We are finally settled back into American life after our week in Rome. We had another fabulous stay at the Cicero apartment, and the greeting worked out just fine. The apartment was every bit as perfect as before. I neglected to mention to the owner that the new windows were a super investment. What a difference they made. When shut, you could barely hear the street noise, which was a huge change from the old. 

Of course, the owner was an absolute doll again. She remembered all of us and even had a ‘Welcome Back Jacob’ sign for our son.

Thanks again for your help. We have vowed to go back again! We still don’t think we’ve seen it all.

The Cicero apartment in Monti is in a wonderful central location. Monti has many cozy Osterias, small local designer boutiques and antique shops. The area is not overrun by tourists (yet) and feels more like being in a village than in a large city. El Baretto, the little cafe across the street has the best capucchino in town and became our favorite place to start and end the day. If you like a retreat in which you can sit comfortably and look out at the world after an exhausting day of walking and sight seeing Cicero is not be the right choice for you. The two windows of the apertment face the narrow one way street (Via del Boschetto) and since the apartment is on the 2nd american floor you will not see the sky unless you stand right at the window. This made us a bit claustrophic so we spent minimal time in the apartment itself. Lesson learned, next time we will get the apartment with a terrace. If this is not one of your concerns and you are looking for a nicely decorated apartment,equipped with all necessities,very secure and in an area that is still authentic and lovely...Cicero is for you!

Let me start off by saying that our greeter, Paul Goldfield and the owner (I can't remember her name) were awesome. They were very nice and answered all our questions, arranged taxi's for us, explaine how to use everything in the apartment, recommended places to eat, etc. We really liked the apartment, it was clean, had lots of books on Rome to use. We especially liked the neighbourhood. It had a very non tourist feel to it. There were many local people around which we really liked. One of the things we really liked doing was going down the street at the end of the night to the local fountain and hanging out with the neighbours and have a beer. People were very friendly. I would definatly recommend IP to my friends. As a matter of fact I already did.

Mike

Beatrice and Gianni are two of the nicest people. They made everything so nice for us, from the bottle of wine and fruit and chocolates, to the maps, lists of restaurants, markets, sights to see...just on and on. They spent the time going over everything with us making us feel like we were being welcomed by two friends. The apartment is so beautiful...Beatrice has made sure there is everything one would need at your finger tips. She has done a fabulous job making the apartment unforgettable, thus making Rome unforgettable. The apartment is in such a perfect location. Only a couple of blocks to the Colosseum, and a pleasant walk to the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain. It has been a pleasure going through Italy Perfect. Thank you so much.

This is a spacious and comfortable apartment in the heart of Rome. The high ceilings make the apartment feel even more spacious. It is easy to walk to many major sights from here and the metro is only a few blocks away. The neighborhood feels more cozy than lots of other parts of Rome. The owner is very friendly and helpful.

We really enjoyed our stay in the Cicero apartment. The location was fabulous -- NOT swarming with tourists but so close to the Colosseo that we saw it every day. We used the wonderful notebook of information Beatrice left and shopped in the neighborhood for fresh pasta, cheese, wine and salume, gelato and other critical items. We hung out in the piazza one evening with all the locals, enjoying a glass of wine before dinner. It was great! The apartment was very comfortable and very quiet at night (unlike an apartment we rented near Piazza Navona the previous year from another company). We had our breakfast espressi each morning at the bar across the street before heading off on that day's adventure. We booked tours with Through Eternity for the Forum/Coloseum and their Underground tour. Both were excellent: very knowledgable guides, small groups and a good value. We did our own day trip to Pompeii. It was fantastic! Had a great meal at Al Bric, near Campo dei Fiori. Tried to get into Taverna Trilussa in Trastevere our last night but when we called for a reservation, the earliest seating they had was at 11:30 (yes, PM!). Ah well, something to look forward to on our next trip. We will definitely book through Italy Perfect again. We really appreciated all the information and assistance Pat provided. Thank you!

It’s in a fantastic spot (my wife and I loved just looking out the window and watching people walking up and down the street). The apartment is a good size and it had everything we needed and more. It’s a little thing but even having some English language DVD’s there with a Roman theme was a really nice touch.

The really good thing about the apartment is that it’s located in a quiet, homely, street and you don’t feel like you are in the middle of Rome but once you walk out the door, you’re within 5 to 10 minutes walk to the Colosseum, Forum, etc.  Our hosts made us feel really welcome. They were even nice enough to let us leave our bags there in the morning while they were in the middle of cleaning. Honestly, it was our favourite place on our trip.  It was perfect for our family with the two bedrooms, kitchen, laundry, etc. There was nothing it didn’t have that we needed (and having the cafe across the street so we could get some nice, warm brioche with our coffee was a very nice bonus).

My wife and I have said a couple of times that we would live there given the chance.  Can’t say enough about it. We really loved the area and I’m sure it was a major reason on why we enjoyed Rome so much more than we had expected.

We just returned from our trip last night and needless to say I am very depressed about being back...I miss Italy already!

Just so you know, the apartment in Rome was outstanding.  Gianni and Beatrice could not have been nicer.  They made us feel very welcome and the place was immaculate.  We had everything we needed and I was especially happy about being able to go right down stairs and have my coffee in the morning at L'Arte di Cafe while the girls slept in.  They would just pop their head outside to let me know they were up.

Thanks again for all you help in planning a great trip!

