Description Phosphorescence: Roma

The living room of this central Rome apartment is an instantly welcoming space, with the building's historical features, such as the double-height ceilings, herringbone terracotta tiles, and exposed brickwork, cleverly incorporated into what is otherwise a modern interior. We appreciated some of the hi-tech features, like the accent lighting and the video projector in the loft space that's perfect for a movie marathon. It’s the kind of home that could keep you occupied even if you were housebound, so it almost doesn’t seem fair that so many of the Eternal City's most iconic sights are within such easy reach and will no doubt occupy much of your time. Trevi Foutain, for instance, can be walked to in eight minutes, while the Pantheon is half that distance in the opposite direction.

Home truths:
*The dark ceilings and small windows mean that there isn't a lot of natural light about the place, although there's plenty of ambient lighting to compensate
*The ceilings on the upper storey are sloped and can be very low in places
*As many as three people can sleep in the communal areas, with a futon on the mezzanine and a double sofa bed in the living room, although there are only two bathrooms