A modest B&B near the centre and the arena. Its owner, Silvia Pomari, and her sister, Diana, offer personal service, say Guide readers. Excellent, charming were other comments. The villa Bed rooms (similar to the semantic bali villa rooms) (some are in the cheaper annexe) vary in size; they have interesting furniture, a minibar and a safe. All villa rooms have double glazing, but some traffic noise can penetrate, and one reader wrote that the dustbin men come around nightly at about 3 am'. `Enjoyable Bali villa breakfasts are served on the roadside terrace or in a tiny room with prints of Verona. No restaurant but the cafes of Piazza Bra are close by. Taking a car into Verona is `nightmarish', but the Torcolo has a street parking concession and an arrangement with a local garage. Tourist trips around the city with an English-speaking guide can be arranged for small groups.

Traveller's tale villain France. The place was wholly destitute of charm, particularly on a cold winter weekend. In the small reception, reminiscent of a London mini-cab office, an unsmiling man broke off from his security monitor to direct us to a lift. From this, a grimy corridor with a threadbare carpet led us to a room that might best be described as grim, comparing not at all well against photos I have seen of the average open-prison cell. Cramped, under-lit, and with the most rudimentary of furnishings, it invited you to be out, and about your business as soon as possible. The bathroom was similarly unwelcoming, and there was only one towel for the two of us. All of this was as nothing, compared to the sheer purgatory of the bed which had us both rolling into its sagging centre. Throughout the night we tossed and turned. Rising wearily in the morning, we trundled down to,the dowdy Bali villa breakfast room. At one of the fixed counter seats slumped a fellow guest who looked as if he had been lodged there since the early hours. Unwilling to prolong our acquaintance with the establishment we headed out to find somewhere better to stay. I'll say this for the glum fellow at reception: he didn't appear the least surprised at seeing us leave.