I got to live in Rome and it was awesome.

Rome is such an awesome city with so much history and so many things to do and see. I came to eat well, run in one of the greatest parks in the world, live in a great neighborhood, keep away from the crowds all the while having access to the city center in under 20 minutes by Tram.

I stayed at Casa Becco #2. Valentina and Stefano, the fantastic sibling combo, set everything up great - from directions from the airport to making sure the apartment was stocked with Italian coffee.

The pictures of the apartment are accurate: high ceilings, clean, bright, lots of light and quiet. It is equipped with everything you want (including laundry!). It is located in the heart of the MonteVerde neighborhood and Public transportation is 3 minutes away and will take you just about anywhere. Tram #8 comes every 8 minutes and will take you to city center in about 15 minutes.

The great thing about this apartment is that you never have to leave the neighborhood. You have some fantastic places to explore that are just around the block

My go-to delicatessen was Pan...ico on Eduardo Jenner. The staff delighted you with their desire to speak English with you, their delicious food, overwhelming selection, good prices.

My go-to whiskey bar was Le Bon Bock. Open in the evening, they have an excellent selection of whiskeys. They play from a reel to reel incredible live jazz recordings. The staff goes above and beyond to make you feel at home and bring a smile to your face.

My go-to cafe was a bohemian bar next to Le Bon Bock with excellent coffee, fresh pastries featuring chocolate and walnut, a great atmosphere, and a delightful staff who didn't know a lick of English but tried anyway. A great way to start the day.

For lunch or dinner, if I wasn’t eating something wonderful from Pan…ico, I would often frequent Trattoria di Cesare. There is nothing I can say about the trattoria that hasn't been said by others better. http://www.trattoriadacesare.it/testimonials/?lang=en

For pizza, I would often head to La Gatta Mangiona http://www.lagattamangiona.com/. It is some of the best Pizza in the city, and if I forgot to make reservations I’d grab an italian craft beer from Mad for Beer next door while I waited for a table.

Lastly, I was about half a mile from Parco Doria Pamphili, one of the greatest parks in the world. If I wasn’t running through the trails shaded by the Pines of Rome, I was watching an italian world pass by from a park bench, with a slice of cherry tomato and cayenne pepper pizza or pumpkin and bacon calzone from Pizza al Taglio di Elio Fattori down the street.

Casa Becco made all of this possible, and I am very grateful for Valentina and Stefan’s hospitality.