Where do I start to describe our beautiful experience at Loredana’s place in Rome? Ever since we first approached Loredana, we felt like we were being welcomed as her family. As I was going on the trip with my girls, Loredana assured my husband that she would take good care of his “ladies.” And, indeed, she did! Loredana was prompt and extremely helpful in our communication with her, giving us detailed directions, inside advice on Roman sites, and even offering to pick us up from the train station upon our arrival in Rome. The directions to her place ended with the sentence: “And now you arrive at your home for next week.” And a home we found! – with our hostess, all smiles, waiting at the front door and our “home,” beautiful and clean, welcoming us to Eternal Rome. Loredana had taken care of the minutest detail – from the tourist brochures and helpful information on local attractions, neighborhood cafés, and the best pasticceria and gelato – to the delicious items for our first breakfast that she had thoughtfully stored in the fridge.
Apart from Loredana’s hospitality, her apartment has the perfect location – close to the train station and all major attractions in Rome! We didn’t use any transportation and were able to walk to all the numerous places of interest, including the Vatican Museum, the Borghese Gallery and Trastevere, on the other side of the river. Best location ever!
We will definitely go back to Loredana’s home next time we are in Rome and would strongly recommend it to anyone who is lucky to travel to the Eternal City. We feel we left a family in Rome. And how wouldn’t we when, on our departure, Loredana surprised us with the most unforgettable gesture – she came just to bid us “good bye” and give my daughter, a passionate student in Latin, a book about the history of Rome, which she had inscribed with a heart-felt note, in Latin! Despite the innumerable captivating sites we were able to tour in Rome, I know that it would be this note, this book and this unexpected encounter with “family,” so far from home, that will live in the memory of my daughter (and all of us) forever.