This was a great apartment in a period building with lots of character ... an oasis of tranquility in the middle of an up and coming design neighbourhood in Milano. Lots of restaurants, cafes and stores but not overwhelmed with tourists.
We did have a hiccup on arrival. Our taxi left us in front a larger wooden doors on the sidewalk. There was a buzzer system but we had no idea who to buzz to let us in. We tried calling Luca but couldn't reach him. So I just started pushing buzzers until the small door built into the large wooden doors clicked open and we entered a courtyard.
Another door to our right also clicked open and we were in the building where a voice from the top said hello. We expected 2 flights of stairs (there is no elevator) but were faced with 4.
The Italians number their floors they way the British do - ground floor is 0 and the rest of the floors go from 1 to whatever. In North American we count the ground floor as 1. So an apartment on the 2nd floor in Italy is really the 3 floor in North America. No fun dragging your luggage up 4 flights.
The apartment is not air-conditioned however Luca's mother, Daniella, brought us a fan. The temps were in the high 20s and low 30s. She was absolutely incredible . We arrive stressed, hot, tired and cranky all made worse by climbing 4 flights. My husband and I are in our 70s with heart conditions. Even though we are fit, the stairs were a challenge..
Daniella (who speaks no English) sympathized with us, sat us down and gave us water. Once we got the bags up, we settled in. The space is beautiful. Danielle went out of her way to many us feel at home. We both used Google translate to communicate.
If you're younger than us and fit, this is a great clean apartment. I loved the area... kind of like Soho. It was a wonderful place to return to after a hectic day sightseeing.