Monica and her husband were the most welcoming hosts possible. After driving from London to Italy they welcomed us in person at the gates to the old town in Bergamo, reserved us a parking space and chaperoned us to the apartment.

The apartment was full of historic architectural details and even had original frescos on the internal walls.

Being a furniture and design enthusiast, I was pretty impressed by the Le Corbusier black leather sofa in the lounge area.

In advance of our arrival Monica even asked if we had a preference of fruit juice for the morning as they also provided a well stocked continental breakfast cupboard and stocked the fridge with fresh fruit, cheese and fresh coffee.

The old town is a short walk away from the apartment with a beautiful piazza at the top of the town. Lots of restaurants and bars to choose from.

Monica was kind enough to give us a book on Italian Frescos on our departure - a lovely touch.