Our night porter, Pietro, was the factor that turned the hotel from a dive into a friendly welcoming oasis. Because of the late flight from Cardiff it had been past midnight when the taxi dropped us at the end of a narrow street and said 'Up there'. The feeble light of the ABC Pyramid shone on drug dealers and shuttered shop fronts. If it had been daylight I would have seen all the graffiti and been even more depressed, not realising that Rome is covered in it good areas and bad - graffiti is actually a Roman word meaning 'to inscribe'.
Anyway, Pietro was fabulous. He drew bus routes on maps, told us where to buy tickets, recommended good local restaurants and had a smile for everyone.