The Roman palazzo that houses the Fontana and Landini apartments is just beyond the famous Turtle Fountain.

Gracious, spacious and filled with light, Landini's living room seats all guests. 

Sunlight and warm Roman breezes billow the sheer curtains. The deep set windows are equipped with external shutters for security and, properly used in the summer, to manage the heat. In any case, Landini is fully air conditioned.

Antique sideboard, fireplace, side chairs and Empire sofa  are balanced with a comfortable modern sofa, a contemporary iron coffee table and bright accents.

The Italian Regency style sofa is flanked by the entry way on the left and staircase to the terrace on the right. 

Lighting is excellent in this room with four sconces and lamps beside the modern sofa.  

An after dinner sip of vin santo rounds out a satisfying meal in your apartment or at one of the many local eateries.

We appreciate how the regal plum upholstery unites the two sofas. The red and yellow pillows echo the mosaic pattern in the terrazzo floor.

The iron coffee table with ceramic top, as well as the bathroom counters, was designed with fine taste by the owner/architect .

This 200 year old ceramic over iron fireplace originally heated the room. Today it is decorative with its design from northern Europe. 

Today there is central heat!

The expansive terrace is reached from an entrance to the left of the photo. Iron furniture includes a table with chairs and two large lounges. 

Vine-covered trellises bring definition to the large space.  The vines had just been planted when we photographed. 

The classic view of the rooftops of the Eternal City is always a pleasure.

We must admit that in the interest of adding a touch of color to the photos, we used glassware that isn't permitted on the terrace. There are plastic dishes in the kitchen for that purpose. And as long as we are confessing, the colorful cushions on the lounges came from the living room. When we photographed, the apartment was not quite finished and the umbrella had not been erected.

The Landini apartment adjoins the Fontana apartment, combined they easily sleep 10. The wall you see at the end of the terrace separates the balcony of the main level of Fontana from the Landini terrace. And the spiral staircase you see leads to Fontana's rooftop terrace.

 Eventually the two apartments will be joined when a locking gate is installed in that wall.

The dining room is separated from the living room, on the left, by a wall with two openings. The antique table is set with the guest china that features the family crest. A marble topped, antique sideboard eases serving although the kitchen is just steps away behind the wall directly ahead.

Sconces and a crystal chandelier augment the natural light. 

The ochre walls, terracotta tiled roof and architectural elements of the building across the street are a pleasant view. 

This is the view from the living room side of the house over Via del Falegnami. Warm ochre is a traditional color for Roman buildings. The street has limited auto traffic because it is so narrow. And only locals could negotiate the maze of lanes and dead-ends. 

You certainly could hear an occasional late-night reveler (probably a foreigner); there is a club in the neighborhood that is far enough that you won't hear its music. You may also hear classical music wafting from a neighbor's windows of an afternoon. You are in a city that has been densely inhabited for 2000 years; there will always be city sounds.

Break your fast in this circular room where once the servants' spiral staircase connected the floors. The kitchen is to the right. 

Accessed from the entry, a laundry room is to the left of the room you see here.

A totally modern kitchen glistens with microwave, oven, four burner stovetop and dishwasher. The set of pots, pans and dishes is complete. The two basins of the sink are set at right angles to fit in the corner. The window opens onto an internal courtyard.

The beautiful antique wicker bedstead in the master bedroom has been artfully adapted to a modern queen sized bed. Bedside lamps and tables ensure you can read in bed. 

Antique prints line the walls. 

The antique wicker headboard is, as you can see, smaller than the queen-sized bed but two comfortable bolsters fit it perfectly and allow you to enjoy the unique furniture as well as a large bed.

The high-ceilinged room also has an antique armoire, an antique desk that you can see in the photo. The ensuite bathroom is entered just past the desk. 

The master bedroom is on a different level, up four steps from the rest of the apartment.

Pale sage colored tiles line the large bathtub walls. The pleasing curves of the contemporary basin are balanced by the angles of the iron-framed mirror and matching counter that has a clever built-in towel rack.  There are adequate hooks for clothes and a heated rack for towels.  The lighting is fine for putting on makeup. 

The shower is a handsome, modern version of the "telephone" style fixture, that can be held or mounted on a fixed bracket.

You can't say the master bedroom view is pretty but it is interesting and typical of an old palazzo with bits and pieces that have been added over the years.

The yellow wall frames a window that opens into the living room of the neighboring Fontana apartment that is entered one floor above.

The pretty second bedroom can be made up with twin beds or a king. 

Thoughtful design has ensured that there are bedside lights and tables. Also each bed in the house has a comfortable cushion at the head so you can easily read in bed. 

