This was an awful experience. So awful that after 3 days I had to interrupt a planned month long stay. I booked this place after reading all the positive reviews and I could not be more disappointed. The day after our arrival, it was 17 degrees celsius (that’s 62 F) inside our space and I realised that the heating was not on. I talked to the host about that and he said that the heating is always off during the day: he just turns it on a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the evening. He also came with all kinds of excuses about why the space I was in was cold compared to his: I should keep the door closed all the time (which I did); guests normally stay outside during the day; energy in Italy is expensive and only a tiny fraction comes from renewable sources, etc. After some research, I realised that the electronic smart thermostat inside the space was password protected, so guests would never be able to set neither the temperature nor the time of the day for the winter heating.
Guests can have very different schedules and it seems difficult to agree with the thought that they should not be taken into consideration. The cherry on top however was when he pointed to my drying rack and said that if I dry my laundry inside the apartment not even a thermoelectric plant would be able to keep it warm. Besides this being completely inaccurate, since humidity does not, in any way, change temperature - on the opposite, it contributes to a healthy air humidity level during winter - I saw this comment as a quite disrespectful invasion of my privacy. On that moment I thought of the perspective of having a landlord living literally next door observing, judging and micromanaging all your steps and actions and telling you how to do things better. Besides this, the entry door of his space is located exactly behind the bed where you would be sleeping and you will hear the opening and closing sound of his very robust door every time he or his family members leave or enter the space.
Umberto, a super host, really did not need to be doing this to his guests. He seemed to be a nice person in other aspects and has a nice property. He did refund us for the 26 nights we did not stay there and also was understanding when our dog jumped on the bed with dirty paws. However, the fact of planning to control the temperature of his rented space together with his lack of consideration to his guests’ privacy make this space a complete no-go.