There is so much to love about Francesca's apartment in the Trastavere neighborhood! It was very hot in Rome when we arrived in the first week of August, so just walking in to the air-conditioned apartment was a joy and a relief. The 3-bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment was perfect for our family of four to stretch out and relax in. The Trastavere neighborhood turned out to be one of our favorite parts of Rome - a real neighborhood, with few tourists compared to across the river. On Francesca's block is a really good pizzeria (right across the street), a great deli a few doors down, a vintage clothing store, and a burger joint that's open late. Around a couple of corners is Fatamorgana, one of the best gelaterias in all of Rome. There's a pharmacy about a block away too, really everything you need is right there.
We stayed in and cooked several times during our 5-night stay, and there are several supermarkets just a few blocks away. The kitchen is very well-equipped, and the dishwasher made clean-up easy. The beds are comfortable, the linens and pillows are good quality, and the laundry machine upstairs was a real lifesaver! We didn't miss a dryer; hanging clothes up in an air-conditioned room dried them overnight.
We never used our car except for out-of-town excursions, and we always found street parking right outside the door (you have to pay for parking at the newsagent across the street, it was 8 Euro per day). There's a garage nearby if you want to keep your car off the street, but it's a very safe neighborhood for parked cars. It was a 30 minute walk to the Colosseum, a 30 minute walk to the Vatican, a 10 minute tram ride + 20 minute walk to the Trevi Fountain / Spanish Steps. You can't get much more central than this!
We threw our coins into the Trevi Fountain, so when we return to Rome we hope to stay here again. Thanks, Francesca!