Our stay at Andrea's apartment was excellent. We (parents and three teenagers) arrived late at night, our first time in Rome, and Andrea had arranged for a driver from the airport and was waiting at the apartment to orient us. The location is right on Piazza dei Re di Roma, literally just steps from the Metro, which was so convenient to get to all the major sights as well as Termini station (4 stops, 6 minutes) for intercity train connections.

The bedrooms are all on the back side of the building, minimizing street noise, and the spacious living room faces the Piazza, where there was music and other activity. There is also a playground there, which would be nice for families with small children.

It was very hot in Rome during our stay, and we appreciated the air conditioning in the apartment. There are individual units in the two bigger bedrooms and one in the living room. The smaller third bedroom did not have AC, but the living room unit cooled off the place adequately so that we could turn it off when we went to bed, and our daughter was still comfortable in that third BR. Wi-Fi worked great. The washer/dryer unit plus drying rack came in handy. The shower was very clean and nicely designed, but the water temperature would fluctuate from hot to cold. This may be because we were not hanging out at the apartment long enough to leave on the water heater for the recommended three hours before use. The mattress in the double bedroom was not great, but not terrible either. Extra bedding and pillows were provided, as well as plenty of towels. Overall, the apartment was very clean and simply and nicely furnished -- but not TOO nice so that you worry about touching anything.

We liked the neighborhood a lot - definitely not a touristy area. There is a supermarket across the Piazza and many places to eat within steps of the apartment. We used several of Andrea's recommendations, including Shooters restaurant and the flea market by San Giovanni. We also highly recommend Trattoria Re di Roma, which is not on the Piazza but just around the corner, almost directly behind the apartment (we were able to get in without a reservation, but several people arriving after us were turned away). We had very good paninnis at a place just a block or so up via Acosta. My sons went out every morning for cornetti and enjoyed that Italian tradition!

Andrea provided a notebook of local information, guidebooks, and -- most helpful to us -- a laminated, fold-up map of the city. We thank him for providing us a comfortable oasis to come home to after long, hot days of experiencing the wonders of Rome!