Simona's brother met us and gave us a good foundation for exploring Rome.
There were also extra maps and tour guides available to us. There were 5 in our group and Simona's apartment worked very well for us, although the 5th person doesn't have much privacy - it wasn't a problem for us because we were only there for 2 nights, but it might be an issue for some. Also, I wish we would have learned to use the bus system sooner, because it would have saved walking up the hill, which wasn't a problem at all, but would definitely have saved us some time. The location was great for attending mass at the Vatican. Would definitely return to this apartment! Also, after we left, we discovered that we had left behind an electronic device which Simona kindly mailed to our friend in Florence. Not many hosts would go to such trouble - it was truly appreciated!