I stayed at Mariano and Gigi’s apartment with my mother for a week in June. We had a disaster getting there from London - we missed our flight in the morning due to flooding and road traffic and had to buy tickets for a new flight that was delayed. We finally reached Naples Airport at 12am the next day, but the taxi driver took us to the wrong apartment block and left us there!

Luckily, we met a very kind Italian judge who drove us to Mariano and Gigi’s apartment himself, where Gigi’s brother-in-law, Fernando, was waiting to give us a tour of the apartment. He was very friendly and answered our questions patiently despite the ungodly hour.

Despite our initial travel problems, this was one of the best holidays we’ve ever had! Mariano and Gigi’s apartment gave us such an authentic experience of Naples. The people in the building were very friendly and always stopped to talk and welcome us.

Everything you need is nearby – restaurants, cafes, public transport routes and the sea, and it was perfectly safe to walk around at night.

The Metro is 2 minutes down the road and takes you to all the tourist spots like the Naples National Archaeological Museum and via the Circumvesuviana line, Pompeii and Herculaneum. Check the blue drawers in the apartment below the TV for Metro maps, a map of the area and one of Pompeii.

There are many restaurants and cafes nearby. For pastries and sweets, you can’t beat Leopoldo! Il Gelato Mennella was another favourite of ours. The supermarket Flor Do Café is about 15 minutes away. There’s a shortcut to the shopping area down some stairs to the left of the apartment (opposite the road).

Gigi was a fantastic host and was always on hand to answer any questions we had. He and Mariano were also kind enough to let us check out late as we had an evening flight. Their apartment made our stay in Naples one of the most memorable and enjoyable holidays we’ve ever had. Thank you both for having us!