In early April of 2010, we spent 3 days in Roma and Pompeii. We stayed in a wonderful country house in San Cesareo, about 20 minutes by train outside of Roma. We had no desire to drive in the city, so the San Cesareo location was perfect for us.

We met Rita Cavalli at the house at 10:30 on the first morning of our stay. She was charming and informative, going over every aspect of the house and checking to see if we had questions. Additionally, she told us of areas of interest nearby in Palestrina and Tivoli, showing us pamphlets and written information about the ancient Roman structures each holds. And she assured us she was only a phone call away.

First, the yard is beautiful. It's spacious and wonderfully landscaped with flower beds, trees, bushes, pergolas, and furnished with chairs and benches, an outdoor cooking oven and gas barbecue. The flowers were just beginning to bloom, setting off the fully fenced yard with colour and aroma.

The house is perfect for two couples, with 2 bedrooms and a full bathroom upstairs and a half bathroom downstairs. There is a functional kitchen, fully equipped, and a large dining area and living room. A curved staircase joins the two levels. For extra security, all doors and windows have locking metal shutters or diagonal bars. The two bedrooms share a deck with a northern view of the beautiful hilly country around San Cesareo.

On our last day in Roma, we asked Rita if we could check out later because we wanted to spend one last morning in Roma. She was completely gracious about our request, and we left her home feeling very comfortable, and very appreciative toward Rita.

We sat outside on the eastern patio, in the sunshine, sharing several glasses of wine one beautiful afternoon and thought, "What a perfect place for a vacation home!"

Our stay was wonderful, relaxed and cosy, a great way to visit Roma!