Marco's apartment is extremely well placed in the city, well laid out, spacious, quiet in the evenings, comfortable for relaxing, has an amazing architectural and historical library - and frankly really rather cool.

The same could be said of Marco himself! He is very intelligent, enthusiastic and welcoming and, although we didn't need any help, I had the distinct impression that he would be very happy to help out with any problem at any time (he lives only about four or five minutes walk away).

You are provided with tickets that get you a coffee and a pastry in the mornings at the Emporio della Pace bar around the corner - the coffee is good. Next to it is the most splendid local Roman deli ("Antica Botteghe dei Sapori" if I remember correctly) which I highly recommend for putting together picnic lunches and the sort of dinners that I love in Italy when I'm not dining out - the apartment has an enormous glass table which we used several times for spreading out cold meats, cheeses, wine, olives and bread...

I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this as a place to stay. I have stayed in various apartments in the centre of Rome over the years, and this will certainly be at the top of my list when I next visit.