 6-story building with glass and light colored stone. — *Front entrance of the hotel*

We parked at the entrance, checked in (easy, fast), and my family waited for me while I parked our car in the underground (unguarded) garage.

We stayed in rooms 412 (double) and 407 (triple). The triple’s third bed was a sofa chair turned into a single bed. Fine for a child or small adult, but I was happy to sleep in a real bed.

Boys in hotel room at Precise House Mantegna Rome. Green accent lighting on ceiling. Bed in room, behind them the boys look at a small pull out bed and a desk. TV on right and large mirror. — *This is the triple room (with the pull-out bed). The double room was the same but without the sofa-chair turned into a bed.*

Amenities in our rooms included basic toiletries, toothbrushes, slippers, robes, and free snacks (crackers, taralli, and fruit). My boys were fans of the colorful mood lighting.

Light colored hotel bathroom at Precise House Mantegna Rome. Sink area on left, dressing area with hangers and safe on right. In back is toilet and shower/bath. — *The bathrooms were great but I wasn’t a fan of the lotion (too liquidy)*

Small packs of crackers and taralli and a plate with fruit on a desk at Precise House Mantegna Rome. — *Some of the snacks in the room*

We relaxed in the rooms before bedtime and each of us slept well (I asked).

Boy sits on narrow pull out bed at Precise House Mantegna Rome. Lamp with green shade on shelf/desk behind him, along with tv. Banana next to tv. Shades closed behind the bed. — *My 5 year old – socks off and living his best life*

Our departure was early, so we were going to miss the included breakfast. The staff prepared a ‘box colazione’ for us, which we picked up on our way out. The boxed breakfasts were paper bags with fruit, juice, a croissant, water, and more (plenty of food).

Lobby at Precise House Mantegna Rome. Boy sits on black chair on left. Lobby desk in back left. Woman waits with luggage and child in back right. There are plants in the lobby. — *In the lobby, about to leave for the airport*

Transport to the Rome City Center

Parts of the city are closer, but I’m going to use the Colosseum as a reference point.

Bus/Metro – You can reach the Colosseum in about 30 minutes by taking the bus + metro. I would probably just bus to the Circo Massimo and then walk the 10 minutes (vs getting on the metro). There are multiple bus stops close to the hotel, including one right in front of the hotel. Ask the hotel to help you plan your route. They recommended the bus to me, as you can reach other places in the city center in just 15 minutes.

Taxi – A €20 taxi can get you to the Colosseum in about 10 minutes.

Walk – Feeling some pep in your step? It’s a little less than 5 km to the Colosseum. I have walked part of this route with kids and didn’t enjoy it (and wouldn’t do it again).

Tip: If you drove to the hotel, don’t drive your car into the city center. Leave it parked in the hotel’s garage and choose one of the above methods to get to/from the city center. Parking and driving in Rome is not fun (Hello traffic! Hello ZTL!).

Read more about
Best Gelato in Rome
Things to Do in Rome with Kids

Transport to the FCO Airport

Drive – We reached the FCO Airport in less than 30 minutes on an early Saturday morning.

Taxi – Taxis also take about 30 minutes, and the general rate is €55 (but there are supplements, like for early morning rides).

Final Thoughts on Precise House Mantegna Roma

Although we didn’t get to use this hotel for our original purpose (exploring Rome AND sleeping close to the airport), I’m really glad we found this place and we’ll definitely use it for flying in and out of Rome in the future. It’s a great in between spot, and the price is right.

Good To Know: There’s 24-hour reception and you can store your bags at reception. You can also use the fitness center and the many indoor and outdoor seating areas.

Precise House Mantegna Roma –> more info & rates.

Here are a few more photos:

Front entrance at Precise House Mantegna Rome. Revolving glass door in center and two large glass doorways on either side. Light colored floors and ceiling. — *Front entrance*

Boys stand in hotel hallway. The hallway is light-colored with stone tile flooring. This is at Precise House Mantegna Rome. — *Hallway*

Boys look at table in hotel room with large bed, tv, desk, and lounge chair at Precise House Mantegna Rome. The room has wood, light colors, and the window is covered with a shade. — *Our double room*

Lobby bar area at Precise House Mantegna Rome. Tall table with bar chairs on right. Tall plant next to it on left. Behind in back are more tables and chairs and sign for 'Lobby Bar.' — *Lobby bar area*

Candice Criscione

Candice, a mamma of three, is an Italy trip planner and travel guide who has been living, traveling, and working in Italy for over two decades. She uses her extensive experience in Italy to help travelers plan their first (or tenth!) trip to bella Italia. She lives in Tuscany with her husband and three boys and when she’s not writing for Mom in Italy or The Tuscan Mom, you can find her cycling the Tuscan hills and exploring Italy with her boys!