This is a really excellent place to stay, in the center of Bologna in an old building with a pretty eccentric layout. The apartment is huge, and although Claudia lives there too, you'll feel like you have your own place. Which is not to say that Claudia wasn't exceptionally helpful--she was.

On a more general level, I want to recommend Bologna itself. I wish I had spent more time there, and less in Milan. It's also really in a perfect location for day trips to places which are very much worth visiting but that maybe wouldn't be so interesting to spend the night in (for example, Ravenna or Parma--but there are many others).