Serena is the most attentive, helpful and wonderful host one could hope for. Having her as a host is like having a private tour guide! Not that she guided me in person, but through her digital communication, she offered countless suggestions for sites, activities and dining, far beyond those you would find in a guidebook.
The apartment, once you enter inside the ancient stone walls and courtyard, is a marvel of practicality and convenience and rich with subtle artistic touches. Not to mention heavenly Italian pastry snacks and bischotti-like treats, candies and just the nicest little welcoming and cheerful accents everywhere. I left the murphy bed in its deployed state; there was still plenty of room for me to work on my two laptops on the central table and move about the apartment. But the bed folds easily-no buffed muscles required, so you can certainly have the extra space if desired.
I found Rome challenging in terms of finding my way around the streets with lengthy and sometimes multiple names, but with a little help from a map app or two, I got the hang of it. Serena's place is about a 10 minute walk from the Colosseum, but if you're up for an extended walk or two, you can get to all the great neighborhoods and sites. There is also a metro station just blocks away, which easily connects you to most of the important sites.
Overall, I could not have had a better experience