I don't believe I'll have much assistance with the move, so if anyone knows of a good resource to search for apartments next to the Pratica di Mare AFB, I'd really appreciate the help.

Also, does anyone know if public transportation is available to the base?

I live about 10 Km away from Pratica and I go there occasionally as part of my business with AMI. Are you an exchange officer? AMI run their own bus service to the base, if you were an exchange officer I’m sure you could use it. I used AMI transport in the past when I was closer connected. There is also a public bus stop outside of the main entrance, i don't know for sure but i guess it would go to EUR (nearest metro stop) and/or Pomezia. You might consider a motorcycle, the weather is good enough to use it all year round. AMI also have their own housing within the base. The nearest place to find an apartment would be at Torvianica or Pomezia. To have any success you really need to be here, web based searches are unlikely to bear fruit. You will also find that some AMI personnel will have property to rent you.

Not an exchange. I would be working with the Italian Air Force so I should probably be able to get permission to use their bus (even if just on base to get from the gate to the hanger).

I'm definitely going to get a motorcycle, but just wanted to know about what to do on those days when I didn't feel like riding in the rain.

I was looking in Pomezia for possible housing, but could not find anything available. Is that area nice (I'd like to remain as close to the beach as possible) or should I try other areas?

Thanks for the reply, it's a big help.

Pratica is a big base by AMI standards and it depends on where you will be located, if you are working with RSV (experimental flight) you will be more than 1 mile from the main gate.
If you are working with AMI I am pretty sure you will be able to use their bus service from Rome, it’s just a case of befriending the right Maresciallo and the rules don’t count then.
Personally I think Pomezia is pretty crumby, a small concrete jungle with no character at all and 5 or 6 Km from the beach. Torvianica is right on the beach but is also a bit ramshackle (but it depends on your taste). Torvianica also goes into partial hibernation in the winter months as a lot of accommodation is for vacation/weekend use only. You might try Ostia which is also on the beach and has a dedicated metro link to Rome. Ostia can be slightly squalid (as a lot of Rome’s outer suburbs are) but is fully functional all year round, Ostia is about 10 Km from Pratica.

I had heard that about Pomezia, my Italian instructor grew up in an expat community west of Rome and had mentioned it wasn't that great.

Does anyone have a suggestion of where I should look or which area I should live in? I'd like to be close to the ocean, but since I'm living in St. Louis right now, everywhere in Italy will be close to the ocean.

It depends on your family situation (wife, kids, schooling requirements, how many bedrooms you need etc.) and how much you have to spend on rent. The best area (and hence most expensive) on the SW side of Rome is Casalpalocco. Slightly less expensive, but not quite as good, is Axa, then Infernetto. All these are 2 to 4 Km from the coast and 10 or 12 from Pratica. If you are single then some of the above areas might be a little quiet regarding social life and public transport connections with Rome center are not that good.

I'm a single guy and my only responsibility is my dog. I'll see what I can find in these areas as far as far as small apartments. I don't spend a lot of time in my apartment/house so it doesn't need to be very big or lavish. Just as long as it is secure and I'm not worried about having it broken into every night. I lived in Honduras for a while and it drove me nuts being put into one of the less secure areas. Of course, nowhere in Honduras is thought of as very safe, but there were better communities than the one I was in.

1,000 EU would get you a reasonable furnished apartment in these areas, although rents can go higher than this. If you want good security you need to contract with a private security company like Metronotte who come running whenever the alarm goes off. The main deterrent being that they know who is doing 99% of the break ins and so "persuade" them to leave you alone.

quote:

The main deterrent being that they know who is doing 99% of the break ins and so "persuade" them to leave you alone.

Sounds like a protection racket.

Well it certainly is protection, whether it’s a racket or not is open to debate. All I can say is it seems to work. If I accidentally set the alarm off they are here in less than 5 minutes. 5 minutes after that usually another back up or 2 show up - all armed. You also have a panic button so you can call them if you think someone is breaking in. The alternative around here is regular break ins, about 2 a year would be average, alarms alone and window bars don’t work.

I was referring to this bit:

quote:

The main deterrent being that they know who is doing 99% of the break ins and so "persuade" them to leave you alone.

I can tell you what they do here because they told me. Most house break ins are carried out by 12 to 16 year olds, monday to friday between 0900 and 1200 on an opportunist basis. Every now and then they round up the known culprits, beat 'em up a bit and dump them out in the country for a nice long walk home.

Wow, I thought folks in Alabama were rednecks. Sounds like you've found their Roman brethren.