Pros
Micheala was flexible with check in check out time, which was nice with odd flight schedules.
Good location for public transportation. The bus stop is right outside the door. Quattro venti is a ten minute walk (although it was closed for many of the days I was there)
The park (pamphili doria) is right outside. It is close to a gas station and supermarket.
It's about a 40 minute walk to any major attraction (Vatican, colloseum, trevi fountain, etc). However, it is all uphill on the way back.
The apartment is clean and the bed is comfortable. There is a chair and desk and wardrobe provided.
Feels pretty safe and secure. I was a solo female traveller and wasn't nervous here. There are some homeless people that camp out across the street however. There are 4 keys to get inside from the front gate, door to the building, door to the shared foyer with micheala, and door to your room. Note that some of the keys are ancient, so you might spend some time wiggling them at the door trying to get them to work.
Cons
It is listed as its own apartment, but feels more like a room of Michaela's apartment. You share an entry way/foyer and your room is essentially a hallway of her house that has a locked door on it. The shared entry way has some issues as well as her dog will sometimes bark at you as you leave or enter. Also, if you deadbolt the door, they will often not deadbolt it when they leave, which was a security concern. You can hear them coming and going all night, which is frustrating.
The appliances are ancient. The fridge lets off a lot of heat and melts all food placed on the counter above it. It also hums and rings all the time, so you can hear it all night. The hot plate works, but is very old. The washing machine is very tough on clothes and it's hard to keep them nice. I recommend not doing any laundry. Micheala initially had a drying rack in the shared foyer space the first week I was there, but it disappeared and I had to dry the wet clothes other ways.
The entry way lights don't work. You have to turn on the kitchen lights as you come in.
The apartment was so so hot in the summer. Micheala provided a fan, but it was still really hard to sleep at night. I had to keep all the windows open, and the neighborhood is not exactly quiet. This only took a little bit of the heat away. I would often come home to a boiling apartment. I would recommend not staying in the summer months and getting a place with AC.
The listing says it is close to John Cabot, but it is over a mile away. This made for some long walks. It is close to the American university of Rome, so I wonder if that's what the listing meant.
The WiFi can handle about one device at a time, and is still pretty slow. Don't plan on streaming anything or uploading anything.
Overall it wasn't a terrible experience, but it wasn't great. Good for one person who is staying a short time, but not in the summer. I'd consider it if you didn't want to cook at all.
Overall it wasn't a terrible experience, but it wasn't great. Good for one person who is staying a short time, but not in the summer.