Roberta was an excellent host. As she would be out of Milan on the day we arrived, she attempted to send the key to us in England. Unfortunately, the keys didn't come as the Italian or English postal services probably lost it. The apartment was well-supplied. Roberta left us many supplies such as detergent, soaps, shampoos and some food items (biscuits, spaghetti, coffee, tea).

The apartment was compact with modern furnishings. The bed was in the loft unit. Quite ample cupboards and storage areas. The bed was a little hard, if you like a hard bed, this will be good.

Bathroom had warm water with a good water pressure. As long as you left the ventilation fan turned on during and for one hour after shower, humidity wasn't an issue.

Kitchen was small with 2 hot plates for cooking. The low height of the kitchen ceiling was a little challenging (as I am very tall). There was a decent dishwasher (which we didn't use) and a 4kg clothes washer. Nice large refrigerator and freezer in the living room. Decent large television set with some English channels as well (daily movies at 9.30pm in Milano).

20m directly opposite the apartment was a bakery (called 'The Bakery') which operated 24/7 (the kitchen, not the eatery). During the warmer nights, the staff from the bakery will take breaks directly outside the apartment to smoke and chat on the handphone. As the apartment was in a courtyard, the noise was amplified. We resorted to turning on the door lamp outside the apartment to chase off the bakery staff at night.

As the location was close to the Navigli (canals), there were many mosquitoes during later summer (August and September). By October, the mosquitoes have reduced in quantity and agility. This isn't a big problem if you apply sufficient mosquito repellent though.

The apartment is very close to Porta Genova. So, it takes 2 mins to get to the metro / train station (Porta Genova F.S.) and 2 min to the TRAM line for Line 9. Opposite is IKEA temporary and Carrefour Express. Very close to Merkato Metropolitano 5-10min walking (popular outdoor eatery), Col De Lana -15min walking (shopping, eating). 15 min to walk to Esselunga (large supermarket) and 20 min to Lidl. Near the Italian Makers' Village (they come from different parts of Italy so it is interesting as it changes every few weeks) and Design quarter.