This was our first hotel on a three week trip through Italy and it was our first experience in a European hotel, and we were quite surprised. In contrast to the reviews of other hotels, we found the rooms in this hotel to be quite large and comfortable. The rooms are well maintained and very clean.

We were very impressed with the location of this hotel. It is only a ten minute walk to the Spanish Steps in one direction and the Vatican in the other direction. Very central and very convenient to all of the major tourist attractions. We walked everywhere from this hotel and found that it was the best way to get to know this wonderful city.

We didn't opt for the breakfast, but there is a lovely, modern cafe just below where we ordered two cappucinos and two croissants each morning for only 5 euros. Very cheap and very good coffee.

The owner and staff of this hotel are very friendly and helpful and also make for a great stay in Rome. The only negative comment that could be made about this place is the lack of insulation. The conversations on the street below sound as if they are in your room. So getting a good night sleep each night was a challenge, but once you get used to it, it isn't a big deal. If you are a light sleeper, you may find this a problem.

Here's a rundown of our experience with AntiquaRoma:

ROOM: Definitely above average, in terms of decor. Tastefully and conveniently furnished (unusually so), spacious and clean. Complimentary white wine and candies on the coffee table. High-ceilinged and well-ventilated. Reasonably powerful rotating fan (but no AC). TV and internal bathroom. Nice old building with character. All of these are good things.

A big demerit, though, was the street noise. In ninety-plus-degree weather (Fahrenheit), and in an upper-floor dwelling like this one, it is essential that windows remain open at all times - especially at night, when there's a chance to pull in the cool night air. Unfortunately, open windows also mean noise, and the worst noise involved the garbage pick-up. At exactly midnight every night, a lumbering garbage truck came by, stopped right under our window, and repeatedly went through the following procedure: 1.) powered its hydraulic mechanical arm, 2.) used the arm to lift a gigantic metal dumpster, 3.) emptied the dumpster and its rattling contents into a metal garbage truck, 4.) plunked the dumpster back onto the pavement. Because there are several dumpsters within one or two blocks of the B&B, this nightly process seemed to take about 20 minutes, growing or decreasing in volume according to the truck's proximity, and reaching a cacophonous peak at the moment it stopped right outside our front door. For some people, who might not be trying to sleep at midnight, this would not be an issue. But we were in the habit of getting up early and doing the bulk of our sightseeing during the cool morning hours, so the nightly disturbance had a big impact on us.

Note: We believe Antiqua Roma also has rooms facing onto an interior courtyard, and this could be a better option. In extremely hot weather, however, courtyard-facing rooms are often very slow to cool off in the evening. (We know this from experience.) Thanks to this Scylla/Charybdis situation, we would probably not stay at AntiquaRoma again during the summer, room quality notwithstanding.

LOCATION: Antiqua Roma is in a pretty good location. The neighborhood itself is more bustling and modern, with wider streets and swifter traffic, than many other neighborhoods in central Rome. This can make you feel like you're well outside the "historic center." However in actuality, sights like the Castel Sant'Angelo, Piazza Navona and the Pantheon are only a short walk away.

BREAKFAST: You can get a discount by opting out of breakfast. We did this, and took our breakfast instead at the chocolate shop/coffee bar across the street (Ciocolatti). They will make you an espresso with melted dark chocolate in it.

HOST: Enrico is very professional, and speaks English very well. He is also somewhat brusque, as other reviewers have indicated. The housekeeper is very sweet, though she does not speak any English.

OTHER STUFF: AntiquaRoma offers free WiFi, and also has a computer in the common area for public use. Another nice feature was the library of fairly up-to-date, big-name travel guides. Like many other Roman B&Bs, AntiquaRoma asks for payment in cash no later than the day before departure.

SUMMARY: This is actually a pretty nice place. We're a bit sorry to give it a "three circle" review, but the street noise really killed us. We would consider staying here again in the winter, however.

We found this gem on trip advisor.

Fantasitc location, as it is 10 mins to Spanish Steps, 15 Mins to Vatican. Its in a safe area, so you acn walk around at night.

Rooms are fantastic, we had the first 2 rooms on the left as you walk in. Our rooms had Ensuites in the room, and mine had a large chandeller.

Live in tennant across the hall was always watching TV really loud. Street noise is not bad, only when the garbage truck is collecting rubbish as the dumster is below on the street.

owner was ok. he was nice in the beginning giving us maps etc, but as soon as it hit 10am checkout time, he virtually threw us out of the place and put us in the lift. We felt we weren`t treated very well at all when leaving.

The Antiqua Roma is a small guesthouse in an incredible location, walking distance from just about everything (just over one of the bridges over the Tiber). It is extremely comfortable and clean, and we found the staff friendly and helpful. Our room was the only one here that had a separate bathroom (i.e. need to walk across the hall to a bathroom which is only for our room) but everything was soon clean and tasteful that it really didn't matter. We would highly recommend the Antiqua Roma for inexpensive, well-located and enjoyable accommodation in Rome.