Antonella is very friendly. I did not see her except on the day of arrival and the day before I left, and for the most part dealt with her pleasant partner, and his mother who lived in next door apt. I originally planned to stay at Antonella's place for 7 or 8 nights, but had to cut it short because of the shower situation. Although Antonella's posting says there is a hot shower, my experience was that there was no hot water (lukewarm at best with occasional hot water) and it was not a shower, but a bath. So, of the 6 days that I stayed there I could only take a shower for 2 days, and the other days I had to clean myself in the sink! Antonella and her partner were away for a long weekend and because of this and the no resolution to shower situation I was left with no choice but to look for alternative accommodation, , which took precious time off the few days I was in Rome. But because of the holiday there were nothing available that could fit my budget at such short notice. Of most importance to a traveler are a solid bed, a clean place, and a hot shower. Antonella's place was clean, with a good bed. But I was not happy with facing an unexpected situation where I would have to heat up water in the kitchen, carry it to the bathroom, and then take a bath (this is what Antonella's partner suggested!) I had to cut my intended stay in Rome, and negotiated a lower rate with them. Had I paid them in advance, perhaps I would not have been able to do so because they did not easily agree to the reduction and kept saying that there was nothing wrong with the water! I would give a 5 out of 5 for cleanliness and separate room with good bed, but I would give a 1 or maybe 2 out of 5 for false advertising about hot shower and insensitivity to this basic need for any traveler.

I really enjoyed staying at Maria's place. The 3 important items for any traveler in any accommodation are: a solid bed, hot shower with good water pressure, and closeness to center of action. And the place that Maria provided had all these elements. It is a a clean outhouse, with separate entrance, so it is independent of Maria's family living space. The breakfasts are a disappointment for someone coming from US (basically just coffee and some sweets) but so is the breakfast in most of Italy. Maria doesn't speak much English (and I am sad to admit I don't speak any Italian.) So there was not much of a cultural exchange, and most of my primitive communication was done through her young sons. I recommend Maria's place to anyone looking for a good deal, though.