Suite Marzia Colosseum

Forty square metres on the second floor of a historic building, with a lift that spares you the stairs after a day on your feet. The floor is the original yellow-and-blue cement tiling you only find in real Roman homes.

The living room opens onto a balcony overlooking a leafy square: the right spot for the first coffee in the morning and for a glass before going out at night. Two separate bedrooms and a full bathroom make it comfortable for four — two couples, or a family with older children.

You're in the Esquilino, the district between the Colosseum and San Giovanni: central enough to do everything on foot, lived-in enough not to feel like a postcard. The Oppian Hill is your shortcut to the Forums, San Clemente is around the corner, and the Circus Maximus is a walk away.

Downstairs you have the bar for breakfast, the pharmacy, the supermarket and a couple of trattorias where the food is done properly.