My wife and I stayed at Hotel Albergo Piave for six nights (from July 29-Aug. 3) during our recent stay in Rome. For the money, I can't imagine a nicer, cleaner hotel in a comparable area of Rome. The Albergo Piave is a bit off the beaten path (at 14 Via Piave), but it is near-enough to anywhere one might want to go. It's about a 15 minute walk to Termini and Piazza Republica, a 30 minute walk to the historic area (Markets of Trajan, Forum, Colosseum), and less than five minutes to the nearest bus stop.

To truly appreciate Rome, one must explore the city on foot and the Albergo Piave is a fine base from which to do just that. For those less inclined to walk, one can hop an over-priced cab and be most anywhere within 15 minutes or less (depending on traffic) or utilize the city's bus system, which, while seemingly daunting at first, is really quite easy if one just takes a moment to familarize oneself with a city map (the hotel will provide you with one) and then peruses the detailed signage at the bus stops (easy to understand even if you don't know Italian). In addition, there are some decent restaurants on or around Via Piave and the very-hip Friends Music Cafe just up the street from the hotel where you can enjoy a refreshing beverage after a long day of sight-seeing.

The rooms at Albergo Piave are small but spectacularly clean, the beds are comfortable enough, and the bathrooms are very nice. The staff is helpful, although many of them speak little or no English, which can pose the occasional communication problem for the non-Italian speaker. We dealt with Sylvia for all business matters. She is usually there during mornings, is very polite and speaks very good English. It is important to remember that this is more of a bed and breakfast style hotel (breakfast is included in the price of the room). Thus, there is not always someone available at the front desk, especially at night. If you're looking for a place with 24-hour room service, Albergo Piave is not it. You will be given a key for the front gate (the hotel is on the 4th floor of an office/apartment building) and a key card for the hotel floor so that you can come and go as you please. The situation worked out perfectly well for my wife and I, although I admit there were a couple of occasions when I wished a concierge or at least an English-speaking desk attendant were available.

Also, Thomaso, the older gentlemen who is something like the hotel's "super" , can be a bit overbearing at times, although once you get used to him, he's harmless, even rather charming. He means well, but his gruff manner and inability to speak or understand English might make him a bit off-putting to the average westerner at first. By the end of our stay, however, he had endeared himself to us.

For someone coming to Rome to really see and explore the city, Albergo Piave is a reasonably-priced, clean, and comfortable place to do so. There's so much to see and do in Rome. Who has time to stay shut up in a hotel room anyway? I would happily recommend this hotel to friends and I would certainly stay here again.

May 2007. Reserved for 2 rooms with twin beds for 4 adults. Got only 2 queen beds, one bed in each room. In fact, the 11 rooms of this hotel are too small to have 2 twin beds in the rooms. 130 euro per room per day, breakfast included. Bed is a little soft for older American travelers. Asked for inside courtyard rooms and got room #10 and #11 - very quiet and cooler. Avoid facing street rooms. Unable to dial to make outside telephone calls. Was told keep dialing 6, but kept getting recording. Bathroom hair dryer AC plug did not work. Luckily our $0.45 round plug converter (not transformer converter) worked on socket for TV (unplug the TV for awhile). Elevator did not work on 3 of 5 days. Avoid taking luggage on metro subway and bus. Ask hotel for shared shuttle.

I absolutely loved this hotel. It is a little far from Termini so it is very safe and quiet, but there are still many restaurants, cafés and shops near. The room was neat and cozy: simple but beautiful decoration. The only negative thing was that the shower was leaking and the shower doors couldn't perfectly close. (Beware of the rope hanging from the wall in the shower: it starts the alarm, which is very annoying in the middle of the night) The breakfast was ok (croissants, coffee, yogourt, orange juice, ham, salami, cereals... and nutella!). I suggest you buy the delicious sandwiches at Caffe Piave for 2,50€ (try the one with mozarella and prosciutto) right on the corner of Piave and XX Settembre. It is WAY cheaper than what you can buy in touristic areas. Tomassio (the owner) was very kind, so was the receptionnist - who spoke an excellent english. The ladies serving the breakfast were rarely smiling... The nearest metro is Termini or Piazza della Reppublica. Try the Il Sonrisso restaurant. A good 8.5 on 10 ! Great service.

A little tricky to find, but a very nice hotel. The rooms were newly updated and decorated. Owner and staff were very friendly and helpful. Location was good, as it was off the beaten path, but still close enough to walk or metro anywhere you want to go. Overall, a great value.