Mara went above an beyond for us. From an early and unscheduled arrival on our part, to coming in at 10:30pm to help us figure out the AirCon/Heating units for my father (who can't sleep unless it's below a certain temperature), to calling us a cab at 7am to take us to the airport. She was amazingly accommodating and always available. I can't say enough about how much we enjoyed this location.

I know some people have complained about the location, but frankly, if you want to stay where REAL Romans live, then this is the place for you. It was incredibly safe, the amenities in the area are all easy to access, and the people were amazingly kind to 3 Americans who couldn't speak much Italian and were lost in their stores. We never once had to use buses and were able to take the Tram that's near the apartment pretty much everywhere we wanted. (It's much faster and more convenient than any of the buses because of traffic. Most of the time you can walk faster than the buses.)

I would (and already have) recommend(ed) this apartment to anyone coming to stay in Rome. Having walked and been to a number of the main tourist attractions in the main part of Rome, this location is cheaper and WAY more value for your money than most of the locations closer to the Colosseum/etc. Those areas around the main attractions are expensive, the streets are less welcoming, things are kind of dirty, there's lots of crowds, noise and mostly just people trying to sell you something you don't want, and at ridiculous prices.

I'd highly recommend trying something out of your comfort zone and stay where the people who actually live in any particular city are. This is where you'll have your best local experiences with the people who embody whatever country you're visiting.

Mara had lots of literature available for the surrounding area, and has a wealth of information stored in her head for getting around the city efficiently and safely. And if she doesn't know, she'll track down the answer.

(Extra tip, if you need to purchase extra tram tickets, there's a newspaper stand near the apartment Tram stop that sells them. It's on the same side of the street as the apartment, so it's very easy to access.)

Next time I'm in Rome, Mara's is the only place I'll consider staying.