Mr & Mrs Smith

Couldn't have been any better for what we wanted, travelling as a young family to a busy city. It's based perfectly, by the Spanish steps so everything you need is within walking distance yet in the apartment you feel like you're in your own world of peace and quiet. Lovely, helpful people and very spacious rooms, too.

The only thing I can think of is there is a really useful kitchen area within the apartments but in the room we used there weren't any cooking utensils so we couldn't make the most of it. Would make sense for more to be there or make the instructions more clear as to how to request it.

J.L. Borges' words of wisdom after a long, thoughtful life were: 'Eat more ice-cream.' I can suggest two extremely good gelaterias near Margutta 54: one is the New York Times-reviewed San Crispino at 42 via della Panetteria, camouflaged as a simple open door in this quiet side street, with a small but steady hover of international clients dreamily focused on such perfected flavors as marsala wine and unusual textures such as natural yogurt made with a buttery touch of marscapone. A bit further afield is Giolitti, at 40 via Uffici del Vicario, a conspicuous establishment with outdoor seating beneath large green lettering, with a bar and a cake shop. There's a constant flow of local and international customers, which appears overwhelming in mid-afternoon, though the professional ice-cream scoopers are fast and generous, especially on the cones. Pay first, get a ticket, then line up and memorise the flavors you desire, as you can rarely move to point them out. Superb caramel fig, sharp and fresh yogurt, textured rice, cinnamon, creme of whisky and so on – all are 100 per cent worth the crowd. Stroll on to sit (yes, that is what they are for) on Franz West's charming ice-cream colored sculptures at the cosy Piazza di Pietra.