We loved the apartment and are considering renting it again next year.  The appointments and amenities are well thought out.  It was a very comfortable and pretty space to stay in.  We also loved the neighborhood.  Thank you and Beatrice for all of the arrangements.

The location is in a pefect location. Not right on top of the heavy tourist action (a good point) but not so far that you couldn't walk to most of the major sites. The colesseum was ten minutes walking and the trevi fountain and spanish steps were further but within walking distance.

The apartment was airy and comfortable, and provided a wonderful bathtub to soak in after a day of walking. The city does not have the metro which Paris has, but the location of the apartment made it easy to get around as I said by foot, or by bus, or if you prefer the short distances meant that taxis were a reasonable alternative.

The staff of ItalyPerfect and the greeter were both very helpful and provided lots of good information to help us get our bearings for our first time in the city. We ran into a bit of a glitch at the end of our stay as a result of the ash disruption of air traffic and the greeter was very understanding and accomodating.

I will be recommending the apartment and ItalyPerfect to my friends. Thank you.

Hi Pat,

Loved the apartment. The help that Beatrice gave us ws wonderful. She really helped us feel our apaartment was a home away from home. That included great local resturants as well as local events.

Our apartment was perfect. Small but cozy but the best benefit was the great Roman neigborhood.

Monti, is truly a local Roman neigborhood. After three weeks I felt like it was home and am still thinking about our coffee across the street at the cafe with free wifi or the owners of the Resturant that wished us well with hugs and kisses when we left, like old friends. Couldn't find a better location to spend three weeks in Rome. I almost felt home sick for Monti when I returned to Washington.

Everything was perfect.

We were in the 2 bedroom Cicero apartment for 5 days and had a lovely time. Although the second bedroom was a bit small, it was just perfect for our 2 children (aged 12 and 8). The owner Beatrice was delightful and thought of all the little things you need in the home to make it comfortable. We were initially concerned about the cost of electricity but if you are sensible and dont leave your airconditioner on 24/7, the tarrif in the rent should cover utilities (ours did). The apartment location was very good. We saw a lot of the Colloseum (since it was within working distance) and were able to walk to most of the shops, resturant and buses we needed. The folder provided by Beatrice was also very handy. The apartment is highly recommended!

I stayed at the Cicero apartment for a week with my sister and brother-in-law. They had the large bedroom, which was lovely and spacious. I had the smaller one, so pretty and cozy, and I loved it. There are charming paintings and framed photographs on the wall and a bookcase full of interesting books.

The place has a classic feel to it, with a bust of Cicero (made by the owner, Beatrice, it turns out) in the living room, and a piece of stone that was discovered when the site was excavated. The building, we were told, dates from the seventeenth century. You can tell that from the beautiful dark wood beams on the ceiling. Otherwise the apartment seems modern, very fresh and attractive.

Beatrice has thought of everything for her guests' comfort and pleasure. There's a TV and DVD player, with several movies supplied. (We watched The Gladiator after touring the Coliseum, didn't have time to watch Roman Holiday.) In the smaller bedroom I found a CD player with some good CDs. The living room and bathroom were both spacious and lovely. Dishes of candy and a bowl of apples were thoughtfully provided.

The kitchen is small, but quite efficient. We enjoyed shopping in the neighborhood for our food, preparing simple meals and eating at the table at one side of the living room.

One thing I would have liked is an electric coffeepot. The small Italian coffeepot was good for a couple of cups of cappuccino, but wasn't enough for three people and was too difficult for me to figure out in the morning (though the others mastered it). I usually went downstairs to the bar/coffee shop/restaurant across the street—very convenient, and good for people-watching. [A drip coffee pot has been put into the apartment, now.]

Beatrice and our greeter (I think his name was Paul) were both very kind and helpful. He spoke excellent English and had a good sense of humor. She had prepared a very comprehensive notebook containing maps, information on transportation, suggestions for restaurants and entertainment, and instructions for all the appliances in the apartment. That was wonderful! (By the way, the “quick” setting on the washing machine is by far the easiest.)

We enjoyed the neighborhood—the cobblestone streets, the shops, the street musicians, the gelateria! We could get everything we needed nearby, and there were plenty of restaurants. The Coliseum, the Forum, and St. Peter in Chains are in walking distance. The subway and buses are very convenient.

Though each bedroom had a good air conditioner, the place stayed pretty cool, and often we just opened our shuttered windows for a breeze. The place across the street was open at night, with people laughing and talking outdoors, so a couple of times when I went to bed early, I was glad I had my earplugs with me. (It wasn't obnoxious at all; the other two didn't need any such sleep aids. I just thought I'd suggest that for sensitive sleepers like me.)
This is a lovely, spacious apartment with so many charming and thoughtful touches. We all had plenty of room to relax and enjoy ourselves.

Beatrice even arranged transportation to the airport for us. She took care of it on the day of our arrival, so we didn't have to worry at all about that.

All of us loved the place. We recommend it highly.

We had a lovely trip. Our hostess was so gracious and welcoming--the Italian version of you!  If I ever lived in Rome, I would want to befriend her! She had put together a nice notebook with maps and suggestions for restaurants, shops, current exhibits, etc. She left us with a bowl of fresh fruit and other thoughtful amenities--and none of it expected. The apartment worked perfectly for us. It was charming and well-equipped. We would certainly recommend Italy Perfect and the Cicero apartment. Best wishes, Cary P.S. You've really done such a nice job dotting all the i's and crossing t's. We appreciated the material you sent and thought the Kid's Book was great.