Guesthouse Arco dei Tolomei
Hotel
Rome, Italy
€€€
This is really a B&B (you are given your own key) in the wing of the delightful house where the owners live. It is on a tiny hillock in a very short backstreet, rarely used by cars, which leads out of Piazza in Piscinula and through the arch from which the street is named. The rooms are delightfully furnished with great taste and the three on the upper floor have their own terraces. Guests are encouraged to use the books and guides as well as the computer. The simple sounds of life in the street below (not, for once, drowned out by cars) is exceptional in any city today. Breakfast is served in the family dining room and the owners are always available (together with their very friendly staff) to help you plan your day. On the less busy side of Trastevere but close to some excellent and reasonably-priced restaurants, it is a true delight to set off each morning to explore the city across the Roman footbridge on the Tiber island, and all the great monuments are within walking distance. There is a garage nearby in Via Anicia.
€€ Hotel Santa Maria. [R] Vicolo del Piede 2 (corner of Via della Pelliccia), T: 06 589 4626, www.hotelsantamaria.info. 18 rooms. Map p. 638, A3. A very unusual hotel, built in 2000 in an area once a convent and later a repair yard for carriages. The rooms are built on just one storey around two large garden courts planted with orange trees and the porticoes recall the convent cloister. The friendly atmosphere and architecture suggest you are in the countryside rather than in a large city, and you are encouraged to borrow a bicycle, free of charge. The rooms are plainly furnished, with tiled floors, and are particularly suitable for families as some of them can sleep four or more. Breakfast is served across the courtyard in a pleasant room beyond a bar where a free buffet is prepared with snacks between 5.30 an 7 (you buy your own drinks). Very pleasant staff. If you give advance warning you can park inside (just two spaces) or at the garage next door. The Residenza Santa Maria is under the same management.
Number of rooms: 6