A large shower with rain-style fixed shower head as well as a hand-held will please shower-lovers. We were just  able to take two showers simultaneously but felt the water cool when the second was turned on. One at a time will give you your best temperature and water pressure, always a problem in central Rome. This bathroom is ensuite to the second bedroom in the photo above. It features the handsome iron and ceramic fixtures found in all the baths. 

In cool, damp weather, turn on the heated towel rack half an hour before your shower for a deliciously warm towel.

Small but well organized, the third bedroom has two twin beds that flank the pocket door. An antique armoire and desk complete the furnishings. 

Across the hall from the third bedroom is the third bath that has a shower with both rain-style head and handheld. The bathroom overlooks the same courtyard as the master bedroom. It's window frames a small but pretty scene.

From the moment you find yourself in the charming piazza in front of the palazzo, there are delights for the eye. The famous Fountain of the Turtles gracefully intertwines marble curves, lithe youths, and flowing water with other elements for you to discover on your own.

Inside the courtyard, Renaissance murals have been restored. A few privileged cars park in the well-maintained courtyard.

There is a small elevator, but you may find yourself striding up and down the red carpeted, formal staircases past the palatial "piano nobile" to your apartment. The formal rooms are, unfortunately, closed to the public, but you may be able to catch a glimpse through open doors from time to time. 

History haunts the halls of the palazzo. 

You will walk past this door to the apartment where scenes for the movie The Talented Mr Ripley were filmed. This was the apartment that Tom (played by Matt Damon) rented in Dickie's name in Rome. Several scenes from this film feature this apartment, the palazzo and the piazza in front. 

The neighborhood has many restaurant choices. Just across the street is Pane Vino e San Daniele, a ostaria with reasonably priced meals that specializes in the cuisine of the Friuli region. Great salad choices among many others. 

A bouquet of flavors is an invitation to savor seasonal artichokes along Via Portico di Ottavia. 

What would you order from this spring menu of  Roman specialties?

Fresh fish

Pasta with chick peas

Pasta with beans

Artichokes Jewish style

Zucchini flowers 

Fried cod fillets 

Fried anchovies 

Ossobuco (braised veal)

Lamb stew 

Tripe Roman style

Temptation bursts from sweets in a Jewish bakery. 

Every shop has a seat outside encouraging a neighborly chat.

Via Portico di Ottavia bustles with activity. Students gather before entering school. Parents greet the rabbi at the entrance. Old men discuss the day's news, mothers do the day's shopping.

Plundered from ancient Roman buildings, two hunting reliefs as well as pieces of inscriptions adorn local buildings.

Trolley tracks that connect with the Trastevere train station run by this nicely decorated 19th century building on nearby Via Arenula. The closest bank is the BNL on the corner. 

About 15 different busses converge on this and adjoining Largo Argentina. There is also a taxi rank.

Note the above building on the far side of Largo Argentina where you can see the ruins of Roman temples.

Once the ruins of Rome were overrun with feral cats but a massive no-kill, sterilization program has reduced the population. You can tour the Largo Argentina cat sanctuary as well as the ruins daily at 5pm from the corner you can see at the far side of this photo.

Piazza Venezia is a five minute walk. Many famous landmarks are visible here. The Capitoline Hill is fronted by the Victor Emmanuel monument (scorned by Romans as the "typewriter" or "wedding cake"). The Palazzo Venezia houses art exhibitions and is where you often see photos of Mussolini making speeches. You can find five art exhibition venues in this hub. In the distance, you can see Trajan's column that sits in Trajan's forum, an ancient shopping mall. Here is vantage point to observe the sport of driving in Rome and, sometimes, a dancing traffic cop.

The nearest grocery store is an easy walk. It is open on Sundays and has a everything you are likely to need. 

Every morning you can follow your nose to the Antico Forno (the Old Oven) bakery that perfumes the neighborhood with the scent of freshly baked bread.  

You can even see the bakers at work, their kitchen opens onto the tiny piazza.

Fresh pannini, some with sesame, some with two little olive "eyes," slightly sweet braided egg bread and crusty loaves. How will you choose? 

The bakery has a small deli counter with cold meats, many kinds of olives, mozzarella cheese, and other vegetables "sott'olio" in oil, so you can quickly put together a lunch spread to serve on the terrace. 

Plan an early trip to Campo de' Fiori, the largest and oldest open air market in Rome. You will be rewarded with the freshest of fruits, vegetables and flowers. You can also observe the street life and the give and take of basic commerce. 

Artichokes are one of the most famous elements of Roman cuisine. 

Approximate layout of the gracious Landini apartment. 

The expansive terrace sits just above the apartment and is the same size as the apartment itself. 

Location of the Landini and Fontana Apartments, illustrating their central and convenient location. 

Click to enlarge.

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