We have just returned from a 10 day stay in Rome which was made absolutely perfect by our wonderful accommodations at Gli Archi and our hosts Pina and Leonardo. The apartment was clean, well equipped, modern and very conveniently located in a little neighbourhood just a 5 minute walk to the Porta Furba metro station. From there, it’s no more than about 10 minutes to the historical city centre. The neighbourhood is quiet and safe, with an ancient aqueduct running right behind the building. At the end of the road there is a beautiful quiet park, perfect for strolling in the early morning. A short walk takes you to the main road with a good market with everything you need – fresh baguettes, flatbreads, deli meats, cheeses, cereal, snacks, wine and beer. There is a wonderful patisserie, a pharmacy, bank machine etc. Three restaurants in the area are the Il Giardino Segreto, the Ristorante al Borgo and the Il Pomodoro. All are good but our favorite was the Giardino Segreto with one of the best antipasto platters going, pizza to die for, friendly service and a great atmosphere. Be hungry!
Pina was wonderful. We booked her for a three hour tour of the Vatican City, well worth it as she is very knowledgeable and brings history alive. By providing us with a local cell phone we were able to contact Pina almost instantly, like having a personal concierge in your pocket. She was so kind, friendly, funny and helpful we never felt like we were totally on our own. They will also pick you up (and drop you off) or organize transport for you, to and from the airport for a nominal fee, which is highly recommended, and greatly appreciated, after a very long flight! She left us a lovely bottle of their home made wine which was a welcome treat after a long day sight seeing.
Rome is truly the greatest “walking around” city on Earth. Bring stout shoes, a sense of humour, good maps and remember that getting lost is half the fun. Be sure to purchase a Roma Pass which gets you two days unlimited metro and two “ticket holder” entrances (bypass the lineups) which are best used for the Coliseum and the Forum which seem to have endless ticket queues.
When we return to Rome (and we will) we will be booking our stay with Pina at the Gli Archi. We can’t wait to get back. Ciao!
Cathy and Garth/Vancouver Island British Columbia Canada