When we arrived, Francesco was waiting outside his apartment, which was easy to find. He was very friendly and although he confessed to not being fluent in English, his English skills were fantastico! And much better than my Italian! Francesco showed us into the courtyard area and to the lift. His apartment was situated on the 3rd floor. Francesco showed us around before staying to chat to us. He showed interest in where we were from and it was pleasant to learn more about him too, as our host. During this time, Francesco gave us lots of helpful travel information, including a city guide which came in very handy. We were left with bottles of water in the fridge, for which we were very grateful.

Francesco's apartment was incredibly clean and neat. Everything was just as expected from the photos. The bathroom is modern with a Jacuzzi style shower. Francesco had left hotel-style toiletries for us (shampoos and shower gels), clean towels and all other necessities. The apartment is definitely big enough for 2 people and we felt comfortable there. The air conditioning was strong and very much appreciated after our long days out in the 33 degree heat! There was a strong Wi Fi, TV and a large sofa in the living area. The upstairs loft/bedroom was a lovely unique feature with a comfortable and roomy bed.

Francesco's apartment is central (zone 1) and only a hop skip and a jump away from the nearest Metro station. It was also very near to the tram stops, so there was no problem in accessing public transport. If you prefer to walk, it was a 5-10 minute walk to Duomo, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, and Castello Sforzesco. There are lots of restaurants, cafes and ice cream establishments nearby, so we never went hungry! There were ATMs/banks nearby and a newstand/kiosk where we were able to replenish our stock of water and grab breakfast when we needed to. Despite the central location of this apartment, the nights were peaceful and we were able to have a restful nights sleep.

We had a very pleasant stay here and appreciated Francesco's hospitality and his flexibility with our check-in/check-out times. We changed our arrival and departure times last minute, and Francesco was very accommodating about this. If we were to visit Milan again we would definitely return to Francesco's apartment.