Book your stay here-- don't think twice! We loved our time at Aldo's apartment in the Monti district because of its prime location. Prior to booking this Airbnb, we worked with a travel agent who kept trying to book us rooms in the Prati and Ludovisi districts. We are so happy we ditched the travel agent and stayed in the Monti district because it was far less touristy than the other two districts and gave us more of a feel of daily life in Rome. The apartment is easily accessible from Roma Termini: After arrival, all you need to do is transfer to the Laurentina line and ride one stop to Cavour. There are two ways to get to the apartment from the Cavour station-- one involves more stairs and the other is more straightforward without as many stairs; either way, the apartment is a quick 4 minute walk from the Cavour station. Aldo's street, Via del Boschetto, is well situated for everything you may need during your stay: it has a grocery store (Conad), restaurants (Er Baretto, Pasta Imperiale, Le Tavernelle, Glauco Gelati, al42 by Pasta Chef Rione Monti), and close proximity to tourist attractions (10 minute walk to the Colosseum, 13 minute walk to Trevi Fountain, 18 minute walk to Spanish Steps, 20 minute walk to the Pantheon, 30 minute walk to Trastevere). We also thought that the street was one of the prettiest streets in all Rome due to the colorful buildings, beautiful architecture, and lovely draping ivy. Even though it has a popular piazza and tons of restaurants, the street quiets down by bedtime and is peaceful for a good night's rest.
Aldo was a wonderful host. He met us at the apartment to give us an orientation of our home away from home and helped carry our luggage up the single flight of stairs. The apartment is huge-- it has four rooms and they are all spacious and well equipped. The kitchen has a large refrigerator, and Aldo provided fresh fruit and some breakfast foods. The kitchen features many thoughtful touches like a drying rack next to the sink, laundry detergent, utensils for cooking and eating, and nice dishes for meals. The next room is a bedroom with access to a balcony that includes two drying racks with clothespins. There is a larger table for meals in this room that also served as great storage space. The bathroom has ample provided toiletries, including an extra toothbrush, tissues, shampoos, razors, and even a first aid kit. The last room is the main bedroom and includes a cozy couch, a bed, a desk area, and two gorgeous windows that open up to the street. This room also has every piece of information you need to plan your days in Rome: guide books, restaurant recommendations, maps, books, and more. Aldo was communicative before, during, and after the trip. He sent information to help us plan our stay before we arrived, send maps to help us find his apartment, and was in touch if we needed anything while we were there. He was so kind and you can tell he genuinely wants to share his city with his guests. It was comforting to be far away from home and to know we had someone who cared about us and was willing to help us if needed. Both bedrooms have an air conditioning unit and a standing fan to help keep the living spaces cool.
Finally, the building itself is extremely secure. There is an outside door that requires a key, a gate that requires a second key in order to access the spiral staircase, and of course a key required to access the door to Aldo's apartment. We felt very safe with these measures and would have felt safe even without them, because the neighborhood is wonderful.
We highly recommend this apartment without any reservation and we hope that others enjoy their stay here as much as we did. Thanks, Aldo!