The one thing that we loved at La Casa Di Asa was the very helpful service. Nadia and Elena were extremely friendly and helpful in giving us specific directions to major sites in Rome and how to get around. As well, because Nadia speaks excellent English, we held valuable discussions about Rome, its political and social systems and learned many different words in Italian. We were able to use the Internet at no extra cost but only when Nadia was around (for us it was once everyday). The breakfasts were included which was very good considering that food in Italy is very expensive (although there was no variety and the coffee was not the best). The rooms were very small so was the shower (if you are a tall or large person, do not stay here). We learned, however that is the normal Italian room sizes (even the emperor had small rooms). The house is a lovely house and although it is quite far from the Termini station (the one you take to and from the airport), once you get used to the location, the major sites are not that far (but the distance can be a nuisance if you come back tired from a full day of sightseeing). We also went around Italy to Florence and to Venice. After seeing other places and staying at other hotels and bed&breakfasts, we came to appreciate La Casa di Asa even more for the wonderful service and comfortable stay in relation to other places and service. There is a place nearby where you can place phone calls to North America for about 8 cents a minute (ask Nadia for directions). There are three banks nearby as well, but the service at all three is horrible. We ended up going to Piazza Venezia to the National bank where we received better service. If you plan on going to Italy, make sure you learn at least the common words in Italian because they will not help you otherwise (even though they love to listen to American music, etc). Needless to say, despite the not so convenient location, despite the small room and shower, despite the same food at breakfast times, we came to appreciate La Casa Di Asa for its friendly and helpful service, especially after seeing how unfriendly and mean spirited Italians can be. Anyway, other tips that we learned about which you might find useful are: * Make sure you validate your bus/train ticket before getting on or you can be fined about 30 Euros per person if checked. * Call your museums/galleries/destinations directly for reservations or you can be charged up to triple the price if you go through a third party. * Bring some Euros with you until you can get to a bank or ATM machine in Rome. * Check out the menus at restaurants before sitting down because prices vary considerably from place to place and you don't want to feel ripped off (we paid huge $ for places that looked cheaper and reasonable $ for great food at other places that had an expensive look).
