Rome

We can surely understand why you want to visit Rome: you want to stroll through the narrow alleys with a guidebook in your hands, you want to get lost, fall in love with old FIAT 500 cars, buy shoes, eyed by flirty cops whose sunglasses are clearly too big for them and who smoke ALL THE TIME, while leaning against their Alfa Romeo cars. You probably also want to do the sightseeing, maybe check out the Dan Brown walking tour, walk near the river Tiber and wonder why the light in this city is so unbelievable beautiful and or course you want to eat really good pasta, right?
Sleeps:At your Place B&BThis is a nice bed & breakfast very close to the Castel Sant'Angelo in an old building from the 19th centaury. Besides the guests and the host, there is alos a cute little cat. "At your place" just was recently renovated. The rooms are beautiful and the ones back to the pacio are of course more silent. And to those of you who can not stay alive with the www, there is also free Wlan. The host Luca is multilingual, absolutely friendly and has the gift to make everybody feel like home.
Daphne InnDaphne has two locations. The first one is the  "Inn Veneto" and the other one is called "Inn Trevi" - both can be found in the city center close to the Piazza Barberini.  All rooms have modern interior, most of them are really quiet (which is rarely the case in Rome). What's also noticeable is the service with a personal touch. Employees are helpful, kind and friendly, rooms are also topnotch clean and both locations are perfect for sightseeing. A real gem.
Eats:VolpettiThe brothers Claudio and Emilio originally come from Umbria and run this delicious shop already since 1973. It became a family tradition for the Volpettis to hunt the country for the best food and products and take it all home to Rome. This is why every foodie freaks out when he enters this heavenly store. A huge assortment of different hams are hanging from the ceiling and from the wall. In the counter this goes on with uncountable cheeses and coldcuts and salamis. They all just wait for you.  Meanwhile the brother Volpetti were smart enought to also open up a "Tavola Calda" right next to their Delicatessen, were you can chow down some really nice snacks, have some wine or take it all out with you to the next Roman Garden for a tasty picnic. 
Gelati: Normal ice cream is not real roman ice cream. The best ice cream parlors can be recognzied by the mark "Gelaterie Artigianale". These guys only use fresh ingredients without any artificial coulors, flavour enhancers or  - thickening agents. Even how to order your ice cream may be different than in you home country. First you pay the cash desk and tell the person there, how many scoops you want to habe, i.e. for how much money you would like to buy ice cream. This is what you say: "Vorrei una copetta di tre euro, per favore" (I would like to have an ice cream for three Euros, please). With the small reciept, you return to the counter and choose your favorite ice cream.  Of course there are countless ice cream parlors - but here are some of the best: Fior di Luna in TrastevereGiolitti close to the PantheonIl Gelato di San Crispino close to the fountain of Trevi
Taverna dei Fori Imperiali This is a truly family-run Taverna, directly behind the Forum Romanum in the district of Monti (more to this charming area at the end of this post!) At first sight, this restaurant looks like a mean tourist trap, but it isn't at all. The pasta is homemade and all ingredients are carefully selected by Patron and chef Alesso. This family also originally came from Umbria and everyone is working in the Taverna to make a living and to make others happy with their food. Of course you can order the yummy Carbonara here, for with the region of Latio is famous. The menu isn't that huge, so it is a very good idea to also always ask for the specials of the day, which are always mouth watering and actually the Tavernas best kept secret. The desserts and sweets are made by daughter Claudia, of course also all of these are "fatto in casa" -homemade. 
Hosteria del PesceIf you like fish, this is the place to go. When entering you find yourself on a fish market.The staff is totally friendly and the interior (dark wooden floors, subdued lights) is very atmospheric. The choice of fish and seafood is really astonishing and the quality is just great, every thing is absolutely fresh. Every morning, the brothers Johnny and  Giuliano Micalusi get their fish from the harbor of Terracina. Of course this is not the cheapest solution, but simply the best.
So if you are looking for a bargain and have to watch your budget, this is not the best restaurant for you.. 
Then better go to the restaurant "Né Arte Né Parte"  - this is a place for those who like it packed, lively, loud, cheap AND good. Two actors from Rome opened this ristorante some time ago and meanwhile this is one of the hotspots in the living area of Testaccio. The service can be a little sluggish, burt this actually is no drama as this is a down-to-earth place - and that's the way the cookie crumbles. On the menu, they have for example Pasta Amatriciana, the lovely Carbonara, Involtini and Spigola. All of the really good and to die for.  Né Arte Né Parte Via Luca della Robbia, 15/17, 00153. Trastevere. Call: 0039.06.575.0279. CLosed Mondays.
Our special tip:  Right behind the Forum Romanum lies a special world, the district of Monti. Here, the pace is getting slower and you breathe a different air. A couple of years ago, this is where the red-light-district was to be found and then after some time just like in many other places in the world, one thing led to another. In those times, it was difficult to rent shops to "normal" businesses, so the artists and the creatives came, the had no problem with the milieu. For them it was heaven as they could afford the cheap rent. They mostly sold their works directly out of their studios and made a living. Attracted by this creative scene, over the years others came and Monti got more settled. Rents were and are still rising. With this coming gentrification, the special atmosphere might soon be gone forever. So you better hurry to still find Monti as it used to be.