Our host communicated well and came to meet us when we arrived. We found a clean, updated apartment with large, nicely decorated rooms and high ceilings. It is located in a classic Trastevere residential building; a big green wooden “door within a door” leads to an open courtyard and a separate scala for each part of the building. The tiny elevator works, and the stairs that circle around it are easy to navigate. The lock to the apartment is secure, although the door to the street is often left or held open.
We experienced the construction noise that some other reviewers have noted. Heavy work, breaking up slabs of concrete, drilling and banging starting at 8:00 AM. Sounded like a bathroom remodel. Thank goodness for the weekend! We took that in stride; it’s a six-story building with a lot of apartments. It may happen while you’re there; it may not.
The block on which the building is situated has everything! Across the street is a flower market. Beyond that is Piazza San Cosimato, an open plaza that offers fruit and vegetable market in the morning, school children playing and the boys playing futbol in the afternoon. Take a walk around the block to identify the many restaurants, gelateria, grocery stores, convenience stores and banks. You will need to visit the groceria at the start of your stay to pick up a few things you’ll need for your kitchen. Coffee for the espresso machine, paper towels, beer, wine and so on. We found a plug converter at an electronics shop. Across the plaza is a farmacia which is perfect for your Covid test before flying home.
Trastevere is fascinating and alive. It is grimy and covered in graffiti, with several restaurants on every block. Outdoor dining is everywhere! Join the thousands of people milling around. Be prepared to walk. A lot. On the last day we watched a movie crew set up down the street to shoot a Fast and Furious segment.
The only negatives we could mention are that the bedroom window opens onto a catwalk that is a part of another apartment, so it had to be closed to avoid the chatter, smoking and telephone conversations going on immediately outside of the window. The air conditioners are marginal and only recycle the air in the room. You’ve got to open the windows from time to time to freshen it up.
We stayed for six days and had a great time! Comparing notes with our fellow travellers staying nearby, our apartment was by far the more inviting meeting place.