Frederica’s place was terrific. Her co-host Michaela helped book a taxi for us from Fiumicino and she had met us at the apartment upon arrival. She was incredibly kind and helpful. The apartment was very easy to locate on Google Maps and easy to return to when we went out into the city. The apartment’s location is ideal. Just a few minutes and 2 blocks from the Vatican, a few more blocks up to reach the Vatican Museums. We loved taking a stroll through the park southeast of the apartment and spending a couple of nights in Trastevere, a beautiful and colorful city a few minutes south of Frederica’s place.
The apartment is up one floor from the ground floor. The building’s elevator was not working and both the elevator and stair way were pretty narrow. We had no problems bringing our bags up and down the stairs. Without the elevator, maneuvering is not wheelchair accessible. The inside of the apartment was very spacious. The kitchen/eating area was very clean and new. We used the gas stove and built-in refrigerator without difficulties. Having the sink for drinking water was also a plus! The bathroom was clean and the hosts gave us plenty of toilet paper, and travel sized soaps/shampoos/conditioners. The bedroom was also nice and big with a comfy bed. The comforter and one of the pillows was down (feather) and the other pillows were cotton. One of us is allergic to down but we made it work as we had sheets between us and the comforter. The huge window in the bedroom gives a great view of the Tiber River and the rest of the city across the river. There is a bus stop just a few feet from the window and apartment, but we only heard it if we were standing by the window and acknowledging the bus. Otherwise, noise wasn’t an issue. Also, we had access to Netflix on their TV.
Our flight from the US got delayed two hours which delayed our meeting with Michaela upon check-in, but the hosts did not stray from being more than welcoming. Michaela gave us a map and a quick Rome 101 lesson when we arrived. Using that introduction and Google Maps (offline maps downloaded) helped us navigate all week with ease. Check out was easy, and just a few blocks away (via Crescenzio, 19) was a SIT Bus Shuttle Stop that took us and our luggage back to Fiumicino airport for something like €12 each.
Getting in contact with Frederica or Michaela throughout the week was also simple. One night we humorously struggled to figure out how to close the bedroom window, and they responded through the Airbnb chat immediately to help.
For transportation, we originally planned to use the metro when visiting sites on the other side of the Tiber River. But, it ended up being really easy to walk to the sites (Trevi Fountain, Colosseo, Piazza Navona, Pantheon) if you don’t mind walking some. On a day where we visited the Forums, Colosseo, Trevi, and Spanish Steps, we did feel wiped out at the end of the day but we continued to walk most places throughout the week. The mini markets neighboring the apartment are full of useful things (food, soap, the bottle opener) and Sor’Eva was a nice restaurant next door to dine in. We’d also recommend the restaurant Di Massi down in Trastevere!
We couldn’t have asked for a better stay.