Locanda Otello Rossi is the name of the lovely lady who seemed to understand every word I said, but only replied with smiles and gestures. The warmth and hospitality of she and her family made up for any personal incoveniences from within. They''ve 6 various sized rooms for rent - of which mine was a basic single that was plain and simple with sparse furnishings. There were large windows which opened into an unused inner-courtyard and allowed the pattering rains to enhance my "crash and burns." I paid L50,000 a night for the off-season though signs posted indicated rates would go up to L80,000 in April/May and L100,000 for the summer. All rooms used shared bathrooms/showers which were large and kept very clean.

NOTICE - Those allergic to cats and dogs should look elsewhere as the spoiled and friendly pets definitely had an unobtrussive run of the house!

One of the interesting and humorous aspects of Rome''s older buildings are the elevators. In this building, at 6''4" my head barely cleared the compartment which only had room for three people to squeeze shoulder-to-shoulder lengthwise. Standing side-ways was out of the question with the shallow depth which pinned your body between the walls. Those with luggage go one at a time. With all the accomodations, residents, office workers, etc. in the building, there was often quite the wait for the elevator. I faithfully took the stairs down from the 5th floor (piano 4 in Italian) and even walked up a few times.

I felt the location was excellent within a block-and-a-half of Termini Station on the east side. It yielded quick access to Metro lines, a nice hike to-and-from the Colosseum, and the area was loaded with stores and eateries. And while I was in my element, I''m not sure all would be completely comfortable with all the riff-raff which tend to collect near trasnportation hubs and were often lining the side streets.

* Read my "ACCOMODATIONS NIGHTMARES in General" entry for the real low-down on trying to find a place to stay.