Easily, EASILY my favorite stay in Italy. Loretta and her son love life and they're full of energy. I felt like I was visiting family; Loretta was so caring, and her son and the residents of the other rooms felt like cousins. We were like one, big, multicultural family. The house is situated on a quiet hill. The house is clean and our room was spacious. A small table near the entrance provides several maps and guidebooks. Loretta was very nice and let us borrow them during our stay. In the morning, the kitchen table offered coffee, breads and pastries, jams, tea, cereal, fresh fruit and fruit juices.

Down the hill from her house is a small cafe that has great cappuccino for just 1 Euro, a great way to start out your day. Near the cafe is a fruit stand run by some Egyptian guys; they spoke good English and were very friendly--great prices too; The surrounding area feels like a small town where everyone knows each other. It's great. I loved it.

It takes a little bit of time to get to the historical center of Rome (about 20, 30 minutes), and walking distance from her house to the bus stop was within 5, 10 minutes.

I already miss being at Loretta's. She and Manuel will always be a part of my incredible stay in Italy.