If you want to feel like you are living in one of the "real" Romes, stay in the Garbatella at Garbabella. This neighborhood is a destination in itself. We found fabulous, inexpensive food, friendly shopkeepers, and a special social and architectural history. The neighborhood bustles with local Romans of all ages going about their daily business. There's great transportation too - bus, metro and the regional train all a short walk away. We bought a CIS transportation card (unlimited for 7 days) and it was carefree to hop on and off buses, trams and trains all week without constantly dealing with buying tickets. We walked around the Garbatella neighborhood a lot and then spent more time than we had expected in the apartment itself when we weren't feeling well for a couple days. The apartment has everything you need and Alessandro emailed us with fun things to do and answers to our questions. There's a terrific view from the front balcony (yes, there are front and back balconies) where you can listen to the sounds of kids playing, people working and the hum of the city from your balcony. (The bedroom is in the back if you like quiet at night.) It was this time that made us truly fall in love with the Garbatella and the apartment, eating on the balcony, watching the light change around the buildings in the distance, listening to the city symphony of Rome.