Is Castro Pretorio & Termini a good area to stay in Rome?

Castro Pretorio wraps the north and east of Termini station: the Praetorian barracks that gave it its name, the national library, Piazza Indipendenza and the streets of nineteenth-century blocks now largely turned into hotels and hostels.

The argument for it is entirely practical, and it is a good one. Both metro lines meet at Termini, the Leonardo Express reaches Fiumicino in thirty-two minutes, every regional and intercity train leaves from your doorstep, and rooms cost half what the historic centre charges. For an early flight, a rail-based trip, or a first night in Italy, nothing else comes close.

What you accept is a station district. Wikivoyage names Termini among the four worst spots in Rome for pickpockets; the streets immediately around the station attract rough sleeping and persistent hawkers after dark, and nothing here is old or attractive. Piazza Navona is a thirty-five minute walk. Book north of the station towards Piazza Indipendenza rather than the blocks on the Esquilino side, and treat it as a transport decision, because that is what it is.