I cannot say enough good things about both Michele's apartment, and Michele himself, but I'll try. The apartment is a block away from the Tiber River, and a block in the other direction to the place where Julius Caesar met his end. It's directly across the street from a lovely park where we took our coffee every morning, and watched people walk their dogs in the evening. From the apartment, you can walk almost anywhere. We walked to The Coliseum, the Forum, Campo di Fiori, Trastevere, the Vatican, Borghese Gardens (rent the covered bikes!) Circus Maximus, Castel d'Angelo, and Trevi Fountain. Between all of these places, you'll find a million great restaurants (from good street food to $100 meals) and another million great places to shop for souvenirs (from plastic trinkets to fine Italian leather). If you were looking at a map and trying to choose the best central location to see all of the Rome sites you've read about or visited before, Michele's place is perfect. The building is beautiful. As with much of Rome, is is a mixture of new and old. The building itself is several hundred years old, with a gorgeous marble entry. But the apartment is renovated, modern (and air conditioned!). If you're looking for the beating heart of Rome, this is it.
And as for Michele himself, he was such a gracious host. He runs a shop not far away from the apartment, and he invited us to come by. When we met him there, he treated us as though we were old friends. He took time away from the busiest part of the shopping day to give us some insider information, including the best coffee in Rome. I won't reveal the secret--that's up to Michele. But he's right--it was wonderful coffee. He also let us know where to see a Caravaggio painting that not many tourists get to see, and he gave us a list of great restaurants and bars to visit. During our visit, I had a couple of occasions to send him AirBnB messages, and he always responded within minutes. This world could use more Italians; specifically, this world could use more Michele's. He's truly a gracious and helpful host. I also wanted to mention his assistant, Mrs. Joan, who checked us in to the apartment. She was super-helpful and friendly and made us feel at home right away (thank you so much, Mrs. Joan!).
I am new to AirBnB. Michele's place was the second of 3 properties we stayed at in Europe. Michele has had a big part in forming my opinion of AirBnB, and he is a credit to the company. From now on, I'll only stay in hotels when I don't have another choice. I look forward to visiting Rome again one day, and if Michele's place is available, that's where I'll be.