Rome B&B
I've just booked B&B also for Rome - 6 nights, followed by 8 nights in Sorrento.
Both asked for credit card details to 'secure' the booking - no deposits were taken/asked for.
I was about to complete the booking online but decided to e-mail the owners directly instead.
They replied within 12 hours and quoted the same price as the web - but offered a 5% promotional discount
and an additional 10% discount if I paid in cash when I got there

Needless to say we're paying cash on arrival
I then proceeded to e-mail the owners in Sorrento with a general query about our travel plans and asked if they offered any 'promotional discounts'.
Again, they offered a 10% discount on the web price if paying by cash :whoopie:
To be honest, we hadn't even thought about e-mailing directly - we normally book the rooms online - very glad we did this time around.
1st time to Italy - can't wait for June .
Enjoy your trip.
Regards
Homer