Booking
The go website is straightforward. You are offered the lowest available fare and prices include tax. I fancied a trip to Prague but with prices hitting £160-plus it was beyond my budget. So too were Palma, Bologna, Lisbon and Venice. Then I tried Rome, and found a fare at £49 out, £44 back. Total: £93.
Tickets
Go is a ticketless airline, but I was given a flight confirmation number and itinerary online, which I printed off and used at check-in.
Check-In
I've seen worse. Go's check-in desks serve all destinations. Four desks were open when I arrived, dealing quickly with the crowds. I was behind a group of lads off on a stag party (eyeing up the hen party in the queue next door) and queued for a civilised 15 minutes. At the desk I presented my printout and passport and was handed a boarding card. It took three minutes.
Boarding
On go, you are allocated a seat - it avoids a rugby scrum for them. I was early so I got a window seat. Boarding was painless - there were no delays at the gate. There is a five-kilo limit on hand baggage - strictly observed. Go used the same gate to board for Rome and Madrid flights. A few Spaniards almost boarded the wrong plane.
Take-off
Outbound: Cabin crew performed the safety drill clearly and competently in English and Italian. During turbulence, stewards enforced the 'fasten safety belt' rule by wagging fingers and shooing passengers back to seats. Flight 155 to Rome departed on time.
Decor
Our Boeing 737 was light and airy. The plane looked new. Cabin crew wear voguish grey trousers and bright T-shirts. And - a pleasant surprise - I had plenty of leg-room. There is no in-flight entertainment.
Catering
In-flight catering by the Costa coffee chain. Tea is £1.20, coffee £1.50 and rich hot chocolate £1.50. Sandwiches from £2.30 to £3.10 and pastries from £1 to £1.50. Snacks (crisps, nuts and chocolate) £1 or under. Nice, unfussy food.
Service
Swift.
Arrival
Outbound: On schedule. Passengers were rapidly reunited with baggage. A go bus ferried travellers into central Rome - £7 return for the 40-minute journey. A 30-minute bus and train costs £5.50. Taxis cost from £15.50 to £22. Go has a deal with Budget rental cars, prices from £25 a day.
Inbound: The flight, due to touch down at 23.10, was delayed by more than an hour. We missed the last train to London at 23.39. There were no coaches and no go representatives. Most people shared taxis to London - at £70-£80 a pop. Got home at 3.30am.
Verdict
Travelling with go is pleasant. Booking is easy, fares are good value and the service is professional and friendly. However, getting stranded at Stansted left a sour taste.
Rating out of 10
Service 7
Value 6
No-frills Rome
Cheap eat
Rome is full of roadside vendors selling tasty pizza slices and ciabatta sandwiches (£1-£2), ice creams (£1-£2), soft drinks (£1) - all you need for a quick cheap lunch or snack. Rosati, 5 Piazza del Popolo, is on the steep side, but have a coffee on the terrace (about £2) and savour the atmosphere of Rome's most stunning piazza.
Cheap sleep
I stayed in a B&B near St Peter's, booked through Rome B& B (of US B&B) at www.romebandb.com. Rooms, usually in the host's home, cost about £75 for two sharing (£37pp). My accommodation was comfortable and spacious but the agency got my arrival time wrong - and almost left me locked out for the night.
Typical sightseeing
The Vatican is a must; entry to St Peter's is free. You might even see the Pope. Don't miss the restored Sistine Chapel (£5.60).
Less typical
Most visitors will go to the Colosseum ( £3; tours in English available).
But don't stop there. Just outside the ancient amphitheatre is the Foro Romano e Palatino. Entry costs £3 and you are free to wander around the ruins of ancient Rome. This is a beautiful place full of poppies, roses, Cypress trees and basking feral cats.
Traveller's Tip
Take a lover - Rome is ridiculously romantic.
