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For a small and central hotel try the Teatropace 33 Navigate down a narrow street past rows of small furniture makers and duck into the Teatropace 33, where the first thing that hits you is the massive 17th-century spiral stone staircase in this former cardinal's house.

Wood and stone floors combine with enormously high, beamed ceilings to give a solid, comfortable feel in the double rooms, while the top floor suite has its own private roof terrace. The winding neighbourhood streets open up into Piazza Navona yards away, but do not miss Lo Zozzone next door, the legendary sandwich bar where Romans fill up on mortadella slices in warm pizza bread.

Double room: €150 to €240 (£108 to £173) depending on season

For service second to nun, you’ll want the Casa Il Rosario or Casa di Sant'Anna Rome is full of secret gardens hidden by high walls, and they are usually owned by the church. To stroll in one of them, check into Casa Il Rosario (+39 06 679 2346), managed by Dominican nuns and open to pilgrims as well as tourists. The 11pm curfew rules out late-nighters, but the basic, good value rooms make it ideal for a budget conscious family. If a midnight curfew in the summer sounds more reasonable, try the Casa di Sant'Anna (+39 06 485 778) round the corner on Piazza Madonna dei Monti in the shadow of the Coliseum, where kids kick footballs against the wall of the Ukrainian church and lovers eat ice-creams by the fountain, evoking the kind of atmosphere cross-town Trastevere had before it was taken over by cocktail bars.

Il Rosario: Double: €90 (£65). Casa di Sant'Anna: Double: €75 (£54)

For the ultimate Budget Stay check into friendly, family-run and bright Colors hostel north of the Vatican mixing shared six-bed dorms with private rooms for two, three or four people. Take your pick between rooms with comfortable shared or en suite bathrooms that would not look out of place in swankier hotels.

Colourful décor adds to the relaxed, private house charm, while a small roof terrace gives guests the chance to cook in the communal kitchen then eat al fresco.

Dormitory bed: €20 to €27 (£14 to £19) depending on season. Private double with bathroom: €85 to €130 (£61 to £94)