My partner and I stayed in Gioia's apartment during the Bologna Book Fair in March 2014.

The apartment was easy to get to and near enough to where the bus dropped us off in the town centre. We needed our phone app's of course but it's easy to find.

We were met on arrival by a lovely man who was very friendly and helped with our luggage to the top floor so bear that in mind if you can't handle lots of stairs.

The apartment itself is very clean, well stocked and in an excellent location particularly for the fair as you can get the bus to the conference centre from just down the road.

Gioia (or previous guests) had very kindly left some essentials so we could have a tea/coffee, maybe pick up some milk on the way if you want to be really organised.

I was presently surprised, because the bed was really comfortable. It's a pull out, which was fine. The mattress is firm but soft at the same time. Really what I needed after a hard days work. You are only 10-15 mins walk from the centre of Bologna, but you could easily pop out to the bar opposite the apartment, it is the best one on the street and there are lots of little snack bars and very good restaurants on your road to go out to. Only a few shops away from the apartment is a lady who is famous in Bologna for making home made pasta. It is delicious, do not miss this opportunity!

Be sure to leave the apartment as you found it and replace anything you use. The literature they left for us was really helpful and I always felt if I needed anything they would be able to help. We didn't need anything but you could easily ask.

All in all having a great apartment meant a lot on this work trip and meant I could also enjoy a bit of a holiday at the end of the day. It wasn't a big place but very reasonably priced and perfect for what we needed. I would definitely recommend this apartment if you're travelling on a budget.