Manuel was a great host! He rented an English book from the library for us to read, about the history of Bologna, taught us how to make pasta from scratch, the way his grandmother taught him, ad since we are traveling without a phone, he even dug out an ild cell phone for us to use while staying with him. We had a great time with Manuel and he really cares about your experience. He is a traveler and just wants for people to be able to come and experience his cultural, and have a memorable time doing so. He spent most nights at his girlfriend's house so it was like having our own apartment, with a good friend stopping by to visit.
The apartment was nice and the shower was the best we've had in Europe in 2 months! The location was about a 20 minute bus ride from the center. The neighborhood was not our favorite as it was not very nice. It was perfectly safe, just nothing to do and not the nicest. We had trouble finding the place when we first arrived, so make sure you have a phone to contact Manuel, or make sure you get specific directions. It is only a 2 minute walk to the bus, but on a pedestrian path, so it was hard to find for the first time. Also, Internet access is only possible by using Manuel's computer, which he was great about, but it was difficult to get by this way.
In all, if you don't mind staying outside of the center of town then you won't find a better host than Manuel! Thank you for everything, Manuel!