Location, location, location! Bruno's place was nestled the most charming neighborhood close to the Pantheon but not at all sketchy and not at all crowded! We really felt like locals coming back here each night. Even though there are two busy restaurants right outside our door, we didn't hear any noise from the apartment! The perks of being in a really old building, I suppose!
Bruno was amazing right off the bat. He met us at check-in and gave us a map with a rundown of all the attractions in relation to where we were staying. We were able to see nearly everything in our 3 days (didn't get to go to Vatican City - I think we should've stayed an extra night for that). He was clear at communicating everything we needed to know about the place and mentioned that he offers train station or airport transportation at an additional fee! We felt really comfortable right off the bat, and felt really safe!
Visiting in August meant that the weather in Rome was unbearably hot and the AC unit in the apartment was working over time. The AC broke the first night and I messaged Bruno about it. He responded quickly and was able to get it fixed the next morning while we were out. He did not notify us that he'd have someone come the next day though — we just came back to a working AC unit. We were happy it was fixed but we would've wanted a heads-up so we can pack up our things a bit. It was a little scary seeing that things were moved around in order to fix the AC. A minor thing though in the grand scheme of things.
The bed was SOO comfortable too! It's a king bed - which is kind of hard to find! Most of our Italy trip ended up being smaller beds or two single beds pushed together so that was nice. Perfect after a long day of walking and sightseeing!
My boyfriend particularly enjoyed the coffee/espresso machine. He couldn't get enough! Whatever coffee he uses was fantastic and he loved waking up to a perf cup of espresso before each day's activities. The kitchen is not the most equipped for cooking at home though, so we didn't do any of that! Also the fridge is just a mini fridge next to the bed upstairs, which wasn't the most convenient for us to store drinks from the grocery store but it was fine. Just something to note.
Tons of restaurants are just steps away! We didn't try either of the restaurants right outside our place but they were always full and smelled so good walking by! We did try the pizza place called Brucio nearby which had insanely good pizzas! The Amatriciana pizza was our favorite! We also loved Cantina E Cucina which was about an 8 min walk from the rental. Definitely go here for dinner and live music on the street along with a book store speakeasy a couple doors down for after dinner cocktails!
Before you head out, don't forget to try All'Antico Vinaio for giant delicious sandwiches! There's always a huge line all day but since Bruno's place is just a 5 min walk from it, you have the advantages of getting there quickly. We grabbed our sandwiches at opening (10:30am) before heading for the train. We were so glad there was a location in Rome because we didn't get to have it in Florence because the lines were so crazy.
All in all, a wonderful stay in Rome at a great value! Be close to tons of delicious restaurants, Pharmacies, attractions, bus stops (which were super easy to figure out - just buy tickets a Tabacchi store first). Such a perfect spot to lay your head and see all of Rome's attractions.