One fine stay! Rita was super responsive. Her on-site man Ranga met me when I arrived and showed me the main features at the loft. The place is just as it looks in the pictures. Spacious, bright, and cosy. It feels very personal and warm. Everything that you might need during a longer stay is there. It was very clean, and on the dining table were a couple of pages with key instructions plus guides for the city.
The loft is one of four in a former industrial building that is part of a larger complex less than five minutes walking distance from the Naviglio Grande. The location is perfect for anything in the Tortona neighborhood and well connected to the rest of the city by tram and metro. The complex and the loft itself feel very quiet and safe. The complex has a massive front gate that is closed at night, and the loft has a very private front garden with a metal gate.
My three little gripes:
If you come by car: The listing says there’s private parking, but it’s not guaranteed. When I arrived, Ranga showed me eight places within the complex that I was allowed to use. All eight were occupied. Luckily, one freed up a little later and I left my car there for the duration, but throughout my stay they were continuously full.
If you rely on WiFi: It’s there, it usually works well and at times is even reasonably fast. But there are also lots of dropouts and sometimes it was impossible for 15 minutes or so to load anything. Music also usually didn’t stream for more than 15-20 minutes without interruption.
If you’re noise-sensitive: It’s generally very quiet around the loft. But the walls separating it from the other lofts seem to carry noise rather than block it. At night, I could clearly hear conversations next door, people walking up and down the metal stairs, water running ... If that bothers you, better bring ear plugs. Those will also come in handy if you plan to sleep longer than 7:30, because that’s when construction at a major project across the street commences.
Having said that, I really enjoyed my stay at Rita’s loft. I’d definitely stay here again!